Ethnobotanical Study and Conservation Status of Plants Used by the Tigwa-hanon-Manobo in Mt. Malimumu, San Fernando, Bukidnon, Philippines

Central Mindanao, Philippines, is a center of the cultural wealth of knowledge and botanical resources in the southern archipelago. However, traditional plant re-sources remain unexplored, and most of the tribal communities remain undocu-mented. Manobo tribeis one of the most populated and diverse tribal communities in the country, including the secluded Tigwahanon-Manobo community in Mt. Malimumu, San Fernando, Bukidnon, Philippines. Hence, this study provides eth-nobotanical information and conservation status of plants along a 1-km transect walk in Mt. Malimumu used by the Tigwahanon-Manobo. A guided field walk with the tribal chieftains and tribal healer documented a total of 23 species in 22 genera belonging to 20 families, of which four species, namely Dillenia philip-pinensisRolfe, Nepenthes cornutaMarwinski, Coritico, Wistuba, Micheler, Gronem., Gieray & V.B.Amoroso, Nepenthes truncataMacfarl., and Pandanus mindanaensisMartelli, are Philippine endemics. Three families, namely Nepen-thaceae, Melastomataceae, and Rubiaceae, are the most represented with two spe-cies each. Based on the combined international (IUCN 2021) and national (DENR DAO 2017-11) listing of conservation status, one species was assessed as Criti-cally Endangered (Aquilaria malaccensisLam.) and another one as Endangered (N. truncata). Two species were assessed as Vulnerable (Agathis philippinensisWarb. and N. cornuta) and one species as Near Threatened (D. philippinensis). Six species were identified as Least Concern while the rest of the species were not yet evaluated. This participatory research provides the first ethnobotanical study and conservation status of traditional plants used by Tigwahanon-Manobo for food and medicine, as well as economic and ecological uses needing conservation and protection of their natural resources

Protected Areas’ Latent Functions and Social Consequences: A Case from Mount Hamiguitan, Philippines

While protected areas (PAs) are established primarily for biological diversity conservation and provision of ecological services, social dimensions comes into play. This paper extends the discourse on PAs’ impact to local communities by focusing on the latent functions and social consequences utilizing Robert Merton’s Functional Analysis. Based on in-depth interviews among community leaders and elders, and forest custodians around Mount Hamiguitan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is revealed that establishment of PAs entails varied consequences beyond what are being intended and manifested. While communities availed of some latent benefits from the declaration of the PA, they also have responses that limit the success of conservation initiatives. Hence, forest protection is a complex social and political process that demands more integrative response on community’s social, cultural, and political structures and dynamics

Philautus (Bush Frogs) Species from Montane Forest of Marilog District, Davao City, Southern Mindanao, Philippines

Despite herpetological surveys conducted in Mindanao, scanty data are known about the Philautus species in montane forests as well as its account in southern Mindanao. Species accounts of Philautus sampled from the montane forest of Marilog District in Southern Mindanao with notes on it microhabitats were provided. Belt-transect sampling and microhabitat searches were employed in three different sites. A total of 124 individuals representing four species of Philautus were accounted, three of which are currently known only from forested areas of Mindanao. Philautus acutirostris is the most encountered species. Thirty-four genera of plants associated with microhabitats of Philautus species were accounted. Although the majority of the frog individuals appear to use the plants for perching, other notable activities were also noticed. Further observations may reveal data that will unravel other significant roles of these associated plants in microhabitats of Philautus species

Richness and distribution of reptiles and amphibians in the tropical lowland habitats of Mt. Agad-Agad, Iligan City, Southern Philippines

Knowledge of Philippine herpetofauna is progressively increasing. However, there are still areas in the country that are poorly understood and remain unexplored, particularly in the southern Philippines. Mt. Agad-Agad in Iligan City (Lanao del Norte Province) is a secondary lowland evergreen tropical rainforest in the southern portion of the northern Mindanao region, popular with the general public and a biologically important mountain ecosystem. Herein, we present the species richness and distribution of herpetofauna using standardized sampling methods. We documented 37 species of amphibians and reptiles, recording 20 Philippine-endemic species, three exotic anurans, two threatened reptiles, and one unidentified species of lizard. Species richness was higher in a mixed agricultural area (18 species, n = 108 individuals) compared to secondary growth forest (17 species, n = 86 individuals). This research provides baseline information on the herpetofauna from Mt. Agad-Agad, and additional herpetological knowledge on the distribution and ecology of amphibians and reptiles from the northern Mindanao region

New Insights on the Morphology of the Philippine Endemic Ficus pseudopalma Blanco

Ficus pseudopalmaBlanco is an endemic Philippine plant with many medicinal uses and an ethnobotanically as a green vegetable or side dish.With these several eco-nomic uses of the plant, there is a need to investigate the morpho-anatomy and de-velopment of the species.Seeds of F. pseudopalmawere collected in Mt. Hamigui-tan Range Wildlife Sanctuary and grown in the Central Mindanao University Garden to monitor the growth and development of the species.Unique morpho-anatomical features include sparingly branched glabrous stem with spirally-arranged reddish ter-minal leaves crowded at the apical part, paired persistent stipules, anomocytic sto-mata, without glandular hairs and with leptocentric bundles in the petiole. The inflo-rescence is likewise unique,being enclosed to form a syconium (fig) which occurs in pairs and axillary. The flowers are imperfect with the staminate flowers situated the osteole while the pistillate flowers are at the syconia's interiorand pollinated by agaonid wasps. The seeds germinated after fourdays of sowing, and syconia were formed after 365 days exhibiting several stages of development. These morphologi-cal and developmental characteristics are important in mass propagating this en-demic plant for its medicinal and food uses

Avifaunal assemblage in the expansion sites of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Mindanao, Philippines

The Protected Area of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS) was proposed for expansion in 2016 to protect the remaining biodiversity of the buffer zones and to fortify the core zone. This study provides data on avifaunal assemblage and assessment on the added value of the ca. 2.99 km2 MHRWS expansion sites to the already protected zone. A combination of transect line survey and mist netting technique were used to sample bird species in four sampling sites in the MHRWS expansion sites. Our inventory of the MHRWS expansion sites revealed 41 species of birds distributed to 10 orders, 24 families and 34 genera. This adds 24 avifauna species to the previously reported birds in Mt. Hamiguitan Range making it a home to 83 species. The low species diversity in the MHRWS expansion sites could be attributed to the poor soil, low forest productivity and habitat loss. The presence of threatened and endemic species of birds in the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary expansion sites appeals for conservation initiatives by the stakeholders

Species Composition and Assessment of Sphingidae in Mt. Agad-Agad, Iligan City, Philippines

Sphingidae (Hawkmoth or Sphinxmoth) is a known bioindicator that is naturally af-fected by environmental issues such as deforestation and pollution. Members of this family are widely distributed in Southeast Asia and play vital roles as indicators of habitat quality and biomass degradation. This study highlights the diversity and as-sessment of hawkmoths of Mt. Agad-Agad (Sitio Langinlanon, Barangay Puga-an) on Iligan City. Two sampling stations were established, the upper and lower Mt. Agad-Agad. Light trap sampling using 2 ×3 m2white silk cloth and 500 watts light bulb was established in selected points of the sampling stations. Six species belong-ing to four genera were recorded of which two species, Acosmeryx socratesand Pol-yptychus trilineatusphilippinensis, were found very rare in the area. Station 2 (lower Mt. Agad-Agad) had the highest number of species recorded compared to Station 1 (upper Mt. Agad-Agad). However, there is no significant difference between the two (t=0.59, critical t=2.2281, p=0.56) sampling stations in terms of species composi-tion. Moreover, two species from the genus Ambulyxare the endemic species ob-served, viz, A. bakeriand A. wilemani

Safety and efficacy of the supreme biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent in patients with diabetes mellitus

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have worse outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention than nondiabetic patients. The novel Supreme DES is a biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent designed to synchronize early drug delivery, limiting the potential for long-term inflammatory response. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Supreme DES in patients with DM. Methods This is a prespecified analysis of the diabetic subgroup from the PIONEER III randomized (2:1), controlled trial, comparing the Supreme DES with a durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (DP-EES). The primary safety and efficacy composite endpoint was target lesion failure at 1 year, a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Results The PIONEER III trial randomized 1629 patients, of which 494 (30.3%) had DM with 331 (398 lesions) randomly assigned to Supreme DES and 163 (208 lesions) to DP-EES. Among patients with DM, target lesion failure at 1 year was 6.1% (20/331) with Supreme DES vs 3.7% (6/163) with DP-EES (hazard ratio = 1.65; 95% confidence interval = 0.66-4.10, P = .28). The composite of cardiac death or target vessel myocardial infarction was 3.3% (11/331) with Supreme DES and 3.7% (6/163) with DP-EES (hazard ratio = 0.90; 95% confidence interval = 0.33-2.44, P = .83). There were no significant differences in other secondary endpoints. Conclusions This prespecified substudy of the PIONEER III trial demonstrated the relative safety and efficacy of the novel Supreme DES when compared with commercially available DP-EES in diabetics at 1 year. Longer term follow-up will be required to ensure continued safety and efficacy of the Supreme DES

Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow Up of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Consensus Practice from the PERT Consortium

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There have been many advances in the field of PE in the last few years, requiring a careful assessment of their impact on patient care. However, variations in recommendations by different clinical guidelines, as well as lack of robust clinical trials, make clinical decisions challenging. The Pulmonary Embolism Response Team Consortium is an international association created to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of patients with PE. In this consensus practice document, we provide a comprehensive review of the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of acute PE, including both clinical data and consensus opinion to provide guidance for clinicians caring for these patients

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives