DETERMINATION OF ENERGY CONTENT, PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF POTENTIAL WILD EDIBLE LEGUME; CANAVALIA ROSEA (SW.) DC. FROM NORTHERN KERALA

Objective: Major objective of this study is to determine the calorific value and antioxidant activity of Canavaliarosea. Methods: Petroleum ether extract of the seeds were tested qualitatively for twelve components. Calorific value in kJ/100g seed flour was determined based on the results of the proximate analysis. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were analyzed by standard procedures using UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. Results: C. roseais a perennial creeper with roughly circular compound leaves. Flowers are brightly pink-purple, in racemes. It is having large fruits up to 8-12 cm, with brown dormant seeds inside. Seeds were collected from banks of ‘Kabani’ River (Panamaram) and from various tribal hamlets in Wayanad district, Kerela. Preliminary phytochemical screening reveals the presence of eight compounds such as, tannins,saponins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, phenols, coumarins and phlobatannins. The analysis of nutritive value of seed has a higher value of crude protein (48.71 %) and crude carbohydrate (34.07). The calorific value of seed material was 1529.9kJ/100g seed flour. Enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (38.134 u/mg fw) and catalase (19.051 u/mg dw) then non-enzymatic antioxidants poly phenols (12.81 u/mg dw) and ascorbic acid (10.301 u/mg fw) were tested. All those tests show significant levels of antioxidants in the sample. Conclusion: Hence, the present study providing details about the place of collection, ethnobotanical information, energy content and antioxidant activity of Canavaliarosea

Determination of use value and informant consensus factor on ethnobotanic knowledge about wild legumes used by natives of Wayanad district, Kerala

The present work is aimed to document the traditional knowledge about the various usages of leguminous plants (Fabaceae), by tribals of Wayanad district and its nearer places such as Vanimel and Vilangad villages of Kozhikkode district, Kerala. Ethnobotanical surveys/ interviews/ discossions were carried out in few randomly selected tribal hamlets for the data collection. Among these visits the plants used by tribal communities Paniya and Kattunaikka were focused for documentation. This study reports the data of 80 plants from the family Fabaceae. This report also observed that the tribal communities were deeply depending on various wild legumes for making infrastructures, agricultural utilities, making food/ fuel/ timber/ manure and they solve their health issues to a large extent also by using some wild legume species. Among the eighty species, fifty were used in various medicinal preparations and thirty species were used for dietary needs in combination or alone. At the same time major group of plants are unable to demarcate between food and medicine. Use Value analysis shows that the tree legume species Tamarindus indica is relatively more important with 64 use reports (UV 0.98). Analysis of Informant consensus factor reveals that the homogeneity of knowledge is more for the plants with medicinal properties (Fic 0.97); whereas maximum heterogeneity (Fic 0.92) was found about agricultural utilities of plants. According to the results of DMR analysis Dalbergia latifolia ranked first, so that this species is getting more exploited, because it is highly preferable for all five categories studied under DMR analysis. Moreover the present documentation of ethnic knowledge about wild legumes is an attempt to serve as indigenous information for future sustainable utilization and conservation

Determination of use value and informant consensus factor on ethnobotanic knowledge about wild legumes used by natives of Wayanad district, Kerala

404-415The present work is aimed to document the traditional knowledge about the various usages of leguminous plants (Fabaceae), by tribals of Wayanad district and its nearer places such as Vanimel and Vilangad villages of Kozhikkode district, Kerala. Ethnobotanical surveys/ interviews/ discussions were carried out in few randomly selected tribal hamlets for the data collection. Among these visits the plants used by tribal communities Paniya and Kattunaikka were focused for documentation. This study reports the data of 80 plants from the family Fabaceae. This report also observed that the tribal communities were deeply depending on various wild legumes for making infrastructures, agricultural utilities, making food/ fuel/ timber/manure and they solve their health issues to a large extent also by using some wild legume species. Among the eighty species, fifty were used in various medicinal preparations and thirty species were used for dietary needs in combination or alone. At the same time major group of plants are unable to demarcate between food and medicine. Use Value analysis shows that the tree legume species Tamarindus indica is relatively more important with 64 use reports (UV 0.98). Analysis of Informant consensus factor reveals that the homogeneity of knowledge is more for the plants with medicinal properties (Fic 0.97); whereas maximum heterogeneity (Fic 0.92) was found about agricultural utilities of plants. According to the results of DMR analysis Dalbergia latifolia ranked first, so that this species is getting more exploited, because it is highly preferable for all five categories studied under DMR analysis. Moreover the present documentation of ethnic knowledge about wild legumes is an attempt to serve as indigenous information for future sustainable utilization and conservation

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: Current Understanding and Diagnostic Approaches

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a medical condition where ovarian function stops prematurely, typically before the age of 40. This condition leads to infertility and produces symptoms similar to those experienced during menopause. Although the origins of POIs are diverse, genetic elements substantially influence their emergence. This assessment delves into the genetic facets of POI, covering genetic triggers, detection, and genetic consultation. We scrutinize the genes linked to POI and their function in ovarian activity, as well as the genetic deviations and mutations that foster POI onset. We also examine the challenges and limitations of genetic testing and counseling for POI and suggest ways to address these challenges. This review offers a thorough examination of the existing understanding of the genetic factors linked to Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) emphasizing the critical need for further investigation in this field

Maze solvers demystified and some other thoughts

There is a growing interest towards implementation of maze solving in spatially-extended physical, chemical and living systems. Several reports of prototypes attracted great publicity, e.g. maze solving with slime mould and epithelial cells, maze navigating droplets. We show that most prototypes utilise one of two phenomena: a shortest path in a maze is a path of the least resistance for fluid and current flow, and a shortest path is a path of the steepest gradient of chemoattractants. We discuss that substrates with so-called maze-solving capabilities simply trace flow currents or chemical diffusion gradients. We illustrate our thoughts with a model of flow and experiments with slime mould. The chapter ends with a discussion of experiments on maze solving with plant roots and leeches which show limitations of the chemical diffusion maze-solving approach.Comment: This is a preliminary version of the chapter to be published in Adamatzky A. (Ed.) Shortest path solvers. From software to wetware. Springer, 201

Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism And It’s Lifestyle Impact

The Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism, with its three main allelic variants (APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4), has gained prominence in genetic research due to its critical implications for human health. This review article offers a concise introduction to the APOE protein polymorphism and its influence on individual’s way of life. The APOE gene encodes apolipoprotein E, a critical component of lipid metabolism that is essential for both cholesterol transport and neuron repair in the central nervous system. APOE ℇ4 raises Alzheimer's risk, ℇ2 protects, and ℇ3 is neutral. Lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, and cognitive engagement, predict susceptibility to chronic illnesses like Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease (CVD). For APOE ℇ4 carriers, a heart-healthy lifestyle can reduce elevated risk, while ℇ2 carriers, being less vulnerable, may need less intervention

Differentiating Schizophrenia from Bipolar Illness on 18 F FDG PET CT Based on white Matter Metabolism; an under-Utilised Parameter

18F-FDG PET/CT positron emission tomography studies (FDG-PET) have shown similar cortico-limbic metabolic dysregulation in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with hypoactive prefrontal cortex coupled with hyperactive anterior limbic areas. However, it is not clear whether white matter metabolism connecting these regions is differently affected in the two disorders. Forty eight patients with schizophrenia mean age ± S.D] 31.6 ± 7.8 and 56 patients with bipolar disorder [mean age±S.D] 46.2 ± 8.9 underwent an 18F-FDG PET/CT scan. Normalized datasets the two groups of patients were compared on a voxel-by-voxel basis using a two-sample t statistic test as implemented in SPM8, and adding age as covariate. Group differences were assessed applying a threshold of p<0.0005. White matter metabolic rates significantly differed between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, whereas no differences were shown for cortical activity. This is the first 18F-FDG PET/CT to our best knowledge, directly comparing subjects with schizophrenia to those with bipolar disorder. It reports decreased activity in the center of large fronto-temporal and cerebellar white matter tracts in patients with schizophrenia in respect to those with bipolar disorder. This feature may characterize and differentiate the regional brain metabolism of the two illnesses