Ecological features and traditional knowledge of Roscoea alpina Royle a medicinal plant in Himalaya

167-173Roscoea alpina Royle (Zingiberaceae) commonly known as Kakoli is a perennial medicinal plant endemic to the Himalayas. It has been used in vitality strengthening Ayurveda groups i.e., Astavarga and Jeevaniyagana and in preparation of Ayurvedic formulations e.g., Chyavanprasha and Divya Pidantak Tail. Considering its medicinal uses, high demand and overexploitation, natural habitats were surveyed in subalpine and alpine regions of Garhwal Himalaya for population estimation and to identify elite germplasm. R. alpina frequency was recorded more than 60% in Tungnath, Dayara, Valley of Flowers and Kedarnath populations. However, plant density and area occupied were low compared to other species of subalpine and alpine site. For threat category assessment, IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria were used and conservation status was assigned, based on site to site and for entire Garhwal region of the Western Himalaya. R. alpina, based on extent of occurrence was categorized as Vulnerable and based on number of mature individuals as Endangered for the Garhwal Himalaya. Further, habitat destruction and degradation were the major threats for population reduction in the wild. Morphological variation revealed plants from Tungnath and Kedarnath may be used for future propagation and domestication programs

Climate change challenges, plant science solutions

Climate change is a defining challenge of the 21st century, and this decade is a critical time for action to mitigate the worst effects on human populations and ecosystems. Plant science can play an important role in developing crops with enhanced resilience to harsh conditions (e.g. heat, drought, salt stress, flooding, disease outbreaks) and engineering efficient carbon-capturing and carbon-sequestering plants. Here, we present examples of research being conducted in these areas and discuss challenges and open questions as a call to action for the plant science community

The Cost of Universal Health Care in India: A Model Based Estimate

Introduction: As high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses pose heavy financial burden on the families, Government of India is considering a variety of financing and delivery options to universalize health care services. Hence, an estimate of the cost of delivering universal health care services is needed. Methods: We developed a model to estimate recurrent and annual costs for providing health services through a mix of public and private providers in Chandigarh located in northern India. Necessary health services required to deliver goo

25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016

Abstracts of the 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016 Seogwipo City, Jeju-do, South Korea. 2–7 July 201

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Volatile constituents of endangered<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>species<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> Nardostachys grandiflora </i>DC.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>rhizomes from Uttarakhand Himalaya (India)</span>

134-137<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">The rhizomes of Nardostachys grandiflora DC. syn. N. jatamansi DC. were collected from two alpine Himalayan locations of Uttarakhand (India). The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the concentration variation in their constituents. A total of 22 compounds were identified in both the oil samples, accounting 97.6<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:="" en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi;mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">-<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">98.4 %. The major constituents of N. grandiflora oils were characterised as patchoulol (39.1-46.8 %) and calarene (15.1-21.6 %). Due to the higher relative area quantum of patchoulol in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">N. grandiflora populations growing in Uttarakhand, there is need to develop a propagation protocol for mass multiplication and in-situ and ex-situ conservation of N. grandiflora.</span

Volatile constituents of endangered species Nardostachys grandiflora DC. rhizomes from Uttarakhand Himalaya (India)

The rhizomes of Nardostachys grandiflora DC. syn. N. jatamansi DC. were collected from two alpine Himalayan locations of Uttarakhand (India). The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the concentration variation in their constituents. A total of 22 compounds were identified in both the oil samples, accounting 97.6-98.4 %. The major constituents of N. grandiflora oils were characterised as patchoulol (39.1-46.8 %) and calarene (15.1-21.6 %). Due to the higher relative area quantum of patchoulol in N. grandiflora populations growing in Uttarakhand, there is need to develop a propagation protocol for mass multiplication and in-situ and ex-situ conservation of N. grandiflora

Assisted reproductive technologies in India: the views of practitioners.

BACKGROUND: This article documents the context of Assisted Reproductive Technology/ies (ART) services and providers' perceptions regarding services offered in India. The objective is to facilitate understanding of critical issues and relevant concerns. METHODS: A postal survey conducted with a sample of 470 gynaecologists and in-depth interviews with 39 gynaecologists in four cities. RESULTS: ART clinics have proliferated in cities and towns; they are commercialised and the quality of treatment is variable. Most providers perceived that patients lack knowledge about infertility and ART, costs are high, investigations unnecessarily repeated and success rates low. ART providers do not have clear selection criteria, some lack rigorous specialised training and infrastructure and most are deficient in record-keeping and counselling and lack transparency. Monitoring and regulation by appropriate authorities are also lacking. CONCLUSION: Both providers and regulatory authorities need to look critically at exploitation of patients and commercialisation, excessive costs, lack of information, informed consent, and transparency, counselling, unethical practices, variations in quality of treatment and ensuring proper monitoring and regulation