Do informally managed sacred groves have higher richness and regeneration of medicinal plants than state-managed reserve forests?

Sacred groves are ‘traditionally managed’ forest patches that functionally link social life and forest management system of a region. It is believed that one of the prime utilities of sacred groves is the protection and occasional supply of medicinal plants. We assessed the regeneration among sacred groves of the central Western Ghats, India, and compared it with the ‘state-managed reserve forests’. Overall, nearly 60% of the regenerating species were medicinally important. The density of regenerating medicinal plants among sacred groves was almost twice as that of reserve forests. There were a higher number of seedlings (Class-II), saplings (Class-III) and poles (Class-IV) of medicinally important plants in sacred groves than among reserve forests. Further, we found that nearly 40% of medicinally important species were unique to sacred groves; in contrast, only 11% was unique to reserve forests. However, nearly equal proportions (29 vs 27%) of ‘non-medicinal plants’ were unique to sacred groves and to reserve forests. These results suggest that informal management systems such as sacred groves have not only conserved useful species, but people have tended to ‘discover’ medicinal values more often among plants unique to sacred groves, than those found in other landscapes. Perhaps, this typifies one preliminary step in medicinal-plant domestication

Effect of bio-control agents and botanicals on in vitro growth and development of Ganoderma applanatum

Efficacy of bio-control agents and botanicals against Ganoderma applanatum, a fungi causing basal stem rot of coconut was studied at Agricultural Research Station, Arsikere during the year 2008-09. Among the 17 bio-control agents screened, native Trichoderma sp. (V2) recorded minimum radial growth of 1.72 cm by exerting 81 per cent reduction over control, which was followed by Trichoderma sp. (12a) by accounting 2.30 cm radial growth with 74 per cent reduction over control. Among the six bio-control agents, tested for biomass production, native Trichoderma sp. (B4) recorded maximum biomass (0.76 g) followed by Trichoderma sp. (C4) which accounted for 0.7 g 100 ml-1 potato dextrose broth. Among 10 botanicals tested, only Glyricidia was found to be inhibitory against G. applanatum, by recording radial growth of 5.4 cm as against 9.0 cm in control

Zirconia in Restorative Dentistry

Advancements in dental material science and technology have improved over the past decade tremendously. The demand for tissue-friendly esthetic materials has been fulfilled to a certain extent on account of the development of new materials. Most materials meet the requirements of esthetics, function and biocompatibility. They exhibit the properties of color stability, improved resistance to wear, dimensional stability and they are tissue-friendly. These new materials are able to provide desirable and optimum treatment outcomes on a long-term basis on account of their nature and advances in manufacturing and fabrication. Reinforced ceramic restorations are now completed within a very short time from start to finish—from digital impression to bonding of the restoration. Zirconia-reinforced ceramics share the top choice in materials along with lithium disilicate. The most recent zirconia has improved optical properties and has the potential to overcome its problem of increased opacity. These zirconia-based ceramics have successfully replaced even precious metal alloys and porcelain-fused-to-metal prostheses due to the above-mentioned qualities. This chapter throws light on zirconia and the different types used in dentistry, applications, methods of fabrication and clinically relevant properties

Sacred forests of India: a strong tradition of community-based natural resource management

Sacred forests represent an important long-held tradition of conserving specific land areas that have cultural, and often religious, significance. India, with its diversity of cultures and traditions, has over 100 000 sacred forests. Many of these groves are forest fragments in agricultural landscapes. In most cases, community members are at least aware of these fragments, if not actively involved in their protection and management. This review focuses on the Western Ghats in southern India and Meghalaya state in northeastern India, both international biodiversity hotspots. In addition to the cultural significance of sacred forests, a number of studies have suggested that they are important refuges for conservation of biological diversity, including medicinal plants, within highly anthropogenic landscapes. Whilst sacred groves have been successful conservation areas, current threats to these forests are numerous, ranging from pressures for use of timber and other forest products to clearing for agriculture or general changes in cultural traditions. A variety of arrangements exist for ownership and management of sacred forests, making it necessary to identify solutions on a case-by-case basis. Support for the continued practice of the tradition of sacred forest protection is needed in order to provide a culturally sensitive model for community-based natural resource management

Altered expression of heat shock protein-27 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 after acute spinal cord injury: a pilot study

Published online: 2019-10-07Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to serious complications involving primary trauma and progressive loss due to inflammation, local ischemia, or infection. Despite a worldwide annual incidence of 15 to 40 cases per million, methylprednisolone is the only treatment available to alleviate neurologic dysfunction; therefore, research is currently focused on identifying novel targets by biochemical and molecular studies. Purpose: Here, we investigated the expression of various molecular markers at the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein level at day 0 and day 30 post-SCI. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine the expression of CASPASE-3 and heat shock protein-27 (HSP-27) in serum samples. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the level of mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), VEGFR-2, HSP-27, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and CASPASE-3. Results: HSP-27 expression at day 30, as compared with day 0, showed significant downregulation. In contrast, there was elevated expression of MCP-1. ELISA analysis showed no significant change in the expression of CASPASE-3 or HSP-27. Conclusion: There may be possible opposing role of HSP-27 and MCP-1 governing SCI. Their association can be studied by designing in vitro studies.Vidyasagar Boraiah, Shweta Modgil, Kaushal Sharma, Vivek Podder, Madhava Sai Sivapuram, Gurwattan S. Miranpuri, Akshay Anand, Vijay Gon

Future Prospects for Periodontal Bioengineering Using Growth Factors

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142015/1/cap0088.pd

BMP-2 Dependent Increase of Soft Tissue Density in Arthrofibrotic TKA

Arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is difficult to treat, as its aetiology remains unclear. In a previous study, we established a connection between the BMP-2 concentration in the synovial fluid and arthrofibrosis after TKA. The hypothesis of the present study was, therefore, that the limited range of motion in arthrofibrosis is caused by BMP-2 induced heterotopic ossifications, the quantity of which is dependent on the BMP-2 concentration in the synovial fluid

Liver transplantation is a preferable alternative to palliative therapy for selected patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond the traditional criteria (advanced HCC) are typically offered palliation, which is associated with a 3-year survival rate lower than 30%. This study aimed to describe the outcomes for a subset of patients with advanced HCC who satisfied the Extended Toronto Criteria (ETC) and were listed for liver transplantation (LT). Materials & Methods: All patients listed in the Toronto liver transplant program with HCC beyond both the Milan and University of California, San Francisco criteria were included in this study. Data were extracted from the prospectively collected electronic database. All radiological images were reviewed by two independent radiologists. The primary endpoint was patient survival. Results: Between January 1999 and August 2014, 96 patients with advanced HCC were listed for LT, and 62 (65%) of these patients received bridging therapy while on the waiting list. Bridging therapy led to a significant reduction in tumor progression (p=0.02) and tumor burden (p <0.001). The majority of those listed underwent LT (n=69, 72%). Both tumor progression on waiting list (HR 4.973 [1.599 – 15.464], p=0.006) and peak AFP ≥400ng/ml (HR 4.604 [1.660 – 12.768], p=0.003) were independently associated with waiting list dropout. Post-LT HCC recurrence occurred in 35% (n=24). Among those with HCC recurrence, survival was significantly better for those who received curative treatment (p=0.004). The overall actuarial survival rates from the listing were 76% at 1 year, 56% at 3 years, and 47% at 5 years, and the corresponding rates from LT were 93%, 71%, and 66%. Conclusion: LT provides significantly better survival rates than palliation for patients with selected advanced HCC