American palm ethnomedicine: A meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many recent papers have documented the phytochemical and pharmacological bases for the use of palms (<it>Arecaceae</it>) in ethnomedicine. Early publications were based almost entirely on interviews that solicited local knowledge. More recently, ethnobotanically guided searches for new medicinal plants have proven more successful than random sampling for identifying plants that contain biodynamic ingredients. However, limited laboratory time and the high cost of clinical trials make it difficult to test all potential medicinal plants in the search for new drug candidates. The purpose of this study was to summarize and analyze previous studies on the medicinal uses of American palms in order to narrow down the search for new palm-derived medicines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Relevant literature was surveyed and data was extracted and organized into medicinal use categories. We focused on more recent literature than that considered in a review published 25 years ago. We included phytochemical and pharmacological research that explored the importance of American palms in ethnomedicine.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 730 species of American palms, we found evidence that 106 species had known medicinal uses, ranging from treatments for diabetes and leishmaniasis to prostatic hyperplasia. Thus, the number of American palm species with known uses had increased from 48 to 106 over the last quarter of a century. Furthermore, the pharmacological bases for many of the effects are now understood.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Palms are important in American ethnomedicine. Some, like <it>Serenoa repens </it>and <it>Roystonea regia</it>, are the sources of drugs that have been approved for medicinal uses. In contrast, recent ethnopharmacological studies suggested that many of the reported uses of several other palms do not appear to have a strong physiological basis. This study has provided a useful assessment of the ethnobotanical and pharmacological data available on palms.</p

Threonine requirement of broiler from 22-42 days

Threonine is considered to be the third limiting amino acid for broiler chicks fed low protein corn-soybean meal diets. Very limited information is available on the requirement of the threonine for broilers. The aim of this study was to determine the threonine requirements of broiler chickens from 22-42 days of age. Seventy five Ross 308 one-day-old male broiler chicks were divided into five dietary treatment groups of similar mean weight, comprising 15 birds each. They were fed a basal starting diet containing 23% CP, 3200 ME kcal/kg, 0.81% threonine and 1.24% lysine for first 3 weeks. Chicks were randomly assigned to five treatments involving 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85 and 0.90% of total threonine for 21 days (between 22-42 days). Results indicated that a linear response to dietary threonine for final body weight, body weight gain and threonine intake occurred in experiment but other live performance parameters were not impacted by dietary threonine. Our results suggest that the current NRC recommendation of 0.74% threonine for 3-6 week old broilers is adequate to support comparable growth performance. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2009

Forage yield stability of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) genotypes in the çukurova and GAP regions of Turkey [Çukurova ve GAP Bölgesinde Yaygın Fig (Vicia sativa L.) Genotiplerinin Ot Verimi Stabilitesi]

Improving forage production for an expanding livestock population is essential in the Çukurova and GAP (South-eastern Anatolia Project) regions of Turkey. Feed shortages, especially evident during winter, can be alleviated by introducing high yielding common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) cultivars into crop rotations. The objectives of this research were to determine the genotype × environment interactions and stability parameters for hay yield of 15 vetch lines and cultivars. The vetch genotypes were evaluated in the Çukurova (2 locations for 3 years) and South-eastern Anatolia (1 location for 2 years) regions. In the South-eastern Anatolia region, the rainfall limits plant growth, while the Çukurova region has much better soil and climatic conditions. Since local climatic variation is significant, each location in each year is treated as a separate environment, to give 8 environments. Linear regression techniques were used to analyse genotype × environment interactions (G × E). The hay yield was significantly different between genotypes and environments, while a genotype × environment interaction was present. The variation amongst environments was highly significant, and the mean hay yield ranged from 7453 kg ha-1, in Dogankent (2002-03), to 2687 kg ha-1, in Balcali{dotless} (2003- 04). The genotypes 'V7' and 'V12', which had regression coefficients significantly greater than 1.0 and produced mean hay yields above the overall mean, were well adapted to favourable environments. Three entries (V5, V9, and V10) possessed regression coefficients significantly less than 1.0, with hay yield above the grand mean, suggesting that these genotypes were better adapted to poor environments and insensitive to environmental change. Our study demonstrated that previously selected genotypes and cultivars can be successfully grown and make a significantly positive contribution to animal husbandry in the Çukurova and South- eastern Anatolia regions.© TÜBITAK

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy

PubMed ID: 10870664Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy, described by Wynne-Davies et al., is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. It is characterized by generalized platyspondyly and epiphyseal involvement, with enlargement of both ends of the short tubular bones of the hands. Clinical features include onset in childhood, a disproportionately short stature and premature osteoarthritis. We describe the clinical and radiographic findings of a young woman suffering from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy