Oil Palm Research in Context: Identifying the Need for Biodiversity Assessment

Oil palm cultivation is frequently cited as a major threat to tropical biodiversity as it is centered on some of the world's most biodiverse regions. In this report, Web of Science was used to find papers on oil palm published since 1970, which were assigned to different subject categories to visualize their research focus. Recent years have seen a broadening in the scope of research, with a slight growth in publications on the environment and a dramatic increase in those on biofuel. Despite this, less than 1% of publications are related to biodiversity and species conservation. In the context of global vegetable oil markets, palm oil and soyabean account for over 60% of production but are the subject of less than 10% of research. Much more work must be done to establish the impacts of habitat conversion to oil palm plantation on biodiversity. Results from such studies are crucial for informing conservation strategies and ensuring sustainable management of plantations

Suppression of human T cell proliferation mediated by the cathepsin B inhibitor, z-FA-FMK is due to oxidative stress

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Polysaccharide Containing Gels for Pharmaceutical Applications

WOS: 000456875000007Bio-derived polymers are falling into the needs of pharmaceutical formulations for topical applications due to their gelling ability. Generally, in topical delivery, as an alternative way for local and systemic application of active substances, formulations in gelling form are preferred as they have multiple advantages, e.g., minimize systemic side effects, avoid gastrointestinal irritation, prevent the metabolism of the active substance in liver, etc. The present chapter reviews bio-based polymers with special reference to polysaccharides-based hydrogels with respect to their pharmaceutical applications