An ethnomedicinal survey of medicinal plants from a sacred forest of Western Odisha, India.

Sacred forests are being protected by means of cultural and religious beliefs by the local communities and act as people participatory conservation sites for several important medicinal plants. Sacred forests are one of the oldest forms of biodiversity conservation sites still effectively managed by local people and act as in-situ conservation sites. In this context, the present study was carried out in Andhari sacred forest of Jharsuguda district as to collect the information regarding the traditional ethno medicinal knowledge acquired by the local medical practitioners. Only few indigenous people have adequate knowledge regarding the medicinal plants and their uses. These traditional knowledge were rapidly degrading and if not documented will be lost forever.  The present study reveals the presence of 91 plants species belonging to 46 families being used by the practitioners to treat various diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, indigestion, worm infection, wound healing, headache, stomach disorders, Rheumatic disorders, snake bite, poisonous bite, menstrual problem etc. This ethnomedicinal information further needs to be validated by clinical trials for their safe uses. The study also reported the existence of 8 RET (Rare, Endangered and Threatened) medicinally important species which makes this site a biological hotspot and needs further effective conservation efforts

Yoga practice improves the body mass index and blood pressure: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Yoga, an ancient Indian system of exercise and therapy is an art of good living or an integrated system for the benefit of the body, mind, and inner spirit. Regular practice of yoga can help to increase blood flow to the brain, reduce stress, have a calming effect on the nervous system, and greatly help in reducing hypertension. Aim: Aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of 1-month yoga practice on body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP). Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted to determine the effect of yoga practice on 64 participants (age 53.6 ± 13.1 years) (experimental group) whereas the results were compared with 26 healthy volunteers (control group). We examined the effects of yoga on physiological parameters in a 1-month pilot study. Most of the participants were learner and practiced yoga for 1 h daily in the morning for 1 month. BMI and BP (systolic and diastolic) were studied before and after 1 month of yoga practice. Results: Yoga practice causes decreased BMI (26.4 ± 2.5–25.22 ± 2.4), systolic BP (136.9 ± 22.18 mmHg to 133 ± 21.38 mmHg), and diastolic BP (84.7 ± 6.5 mmHg to 82.34 ± 7.6 mmHg). On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in BMI and BP of control group. Conclusion: This study concludes that yoga practice has potential to control BMI and BP without taking any medication

Combination of mTOR and MAPK Inhibitors—A Potential Way to Treat Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common neoplasm that occurs in the kidney and is marked by a unique biology, with a long history of poor response to conventional cancer treatments. In the past few years, there have been significant advancements to understand the biology of RCC. This has led to the introduction of novel targeted therapies in the management of patients with metastatic disease. Patients treated with targeted therapies for RCC had shown positive impact on overall survival, however, no cure is possible and patients need to undergo treatment for long periods of time, which raises challenges to manage the associated adverse events. Moreover, many patients may not respond to it and even response may not last long enough in the responders. Many inhibitors of the Mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway are currently being used in treatment of advanced RCC. Studies showed that inhibitions of mTOR pathways induce Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) escape cell death and cells become resistant to mTOR inhibitors. Because of this, there is a need to inhibit both pathways with their inhibitors comparatively for a better outcome and treatment of patients with RCC

Abstracts of National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020

This book presents the abstracts of the papers presented to the Online National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020 (RDMPMC-2020) held on 26th and 27th August 2020 organized by the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Science in Association with the Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. Conference Title: National Conference on Research and Developments in Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization 2020Conference Acronym: RDMPMC-2020Conference Date: 26–27 August 2020Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizer: Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology JamshedpurCo-organizer: Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, IndiaConference Sponsor: TEQIP-