Global extent and drivers of mammal population declines in protected areas under illegal hunting pressure

Illegal hunting is a persistent problem in many protected areas, but an overview of the extent of this problem and its impact on wildlife is lacking. We reviewed 40 years (1980–2020) of global research to examine the spatial distribution of research and socio-ecological factors influencing population decline within protected areas under illegal hunting pressure. From 81 papers reporting 988 species/site combinations, 294 mammal species were reported to have been illegally hunted from 155 protected areas across 48 countries. Research in illegal hunting has increased substantially during the review period and showed biases towards strictly protected areas and the African continent. Population declines were most frequent in countries with a low human development index, particularly in strict protected areas and for species with a body mass over 100 kg. Our results provide evidence that illegal hunting is most likely to cause declines of large-bodied species in protected areas of resource-poor countries regardless of protected area conservation status. Given the growing pressures of illegal hunting, increased investments in people’s development and additional conservation efforts such as improving anti-poaching strategies and conservation resources in terms of improving funding and personnel directed at this problem are a growing priority

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and the effect of eradication of helicobacter pylori on the symptoms.

Research Question: Role of eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori in non-ulcer dyspepsia? Objectives: 1) To know the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients of non-ulcer dyspepsia in Kashmiri population; 2) To assess the effect of eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori on symptoms of non-ulcer dyspepsia. Study Design: Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Methods: 208 patients with non ulcer dyspepsia (101 males, mean (SD) age, 40.5 (12.8) years) were screened for H. pylori infection. H pylori positive NUD patient were randomized, into two groups. Group 1 (n=66) received triple therapy (20mg of Omeprazole, 500mg of Clarithromycin and 1000mg of Amoxicillin) and Group 2 (n=61) received equivalent placebo. Symptoms were assessed with the Likert’s Scale at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, with resolution of symptoms defined as score of 0 or 1 on any of the 7 days preceding the 12 months visits. Results: 127 (60.6%) of the 208 patients of NUD were positive for H. pylori, Nine out of the 127 patients were excluded because they did not complete the treatment or had no data available. For the remaining 118 patients (61 in the triple therapy group and 57 in the placebo group) H. pylori was eradicated in 41 of 61 (67.2%) in the triple therapy group and 4 of 57 patients (7%) in the placebo group after 1 year. At 3 months symptoms resolved in 64% patients in the triple therapy group in comparison to 45.6% in placebo group (p=0.039). While as, after 1 year symptom resolution between the treatment group and placebo group was found in 55.7% and 40.4% respectively (p=0.096). Conclusions: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori has no significant long-term effect on the resolution of symptoms in patients of Non-ulcer dyspepsia

Comparison of p.o. or i.v. proton pump inhibitors on 72-h intragastric pH in bleeding peptic ulcer

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: After successful endoscopic hemostasis in bleeding peptic ulcer, addition of proton pump inhibitors reduce the rate of recurrent bleeding by maintaining intragastric pH at neutral level. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of various proton pump inhibitors given through different routes on intragastric pH over 72 h after endoscopic hemostasis in bleeding peptic ulcer