15 research outputs found
Effects of nitrogen additions on above- and belowground carbon dynamics in two tropical forests
A study of antioxidant activity, enzymatic inhibition and in vitro toxicity of selected traditional sudanese plants with anti-diabetic potential
Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review
Garlic and its preparations have been widely recognized as agents for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, thrombosis, hypertension and diabetes. Effectiveness of garlic in cardiovascular diseases was more encouraging in experimental studies, which prompted several clinical trials. Though many clinical trials showed a positive effect of garlic on almost all cardiovascular conditions mentioned above, however a number of negative studies have recently cast doubt on the efficary of garlic specially its cholesterol lowering effect of garlic. It is a great challenge for scientists all over the world to make a proper use of garlic and enjoy its maximum beneficial effect as it is the cheapest way to prevent cardiovascular disease. This review has attempted to make a bridge the gap between experimental and clinical study and to discuss the possible mechanisms of such therapeutic actions of garlic
Seroprevalence of Legionella pneumophila in Pneumonia Patients in Four Major Hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago
On the pathway to better birth outcomes? A systematic review of azithromycin and curable sexually transmitted infections.
The WHO recommends the administration of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to all pregnant women living in areas of moderate (stable) to high malaria transmission during scheduled antenatal visits, beginning in the second trimester and continuing to delivery. Malaria parasites have lost sensitivity to SP in many endemic areas, prompting the investigation of alternatives that include azithromycin-based combination (ABC) therapies. Use of ABC therapies may also confer protection against curable sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infections (STIs/RTIs). The magnitude of protection at the population level would depend on the efficacy of the azithromycin-based regimen used and the underlying prevalence of curable STIs/RTIs among pregnant women who receive preventive treatment. This systematic review summarizes the efficacy data of azithromycin against curable STIs/RTIs
Long-term organic carbon turnover rates in natural and semi-natural topsoils
We combined published and new radiocarbon
and ancillary data for uncultivated topsoils
(typically 15 cm depth), to make two databases, one
for the United Kingdom (133 sites), and one global
(114 sites). Forest topsoils are significantly higher in
radiocarbon than non-forest soils, indicating greater
enrichment with ‘‘bomb carbon’’ and therefore faster
C turnover, if steady-state conditions are assumed.
Steady-state modelling, taking into account variations
in atmospheric 14CO2, including the effects of 20th
century nuclear weapons testing and radioactive
decay, was used to quantify soil carbon turnover rates.
Application of a model with variable slow (20 year
mean residence time, MRT) and passive (1,000 year
MRT) carbon pools partitioned the topsoil C approximately
equally, on average, between the two pools
when the entire data set was considered. However, the
mean slow:passive ratio of 0.65:0.35 for forest soil
was highly significantly different (p\0.001) from the
0.40:0.60 ratio for non-forest soils. Values of the slow
and passive fractions were normally distributed,
but the non-forest fractions showed greater variation,
with approximately twice the relative standard
deviations of the forest values. Assuming a litter
input of 500 g C m-2 a-1, average global C fluxes
(g C m-2 a-1) of forest soils are estimated to be 298
(through a fast pool ofMRT1 year), 200 (slow pool) and
2.0 (passive pool), while for non-forest soils, respective
average fluxes of 347, 150 and 3.3 g C m-2 a-1 are
obtained. The results highlight the widespread global phenomenon of topsoil C heterogeneity, and indicate
key differences between forest and non-forest soils
relevant for understanding and managing soil C