An ethnobotanical survey in the Limpopo National Park, Gaza province, Mozambique. Traditional knowledge related to plant use

This study aims to document the Mozambican traditional knowledge related to the use of plants. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Limpopo National Park (Gaza province, Mozambique). Data were gathered through field expeditions which involved interviews with five local healers, selected as key informants. 101 plant species, belonging to 49 families and 83 genera, related to traditional uses were recorded. For each species, vernacular name, use categories and used parts are reported. Most of the identified plants are used for medicinal purposes (94.1%) with an analogously extensive (44.1%) also directed to food use. Plants are also used for veterinary (14.7%), cosmetic (12.7%), and handicraft (12.7%) purposes. Whereas only few species are used as fuel (4.9%), several species (37.3%) are associated to local beliefs or mystical rituals. Roots are the most used part. To identify the most important plant species used by indigenous communities, an ethnobotanical value was calculated through Uses Totaled index. Based on such cultural index, the most valuable species are Euclea divinorum, Ximenia caffra, Elaeodendron schlechterianum and Peltophorum africanum. Our findings highlight the potential of Mozambique's flora for future conservation and development research aimed at identifying genetic resources which could also open the way to notable commercial perspectives, including through the Access and Benefit Sharing process

effectiveness of monoenergetic and spread out bragg peak carbon ions for inactivation of various normal and tumour human cell lines

Human cell line/Carbon-ion beams/Cell inactivation/Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE)/Linear Energy Transfer (LET). This work aimed at measuring cell-killing effectiveness of monoenergetic and Spread-Out Bragg Peak ( SOBP) carbon-ion beams in normal and tumour cells with different radiation sensitivity. Clonogenic survival was assayed in normal and tumour human cell lines exhibiting different radiosensitivity to X- or γ-rays following exposure to monoenergetic carbon-ion beams (incident LET 13–303 keV/μm) and at various positions along the ionization curve of a therapeutic carbon-ion beam, corresponding to three doseaveraged LET (LETd) values (40, 50 and 75 keV/μm). Chinese hamster V79 cells were also used. Carbon-ion effectiveness for cell inactivation generally increased with LET for monoenergetic beams, with the largest gain in cell-killing obtained in the cells most radioresistant to X- or γ-rays. Such an increased effectiveness in cells less responsive to low LET radiation was found also for SOBP irradiation, but the latter was less effective compared with monoenergetic ion beams of the same LET. Our data show the superior effectiveness for cell-killing exhibited by carbon-ion beams compared to lower LET radiation, particularly in tum our cells radioresistant to X- or γ-rays, hence the advantage of using such beams in radiotherapy. The observed lower effectiveness of SOBP irradiation compared to monoenergetic carbon beam irradiation argues against the radiobiological equivalence between dose-averaged LET in a point in the SOBP and the corresponding monoenergetic beams

inactivation of human cells exposed to fractionated doses of low energy protons relationship between cell sensitivity and recovery efficiency

Within the framework of radiation biophysics research in the hadrontherapy field, split-dose studies have been performed on four human cell lines with different radiation sensitivity (SCC25, HF19, H184B5 F5-1 M10, and SQ20B). Low energy protons of about 8 and 20 keV/μm LET and gamma-rays were used to study the relationship between the recovery ratio and the radiation quality. Each cell line was irradiated with two dose values corresponding to survival levels of about 5% and 1%. The same total dose was also delivered in two equal fractions separated by 1.5, 3, and 4.5 hours. A higher maximum recovery ratio was observed for radiosensitive cell lines as compared to radioresistant cells. The recovery potential after split doses was small for slow protons, compared to low-LET radiation. These data show that radiosensitivity may not be related to a deficient recovery, and suggest a possible involvement of inducible repair mechanisms

Clinical characteristics, management and in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19 In Genoa, Italy

To describe clinical characteristics, management and outcome of COVID-19 patients; and to evaluate risk factors for all-cause in-hospital mortality