Plants used during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum healthcare in Lao PDR: A comparative study of the Brou, Saek and Kry ethnic groups

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In many Southeast Asian cultures the activities and diet during the postpartum period are culturally dictated and a period of confinement is observed. Plants play an important role in recovery during the postpartum period in diet, traditional medicine, steam bath and mother roasting (where mother and child placed on a bed above a brazier with charcoal embers on which aromatic plants are laid). This research focuses on the use of plants during pregnancy, parturition, postpartum recovery and infant healthcare among three ethnic groups, the Brou, Saek and Kry. It aims to identify culturally important traditions that may facilitate implementation of culturally appropriate healthcare.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected in 10 different villages in Khammouane province, Lao PDR, through group and individual interviews with women by female interviewers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 55 different plant species are used in women's healthcare, of which over 90% are used in postpartum recovery. Consensus Analysis rejects the hypothesis that the three ethnic groups belong to a single culture for postpartum plant use, and multidimensional scaling reveals non-overlapping clusters per ethnic group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Medicinal plant use is common among the Brou, Saek and Kry to facilitate childbirth, alleviate menstruation problems, assist recovery after miscarriage, mitigate postpartum haemorrhage, aid postpartum recovery, and for use in infant care. The wealth of novel insights into plant use and preparation will help to understand culturally important practices such as confinement, dietary restrictions, mother roasting and herbal steam baths and their incorporation into modern healthcare.</p

The role of flavor and fragrance chemicals in TRPA1 (transient receptor potential cation channel, member A1) activity associated with allergies

TRPA1 has been proposed to be associated with diverse sensory allergic reactions, including thermal (cold) nociception, hearing and allergic inflammatory conditions. Some naturally occurring compounds are known to activate TRPA1 by forming a Michael addition product with a cysteine residue of TRPA1 through covalent protein modification and, in consequence, to cause allergic reactions. The anti-allergic property of TRPA1 agonists may be due to the activation and subsequent desensitization of TRPA1 expressed in sensory neurons. In this review, naturally occurring TRPA1 antagonists, such as camphor, 1,8-cineole, menthol, borneol, fenchyl alcohol and 2-methylisoborneol, and TRPA1 agonists, including thymol, carvacrol, 1’S-1’- acetoxychavicol acetate, cinnamaldehyde, α-n-hexyl cinnamic aldehyde and thymoquinone as well as isothiocyanates and sulfides are discussed

Exploring the novel PES/malachite mixed matrix membrane to remove organic matter for water purification

© 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers This study presents a greener approach to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by introducing malachite nanoparticles (MLC NPs) synthesized from copper sulfate, a toxic waste from many industrial applications, into polyethersulfone (PES) membrane to remove organic matter for water reclamation. The PES/MLC MMMs were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM(EDX), Raman Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence Spectrometry, and Contact angle measurements. Results showed that the incorporation of MLC NPs into PES altered the membrane morphology, and made the membrane more hydrophilic. At the optimal amount of 0.1 wt.% MLC NPs, PES/MLC showed the best water flux of 931.1 L/(m2 h) (LMH) with the highest breaking stability of 5.06 ± 0.33 MPa. The membrane also exhibited enhanced adsorption of organic foulants with a corresponding flux recovery rate of 0.55 ± 0.03%. The inevitable agglomeration of MLC NPs witnessed at MLC NP dosage of 1 wt.% compromised either the throughput or the mechanical integrity. The elevated NP loading rate from 0 to 1 wt.% enhanced the removal rate of organic carbon (C) from 20.8 ± 1.7% to 26.3 ± 2.3%, respectively. Optical methods demonstrated the preferential rejection of aromatic constituents by the fabricated membranes suggests their potential applicability of optical methods, particularly the fluorescence spectrometry for better prediction of treated water quality by membrane filtration