Molecular Basis of Plant Adaptation against Aridity

Environment fluctuations have become the greatest threat to global food security. Of various abiotic stress factors, aridity hampers the most yield contributing attributes. In the context of agriculture, term “aridity” refers to a protracted period of insufficient precipitation, having detrimental influence on crop development and overall biological output. A sustained drought has considerable negative effects on crops and livestock, including the reduced production, destruction of property, and livestock sell-offs. Consequently, plants themself exert various kinds of defensive mechanisms to combat the ill effects of climate change. For example, plants with small leaves, benefit from aridity as part of their strategy for modifying the soil to water shortages and nutrient restrictions. Furthermore, low genetic diversity among significant crop species, together with ecological productivity limits, must be addressed in order to adapt crops to episodic drought spells in the coming days. A deeper understanding of the molecular and genetic underpinnings of the most important intrinsic adaptation responses to drought stress seems to be beneficial for gene engineering as well as gene-based expression investigations in plant systems under hostile environment. Recently, molecular markers and “omics” have opened a huge opportunity to identify and develop specific gene constructs governing plant adaptation to environmental stress

Indigenous use and bio-efficacy of medicinal plants in the Rasuwa District, Central Nepal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>By revealing historical and present plant use, ethnobotany contributes to drug discovery and socioeconomic development. Nepal is a natural storehouse of medicinal plants. Although several ethnobotanical studies were conducted in the country, many areas remain unexplored. Furthermore, few studies have compared indigenous plant use with reported phytochemical and pharmacological properties.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ethnopharmacological data was collected in the Rasuwa district of Central Nepal by conducting interviews and focus group discussions with local people. The informant consensus factor (F_IC) was calculated in order to estimate use variability of medicinal plants. Bio-efficacy was assessed by comparing indigenous plant use with phytochemical and pharmacological properties determined from a review of the available literature. Criteria were used to identify high priority medicinal plant species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 60 medicinal formulations from 56 plant species were documented. Medicinal plants were used to treat various diseases and disorders, with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal problems, followed by fever and headache. Herbs were the primary source of medicinal plants (57% of the species), followed by trees (23%). The average F_IC value for all ailment categories was 0.82, indicating a high level of informant agreement compared to similar studies conducted elsewhere. High F_ICvalues were obtained for ophthalmological problems, tooth ache, kidney problems, and menstrual disorders, indicating that the species traditionally used to treat these ailments are worth searching for bioactive compounds: <it>Astilbe rivularis</it>, <it>Berberis asiatica</it>, <it>Hippophae salicifolia, Juniperus recurva</it>, and <it>Swertia multicaulis</it>. A 90% correspondence was found between local plant use and reported plant chemical composition and pharmacological properties for the 30 species for which information was available. Sixteen medicinal plants were ranked as priority species, 13 of which having also been prioritized in a country-wide governmental classification.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>Tamang </it>people possess rich ethnopharmacological knowledge. This study allowed to identify many high value and high priority medicinal plant species, indicating high potential for economic development through sustainable collection and trade.</p

Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly

Trimethylchlorosilane/acetyl chloride induced metal mediated chemoselective chlorination of 16-dehydro-20-oxopregnanes

145-147Chemoselective chlorination of 16-dehydropregne-nolone acetate (16-DPA) through in situ generation of MnCl4 from a system consisting of MnO2-TMSCl/AcCl has been described

Acetoxylation reactions of 17α, 21-dichloro-20-oxopregnanes and their relatives

1706-1710Acetoxylation reactions of 17a,21-dichloro-20-oxopregnanes and their relatives under different conditions using anhydrous sodium and potassium acetate are being studied in order to produce cortisone or triamcinolone side chain

Chloro- or bromo-trimethylsilane induced rapid and quantitative acid-ester conversion for steroid based alcohols with various carboxylic acids under solvent free conditions

678-682Steroid based higher alcohols are rapidly esterified in quantitative yield with a number of carboxylic acids in the presence of TMSCI or TMSBr generally under solvent free conditions