Traditional Utility Research Articles

Bioaccessibility and Functional Food Potential of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. Against Diabetes-Induced Kidney Disorders

Various species from the genus Equisetum are recorded as food and folk medicine against both kidney complications and diabetes. Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. is documented as a folk remedy in Türkiye against several kidney disorders. This study was designed to evaluate the possible protective mechanisms of E. telmateia EtOH extract (ETE) against kidney disorders and diabetes through different routes, such as the prevention of ROS formation, inhibitory potential against various DM-related enzymes, and a reduction in the amount of the mediators leading to disorders in both systems at the cellular level. The objective was to achieve advanced precision for in vitro results while considering the effect of GIS on oral consumption. Both phytochemical and bioactivity studies were conducted before and after simulated digestion. The results showed that ETE is a rich source of flavonoids and phenolic acids. In addition, it has significant antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential. Treatment also yielded promising results at the cellular level for both antioxidative and inhibitor proteins, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of kidney disorders and diabetes. Following the in vitro digestion procedure, both the number of phytochemical ingredients and bioactivity parameters showed a considerable decreasing trend; however, the results are still significant enough to justify the traditional utilization of the genus Equisetum. This investigation demonstrated that ETE has noteworthy potential as a functional food for protection against diabetic kidney disease.

Determinants of traditional birth attendant utilisation among reproductive age women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of the 2019 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

ObjectivesTo identify the determinants of traditional birth attendants’ utilisation among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia.DesignCross-sectional study design.SettingEthiopia.ParticipantsA total of 3979 weighted samples of reproductive-age women were included.Outcome measureTraditional birth attendant utilisation.ResultsThis...

Spatial effects of ecological cognition on firewood collection by households in protected areas: An analysis based on the giant panda nature reserves

The issues of unbalanced and inadequate energy development in rural China remain prominent, particularly in areas rich in natural resources, such as nature reserves, where households still tend to rely on traditional energy utilization modes. On one hand, the traditional use of firewood for energy results in low energy efficiency and indoor air pollution; On the other hand, it exacerbates problems such as habitat degradation for wildlife and environmental collapse. Although previous studies have explored rural energy source utilization from varies of aspects, there are still limitations in examining the impact of ecological cognition on household behaviors from a spatial correlation perspective. This study conducts a field survey of rural households in the giant panda nature reserves in Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces to explore the impact of ecological cognition on rural households' firewood collection behaviors. By incorporating a spatial weight matrix, the study further analyzes the spatial spillover effects and the spatial heterogeneity of ecological cognition on rural households' firewood collection. The results show that: (1) ecological cognition significantly reduces firewood collection behaviors; (2) household income also decreases the consumption of firewood energy; (3) ecological cognition exhibits spatial spillover effects on rural households' firewood collection, indicating that household ecological cognition can impact surrounding households' ecological cognition and indirectly affect their firewood collection behaviors; and (4) significant spatial heterogeneity exists inside and outside the protected area. Ecological cognition significantly influences the firewood utilization of rural households within protected areas through spatial spillover effects, whereas its impact outside the protected areas is minimal. Strengthening forest ecological education to further raise ecological awareness, focusing on low-income households to provide energy subsidies, and utilizing the spatial spillover effects to enhance information dissemination channels are recommended for policy implications.

Pharmacology, phytochemistry, and traditional uses of Huperzia serrata (Thunb. ex Murray) Trev.

Huperzia serrata (HS) has been a staple of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, revered for its efficacy in treating various ailments such as pain relief, hemostasis, detoxification, dehumidification, and heat clearing. This review offers an in-depth summary of the botany, traditional utilization, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, phytochemistry, and safety profile of HS and intends to shed light on potential future research directions and applications of this plant. Information on HS was gathered from ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer, Sci Finder, Baidu Scholar, and Google Scholar. Over 94 compounds have been separated and identified from HS, including alkaloids, terpenoids, volatile oils, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Both crude extracts and purified compounds from HS have shown promise in treating a spectrum of conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, pain, cancer, and inflammation. These extracts and compounds exhibit diverse pharmacological properties, including neuroprotective, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-epileptic, analgesic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Pharmacological investigations support the traditional use of HS and may validate the folk medicinal use of HS to treat many chronic diseases. Current literature suggests that the bioactivity of HS is largely attributed to its alkaloids and polysaccharides. However, further exploration is warranted to comprehensively understand the structure-function relationship of these constituents, molecular mechanisms, and their potential synergistic and antagonistic interactions. Moreover, additional modern pharmacological explorations are necessary to validate the traditional use of HS such as promoting hemostasis, treating tuberculosis, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea. Therefore, there is a pressing need for comprehensive investigations to fully assess HS' medicinal properties and therapeutic potential.

Herbal Extracts Exhibit Anti-Epilepsy Properties

Epilepsy refers to a group of persistent neurological illnesses characterized by seizures. It is a chronic brain disease that affects 50 million people in the world, being one of the most common neurological disorders. Developing countries account for over 90% of all epilepsy patients. Epileptic seizures are caused by aberrant, excessive, or hyper synchronized neuronal activity in the brain. The cause of most epileptic seizures is unknown. However, some people develop epilepsy as a result of a brain injury, stroke, brain tumor, or drug and alcohol abuse. Anti-seizure drugs remain the mainstay in the treatment of epilepsy and about 70% of epileptics become seizure-free when antiseizure medications are taken effectively. However, some of these medications have significant pharmacological interactions and undesirable side effects. Traditional utilization of plants extracts for treatment of epilepsy is widely practiced. Many plants extracts and herbal formulations have been studied to determine their efficacy in treatment of epilepsy. This paper presents a review on herbal extracts that have shown antiepileptic activity in animal models published in the last ten years (between 2014 and 2024). The study found that plant extracts from some 138 plant species belonging to 54 different plant families were evaluated for antiepileptic efficacy. The most studied plants belong to the Asteraceae family (19%) followed by Fabaceae (9%), Apiaceae (8%), Lamiaceae (8%), Apocynaceae (7%), Cucurbitaceae (3%), Euphorbiaceae (3%) and Rutaceae (3%). In most cases, the studies focused only on the crude extracts without any attempts to identify the antiepileptic compounds from the plants. The most commonly used model in the antiepileptic assays were found to be pentylenetetrazole and maximal electroshock models. The findings from this study confirm that plant extracts have significant efficacy that needs to be explored for antiepileptic formulation and drugs development. It is also necessary to perform bioassay guided phytochemical evaluation to isolate and characterize the antiepileptic principles.

A distributed end-to-end fair bandwidth allocation algorithm for multi-path networks

Multi-path transmission significantly improves network performance, yet it complicates the problem of fair resource allocation. While traditional fair bandwidth allocation schemes thrive in single-path settings, they often falter when applied to multi-path environments, highlighting the challenge of achieving fair bandwidth sharing in such networks. To tackle this issue, the concept of "max-min similarity" of queuing delays has been introduced based on insight into the intrinsic interactions between queuing packets, delays, and bandwidth allocation, which leads to a formal definition of max-min fair bandwidth allocation for multi-path environments. Theoretical analysis shows that the max-min similarity of queuing delays is a sufficient condition for max-min fair bandwidth allocation in single bottleneck environments. A novel distributed end-to-end fair bandwidth allocation algorithm, named DMFBA, is then proposed, which separates the control into flow-level and transmission path-level. In achieving max-min similarity in queuing delays by dynamically adjusting the distribution of flows’ queuing packet quotas across paths it achieves the goal of max-min fair bandwidth allocation. Two sets of numerical simulation experiments were conducted and the results show that DMFBA has less overhead and faster convergence than the traditional utility fair algorithms.

LCCO2 Assessment and Fertilizer Production from Absorbed-CO2 Solid Matter in a Small-Scale DACCU Plant

This study investigates a novel method of utilizing Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology for fertilizer production. Unlike traditional Direct Air Carbon Capture and Utilization (DACCU) technologies, Direct Air Carbon Capture for Fertilizers (FDAC) has the potential to produce fertilizers directly. This study aims to assess the feasibility of FDAC-based fertilizer production by examining the current state of traditional DAC technologies, evaluating the CO2 fixation potential of FDAC, and analyzing the decarbonization effect of producing fertilizers using FDAC. Our evaluation results indicate that CO2 emissions from producing 1 ton of conventional chemical fertilizer, FDAC fertilizer (current status), FDAC fertilizer with ingredient adjustment (sodium hydroxide), and FDAC fertilizer with ingredient adjustment (magnesium hydroxide) are 1.69, 1.12, 1.04, and 1.06 tons of CO2, respectively. The FDAC fertilizer (current status) emits 0.57 tons of CO2 per ton less than commercial fertilizers. FDAC fertilizers also have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions further when the fertilizer composition is adjusted, offering a promising solution for lowering the environmental impact of fertilizer production. Significant CO2 reduction can be expected by replacing conventional low-intensity chemical fertilizers with FDAC-produced fertilizers.

Performance analysis and multi-objective optimization for an integrated air separation, power generation, refrigeration and ice thermal storage system based on the LNG cold energy utilization

Against the backdrop of escalating resource depletion and the urgent quest for alternative sources, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is increasingly gaining prominence as a sustainable solution, particularly in refrigeration applications. However, its underutilization results in wasted resources. To efficiently harness the released cold energy from LNG gasification, this study proposes an integrated system comprising air separation, power generation, refrigeration, and ice thermal storage. The system undergoes optimization using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to determine the optimal operating parameters. The optimized system is comprehensively analyzed from energy, exergy, economic, and environmental perspectives. Results show that the system, with a 70t/h LNG capacity, achieves an energy efficiency of 42.52% and an exergy efficiency of 48.09%. Economically, the system incurs a cost of approximately 0.0711 $/kWh and can mitigate over 1.4504*107kg of CO2 emissions. Compared to traditional LNG utilization systems, the integrated system demonstrates a 22.32% improvement in energy efficiency, a 7.69% enhancement in exergy efficiency, and a cost reduction of 0.0049 $/kWh. In summary, this technologically advanced and economically viable system offers a significant alternative to optimize LNG cold energy utilization.

Lottery stocks in Brazil: investigating risk premium and investor behavior

PurposeThis study investigates the paradox of lotteries in financial markets, challenging traditional utility models predicated on rational behavior amid uncertainty. It explores why investors are drawn to lotteries despite the potential trade-off between risk-adjusted returns and sporadically substantial gains.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a multifaceted approach, the study first scrutinizes diverse theories elucidating the perplexing behavior of lottery investors. Subsequently, it assesses the premium attached to lottery stock shares in the Brazilian financial market using distinct methodologies, thereby offering a comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon. Finally, the study estimates the risk premium associated with the lottery stocks applying an extended Fama–French multifactor model and searching for evidence of overlap with other risk-based anomalies.FindingsThis research unveils theories underpinning seemingly irrational investor behavior vis-à-vis lotteries, revealing the motivations propelling investors to willingly exchange risk-adjusted returns for the allure of substantial but infrequent gains. Empirical evidence delineates the extent of the premium paid for lottery stocks in the Brazilian market.Originality/valueThe study’s novelty lies in its amalgamation of theoretical exploration, empirical analysis and the application of the Fama–French factor model to gauge the risk premium associated with lottery-related behavior. Furthermore, its investigation of lottery stocks within the Brazilian market introduces a distinctive dimension, elucidating market dynamics and investor behaviors unique to the region.

Intelligent Fault Diagnosis Method for Rotating Machinery Based on Recurrence Binary Plot and DSD-CNN.

To tackle the issue of the traditional intelligent diagnostic algorithm's insufficient utilization of correlation characteristics within the time series of fault signals and to meet the challenges of accuracy and computational complexity in rotating machinery fault diagnosis, a novel approach based on a recurrence binary plot (RBP) and a lightweight, deep, separable, dilated convolutional neural network (DSD-CNN) is proposed. Firstly, a recursive encoding method is used to convert the fault vibration signals of rotating machinery into two-dimensional texture images, extracting feature information from the internal structure of the fault signals as the input for the model. Subsequently, leveraging the excellent feature extraction capabilities of a lightweight convolutional neural network embedded with attention modules, the fault diagnosis of rotating machinery is carried out. The experimental results using different datasets demonstrate that the proposed model achieves excellent diagnostic accuracy and computational efficiency. Additionally, compared with other representative fault diagnosis methods, this model shows better anti-noise performance under different noise test data, and it provides a reliable and efficient reference solution for rotating machinery fault-classification tasks.

Factors influencing limb movements in post-stroke patients

BackgroundStroke is the leading cause of long-term disability impacting patients’ daily lives. Adequate and ongoing rehabilitation is a necessity. Due to disability problems, rehabilitation in the health care system is limited. Traditional medicine has been promoted in Thailand for stroke rehabilitation, with physical therapy as the primary treatment plan. However, despite more options, many patients still receive inadequate rehabilitation. The development of an appropriate rehabilitation model is still necessary. This study aims to study factors influencing limb movements in post-stroke patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional study comprised 120 ischemic stroke patients obtained by multi-stage sampling in Muang district, Phitsanulok province. The data were collected using questionnaires with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.89. The ability to move the muscles of the limbs of the patients was assessed using the motor power assessment form, and binary logistic regression statistics analyzed the factors influencing limb movements.ResultData analysis shows that 76% of the stroke patients were female, 39.3% aged 61–70 years had a mean of 62 years and a standard deviation (S.D.) of 8.9, 4.6% of stroke patients had a duration of illness of 6–12 months, and 94.2% had a caregiver. 53.1% received rehabilitation once a week, and 92.5% received Thai massage. Thai traditional medicine utilization methods consist of Thai massage, herbal compresses, herbal steam, and taking herbal medicines. There are two factors influencing the ability to move the limb muscles of stroke patients as follows: (1) the massage with the Thai traditional medicine rehabilitation method (Adj OR = 28.917, p-value = 0.006) and (2) the number of rehabilitation sessions per week (Adj OR = 2.465, p-value < 0.001). These two variables explain the variance of regaining limb movement among post-stroke patients of 42.5% at a significance level of 0.05. In this analysis, the predictive accuracy was 70%.ConclusionRehabilitation using Thai massage, together with the number of rehabilitation sessions per week, influenced the ability of limb movement in post-stroke patients. In other words, increasing the number of rehabilitation times per week and using Thai massage in rehabilitation will help stroke patients move their limbs better.

Rotating cylinder electrode in reactive CO2 capture: Identifying active C species via transport, VLE models and kinetics

AbstractThis article explores technical challenges and potential methodologies for understanding electrochemical Reactive CO Capture (RCC) mechanisms. RCC offers potential energy cost advantages by directly converting captured CO into fuels and chemicals, unlike traditional carbon capture and utilization (CCU) processes that require sequential capture, concentration, and compression. However, direct conversion of captured CO introduces complexity due to additional equilibrium buffer reactions, making it challenging to identify active species for reduction in electrochemical studies. This article discusses methods to integrate transport, thermodynamics, and kinetics concepts to identify active carbon sources in RCC. Vapor‐Liquid Equilibrium (VLE) and transport models are validated against experimental results obtained in a gastight rotating cylinder electrode reactor and are shown as useful tools for studying RCC in heterogeneous electrocatalysts across different capture agents, solvents, and temperatures. This article establishes an experimental framework for advancing research in electrochemical RCC.

Comparative effects of dietary zinc nanoparticle and conventional zinc supplementation on broiler chickens: A meta-analysis.

Zinc (Zn) is important for various physiological processes in broiler chickens, including protein and carbohydrate metabolism, growth, and reproduction. The gastrointestinal absorption of Zn in broiler chickens was notably low. One approach that has been explored for enhancing the bioavailability of Zn is the development of Zn nanoparticles (NPs). Zn is required for various physiological processes in broiler chickens, including protein and carbohydrate metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of conventional Zn and Zn NPs on broiler chickens using a meta-analysis methodology. A database was built from published literature to evaluate the effects of the addition of Zn NPs and conventional Zn on broiler chicken responses, including the following parameters: production performance; carcass cuts; visceral organ weight; lymphoid organ weight; nutrient digestibility; intestinal villi; mineral Zn, calcium, and phosphorus concentrations; hematology; blood parameters; immunoglobulin; and intestinal bacterial population. Various scientific platforms, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar, were used to search for peer-reviewed articles. A database was created from 25 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The data were then processed for a meta-analysis using a mixed-model methodology. Different types of Zn (NPs versus conventional) were considered fixed effects, different studies were treated as random effects, and p-values were used as model statistics. Across the parameters observed in this study, the use of Zn NPs was more efficient in Zn utilization than conventional Zn, as evidenced by the average dose of Zn NPs being much lower than that of conventional Zn (79.44 vs. 242.76 mg/kg) yet providing similar (p > 0.05) or even significantly better effects (p < 0.05) compared to conventional Zn usage. This investigation revealed the beneficial influence of Zn NPs in broiler chickens compared to the conventional utilization of Zn through an all-encompassing meta-analysis. Moreover, Zn NPs have proven to be more effective in Zn utilization when juxtaposed with conventional Zn, as demonstrated by the significantly lower quantity of Zn NPs administered compared to conventional Zn, while yielding comparable or even superior outcomes compared to the traditional utilization of Zn. A limitation of this study is that the Zn NPs used were sourced from inorganic Zn NPs. Therefore, future research should focus on evaluating the efficiency of organic Zn NPs in broiler chicken feed.

Study on the key influencing factors of KOH-catalyzed coal pyrolysis for direct preparation of carbon nanotubes

The environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emission caused by the traditional utilization of coal such as combustion, coking and gasification are becoming increasingly apparent. Green and environmentally friendly coal utilization technology is an effective way to solve this problem. In this study, high-value carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were directly prepared from coal by catalytic pyrolysis with low KOH content. It was found that when the KOH additive amount was 50 wt%, the influence of three main factors on the preparation of CNTs was as follows: pyrolysis temperature＞residence time＞heating rate. Pyrolysis temperature of 900 °C, heating rate of 15 °C/min, and residence time of 60 min were the best combination of KOH-catalyzed coal pyrolysis to prepare CNTs, and the content of CNTs in the corresponding sample was 10.01 wt%. This study has a specific contributes to the high-value transformation and utilization of coal resources and the preparation of CNTs.

Prevalence of traditional eye medicine and self-treatment in Gurage Zone, Rural Ethiopia

IntroductionTraditional medicines are commonly used worldwide, especially in Africa—however, there is limited information on the prevalence and types of traditional eye medicine utilization in Ethiopia. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence, the type and nature of traditional eye medicine use and practices related to self-medication for ophthalmic diseases in a rural Ethiopian population.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in six randomly selected primary health centers in rural Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Health-seeking behavior, use of self-medication, and traditional eye medicine were assessed in the population using a semi-structured questionnaire.Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis were computed to determine associated factors for using self-medication and traditional eye medicine.ResultOf the 814 participants interviewed, 487 (59.8%) reported using traditional eye medicine, mainly for combinations of symptoms of ocular redness, irritation, and eye discharge (95.5%). Besides, 604 (74.2%) participants reported self-treatment with tetracycline 1% eye ointment. Older age, females, low income, no formal education, and lack of access to media were risks for utilizing traditional eye medicine.ConclusionThe use of traditional eye medicine and self-treatment are common in this population. Regulatory legislation, public awareness, and making eye care are vital activities required to monitor such practices.

Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography Evaluation of the Liver and Implications for Perioperative Medicine.

Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) is a non-invasive, low risk technology allowing the assessment of tissue stiffness. Used clinically for nearly two decades to diagnose and stage liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, it has recently been appreciated for its ability to differentiate between more subtle forms of liver dysfunction. In this review, we will discuss the principle of ultrasound shear wave elastography, its traditional utilization in grading liver cirrhosis, as well as its evolving role in identifying more subtle degrees of liver injury. Finally, we will show how this capacity to distinguish nuanced changes may provide an opportunity for its use in perioperative risk stratification.

Construction of Multiple Paths for the Living Protection and Utilization of Traditional Villages: A Case Study of the Zhoutie Traditional Village in the Taihu Lake Area

China is a vast country with a wide range of geographical and cultural differences, unbalanced economic development of traditional villages and housings, shortages in infrastructure and people’s living conditions, prominent environmental and ecological problems, and an urgent need to improve the overall level of rural development. For a long time, the protection and utilization of traditional villages have mostly been based on the cognitive views of “frozen protection”and “one-sided protection”, prompting difficulties and resistance in practice. Meanwhile, the result is not effective. At present, traditional villages encounter the situation of declining, hollowing out, and aging. Therefore, it is the theoretical frontier of traditional village research to get rid of the traditional one-sided and frozen protection model. Research should explore the living protection and utilization methods adapted to the characteristics of traditional villages and promote the close integration of traditional village protection and utilization with new development and construction.Under the background of rural revitalization strategy and solving the critical problems of a lack of vitality, the decline and hollowing out of traditional villages are caused by “frozen”protection strategies. This is based on the extensive research and continuous study conducted by the “Key Technology and Integrated Demonstration for the Living Protection and Utilisation of Traditional Villages”of the “13th Five-Year Plan”key research project, especially the in-depth study of traditional villages around Taihu Lake. From the perspective of integrated development, it recogni zes the dynamic interactions among the industrial status (production), regional natural resource (ecology), and historical living conditions (living) . This can help fully coordinate industrial development and improvement of the living environment and ecological construction. Thus, traditional vil lages can obtain endogenous power for sustainable development. It also reveals that living protection and utilization are embodied in a systematic and orderly protection system under the simultaneous development of spatial dimension and temporal dimensions.In the protection system, the coordinated development of spatial and temporal dimensions attaches importance to both the overall protection of the material space of traditional villages and the synergistic development of intangible culture and traditional villages in the time dimension. Its objective is to make the protection and utilization of traditional villages and the peoples ’daily lives mutually promote each other, enhance the villagers ’happiness and sense of achievement, and realize the sustainable development of traditional villages. For the theoretical approach, a multi-level path of living protection and utilization is constructed by combining spatial and temporal dimensions. Among them, the multi-level path in the spatial dimension is composed of three levels: the overall village layout, the individual building, and the indoor environment. The ephemeral path in the temporal dimension is progressively promoted by combining the immediate, medium, and long term, with intertwined interactions of the paths in temporal and spatial dimensions to achieve the living protection of traditional villages. Finally, the practical application of the above-mentioned multiple paths is elaborated by taking the Zhoutie traditional village demonstration project in the Taihu Lake area as an example. Both perspective and practical explorations are conducted.This study is on the construction of multiple paths of traditional villages in temporal and spatial dimensions with an elaboration of the Zhoutie traditional village in the Taihu Lake area. It is an example that will be a positive reference for the research and practical application of the protection and utilization of traditional villages in different regions of China towards an overall and dynamic ‘living ’protection and utilization model. Therefore, this study contributes to building traditional villages to gain continuous endogenous power and promote the sustainable development of traditional villages.

Exploring the Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Australian Native Plants Based on their Ethnopharmacological Knowledge.

Inflammation represents the inherent protective reaction of the human body to various harmful agents and noxious stimuli. Standard anti-inflammatory therapy including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with several side effects. In the past decades, people rely on medicinal plants for the treatment of inflammation. The traditional utilization of medicinal plants is regarded as a safe, cost-effective, and broadly accepted approach. In this study, anti-inflammatory activity of plants traditionally utilized by the D'harawal people in Australia has been assessed in vitro. Eighty Australian native plants were screened based on the Dharawal Pharmacopeia for their inhibitory effect on the nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages for their anti-inflammatory activity. From the eighty ethanolic extracts screened, seventeen displayed potent NO inhibition with an IC50 recorded below 15 μg/mL. The aim of this review was to utilise the ethnopharmacological knowledge and to correlate the anti-inflammatory activity of the seventeen plants with either their known or unknown phytochemicals reported in the literature. In doing so, we have created a snapshot of Australian native plant candidates that warrant further chemical investigation associated with their anti-inflammatory activity.

Comprehensive knowledge of mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission, prevention, and associated factors among reproductive-age women in East Africa: insights from recent demographic and national health surveys

BackgroundMore than 90% of babies acquire HIV/AIDS through vertical transmission, primarily due to low maternal comprehensive knowledge about Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV/AIDS and its prevention, which is a cornerstone for eliminating MTCT of HIV/AIDS. However, there are limitations in terms of population data and literature evidence based on recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) reports in East Africa. Therefore, this study aims to assess the comprehensive knowledge and PMTCT of HIV/AIDS among women, as well as the associated factors in East Africa.MethodsOur data was obtained from the most recent DHS conducted in East African countries between 2011 and 2022. For our research, we included DHS data from ten nations, resulting in a total weighted sample of 133,724 women for our investigation. A generalized linear model (GLM) with a log link and binomial family to directly estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between the independent variables, and the outcome variable. Finally, we reported the adjusted prevalence ratios along with their corresponding 95% CIs. Factors with p-values ≤ 0.2 for univariate logistic regression and < 0.05 were considered statistically significant factors of HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention in the final model.ResultsIn this study, 59.41% (95% CI: 59.15–59.67) of respondents had a comprehensive knowledge about MTCT of HIV/AIDS and its prevention among reproductive-age women in East Africa. Being in the older age group, better education level, being from a rich household, employment status, having ANC follow up, institutional delivery, and modern contraception usage were associated with higher prevalence ratios of comprehensive knowledge about MTCT of HIV/AIDS and its prevention. However, being single in marital status, rural women, and traditional contraception utilization were associated with lower ratios of comprehensive knowledge about MTCT of HIV/AIDS and its prevention.ConclusionOur findings indicate a significant deficiency in comprehensive knowledge and prevention of HIV/AIDS MTCT among women in East Africa. These results emphasize the need for significant improvements in maternal-related health services. It is crucial to effectively target high-risk populations during interventions, raise awareness about this critical public health issue, and address the catastrophic consequences associated with MTCT. By implementing these measures, we can make substantial progress in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child and ensuring better health outcomes for both mothers and their children.

Acute toxicity appraisal of Saussurea heteromalla extract and development of its chemotherapeutic herbal dosage form.

Ethnopharmacological relevance of Saussurea species for anti-cancer compounds instigated us to develop chemotherapeutic herbal tablets. This study was an ongoing part of our previous research based on the scientific evaluation of Saussurea heteromalla (S. heteromalla) for anti-cancer lead compounds. In the current study, S. heteromalla herbal tablets (500 /800 mg) were designed and evaluated for anti-cancer activity. Arctigenin was found as a bioactive lead molecule with anti-cancer potential for cervical cancer. The in vitro results on the HeLa cell line supported the ethnopharmacological relevance and traditional utilization of S. heteromalla and provided the scientific basis for the management of cervical cancer as proclaimed by traditional practitioners in China. LD50 of the crude extract was established trough oral acute toxicity profiling in mice, wherein the minimum lethal dose was noticed as higher than 1000 mg/kg body weight orally. Chromatographic fingerprint analysis ensured the identity and consistency of S. heteromalla in herbal tablets in terms of standardization of the herbal drug. About 99.15% of the drug (S. heteromalla crude extract) was recovered in herbal tablets (RSD: 0.45%). In vitro drug release profile was found to be more than 87% within 1 h, which was also correlated with different mathematical kinetic models of drug release (r2 = 0.992), indicating that drug release from matrix tablets into the blood is constant throughout the delivery. The dosage form was found stable after an accelerated stability parameters study which may be used for anti-cervical cancer therapy in the future, if it qualifies successful preclinical investigation parameters.