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\"The WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon\" is a key product of the WHO International Radon Project, which was launched in 2005. The \"Handbook\" focuses on residential radon exposure from a public health point of view and provides detailed recommendations on reducing health risks from radon and sound policy options for preventing and mitigating radon exposure. The material in the \"Handbook\" reflects the epidemiological evidence that indoor radon exposure is responsible for a substantial number of lung cancers in the general population. The material is organized into six chapters, each introduced by key messages. Usually, technical terms are defined the first time they are used, and a glossary is also included. Information is provided on the selection of devices to measure radon levels and on procedures for the reliable measurement of these levels. Discussed also are control options for radon in new dwellings, radon reduction in existing dwellings as well as assessment of the costs and benefits of different radon prevention and remedial actions. Also covered are radon risk communication strategies and organization of national radon programs.This publication is intended for countries planning to develop their national radon programs or extend such activities, as well as for stakeholders involved in radon control such as the construction industry and building professionals.The overall goal of this \"Handbook\" is to provide an up-to-date overview of the major aspects of radon and health. It does not aim to replace existing radiation protection standards, rather it emphasizes issues relevant to the comprehensive planning, implementation and evaluation of national radon programs.

This study aims to investigate the influence of adding Lonicera japonica (L. japonica) and Radix Puerariae crude extracts and their mixture to the diet of finishing pigs on their fecal microbes and nutrient apparent digestibility. A total of 72 healthy Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred barrows without significant differences in body weight (93 ± 2 kg) were selected and randomly divided into four groups (18 in each group). Three replicate pens per group (six pigs per pen) were used, and two pigs were evaluated for each pen. The groups were fed the following diets: control group (CON), basic diet; chlorogenic acid group (CGA group), basic diet + 1 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract; Pueraria flavonoid group (PF group), basic diet + 1 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract; and mix group (Mix group), basic diet + 0.5 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract + 0.5 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract. The following results were obtained: (1) At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria, Fibrobaeteres, and Kiritimatiellaeota were the main components of the fecal microbiota (top 5); the relative abundance of bacteria from phyla Firmicutes significantly increased in the Mix group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). At the genus level, Treponema_2, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiraceae, uncultured_bacterium_f_Prevotellaceae, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group were the main components of the fecal microbiota (top 5); the relative abundance of bacteria from genus Lactobacillus significantly increased in the Mix group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). Chao1 and Ace counts were significantly higher in group CGA than in the CON group and group Mix (p < 0.05). The alpha and beta diversities and the relative abundance of fecal microbes were higher in all test groups than in the CON group. (2) The protein digestibility was significantly higher in the CGA and PF groups than in the CON group, and the TP digestibility was significantly higher in the CGA than in the CON and Mix groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Lonicera japonica and Radix Puerariae crude extract supplementation in the diet significantly changed fecal microbiota and improved the protein and TP digestibility of finishing pigs.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of earthworms after their decomposition on yeast growth. To achieve this objective, in vitro crude soluble extracts were prepared from two earthworms lots: freshly harvested from the field “FHE” and the other previously starved for one week “SE”. The dry residues of these two crude extracts were used at different concentrations as a solid media for the growth of two yeast species: one “Candida tropicalis” got from another laboratory and the other was isolated by our team from earthworms’ casts “Filobasidium uniguttulatum”, and their growth was evaluated by colonies counting. The results obtained, compared with the Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), showed that the growth of both yeast isolates was significantly higher on mediums prepared using exclusively earthworms’ crude extracts and agar. Optimal growth was obtained at a concentration corresponding to 0.375g/100 mL of earthworms’ soluble matter of the two types of earthworms’ lots. These results affirmed the richness and the diversification of those extracts, in nutrients and growth factors, that comes mainly from the intrinsic composition of earthworm’s body biomass. The efficiency of the FHE and SE extracts for cultivation of yeast shows their possible use as a culture media that may be applied to other soil microorganisms and even in vivo as soil amendments or biofertilizers.

Alpinia oxyphylla, a traditional herb, is widely used for its neuroprotective, antioxidant and memory-improving effects. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms of action of its active ingredients are unclear. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of various organic extracts of Alpinia oxyphylla on PC12 cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative injury in vitro. Alpinia oxyphylla was extracted three times with 95% ethanol (representing extracts 1-3). The third 95% ethanol extract was dried and resuspended in water, and then extracted successively with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol (representing extracts 4-6). The cell counting kit-8 assay and microscopy were used to evaluate cell viability and observe the morphology of PC12 cells. The protective effect of the three ethanol extracts (at tested concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 µg/mL) against cytotoxicity to PC12 cells increased in a concentration-dependent manner. The ethyl acetate, petroleum ether and n-butanol extracts (each tested at 100, 150 and 200 μg/mL) had neuroprotective effects as well. The optimum effective concentration ranged from 50-200 μg/mL, and the protective effect of the ethyl acetate extract was comparatively robust. These results demonstrate that organic extracts of Alpinia oxyphylla protect PC12 cells against apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide. Our findings should help identify the bioactive neuroprotective components in Alpinia oxyphylla.

The wild plant Prangos platychlaena Boiss belonged to the family Apiaceae, is a native plant of Kurdistan-Iraq. The root, leaves, stem and flowers of the plant were collected in the Hlgurd mountain of Kurdistan region of Iraq, and extracted by ethanol solvent to obtain the crude extracts. Our results showed that the phytochemical contents are more concentrated in the initiated growth stage than the other stages and the phytochemical concentration posatively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with humidity.The physiochemical contents such as total carbohydrate, protein, coumarin and dry weight more concentrated in the leaves and flower than other parts.This experiment was conducted to reveal the toxicity of leaves of the P.platychlaena Boiss on the rat. The results revealed that leaves cause toxicity of rats and its lethal dose was 3.95g/kg this is due to the leaves part containing large amount of coumarin than other aerial parts. These finding sugested that this plant, specially their leaves must not be used as the fooder for animals

This book presents a systematic review on traditional Arab herbal medicine including historical background, medical innovations introduced by Arab physicians, common roots of Arab medicine and western medicine, methodology of drug discovery and therapy in Arabic and Islamic medicine, a state-of-the-art description of traditional Arab herbal.

Mosquitoes are the potential vectors of several viral diseases such as filariasis, malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Zika fever and encephalitis in humans as well as other species. Dengue, the most common mosquito-borne disease in humans caused by the dengue virus is transmitted by the vector Ae. aegypti. Fever, chills, nausea and neurological disorders are the frequent symptoms of Zika and dengue. Thanks to various anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, industrialized farming and poor drainage facilities there has been a significant rise in mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases. Control measures such as the destruction of mosquito breeding places, a reduction in global warming, as well as the use of natural and chemical repellents, mainly DEET, picaridin, temephos and IR-3535 have proven to be effective in many instances. Although potent, these chemicals cause swelling, rashes, and eye irritation in adults and children, and are also toxic to the skin and nervous system. Due to their shorter protection period and harmful nature towards non-target organisms, the use of chemical repellents is greatly reduced, and more research and development is taking place in the field of plant-derived repellents, which are found to be selective, biodegradable and harmless to non-target species. Many tribal and rural communities across the world have been using plant-based extracts since ancient times for various traditional and medical purposes, and to ward off mosquitoes and various other insects. In this regard, new species of plants are being identified through ethnobotanical surveys and tested for their repellency against Ae. aegypti. This review aims to provide insight into many such plant extracts, essential oils and their metabolites, which have been tested for their mosquitocidal activity against different life cycle forms of Ae. Aegypti, as well as for their efficacy in controlling mosquitoes.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a global public health threat, compelling the search for alternative treatments, especially in resource-limited settings. The increasing ineffectiveness of traditional antibiotics has intensified the need to explore medicinal plants as viable therapeutic options. This study sought to compare the efficacy of certain medicinal plants used in Owerri, Nigeria, for treating pathogenic bacteria against traditional commercial antibiotics. We tested graded concentrations (25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, 75 mg/ml, and 100 mg/ml) of ethanolic extracts of Awolowo leaf ( Chromolaena odorata ), Bitter leaf ( Vernonia amygdalina ), and Lemon grass leaf ( Cymbopogon citratus ) against Salmonella spp, Klebsiella spp, Escherichia coli , and Staphylococcus aureus employing the agar well diffusion method to measure zones of inhibition. Commercial antibiotics studied included: Pefloxacin, Gentamycin, Ampiclox, Zinnacef, Amoxicillin, Rocephin, Ciprofloxacin, Streptomycin, Septrin and Erythromycin, Sparfloxacin Amoxicillin, Augmentin, and Tarivid. Each experiment was conducted in triplicate to ensure accuracy and reproducibility. Results were analyzed descriptively and presented as mean zones of inhibition and standard deviations. One to three plant species exhibited antibacterial activities (zones of inhibition) across 25–100 mg/ml concentrations. In contrast, some or all antibiotics only exhibited antibacterial activities at 100 mg/ml concentration (none at 25–75 mg/ml concentrations). Zones of inhibition (10.3–14.1 mm) of all three plant species against E.coli and Klebsiella at 100 mg/ml concentration were higher than those of 8–10 antibiotics. C. odorata had shown high zones of inhibition of 11.8 and 11.0 mm against Salmonella spp. and S. aureus at 100 mg/ml concentration, which were higher than those of eight antibiotics. The other two plant species ( C. citratus and V. amygdalina ) had exhibited low zones of inhibition against Salmonella spp. and S. aureus , which were higher than those of 3 or 4 antibiotics at 100 mg/ml concentration. In general, the antibacterial activities of the three plant species across 25–100 mg/ml concentrations were higher than those of many antibiotics. To a large extent, the efficacy of medicinal plant extracts across different concentrations against bacterial strains was higher than that of many antibiotics. Those plant species have therefore shown some potential to be used as alternative or complementary therapeutics to antibiotics in addressing antibiotic resistance. Since the promising findings were based on an in vitro study, we recommend clinical trials to establish safe and effective doses of those plant extracts in humans.

Cordia africana is one of the traditional medicinal plants that is used for the treatment of malaria, liver diseases, stomachaches, and diarrhea. Despite its ethnomedicinal application, the phytochemical composition of its root and its antibacterial activities have not been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemicals of C. africana root and evaluate its antibacterial activity. The air-dried root of C .africana was sequentially extracted by dichloromethane and methanol (1:1 v/v ), and methanol. Phytochemical screening of crude extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids, phenols, and tannins, while alkaloids were absent. The column chromatographic isolation of the dichloromethane: methanol (1:1 v/v ) crude extracts yielded two compounds, compound- GT1 (trilinolein) and compound- GT2 (β-sitosterol). The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was performed based on data from 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR and DEPT-135 and comparison with reported literature. The isolated compounds and crude extracts were evaluated for their antibacterial activities on four bacterial strains ( S. pyogenes ATCC 19,615, S. aureus ATCC 25,923, P. aeruginosa ATCC 2785, and E. coli ATCC 25,922) using the disc diffusion method. Compound- GT2 and methanol extract demonstrated significant growth inhibition compared to ampicillin (12 mm), with a growth inhibition of 11 mm and 11.5 mm at a concentration of 300 μg/m l , observed in P. aeruginosa bacteria. Compound- GT1 (9 mm) and dichloromethane/methanol (1:1 v/v ) extract (9 mm) showed moderate activities against S. pyogenes at a concentration of 300 μg/ml. The antibacterial properties of the crude extracts and isolated compounds validate the traditional applications of these plants in curing microbial infections.

The genus (L.) is one of the most important groups of plants belonging to the Phyllantaceae family. (L.) is an annual perennial herbal species found in tropical Asia, America, China, and the Indian Ocean islands. is used in folk medicine as a cure to treat jaundice, diabetes, malaria, and liver diseases. This review provides traditional knowledge, phytochemistry, and biological activities of . The literature reviewed for this article was obtained from the Web of Science, SciFinder, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar journal papers published prior to December 2017. Phytochemical investigations reveal that the plant is a rich source of lignans, tannins, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, and other secondary metabolites. Pharmacological activities include anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective effects. Thus, this present review summarizes the phytochemical constituents and their biological activities including biological studies on various crude extracts and fractions both and , and on clinical trial information about . This review compiles 93 naturally occurring compounds from along with their structures and pharmacological activities. The review is expected to stimulate further research on , and its pharmacological potential to yield novel therapeutic agents.