Nonantibiotic prevention and management of recurrent urinary tract infection

Review Article | Published: 25 October 2018 Néha Sihra, Anna Goodman, Rhana Zakri, Arun Sahai & Sachin Malde Nature Reviews Urology (2018) | Download Citation Abstract Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are highly prevalent, lead to considerable patient morbidity, incur large financial costs to health-care systems and are one of the most common reasons for antibiotic use worldwide. The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance means that the search for nonantibiotic alternatives for the treatment and prevention of UTI is of critical importance. Potential nonantibiotic measures and treatments for UTIs include behavioural changes, dietary supplementation (such as Chinese herbal medicines and cranberry products), NSAIDs, probiotics, D-mannose, methenamine hippurate, estrogens, intravesical glycosaminoglycans, immunostimulants, vaccines and inoculation with less-pathogenic bacteria. Some of the results of trials of these approaches are promising; however, high-level evidence is required before firm recommendations for their use can be made. A combination of these agents might provide the optimal treatment to reduce recurrent UTI, and trials in specific population groups are required. Key points Rising rates of antimicrobial resistance, fuelled by the overuse of antibiotics in humans, are a serious threat to global public health. Alternatives to antibiotics for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) are attractive options to reduce the risks of antimicrobial resistance. The most commonly studied nonantibiotic management options for recurrent UTI include cranberries, probiotics, D-mannose, methenamine hippurate, estrogens, intravesical glycosaminoglycans and immunostimulants. Studies of novel vaccines targeting the adherence mechanisms of uropathogenic bacteria seem promising, but human trials are required to determine the efficacy of this approach. Evidence for the nonantibiotic measures is hampered by considerable heterogeneity, and further placebo-controlled randomized trials of these agents are needed. Access options Subscribe to Journal Get full journal access for 1 year $199.00 only $16.58 per issue Subscribe All prices are NET prices. VAT will be added later in the checkout. Rent or Buy article Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube. from$8.99 Rent or Buy All prices are NET prices. Additional access options: Log inOpenAthensShibboleth Additional information Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. References 1. Stamm, W. E. & Norrby, S. R. Urinary tract infections: disease panorama and challenges. J. Infect. Dis. 183, S1–S4 (2001). 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Show context for reference 243 CASPubMedArticlePubMed Central Google Scholar 244. van den Dobbelsteen, G. P. et al. Immunogenicity and safety of a tetravalent E. coli O-antigen bioconjugate vaccine in animal models. Vaccine 34, 4152–4160 (2016). Show context for reference 244 PubMedArticleCAS Google Scholar 245. Huttner, A. et al. Safety, immunogenicity, and preliminary clinical efficacy of a vaccine against extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli in women with a history of recurrent urinary tract infection: a randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1b trial. Lancet Infect. Dis. 17, 528–537 (2017). Show context for reference 245 CASPubMedArticle Google Scholar 246. Darouiche, R. O. et al. Multicenter randomized controlled trial of bacterial interference for prevention of urinary tract infection in patients with neurogenic bladder. Urology 78, 341–346 (2011). Show context for reference 246 PubMedArticle Google Scholar 247. Sunden, F., Hakansson, L., Ljunggren, E. & Wullt, B. Escherichia coli 83972 bacteriuria protects against recurrent lower urinary tract infections in patients with incomplete bladder emptying. J. Urol. 184, 179–185 (2010). Show context for reference 247 PubMedArticle Google Scholar 248. Koves, B. et al. Rare emergence of symptoms during long-term asymptomatic Escherichia coli 83972 carriage without an altered virulence factor repertoire. J. Urol. 191, 519–528 (2014). Show context for reference 248 PubMedArticleCAS Google Scholar Download references Acknowledgements Reviewer information Nature Reviews Urology thanks T. J. Hannan, F. Wagenlehner and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Author information Affiliations Department of Urology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Néha Sihra, Rhana Zakri, Arun Sahai & Sachin Malde Department of Infectious Diseases, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Anna Goodman Contributions N.S., A.G., R.Z., A.S. and S.M. researched data for the article. S.M. made substantial contributions to discussions of content. All authors wrote the manuscript, and S.M. reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission. Competing interests N.S., A.G. and R.Z. declare no competing interests. A.S. has received an unrestricted educational grant, is an adviser to and has received speaker fees from Allergan Ltd. and has received monies from Medtronic for promotional purposes. S.M. has received monies from Medtronic for promotional purposes. Corresponding author Correspondence to Sachin Malde. Rights and permissions To obtain permission to re-use content from this article visit RightsLink.

Phytochemical Screening and in-vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Citharexylum spinosum L. (Verbenaceae)

January 2018 DOI: 10.21276/ijprhs.2018.04.19 Dhanya ShreeArbin AyeshaSaema Noorain Sahana B.K Citations Abstract Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate antibacterial and antifungal activity of leaf and bark extract of Citharexylum spinosum L. (Verbenaceae). Methods: Extraction of powdered leaf and bark material was carried out by maceration process. The extracts were screened for detection of phytochemicals by standard phytochemical analyses. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated by agar well diffusion and poisoned food technique, respectively. Results: Leaf extracts showed marked antibacterial activity than bark extract. Both extracts showed highest and least inhibitory activity against Bacillus cereus and Shigella flexneri, respectively. Both extracts caused >50% inhibition of mycelial growth of two seed-borne fungi viz. Aspergillus niger and Bipolaris sp. Preliminary phytochemical analysis detected the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols and triterpenoids in both the extracts. Conclusions: The plant C. spinosum can be used to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria and to manage seed-borne fungal diseases of plants.

New Report: $25 Million Koch-funded Think Tank at Utah State University Targets Public Lands

OCTOBER 29, 2018R.T. FITCH https://rtfitchauthor.com/2018/10/29/new-report-25-million-koch-funded-think-tank-at-utah-state-university-targets-public-lands/ Source: Center for Biological Diversity “OUR PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES ARE MEANT TO WORK FOR THE COMMON GOOD, NOT FOR CORPORATE PROFIT,” Photo by Carol Walker SALT LAKE CITY— A new Koch-funded research center at Utah State University is taking over the work of a private anti-public-lands think tank, leveraging the public university’s name and credibility for projects that stand to benefit Koch Industries, according to a new report released today by the Center for Biological Diversity and UnKoch My Campus. The Center for Growth and Opportunity is carrying on the work of the Logan-based Strata Policy, a Koch-funded advocacy group. Research and policy work at the Center, established at Utah State in 2017 with a $25 million matching donation from the Charles Koch Foundation, stands to boost profits for Koch Industries and others in the Koch philanthropic network, the report found. “Our public universities are meant to work for the common good, not for corporate profit,” said Samantha Parsons of UnKoch My Campus. “Allowing a corporate donor to leverage the university’s resources and brand to grow its self-interested advocacy project is anathema to that mission.” The groups are calling on Utah State to rescind its agreement with the Koch Foundation and disaffiliate itself from the Center for Growth and Opportunity. Koch Industries is involved in oil and gas extraction, transportation and refining, cattle grazing, logging and other activities on public lands. The Koch Foundation has spent some $200 million to support faculty and centers on more than 300 U.S. higher-education campuses. The foundation’s gift to Utah State is its largest to a western university. “The Koch Foundation’s insidious gift to Utah State is really a big present for Koch Industries,” said Ryan Beam of the Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s a grave risk to both public lands and public education if a corporation like Koch Industries can buy itself a think tank at Utah State. Public lands and public universities are for the people, not for private interest.” The Center for Growth and Opportunity’s work includes policy research and commentary supporting public lands privatization and the rollback of environmental protections. Most of its employees worked for Strata, and the Center is continuing much of the private think tank’s anti-public-lands work, the report found. Other findings show that the Center for Growth and Opportunity: Lacks university oversight; Is controlled by a pre-installed board including Koch-affiliated officials; Has veto power over the hiring of six new Utah State faculty members. Strata and the Center are connected to many of the country’s most prominent anti-public-lands figures, including members of Utah’s congressional delegation and state legislature and members of the far-right militant arm of the anti-public-lands movement. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/Insidious-Gift-report-findings-10-23-2018.php?fbclid=IwAR37m9AiiwuMzlOozsipQnpQMh73dINOLUMlf9xNsWrLVwwh5NP3b3NPxtE s.com.

Study Your Grievances

by Emma Spruce, Jacob Breslow & Tomás Ojeda http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2018/10/29/study-your-grievances/ Recently, Aero Magazine published an essay by Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay, and Peter Boghossian titled “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship”. In it, Pluckrose et al. unveiled a year-long project in which they sought to expose the ‘corruption’ of ‘grievance studies’ by publishing hoax articles in interdisciplinary feminist, queer, critical race journals. There have already been several thoughtful responses to this ‘hoax’, however some points require emphasis and elaboration. Firstly, it must be said that Pluckrose et al. are not writing in a vacuum: theirs is not an apolitical critique of academic publishing, but must be viewed in the context of a wider history of attacks on gender, sexuality, and critical race studies. The repeated engagement with questions of sexual violence in their papers do not coincidentally emerge alongside the #MeToo movement. Secondly, the current reporting on the hoax overwhelmingly fails to do due diligence. Pluckrose et al. are routinely taken at their word, with media outlets apparently failing to read and make independent judgements about the four articles that were published (out of twenty they attempted). Finally, only few responses to the ‘hoax’ challenge its claim to be ‘successful’. Seeking to intervene in the way this ‘hoax’ has been taken up, in this post we briefly challenge three of the main grievances that Pluckrose et al. share in their exposé of the ‘hoax’. These are: 1) the abandonment of objectivity and truth in favour of politics, 2) the alleged lack of rigour of academic journals in the social sciences and humanities, and 3) the scholarly community’s verification and endorsement of the ‘absurd and horrible’ arguments Pluckrose et al. so gleefully wrote. Brown frame of 5 x 5 boxes, top rows have letters inside spelling out word 'objectivity' Photo credit: ‘Objectivity by Sol LeWitt’ by Cliff Grievance 1 – objectivity and politicization One of the repeated grievances that Pluckrose et al. launch is that academic scholarship (specifically within gender studies, sexuality studies, and critical race studies) has abandoned objectivity and truth in favour of ideology and politics. In a sense, they are correct in this; ‘subjectivity’ is indeed understood as more rigorous than ‘objectivity,’ and the fields in which we work are fundamentally political and politicized. Where they err, however, is in thinking that these characteristics of our fields are problems. Feminist epistemologists have been debating ‘objectivity’ for multiple decades (Bar On 1993; Code 1993, 2014; Collins 2000; Haraway 1988; Harding 1986, 1993, etc. etc.).[1] In the mid 1980s, Acker, Barry and Esseveld (1983: 427), for example, argued that objectivity should be understood not as a practical or obtainable position, but rather as an illusion. In their words, the idea of objectivity is to ‘remove the particular point of view of the observer from the research process so that the results will not be biased by the researcher’s subjectivity.’ This ‘ideal’ version of objectivity, however, as Smith (1977) argues, can only be possible if the knower is understood as an abstract being and the ‘known’ (the object of research) is understood as without agency. And yet knowers, as feminist epistemologists have argued for decades, are not ‘abstract’ at all, ‘but [are] member[s] of definite social categor[ies] occupying definite positions within the society’ (Smith 1974: 16-17). The production and validation of knowledge does not take place regardless of context and history. Claims to objective truth are evaluated by institutions that have historically been occupied by people in privileged positions. That objective truth continues to be evaluated by people with “partial and perverse” (Hartsock 1983) perspectives raises important questions about the limitations of ‘objectivity’ and the types of knowledges (as well as knowers) that are deemed legitimate: Whose experiences are valued? On what grounds? By whom? For whom do the ‘blind principles of neutrality’ apply (cf. Williams 1991)? It is in response to these questions that feminists have debated the merits of situated knowledges, and the importance of marginal voices. Put simply, we would agree that our research and teaching is political and politicized. This politicization, however, is not a flaw: it is necessary and important. While we may not agree with one another (more on that in a moment), our fields of study are not neutral. The purpose of our fields is to address, understand, and transform injustices of various kinds. To draw upon Hartsock (1997: 370), ‘the search for truth is not at all the way to understand’ feminist, queer, trans, critical race scholarship; ‘the point, most fundamentally, is to understand power relations… [and] the point of understanding power relations is to change them.’ It is not a shocking revelation, in other words, to suggest that our fields are political. That said, as we turn to next, the suggestion that by virtue of being political, our fields somehow share a univocal version of what ‘gender,’ ‘race,’ or ‘sexuality’ mean (let alone sexism, racism, or heteronormativity), is a blatant mischaracterisation. Grievance 2 – knowledge production and scientific truths Pluckrose et al. argue that ‘grievance studies’ have contributed to the politicised corruption of scholarship. “The peer reviewer system, which should filter out the biases that enable these problems to grow and gain influence,” they write, “is inadequate within grievance studies.” This framing of the ‘problem,’ however, actually misunderstands and distorts the generosity of peer reviewers, renders peer-reviewed journals as ‘the absolute gold standard of knowledge production’, and ignores all other sites of knowledge production. For the ‘hoax’ authors, academic journals work as the final repository of truth within a scientific community that they imagine as a coherent, consensual and idealised abstraction – but this is simply not the case. Criticizing grievance studies’ alleged lack of rigour, they fail to address other sources of knowledge that also shape the world they imagine as being under threat, and that are outside the scope of the academic journals they targeted (Feminists do speak and publish in languages beyond English, you know). While rather obvious to those of us who spend our days teaching, ‘conferencing’, and talking (to colleagues, policy-makers, activists, practitioners and anyone else who wants to be in conversation), knowledge is also produced beyond journal publications. To attack journals as symptomatic is to mistake one part of the field for its entirety. Their claim that there is something particularly wrong about ‘grievance studies’ also entails some spectacular ‘looking away’ because, surprise!, similar critiques have been also tested in other scientific fields (see, for instance, this blog post for the case of psychology). Thus, if anything, what the ‘hoax’ reveals as the problem in academic publishing is less related to the supposed flaws of ‘grievance studies’, and more with how Pluckrose et al. imagine the peer-reviewed system works. Peer review is not simply about checks and balances, it is a process which relies on the principles of good faith and honesty, something that they intentionally corrupted. Yes, peer review is a means of enhancing the rigor of fields, but its effect is not to mark any and every peer-reviewed article as unquestionable dogma. Having an article published in a feminist journal does not mean that its argument has become accepted by all feminists. Academic journals, and journals with anti-racist, anti-sexist (etc.) ideological commitments in particular, are sites of struggles over knowledge that we understand as unfinished-testing sites: to publish is to invite response, dissent and critical engagement, not to have the final word. This is manifest in the discussion of standpoint theory, which Pluckrose et al. misrepresent and hold in particular ire, (see grievance 1). Curiously, they suggest feminist academia encourages ‘an epistemological and moral relativism’, yet critique feminist thought for its unique and pernicious dogmatism. If you turn to the ‘comments and reply’ section of Signs Journal special issue on standpoint theory, you’ll see the range of perspectives and disagreements feminists have had about its successes and flaws. Grievance 3 – ‘absurd and horrible’ theses At the centre of the Pluckrose et al. ‘hoax’ is a cry of outrage: how could such “outlandish or intentionally broken” papers get published? In fact, given the “shoddy methodologies” “dubious ethical implications” and “considerable silliness”, modeled by these papers, they should have gone straight into the shredder. That this wasn’t the case; that a few articles were published, and that even more of them were given feedback, is cold hard evidence that in ‘grievance studies’ “just about anything can be made to work, so long as it falls within the moral orthodoxy and demonstrates understanding of the existing literature”. In other words, Pluckrose et al. suggest that worthless and irresponsible articles will be published in ‘grievance studies’ if they have the ‘right’ politics. Leaving aside their frankly ridiculously narrow representation of feminist politics (writing this blog was testimony to the adage that if you put 3 feminists in a room, you will get 5 opinions), we thought that it was important to actually read the articles that made it through to publication (especially as so little of the media coverage seems to have done so). It turns out that to claim their ‘hoax’ as a success, Pluckrose et al. don’t just have to misrepresent other people’s work, but they also have to misrepresent their own. Here is a closer look at one example: “Hooters” consists of a (faked) ethnographic study of men who go to restaurants where “scantily-clad, attractive female servers are a defining feature/gimmick”. Pluckrose et al. tell us that it is ridiculous that this article was published because “[t]he data are clearly nonsense and conclusions drawn from it are unwarranted.” The research, however, claims to be derived from 99 visits that resulted in 10,000 minutes of recorded conversation and over 600 pages of field notes. If this weren’t fictionalised, why would a journal editor or peer reviewer consider this vast amount of data worthless nonsense? After all, the only claims that the article makes from this data are that it offers a description of an understudied site, and that it presents a hypothesis that the particular appeal of Hooters-like restaurants is that they allow men to ‘act out’ ideas of masculinity such as “sexual objectification and male dominance” that are increasingly unacceptable in other social sites. To some extent this article should be low on publication appeal because it is boring: Feminism has not eradicated sexism – surprise. Gendered hierarchies and capitalist systems reinforce each other – surprise. Masculinity and femininity remain important to many people’s’ sense of self – surprise. But then again, in a context where the US President normalised his description of sexual assault as ‘locker room talk’,[2] surely we do want to gain insights on the versions of masculinity being endorsed in male-dominated spaces? In their discussion of this article for Aero magazine, Pluckrose et al. suggest that it was published solely because it aligns with an outlandish feminist orthodoxy that “problematize[s] heterosexual men’s attraction to women”. And yet, to argue that male sexual dominance and objectification are neither good for everyone, nor an uncontrollable and universally evident biological expression that society can’t engage doesn’t really seem that outlandish? Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the article barely makes an ideological point anyway. Instead, it presents itself as a descriptive first-step in a larger project to understand the social conditions that endorse and facilitate male dominance over women. “Hooters” is replete with caveats and a keen awareness of its own limitations (perhaps thanks to the time and effort of very generous peer reviewers). This disjuncture between what they claim these articles say, and what they argue as a point of fact, is symptomatic of their entire project’s lack of ethics. Conclusion In a political climate wherein gender, sexuality, and critical race studies are under persistent attack, we feel it’s important to frame this ‘hoax’ as a call to keep studying our ‘grievances,’ with all the interdisciplinary tools we have, and with a fervour, passion and clarity that stands up to the malicious attempts to undermine us. Pluckrose et al. claim to be concerned with ‘important issues relevant to social justice’: they spent a year producing fictional material to help us understand what social justice really is and how we should address it in our research and broader scholarship. There is, however, no such a thing as a univocal and straight-forward way of understanding what social justice means, especially when contested notions of what count as justice, for whom and in what terms have been at the forefront of historical debates within feminist, queer and critical race studies. These are ongoing debates, ones we must keep having. In this vein, maybe Pluckrose et al. could spend the next year actually doing the research that they faked. This could, perhaps, contribute towards understanding the dynamics of dominance that they so gleefully — and with apparent ease — spent their time narrating.[3] image of author Emma SpruceEmma Spruce is a Teaching Fellow in Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights at LSE, where she co-convenes a course on feminist epistemologies with Jacob Breslow. Her research examines the intersections of sexuality, space and place; exploring the movement of sexual politics across scales (from the nation to the neighbourhood), as well as the ways that place and space acquire meaning through narratives of sexuality and gender. image of author Jacob BreslowJacob Breslow is a Teaching Fellow in Transnational Gender and Sexuality Studies at LSE, where he co-convenes a course on feminist epistemologies with Emma Spruce. He researches contemporary U.S. social justice movements and the ways in which the idea of childhood operates within and against them. Currently, he is working on a book with the University of Minnesota Press, titled: After Childhood: Ambivalence, Belonging, and the Psychic Life of the Child. Picture of the author Tomás OjedaTomás Ojeda is a PhD candidate at LSE Department of Gender Studies and member of the Engenderings editorial collective. His research examines the political place of Chilean psychology in the making up of the sexual subject of diversity, by analysing the sexual epistemologies at work in the so-called turn to diversity in contemporary clinical practice. [1] The list of full references is available on the next page. [2] “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” (full transcript) [3] As a side note, did it feel good to write those descriptions of sexual objectification? It definitely did not feel good to read them. And your tone, Pluckrose et al., makes the claim that that the ‘hoax’ is not an ideologically motivated attack difficult to believe. References Joan Acker, Kate Barry and Joke Esseveld (1983) “Objectivity and Truth: Problems in Doing Feminist Research” Women’s Studies International Forum. 6(4): 423-435. Bat-Ami Bar On (1993) “Marginality and Epistemic Privilege” in Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter (eds.) Feminist Epistemologies. New York: Routledge pp. 83-100. Lorraine Code (1993) “Taking Subjectivity Into Account” in Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter (eds.) Feminist Epistemologies. New York: Routledge pp. 23-57. Lorraine Code (2014) “Feminist Epistemology and the Politics of Knowledge: Questions of Marginality” in Mary Evans et al. (eds.) The Sage Handbook of Feminist Theory. London: Sage pp. 9-25. Patricia Hill Collins (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. London: Routledge. Donna Haraway (1988) “Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective” Feminist Studies 14(3): 581-607. Sandra Harding (1986) The Science Question in Feminism. London: Cornell University Press. Sandra Harding (1993) “Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What is ‘Strong Objectivity’?” in Linda Alcoff and Elizabeth Potter (eds.) Feminist Epistemologies. New York: Routledge pp. 49-82. Nancy Hartsock (1983) “The Feminist Standpoint: Developing the Ground for a Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism” in Sandra Harding (ed.) Feminism and Methodology: Social Science Issues. Bloomington: Indiana University Press pp. 157-180. Nancy Hartsock (1997) “Comment on Heckman’s ‘Truth and Method: Feminist Standpoint Theory REvisited’: Truth or Justice?” Signs 22(2): 367-374. Dorothy Smith (1974) “Women’s Perspective as a Radical Critique of Sociology” Sociological Inquiry 44: 7-13. Dorothy Smith (1977) “Some Implications of a Sociology for Women” In Nona Glazer and Helen Waehrer (eds.) Woman in a Man-Made World: A Socioeconomic Handbook. Chicago: Rand McNally. Patricia Williams (1991) The Alchemy of Race and Rights: Diary of a Law Professor. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

At Ajo y Orégano, Big Flavors Flow From a Small Space

HUNGRY CITY https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/dining/ajo-y-oregano-review.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage A Family Affair in the Bronx 10 PhotosView Slide Show › Image Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times Ajo y OréganoNYT Critic's PickCaribbean, Latin American$1556 White Plains Road, Parkchester347-657-1201 By Ligaya Mishan Oct. 26, 2018 4 If it’s Friday, there will be rabo encendido, oxtails dark as ink from a simmer in Presidente beer and Brugal rum. This is lunch and event at once, and may explain the crowd that forms before noon on the rainbow-planked porch outside Ajo y Orégano, a tiny gasp of a restaurant in Parkchester, the Bronx, between a tire shop and a barber’s. On Friday, too, is the promise of pica pollo, Dominican fried chicken in airy golden coats, with seasonings gone deep. Chief among them are the ones pictured on the restaurant’s wooden awning: garlic and oregano, matching the restaurant’s name. So go on Friday — but then you’ll miss Wednesday and Thursday’s special of berenjenas asadas, eggplant charred over open flame until its insides retreat and cede sovereignty to smoke. The flesh is then mashed in a pot with garlic, tomatoes and, crucially, eggs, the secret to the dish’s louche creaminess. Image Platters served during lunch at Ajo y Orégano, in the Bronx.CreditCaitlin Ochs for The New York Times And what of Saturday and Sunday’s mondongo (tripe soup), Monday’s pernil (roast pork) and Tuesday’s pastelón, layers of fried ripe plantains, ground beef and mozzarella, salty and sweet embracing their differences? Any day you go, the menu is a tease of what might have been. ADVERTISEMENT Fortunately, the steam table at the back of the dining room is stocked daily with pollo guisado, chicken stew stained black from sugar thrown in the pan at the start and brought within seconds of a burn. Other regulars are fried sea bass under a drape of coconut milk and sofrito, orange from achiote; and barbecue pork ribs like smoked candy, with meat that gives and gives. Enver Perez and his younger brother, Jeudy Perez, opened Ajo y Orégano last October. They were children when they left Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to live in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. Their mother, Maritza Reynoso, now works the cash register and makes the house hot sauce; their older brother, Freddy Perez, runs the floor. The bounty of the steam table, with its helpings of moro (rice and beans) and guandules con coco, pigeon peas enriched with coconut milk and auyama (pumpkin), is supplied by two aunts, Milqueya and Jackeline Reynoso. Food is presented in aluminum pots sized for little hands, the kind that the Reynoso sisters learned to cook with when they were young. But the contents are hardly dainty, and what look like small portions prove to be more than enough. Yudelkys Paniagua, a veteran of Dominican restaurants in Washington Heights, cooks dishes à la carte, including chimi sliders, a diminutive but still gloriously messy version of the Dominican street burger. Chubby beef patties are stacked with squeaky fried white cheese between ragged-edged tostones: green plantains fried, flattened and fried again, so they’re crisp and chewy at once. The sauce, classic pink mayo-ketchup, gets a dash of fizz and nostalgia from Country Club frambuesa (raspberry) soda, also available by the bottle. Editors’ Picks Stone Mountain: The Largest Confederate Monument Problem in the World Is ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ the Most Radical Show on TV? A ‘Generationally Perpetuated’ Pattern: Daughters Do More Chores ADVERTISEMENT Image Food is presented in aluminum pots sized for little hands, the kind that the chefs learned to cook with when they were children.CreditCaitlin Ochs for The New York Times Not on the menu but worth asking for is mofongo, plantains fried and broken down in a wooden pilón (mortar), then molded by hand into a giant cup. Once filled, it’s a caldron, aswamp in melted cheese and either mayo-ketchup or garlicky béchamel, with your choice of meat in the depths. Smaller mofonguitos, shaped with a lemon squeezer, fit demurely in ramekins, perhaps a better idea if you don’t want to stagger home. Spanish is the language and the electric current at Ajo y Orégano, where forks clank over a low throb of salsa, merengue and bachata from two decades past. The walls of the dining room are as green as palms and mounted with crockery and hot pink shutters. Bills come in shoeshine boxes painted with island scenes, of tin-roofed houses slumbering under flamboyant trees. But the space is too small, which for the crowd growing restive on the porch is a problem. By the end of November, the Perez brothers plan to open a second Ajo y Orégano in Belmont, by the Bronx Zoo. Milqueya will oversee the new kitchen, while Jackeline holds down the fort here. As it happens, both aunts worked with Enver in the White Plains Road storefront’s previous incarnation as a healthy meal-preparation service. They had minor roles: One was a dishwasher; the other did breakfast. It makes him laugh now. He said, “I had the magic recipe all along.” Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Subscribe to Five Weeknight Dishes Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. SIGN UP Ajo y OréganoNYT Critic's Pick 1556 White Plains Road (Guerlain Street) Parkchester 347-657-1201 ajoyoregano.com Recommended DishesChimi sliders; mofonguitos; pollo guisado; barbecue pork ribs; rabo encendido (oxtail stew); berenjenas asadas (roasted eggplant).Price$ (inexpensive)OpenDaily for lunch and dinner.

How a Vortex Helps Dandelions Fly

https://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000006166266/how-a-vortex-helps-dandelions-fly.html?action=click&module=Discovery&pgtype=Homepage

Caryophyllene

BY MICHAEL FREEMANTLE19 OCTOBER 2018 https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/caryophyllene/3009646.article A biologically active compound from the biblical balm of Gilead, said to ‘heal the sin-sick soul’ and mentioned at the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Ben Valsler Earlier this week, Kensington Palace announced that here in the UK we have another royal baby to look forward to, due in spring 2019. And here on Chemistry in its element, Mike Freemantle has been thinking back to the happy couple’s big day… Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave from the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor on May 19, 2018. Source: © Ben Stansall - WPA Pool / Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave from the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor on May 19, 2018. Michael Freemantle Cast your mind back to Saturday 19th May this year. That was the day Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family, and American former actor Meghan Markle married. During the wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, the American bishop Michael Curry delivered a powerful sermon. He quoted lines from a medieval poem and an old African American spiritual that referred to the balm of Gilead: ‘There is a balm in Gilead, To make the wounded whole.’ In these lines, the balm is employed as a metaphor for the power of love to heal the human spirit. When I heard these lines, I asked myself: what is this balm of Gilead? Dried twigs and leaves of the plant Commiphora gileadensis, source of Balm of Gilead Source: By Deror_avi CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons I soon discovered that the balm was an oil that had been used since ancient times as a perfume and as an ointment to heal various physical illnesses. The balm was named after the Gilead region of the Arabian peninsula where it was extracted from plants. The region is now part of Jordan. There are several references to the balm in the Bible, for example, in chapter 37 of the book of Genesis: ‘… behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.’ Commiphora gileadensis, botanical illustration Commiphora gileadensis, botanical illustration In 2012, a team of scientists in Israel reported the results of research on ‘the biblical balm of Gilead,’ as they called it. Their aim was to study the anti-cancer activity of the oil, which they extracted from a plant with the botanical name Commiphora gileadensis. First of all, they used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to separate and identify its volatile organic components. They identified 27 components, the most prominent of which was the hydrocarbon β-caryophyllene. It accounted for just over 20 % of the oil. Their study established that the balm prevented the proliferation of tumour cells and that the key ingredient responsible for this activity was β-caryophyllene. The compound is ubiquitous in nature and generally occurs in mixtures with other organic compounds. Essential oils extracted from lavender, rosemary, hops, cannabis and especially cloves all contain significant amounts of β-caryophyllene. The compound is also present in the oily resins extracted from many species of pine conifers. Beta caryophyllene The properties and structure of this naturally-occurring compound have been extensively investigated since the 1830s. However, it was not until 1951 that British organic chemist and chemistry Nobel laureate Sir Derek Barton provided definitive evidence of its molecular structure. The compound has an unusual bicyclic structure for a natural product. Each molecule has a nine-membered ring of carbon atoms, a four-membered ring and two carbon-carbon double bonds. Another chemistry Nobel laureate, the American organic chemist E. J. Corey, reported the total synthesis of the bicyclic hydrocarbon in 1964. β-Caryophyllene has a spicy woody smell and is generally recognised as a safe dietary supplement and flavouring agent for foods and beverages. Well-documented research studies over recent years have shown that the compound is not only active against cancer but also has a wide array of other medicinal properties. It acts as a pain killer, for example, and also exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. Last year, another team published a paper on the chemical compositions of essential oils extracted from the stem bark, leaves and fruit of Commiphora gileadensis. The researchers surprisingly found a dearth of β-caryophyllene in the oils, in complete contrast to the findings of the other team, even though both teams had investigated plant samples collected from the same botanical garden in Israel. The second team observed that the chemical compositions of the Commiphora gileadensis essential oils from Israel ‘are markedly different from previously reported samples.’ So how do you account for the difference? The second team concluded that there must be ‘a wide variation of essential oil compositions within the population of this plant.’ The Jordan River border between Israel and Jordan Source: © Shutterstock The Jordan River border between Israel and Jordan And there is another intriguing question here. Did the ancient Ishamaelites really extract their fragrant healing oil from the plant Commiphora gileadensis? There are claims that their precious balm of Gilead was extracted from a different plant – the mastic tree, known scientifically as Pistacia lentiscus. The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean region including Israel, Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries. It exudes a pleasant-smelling resin with similar health and culinary properties to the Commiphora gileadensis oil. Whatever the answers to these questions, there can be no doubt about the health and therapeutic benefits of β-caryophyllene, and the balm of Gilead - whatever its composition and source. Never miss a podcast again! If you love listening to the chemistry in its element podcast, subscribe today and never miss an episode Chemistry World Ben Valsler That was Mike Freemantle, showing that sometimes science writers can get distracted by chemistry even in the midst of a moving speech at a nationally important wedding. Next week, Kat Arney indicates how misuse of a common, colourful compound can cause catastrophic colonic complaints. Kat Arney These imported drinks lacked the deep red colour the people expected, so the authorities decided to add a dash of phenolphthalein to the wine supplies to redden them up. It being the early 1900s, nobody had thought to test whether it was actually safe to use as a food additive first, which might have avoided the unpleasant result: a mass outbreak of diarrhoea. Ben Valsler Join Kat next time with the pH indicator you almost certainly used in high school. Until then, you can find all of our podcasts at chemistryworld.com/podcasts, and you can get in touch with any questions or comments – email chemistryworld@rsc.org or tweet @chemistryworld. Thanks for listening, I’m Ben Valsler. TOPICS

An assessment of the Chinese medicinal Dendrobium industry: Supply, demand and sustainability

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 229, 30 January 2019, Pages 81-88 Journal of Ethnopharmacology An assessment of the Chinese medicinal Dendrobium industry: Supply, demand and sustainability Author links open overlay panelJinChengaPei-PeiDangaZheZhaoaLiang-ChenYuancZhi-HuaZhoudDanielWolfeYi-BoLuob a College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China b State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China c Import and Export Management Center of Endangered species, National Forestry and Grasslands Administration, Beijing 100714, China d Department of Wild Fauna and Flora Conservation and Management, National Forestry and Grasslands Administration, Beijing 100714, China e Federal Agency for Nature Conservation Department of Plant Conservation Scientific Authority to CITES, Bonn 53179, Germany Received 13 February 2018, Revised 17 August 2018, Accepted 1 September 2018, Available online 26 September 2018. crossmark-logo Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.09.001Get rights and content Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance A high proportion of species native to China from the genus Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) have been used as folk medicine for more than 2300 years. The fresh or dried stem of many Dendrobium species are regarded as “superior grade” tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for their traditional properties of nourishing the kidney, moisturizing the lung, benefiting the stomach, promoting the production of body fluids and clearing heat. Aim of the study This review aims to provide comprehensive and updated information on the diversity of Dendrobium species used in TCM and the development of the Dendrobium industry. The supply and demand of the Chinese medicinal Dendrobium are investigated. Moreover, we discuss the problems the industry faces and the relationship between the cultivation and species conservation. Materials and Methods The available information on many Dendrobium species (especially D. officinale) was collected from the electronic databases (using Pubmed, CNKI, Baidu scholar, Google scholar and Web of Science). We also obtained information from communication with specialists with profound knowledge in related research field and industry practitioners. Information was also obtained from website of the Forestry Bureau or relevant government departments, online databases, books, Ph.D. dissertations and M.Sc. theses. Results Approximately 41 species in genus Dendrobium have been recorded in TCM. The development of the Dendrobium industry could be divided into three phases: (a) the wild-collection phase, (b) the massive commercial artificial-sheltered cultivation phase and (c) the diversified ecologically-friendly cultivation phase. The development of seedlings production technology, the improvement of substrates and the integration of cultivation technology support the rapid increase of Dendrobium herbs in the Chinese TCM market. Doubts around the quality and efficacy of product in artificial-sheltered cultivation, the lack of product standards and the low level of product development have limited the utilization for TCM and hampered the development of the Dendrobium industry. Both the artificial-sheltered cultivation and ecologically-friendly cultivation contribute to the conservation of Dendrobium species, through the use seedlings derived from seeds of sexual reproduction rather than meristematic-based clonal propagation. Conclusions This review summarizes the species and cultivation history of medicinal herbs in the Dendrobium. The review can help inform future scientific research towards the TCM in Dendrobium, including mycorrhizal technology and microorganism fertilizer, pharmacological studies, the directed cultivation of varieties and diversified product. It is suggested that Dendrobium cultivation has a great potential to link the commercial TCM industry together with initiatives of biodiversity conservation. Previous article in issueNext article in issue Abbreviations CITESConvention on International Trade in Endangered SpeciesCNYChinese Yuan RenminbiTCMTraditional Chinese Medicine Keywords Traditional Chinese MedicineWild-collectionArtificial-shelteredEcologically-friendlySpecie conservation © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genus Vanda: A review on traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and pharmacological activities

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 229, 30 January 2019, Pages 46-53 Journal of Ethnopharmacology Review Author links open overlay panelHaroonKhanaMaryaaTarunBelwalbMohd TariqbAtanas G.AtanasovcdHari PrasadDevkotaef a Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 23200, Pakistan b G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Kosi Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, India c Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 05-552 Jastrzebiec, Poland d Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria e School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, 5-1 Oe-honmachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 862-0973, Japan f Program for Leading Graduate Schools, Health Life Science: Interdisciplinary and Glocal Oriented (HIGO) Program, Kumamoto University, Japan Received 27 April 2018, Revised 5 September 2018, Accepted 25 September 2018, Available online 27 September 2018. crossmark-logo Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.09.031Get rights and content Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance The genus Vanda (Family: Orchidaceae) comprises about 73 species mainly distributed in Southeast Asia. Plants belonging to this genus are being used in the traditional medicine systems in Asian countries specially in India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh. Aim of the review The aim of this work was to review the scientific work about medicinal orchids of the genus Vanda regarding their traditional uses, reported bioactive components, and pharmacological activities. Materials and methods The information related to traditional uses, pharmacological activities, and bioactive compounds was systematically collected from the scientific literature databases including SciFinder, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar, published books and conference proceedings. Results The literature survey revealed diverse traditional uses of different species of Vanda, mainly against indigestion, wounds, hepatitis, dyspepsia, bronchitis, piles, rheumatism, and bone fracture. However, only few of them are investigated scientifically for their chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. Bioactive compounds including eucomic acid derivatives, phenanthrene derivatives and other phenolic compounds are reported from Vanda species. Different extracts were so far evaluated for number of pharmacological activities including neuroprotective, anti-aging, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, membrane stabilizing, wound healing and hepato-protective activities. Conclusion Vanda spp. are of much significance as ornamental flowers, but also used widely in traditional medicines and have potential for their diverse pharmacological activities. However, many members of the genus Vanda need further detailed studies regarding chemical constituents and mechanism-based pharmacological activities. Similarly, further studies should also focus on the conservation, cultivation and sustainable utilization of these species. Graphical abstract fx1 Download high-res image (288KB)Download full-size image

An ethnobotanical survey and antifungal activity of Piper guineense used for the treatment of fungal infections in West-African traditional medicine

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 229, 30 January 2019, Pages 157-166 Journal of Ethnopharmacology Author links open overlay panelEunice EgoMgbeahuruikeaYvonneHolmaHeikkiVuorelaaChinyereAmandikwabPiaFyhrquista a Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, FI-00014, Finland b Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, P.M. B 1526 Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria Received 26 June 2018, Revised 11 September 2018, Accepted 3 October 2018, Available online 15 October 2018. crossmark-logo Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.10.005Get rights and content Abstract Ethnobotanical relevance Piper guineense occurs commonly in West Africa where it is used for fungal infections instead of the costly and not always accessible conventional antifungals. Fungal, yeast-based diseases are common in West-Africa especially among those living with HIV/AIDS, and thus this study was performed in Imo state, South-Eastern Nigeria, where P. guineense is predominantly used for the treatment of fungal diseases, such as skin rashes, oral thrush and vaginosis. Aim of study The scarce number of previous studies on the documentation of the traditional uses of P. guineense extracts for the treatment of fungal infections in Nigeria prompted this survey. The investigation focused on how traditional healers recognize and diagnose fungal infections, how P. guineense is collected, on the various parts used for the treatments, methods of preparations, administrations and treatments. In addition, an in vitro antifungal screening of P. guineense fruit and leaf extracts of various polarities, and piperine and piperlongumine, representing the main constituents in these extracts, were performed. Methods A house to house ethnobotanical survey was conducted using questionnaires. Twenty traditional medical practitioners (TMP) and herb sellers from ten villages were interviewed. Four human pathogenic strains of yeast and Cryptococcus neoformans, a yeast-like basidiomycete causing meningitis in immunocompromised individuals, were used for the antifungal screening. Results The traditional medical practitioners (TMP) and herb sellers explained that the leaves and fruits are the most commonly used plant parts for the treatments. The oral intake of the extracts in locally produced bamboo alcohol (Kai-kai) is the most common method of administration. In accordance with these recorded traditional uses, we found that extracts of P. guineense were growth inhibitory against the fungal strains with MIC values ranging from 39 to 2500 µg/mL. The lowest MIC value of 39 µg/mL was recorded for a methanol fruit extract against Candida albicans, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis. In addition, ethanol and hexane fruit extracts were effective against the growth of C. albicans and C. glabrata, respectively, with a MIC of 78 µg/mL. Piperlongumine and piperine were active against C. albicans with MIC values of 39 and 78 µg/mL respectively. Conclusion P. guineense fruit and leaf extracts, as well as their piperamide alkaloid constituents piperine and piperlongumine, have interesting antifungal properties and could have potential as new antifungal scaffolds. Our results warrant further in-depth investigations to isolate and characterize piperamide alkaloids and other compounds responsible for the antifungal activity in the extracts. Graphical abstract fx1 Download high-res image (358KB)Download full-size image

Male sexual enhancers from the Peruvian Amazon

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 229, 30 January 2019, Pages 167-179 Journal of Ethnopharmacology Author links open overlay panelGuillermoSchmeda-HirschmannabAlbertoBurgos-EdwardsaCristinaTheodulozbcFelipeJiménez-AspeebdeGabrielVargas-Aranaf a Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Instituto de Química de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile b Programa de Investigación de Excelencia Interdisciplinaria en Química y Bio-orgánica de Recursos Naturales (PIEI-QUIM-BIO), Universidad de Talca, Chile c Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile d Departamento de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile e Núcleo Científico Multidisciplinario, Dirección de Investigación, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile f Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana - IIAP, Head, Laboratorio de Química de Productos Naturales, Peru Received 11 July 2018, Revised 2 October 2018, Accepted 5 October 2018, Available online 16 October 2018. crossmark-logo Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.10.007Get rights and content Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Selected Peruvian Amazon plants are macerated into sugar cane distillates to prepare alcoholic beverages used to improve male sexual performance. The tree bark from Campsiandra angustifolia Spruce ex Benth (Fabaceae), Swartzia polyphylla DC (Fabaceae), Minquartia guianensis Aubl. (Olacaceae) and Thynantus panurensis (Bureau) Sandwith (Bignoniaceae) usually are used as crude drugs in mixtures of several ingredients. Aim of study Describe the chemical composition of the most traded traditional male enhancer beverages, namely “Levántate Lazaro” and “Siete veces sin sacarla”, and their single crude drug constituents, as well as their inhibitory activity towards the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5. The presence of pro-sexual drugs such as Sildenafil® and derivatives was assessed in the samples. Materials and methods Single plant constituents and the preparation mixtures were purchased in the Mercado Belen (Iquitos, Peru). Chemical profiling was carried out by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. The extracts were assessed for phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition. The occurrence of pro-sexual drugs was determined by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. Results Chemical profiling allowed the identification of condensed tannins as the main constituents of C. angustifolia and S. polyphylla, hydrolysable tannins for M. guianensis, and C-glycosides for T. panurensis. The traditional preparations showed similar composition compared to the crude drugs. At 200 µg/mL, the traditional preparation “Levántate Lázaro” and “Siete veces sin sacarla” inhibited the phosphodiesterase-5 by 49.88% and 27.90%, respectively. No adulterations with pro-sexual drugs were found in the samples. From the crude drugs, low effect was found for the extracts of S. polyphylla and T. panurensis and high activity for C. angustifolia which inhibited the enzyme by 89.37% and 81.32% at 200 and 100 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusion The traditional preparations used to improve sexual performance in the Peruvian Amazon showed activity as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. The most active ingredient of the traditional preparations was C. angustifolia, with some contribution from T. panurensis. These results encourage additional studies, including animal models to confirm the male enhancer effect of the preparations. Graphical abstract fx1 Download high-res image (420KB)Download full-size image Previous article in issueNext article in issue Abbreviations Ca:Campsiandra angustifoliaHHDPhexahydroxydiphenic acidHPLC-DAD-MShigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and mass spectrometryLLLevántate LázaroMg:Minquartia guianensisPDE-5phosphodiesterase-5Sp:Swartzia polyphyllaSVSSsiete veces sin sacarlaTICTotal ion chromatogramTp:Tynanthus panurensis Keywords Amazonian male sexual enhancersPhosphodiesterase-5Campsiandra angustifoliaPhenolicsHPLC-MS/MS analysis © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants Vol. 48—Metabolic Disorders: Hypertension

http://www.studiumpress.in/rpmp-volume-48-metabolic-disorders-hypertension.html Author Name : Anita Bhardwaj and J N Govil Features Publisher : Studium Press LLC Edition : 1st ISBN 10 : 1626990859 Page no : 352 Publication Year : 2018 $120 IN STOCK Get in Quote Email to a Friend Add to Wishlist Description Table Of Content Reviews Table of Content About the Series; Foreword to the Series; Foreword to the Volume; About the Editors; Preface; Pathophysiology of Hypertension:A Critical Review; Hypertension: Pharmacology of Antihypertensives; Medicinal Value of Acacia Species; Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Bacopamonnieri; Anti-hypertensive Potential of Centellaasiatica;Ameliorative Potential of Phytoconstituents of Citrus Species in Renovascular Hypertension in Rat;Cocosnucifera: Agricultural Crop Rival Against Hypertension;Chemistry, Pharmacology and Medicinal Properties of Convolvulus pluricaulis: A Miraculous Medicinal Herb for Hypertension;Convolvulus pluricaulis- A Herb for Hypertension Related to Mental Stress;Coriandrumsativumin Relation to Hypertension;Elettariacardamomum (L.) Maton (Small Cardamom) - A Dietary Spice with Antihypertensive Potential and addedCardiovascular Benefits;Nardostachysjatamansi DC Phytoconstituents: Its Antihypertensive and Neuroprotective Properties;The Black Seed, Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae), for Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension;Oleaeuropaea and Hypertension;Review of the Medicinal Use of PhyllanthusUrinaria L. for Hypertension;Review on Rauwolfiaserpentina as a Potential Medicinal Herb and Antihypertensive Therapeutic Agent;Tribulusterrestris and Its Phytochemicals in the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension; Antioxidant Potential and Phytochemical Profile in Two Commonly ConsumedTraditional Medicinal Plants of Mizoram,India Used as Anti-atherogenic Agent, subject index " Series Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants Title Recent Progress in Medicinal Plants Vol. 48—Metabolic Disorders: Hypertension Author's Name Anita Bhardwaj and J N Govil Publisher Studium Press LLC Page No. 352 Year Of Publication 2018 ISBN 10 1626990859 ISBN 13 No Book size width 9.5 book size(hei) 6.5 Edition 1st Book Size(len) No Binding type Hard bound About The Book No

Time’s Up for Medicine? Only Time Will Tell

Perspective https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1809351?query=TOC Esther K. Choo, M.D., M.P.H., Jane van Dis, M.D., and Dara Kass, M.D. Article Figures/Media Metrics 5 References Audio Interview Interview with Dr. Esther Choo on steps that medical institutions can take to support and empower women. Interview with Dr. Esther Choo on steps that medical institutions can take to support and empower women. (08:14) Download The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently released a report on sexual harassment of women working in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine.1 Its findings are deeply disturbing: sexual harassment is common across scientific fields, has not abated, and remains a particular problem in medicine, where potential sources of harassment include not just colleagues and supervisors, but also patients and their families. To highlight one statistic, as many as 50% of female medical students report experiencing sexual harassment. Imagine a medical-school dean addressing the incoming class with this demoralizing prediction: “Look at the woman to your left and then at the woman to your right. On average, one of them will be sexually harassed during the next 4 years, before she has even begun her career as a physician.” The report’s conclusions are consistent with the lack of progress in closing gaps between men and women in salary,2 career advancement,3 and leadership4 in medicine. One can simply add sexual harassment to the list of enduring gender-based inequities. An editorial responding to the NASEM report stated, “Tolerance of sexual harassment must not continue to be the price that women pay for a career in medicine.”5 Indeed, the conditions seem ripe for change. Women may soon constitute more than half the physician workforce, and the outcry for safety and equity in the workplace is occurring in other industries. If there is anything the report makes clear, however, it is that medicine is ill prepared to take meaningful steps toward actually ending harassment. To begin with, scientific and medical institutions tend to focus on formal complaints and legal cases related to overtly sexual behavior. Yet sexual harassment encompasses an array of verbal and nonverbal behaviors that “convey hostility, objectification, exclusion, or second-class status about members of one gender.”1 Since all forms of harassment have negative effects on women’s careers and on their physical and psychological health, there is no clear rationale for ignoring the full range of behavior that falls under this umbrella. Failure to take into account the vast majority of incidents of sexual harassment compromises our response to the problem. But the reason we are tempted to be literal about sexual acts is obvious: it allows us to ignore not only the scope of the problem but also the fact that every form of discrimination places women at greater risk for sexual harassment. For example, stories of academics who perpetrate abuse for years without punishment almost invariably proceed directly from an account of offenses to an accounting of research funding the offender has brought in for the institution. For a female researcher, a lower salary translates into less fringe funding and a lower indirect cost contribution, thereby making her less valuable to the institution than a male peer who is paid more (assuming that salaries are at or below the cap for researchers receiving National Institutes of Health grants). When women are systematically devalued, promoted later than men, and paid less, this treatment undermines their institutional power and their ability to report or defend themselves against ongoing sexual abuse, particularly at the hands of male superiors, including those in control of their salaries, promotions, and opportunities. In this and other ways, persistent disparities in pay and career advancement are an integral part of the machinery that facilitates gender-based abuse of all kinds. Correcting inequities in salary, career advancement, and leadership positions requires more global fixes than even those who are deeply committed to eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace may be willing to consider. Because these problems are inextricably linked, however, it may be that our lack of progress on any one of them is in fact rooted in our habit of addressing them one by one, in isolation. Just as it is difficult to correct the potassium level in a magnesium-depleted patient, interventions targeting sexual harassment are sure to fail in an environment that fosters the devaluation of women in every other sense. The report also makes clear that scientific and medical institutions too readily consider harassment an individual problem rather than an organizational one. The narrative that sexual harassment occurs because of the psychopathology of a single person overlooks the critical role of institutional permissiveness, fosters a sense of futility (How can we root out sporadic, unique, unpredictable events?), and absolves institutions of responsibility. Furthermore, when organizational culpability in gender-based harassment (whether explicitly sexual or not) is acknowledged, it becomes clear that punishment of individual offenders, even when swift and harsh, does not constitute an adequate response. We believe institutional responses must also include an automatic and thorough investigation of the structures that enabled the harassment to happen in the first place. Using a framework in which harassment is an organizational problem and one that stems from, and is cultivated by, a broad range of gender-based inequities has the potential to change the tone of this discussion. The NASEM report makes clear that sexual harassment is highly prevalent, a reality that will become unavoidable if we adopt the report’s recommendations to perform more rigorous and wide-ranging assessments for it. Therefore, it may not be practical or sustainable to advocate a scorched-earth response to each and every incident. By making discussions of gender-based harassment routine and system-focused — taking a preventive approach that seeks a broad range of solutions well before the point at which sexual-harassment charges are made and legal actions taken — we gain the opportunity to examine harassment openly and frankly. Such a strategy would allow us to shift our attention to primary and secondary prevention of sexual harassment and away from our current approach of waiting for full-blown, metastatic manifestations of harassment, then bemoaning our inability to eradicate it. Sexual harassment is the medical community’s chronic, debilitating disease, and we would do well to apply what we have learned combating other diseases to our efforts to address it. The NASEM report reveals a damning truth at the heart of our lack of progress on this front: organizations do not perceive sufficient endogenous incentive to reform their practices. The report recommends greater involvement of external organizations, including professional societies and collaborative research entities, in establishing standards to guide academic institutions. But shouldn’t it be reasonable to expect that medical organizations, which exist primarily to advance health, would wish to purge a phenomenon within their own walls with such recognized negative effects on their employees’ mental and physical health? Even if the obvious hypocrisy is not sufficient motive to inspire change, there are other compelling internal incentives, including the fact that sexual harassment results in “significant and costly loss of talent” from the medical workforce.1 Moreover, the report makes clear that negative effects of sexual harassment extend beyond targeted individuals to witnesses of harassment, working groups surrounding those involved, and even entire organizations. When a problem has been neglected for so long, the tendency is to dismiss it as not urgent. But an indolent problem can also be a critical one. In this case, what began as a smoldering fire is now scorching the curtains and the roof, threatening the integrity of the entire house of medicine. We believe that those in the medical field must make a decision: Join the movement, or stand by and fall behind. Address the failings laid out in the NASEM report, or contend with the even more insurmountable consequences of inaction. Combat all types of gender-based harassment, or accept the vast costs of continuing to undervalue, dismiss, and exclude women. The declaration of “Time’s Up” for medicine feels at once urgent and aspirational. Putting an end to the culture of gender-based harassment is key to recruiting, retaining, and realizing the full potential of the female-majority health care workforce, including 1 in 3 physicians, and feels long overdue. Actually running down the clock on harassment, however, will depend on our willingness to undergo a complete transformation in how we conceive of, approach, and prioritize this problem. Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available at NEJM.org. This article was published on September 12, 2018, at NEJM.org. Author Affiliations From the Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland (E.K.C.); the OB Hospitalist Group, Burbank, CA (J.V.D.); and the Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York (D.K.). Supplementary Material Disclosure Forms PDF 109KB References (5) 1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sexual harassment of women: climate, culture, and consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, August 2018 (https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of-women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic). Google Scholar 2. Jena AB, Olenski AR, Blumenthal DM. Sex differences in physician salary in US public medical schools. JAMA Intern Med 2016;176:1294-1304. Crossref Web of Science Medline Google Scholar 3. Jena AB, Khullar D, Ho O, Olenski AR, Blumenthal DM. Sex differences in academic rank in US medical schools in 2014. JAMA 2015;314:1149-1158. Crossref Web of Science Medline Google Scholar 4. Wehner MR, Nead KT, Linos K, Linos E. Plenty of moustaches but not enough women: cross sectional study of medical leaders. BMJ 2015;351:h6311-h6311. Crossref Medline Google Scholar 5. The Lancet. Time’s up for sexual harassment in medicine. Lancet 2018;391:2576-2576. Medline Google Scholar

Ending Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine

Perspective Victor J. Dzau, M.D., and Paula A. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H. Article Figures/Media Metrics https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1809846?query=TOC Comments open through October 31, 2018 Audio Interview Interview with Dr. Esther Choo on steps that medical institutions can take to support and empower women. (08:14) Download A July 2018 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) sounded an alarm that high rates of sexual harassment in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine are compromising the integrity of education and research.1 The report also contained a finding that should be deeply worrisome for leaders of academic medical institutions: medical students experience sexual harassment more often than their peers in sciences and engineering, by a considerable margin. Rate of Reported Sexual Harassment of Students by Faculty and Staff, University of Texas System. Surveys that informed the National Academies report revealed that about 45% of female medical students in the University of Texas system and 50% at Pennsylvania State University have experienced sexually harassing behavior on the part of faculty or staff members, whereas similar experiences were reported by about 20% of science students and 25% of engineering students in the University of Texas system (see graph), and 42% of graduate students (not enrolled in the medical school) and 32% of undergraduate students at Pennsylvania State University. Together, these surveys include data from 15 total campuses within the two university systems. The NASEM committee that wrote the report determined that these two studies, in which student data were collected using the ARC3 campus climate survey (from the Administrator Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative), were among very few that have used rigorous methods and validated approaches to measure the prevalence of sexual harassment and that distinguish among students in different fields. Often, surveys use inconsistent definitions and fail to measure the full breadth of sexual harassment experiences — and thus do not accurately measure the prevalence of these behaviors. There are three categories of sexually harassing behavior: gender-based harassment (including making crude or sexist remarks or sharing sexist imagery); unwanted sexual attention (verbal or physical); and sexual coercion (in which favorable treatment is contingent on sexual activity). Harassment can also be ambient, as opposed to directed at a single person. The vast majority of incidents fall into the first category, yet the prevailing cultural narrative focuses on unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion. Research shows that more women report having experienced sexual harassment when they are given the full definition. Why is sexual harassment so prevalent in academic sciences, engineering, and particularly medicine? On the basis of more than 30 years of research in the workplace and in educational settings, the report shows that sexual harassment is more likely to occur in environments that are male-dominated, where organizational tolerance for sexually harassing behaviors is exhibited, where hierarchical or dependent relationships between faculty and trainees are enforced, and where training environments may be isolating. Although 2017 marked the first time more women than men enrolled in U.S. medical schools (after the proportion had hovered near 50% for more than a decade), women are still vastly outnumbered in academic leadership positions. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 38% of faculty members, 15% of department chairs, and 16% of deans are women. Within certain specialties, the numbers are even worse — in 2014, women chaired only 11% of neurology departments, 10% of emergency departments, and less than 1% of surgery departments. Women are also paid less,2 are less likely to be promoted,3 and receive less recognition from academic societies. Adding to the power differential is a culture that accepts some degree of suffering as a matter of course. Medical education and training is notoriously grueling and competitive, with long hours, extensive workloads, and unrelenting pressure to perform. Often, human lives are on the line. It’s hard to find the time to sleep or eat, let alone file a harassment complaint. “I had to keep going. There was no choice,” said one physician interviewed by researchers at RTI International for the NASEM report. “Kind of like getting therapy in the middle of a war zone. …I can’t be feeling these feelings right now.”1 Certain structural elements and the complexity of the medical education and training environment can also facilitate sexual harassment. Students, residents, and interns often train in hospital environments that lack direct oversight by their program leaders, so channels of supervision and accountability are fractured. The necessity of sleeping on the job during 24-hour call periods can blur boundaries. And unlike their peers in sciences and engineering, medical students and trainees are exposed to potential sexual harassment from a whole other population — patients and their families. In a profession that often eschews any perception of weakness or vulnerability, women don’t want the negative attention a complaint will bring. The RTI interviews suggest that women in academic medicine see objecting to sexual harassment as a personal and professional liability. In describing their concerns, they cite labels like “difficult person,” “outsider,” and “troublemaker.” One physician was told by her colleagues, “Can’t you just suck it up? This is not going to go well for you if you report. You don’t want to make a fuss.”1 Unfortunately, these concerns are not without basis. Women often experience direct retaliation for reporting sexual harassment. But even in the absence of reporting and retaliation, sexual harassment has serious and lasting consequences. Research shows that women who experience sexual harassment are more likely to report symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety — including lowered self-esteem, disordered eating, increased use of prescription drugs, and overconsumption of alcohol. There are also significant educational and professional ramifications. Students who experience sexual harassment are more likely to skip class, get lower grades, switch programs, or drop out altogether. There is also a correlation between women’s experience of harassment in the workplace and declines in job satisfaction and decreased productivity and performance. Women who experience sexual harassment also frequently forgo opportunities, depart their institutions, or leave their fields altogether, in part to avoid the harasser and stop the harassment. These consequences may be compounded for women of color4 and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning women,5 who experience sexual harassment more often than their peers. We can’t ignore the possibility that there are overlaps between the professional and health effects of sexual harassment in academic medicine and the epidemic of burnout among U.S. physicians. According to the definition adopted by the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, burnout is a “syndrome characterized by a high degree of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and a low sense of personal accomplishment at work.” Its consequences range from reduced job performance to medical errors and suicide. Burnout is one of the most significant threats to the functioning of our health system, and many of the factors that drive it are also those that allow sexual harassment to thrive. Chief among these are the cultural emphasis on productivity rather than on clinicians’ well-being and a failure to address the system shortcomings — versus individual behaviors — that contribute to unhealthy workplaces. Therefore, addressing the systemic and cultural issues that contribute to burnout may also mitigate the damage caused by sexual harassment or even prevent it from occurring. Culture change begins with leadership. We are calling on our fellow leaders in academic medicine to commit to a systemwide change in culture and climate aimed at stopping sexual harassment before it occurs. The NASEM report recommends that leaders communicate clearly to faculty, administration, students, and trainees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Leaders can take measures to align and embed the values of diversity, inclusion, and respect into institutional policies; reduce hierarchical power structures; provide alternative reporting options; protect victims from retaliation; and ensure transparency and accountability in institutional investigations. Research shows that making these changes, among others, can create a social climate capable of reducing and preventing sexual harassment.1 Protecting the health and well-being of female students, trainees, and faculty members — and ensuring fair and equitable outcomes in educational and professional development — is a priority by any measure. But there is also a broader argument to be made. Sexual harassment in academic medicine is a symptom of systematic failures that prevent the medical workforce from operating at its fullest potential. As leaders, we ignore this problem at our peril. Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available at NEJM.org. This article was published on September 12, 2018, at NEJM.org. Author Affiliations From the National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC (V.J.D.); and Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA (P.A.J.). Dr. Johnson was cochair of the NASEM committee that issued the recent consensus report on sexual harassment of women. Supplementary Material Disclosure Forms PDF 52KB References (5) 1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Sexual harassment of women: climate, culture, and consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, August 2018 (https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24994/sexual-harassment-of-women-climate-culture-and-consequences-in-academic). Google Scholar 2. Jena AB, Olenski AR, Blumenthal DM. Sex differences in physician salary in US public medical schools. JAMA Intern Med 2016;176:1294-1304. Crossref Web of Science Medline Google Scholar 3. Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Hagemann T, Josephson MA. Women in leadership and the bewildering glass ceiling. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2017;74:312-324. Crossref Medline Google Scholar 4. Cortina LM, Kabat-Farr D, Leskinen EA, Huerta M, Magley VJ. Selective incivility as modern discrimination in organizations: evidence and impact. J Manage 2011;36:1579-1605. Google Scholar 5. Konik J, Cortina LM. Policing gender at work: intersections of harassment based on sex and sexuality. Soc Justice Res 2008;21:313-337. Crossref Google Scholar Close References Citing Article (1) Philippe Charlier. (2018) #PatientsToo. Sexual harassment by medical professionals. European Journal of Internal Medicine. Crossref

20 Years Later, Tracing the History behind Harry Potter’s Witchcraft and Wizardry

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-20-years-tracing-history-harry-potters-witchcraft-wizardry?utm_medium=email&utm_source=14776046-newsletter-editorial-daily-10-16-18&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=st- Jacqui Palumbo Oct 12, 2018 2:51 pm Mary GrandPré, Jacket art for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007. © Warner Bros. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the half-giant gameskeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Rubeus Hagrid, appears on a stormy night and tells the 11-year-old titular orphan: “Harry—yer a wizard.” With that, the book’s readers are swept away, along with Harry Potter, into the enchanting wizarding world that exists just beyond the sight of non-magical folk, known as Muggles. Author J.K. Rowling’s care in building out the curious minutiae of the young wizard’s new surroundings has been one of the drivers of Harry Potter’s ascendence as an international phenomenon for two decades. And though much of the world was drawn from Rowling’s own imagination, the author also tapped into a litany of narratives behind real objects and magical artifacts, as well as mythology. On the surface, there are common tropes that all children will recognize, from broomsticks (used in the sport Quidditch) to unicorns (who dwell in the Forbidden Forest), each of which have a long history in folklore. Readers have also debated Rowling’s inspiration for some of the books’ major plot points, such as Horcruxes—objects and creatures imbued with the dark wizard Lord Voldemort’s soul to ensure his longevity—which recall the Slavic legend of Koschei, who was immortal thanks to a matryoshka of creatures and objects, and could only be defeated when the smallest nested object, a needle, was broken in half. Hogwarts’s curriculum is also vividly colored with both the mythology and history of our own world, and the exhibition “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” on view at the New-York Historical Society through January 2019, uncovers its heritage through centuries of artifacts, illustrated manuscripts, and scientific objects. Here, we share some of the objects that inspired the adventures and practices of Harry Potter’s wizarding world. The Philosopher’s Stone The Ripley scroll, ca. 1570. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Tombstone of Nicolas Flamel Paris, 15th century. © Paris, Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge. Harry’s first major adventure at Hogwarts takes him deep into the bowels of the castle, where he must keep the Philosopher’s Stone out of reach of Lord Voldemort, who failed to kill him as an infant. Weakened, Voldemort seeks the stone for its ability to produce the Elixir of Life, which can give the drinker immortality, so long as the potion is consumed periodically. (The stone can also turn metals into gold, providing endless wealth, too.) The maker of the stone was alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who was nearly 700 years old in Rowling’s world and based on a real historical figure. That Flamel was a landlord in 14th-century Paris who lived into his eighties (though his exact age is disputed), at a time in Europe when men were fortunate to live to 50. Flamel’s long life, as well as his great wealth (which he gained from his properties and his wife’s previous marriages), sparked a flurry of posthumous rumors that he was an alchemist who had evaded death by possessing the Philosopher’s Stone; the rumors turned to legend because of claims that he had been seen after his death. The exhibition features Flamel’s tombstone, which was rescued from its alleged fate as a cutting board in a Parisian grocery store and is now part of the collection of the Musée de Cluny. Also on display is The Ripley Scroll, a nearly 20-foot-long illustrated manuscript from 1570 that serves as a guide for alchemic instruction, and contains symbolism used in Harry Potter. The scroll lists black, red, and white stones as the ingredients of the Philosopher’s Stone; according the exhibition, Rowling worked that reference into the names of Harry’s three father figures: Sirius Black, Rubeus Hagrid, and Albus Dumbledore. Mandrakes Giovanni Cadamosto’s illustrated herbal, 15th century. ©British Library Board. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Culpeper's Complete Herbal, 1653, via Wikimedia Commons. In Harry’s second year, in Herbology class, Hogwarts students learn how to safely re-pot mandrakes: leafy humanoid plants that grow from babies to adults. They shriek when removed from the earth, and during infancy, their screams will knock a person unconscious; when fully grown, they are fatal. The mandrake root is an actual plant from the nightshade family that has a long history of use. In Harry Potter, a brew made from mandrake can cure anyone under a petrification curse, but in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, the root was used to aid conception, and in ancient Greece, it was used as both an anesthetic and an aphrodisiac. So where did the anthropomorphic qualities—and the screaming—come from? Mandrake roots can resemble humans, particularly babies, which was one of the reasons it became a popular fertility charm to place under one’s pillow in the Middle Ages. In some texts, they were even categorized as “male” and “female,” depending on their shape. And at some point, it was recorded that they shrieked upon being unearthed, causing madness. A 15th-century illustration from Europe instructed the best way to safely pick them: Use a rope to tie the plant to a dog, then blast a horn. The sound will both overpower the mandrake’s howls and frighten the dog so it pulls up the root. Though it’s unclear why mandrakes were believed to be capable of insanity-inducing screams, perhaps the answer lies in the hallucinogenic properties of the root: It may have caused a number of accidental psychedelic trips over the centuries. It’s also notable that Rowling was faithful to a particular book when dreaming up Herbology lessons. She referenced Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, published in 1653 by English botanist and apothecary Nicholas Culpeper, which outlines the use of over 400 herbs, and is still in print today. Culpeper, like many knowledgeable herbalists, was tried for witchcraft, though he was ultimately acquitted. Bezoars Jacob Meydenbach, [H]ortus Sanitatis, 1491 © British Library Board. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Bezoar stone in a gold filigree case 17th century. © The Board of the Trustees of the Science Museum, London. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Like Chekhov’s Gun, bezoars are introduced in Harry’s very first potion class, and one eventually saves Ron Weasley’s life after he drinks poisoned mead in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the books, bezoars are an antidote, sourced from the stomachs of goats, which are easy to use: “Just shove a bezoar down their throats,” Rowling wrote. Bezoars do exist. They are clumps of undigested fibers that are, in fact, found inside of goats, as well as cows and elephants. They were believed to have anti-poison properties—though they were likely effective because they induced vomiting. Introduced by Arab physicians, bezoars were popular in medieval Europe; they were so prized that they were often kept in costly casings with ornate handiwork, like gold filigree. Phoenixes and Basilisks 2 Images View Slideshow Open Slideshow Fawkes, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s close companion, is a phoenix with scarlet and gold plumage, whose own tailfeather is the magical core of Harry’s wand. In the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, after looking worse for the wear (like “a half-plucked turkey,” Rowling wrote), Fawkes suddenly bursts into flame, startling Harry. But Dumbledore isn’t alarmed: “About time, too,” he says. “He’s been looking dreadful for days.” Fawkes is immortal, his life punctuated by periodic “Burning Days,” followed by rebirth from the ashes. That attribute is the hallmark of the mythic phoenix, whose legend has been passed down from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In ancient Rome, the bird was often used as a symbol for the empire’s long reign. In a 13th-century manuscript, the “fenix” is said to be native to Arabia, with a lifespan of up to 500 years, while a 5th-century text from Greek historian Herodotus was the first to mention the bird’s red and gold coloring. Fawkes has the ability to heal, too, shedding tears when Harry is bitten by a basilisk to remedy the poisoned wounds. In Rowling’s world, a basilisk is a towering serpent whose glance alone is fatal. But an account from classical antiquity, from Pliny the Elder in 79 C.E., paints a slightly different picture: The creature is said to be palm-sized, more chicken than snake, and can be killed with the scent of a weasel. Over the centuries, basilisks have been depicted with varying combinations of rooster and serpent proportions, and though Rowling didn’t give her basilisks feathers and a beak, they do begin life by hatching from chicken eggs. Avada Kedavra Liber Medicinalis, 13th century. ©British Library Board. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Image of Abracadabra from Encyclopedia Britannica, via Wikimedia commons. Image of Abracadabra from Encyclopedia Britannica, via Wikimedia commons. The etymology of the most treacherous spell in Harry Potter—avada kedavra—can be easily deduced from the most widely known word associated with magic, abracadabra. But while “abracadabra!” is usually exclaimed before pulling a bunny out of a hat, its Harry Potter complement is used to kill someone instantly. Avada kedavra is one of three Unforgivable Curses and is illegal to cast, but is utilized by dark wizards(the other two cause torturous pain or control the mind). While abracadabra does have historical significance, it was not used for nefarious means, but as a healing charm against malaria. The incantation made its first appearance in a medicine book written by a physician to Roman emperor Caracalla, sometime at the turn of the 2nd century. According to the exhibition, to cure malaria, “the word should be repeatedly written out, each time omitting one letter. The charm was then worn as an amulet around the neck, in order to drive out the fever.” Star-Reading Muhammad b. Abi Bakr, Astrolabe, 13th century. Courtesy of New York Historical Society Museum & Library. Orrery, c. 1750. Science Museum, London. Photo by Steven Zucker, via Flickr. For inspiration, Rowling often looked to the stars. Indeed, she named many of her characters after stars and constellations, including Sirius (the “dog star”), Bellatrix, and Draco. (There are many other examples, and you can even create your own Harry Potter Starfinder). In the books, Astronomy, in which students identified celestial bodies, was a required class for five out of seven years; Divination, which featured star-reading as a way to see the future, was an elective from the third year on. Two instruments used in Hogwarts classes are orreries and astrolabes. The former, a mechanical instrument that can predict planetary movements, is used by Professor Trelawney in Divination classes. In history, the first modern orrery was named after the one created by Charles Boyle, an Earl of Orrery, in 1704. Astrolabes, on the other hand, were invented in the Hellenistic era of Greece; they were used to measure heavenly bodies in classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were similarly used in the Islamic Golden Age, where they also served as navigational tools to find Mecca. A 13th-century astrolabe from Persia, featured in the exhibition, is believed to be “one of the oldest geared instruments” that exists today. In the books, centaurs are known for their ability to read the planets and stars without the aid of instruments—and for their haughtiness toward humans. The centaur Firenze says “tiny human accidents” are “of no more significance than the scurryings of ants to the wide universe, and are unaffected by planetary movements.” To them, the tools used by wizards, such as star charts, are pointless. But the star charts used by Harry and his classmates to map the night sky have a real history in our world, too: The oldest complete star atlas was created during the Tang Dynasty in China around 684 C.E. Known as the Dunhuang Star Chart, it plotted 1,300 stars that are observable in the Northern Hemisphere. Jacqui Palumbo is Artsy’s Visual Culture Editor.

Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Human Health

Dear Colleague, It is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Human Health (#NatProdDDH) conference, sponsored by the Phytochemical Society of Europe, that will be held in Lisboa, Portugal, from July 28th to 31st 2019. Please visit the Congress webpage : www.ff.ul.pt/pselisbonmeeting2019 Welcome to Lisbon! On behalf of the Organizing Committee, Maria José U. Ferreira Ricardo J. Ferreira