scholarly journals Strategies for Sustainable Use of Indigenous Cattle Genetic Resources in Southern Africa

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cletos Mapiye ◽  
Obert C. Chikwanha ◽  
Michael Chimonyo ◽  
Kennedy Dzama

Indigenous cattle breeds are the most important livestock species in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region owing to their role in human food, nutrition, income, and social security. Despite the role of these breeds in the household and national economies, they are currently underutilised, their productivity remains low, and populations are faced with extinction. In addition, there are insufficient measures taken to secure their present and future value. The current review highlights strategies for sustainable use of indigenous cattle genetic resources in the region, including the use of novel production and marketing practices, women and youth empowerment, and development of the appropriate capacity building, legislative, and policy structures. At present, the lack of coordination among the different stakeholders still poses a challenge to the implementation of these strategies. To this end, partnerships, collaboration, and stakeholders’ participation are recommended to effectively implement strategies for sustainable use of indigenous cattle breeds.

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Obvious Mapiye ◽  
Obert C. Chikwanha ◽  
Godswill Makombe ◽  
Kennedy Dzama ◽  
Cletos Mapiye

Of the 345 million people in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), 30.6% are severely food insecure, 8% malnourished and 50% live with less than US $1 per day, respectively. Livelihood, food and nutrition security have, therefore, become key priorities for the SADC region in response to these complex challenges. Given that 70% of the SADC population directly rely on agriculture for food, nutrition and income, sustained agricultural productivity may play an important role in achieving livelihood, food and nutrition security in the region. Being an important part of the agri-food system of marginalised communities in the region, cattle have great potential to contribute to the goal of reducing food and nutrition insecurity. The region has a population size of about 64 million cattle of which 75% of the population is kept under the smallholder farming systems, and primarily composed of indigenous tropical breeds. Most indigenous cattle breeds are, however, either undergoing rapid genetic dilution or at risk of extinction. At the same time, their environments, production and marketing systems are experiencing high rates of change in time and space. More importantly, indigenous cattle breeds in the region are undervalued. This makes it uncertain that future systems will have the adapted cattle breeds required for optimal livelihoods, food and nutrition security. To this end, the promotion of sustainable use of indigenous cattle for livelihood, food and nutrition security in the SADC region is strongly recommended.


2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 127-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeshan Ali ◽  
Zhenbin Wang ◽  
Rai Muhammad Amir ◽  
Shoaib Younas ◽  
Asif Wali ◽  
...  

While the use of vinegar to fi ght against infections and other crucial conditions dates back to Hippocrates, recent research has found that vinegar consumption has a positive effect on biomarkers for diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. Different types of vinegar have been used in the world during different time periods. Vinegar is produced by a fermentation process. Foods with a high content of carbohydrates are a good source of vinegar. Review of the results of different studies performed on vinegar components reveals that the daily use of these components has a healthy impact on the physiological and chemical structure of the human body. During the era of Hippocrates, people used vinegar as a medicine to treat wounds, which means that vinegar is one of the ancient foods used as folk medicine. The purpose of the current review paper is to provide a detailed summary of the outcome of previous studies emphasizing the role of vinegar in treatment of different diseases both in acute and chronic conditions, its in vivo mechanism and the active role of different bacteria.


2013 ◽  
pp. 97-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Apokin

The author compares several quantitative and qualitative approaches to forecasting to find appropriate methods to incorporate technological change in long-range forecasts of the world economy. A?number of long-run forecasts (with horizons over 10 years) for the world economy and national economies is reviewed to outline advantages and drawbacks for different ways to account for technological change. Various approaches based on their sensitivity to data quality and robustness to model misspecifications are compared and recommendations are offered on the choice of appropriate technique in long-run forecasts of the world economy in the presence of technological change.


Author(s):  
Aaron M. Farrelly ◽  
Styliani Vlachou ◽  
Konstantinos Grintzalis

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder mainly characterised by recurrent seizures that affect the entire population diagnosed with the condition. Currently, there is no cure for the disease and a significant proportion of patients have been deemed to have treatment-resistant epilepsy (TRE). A patient is deemed to have TRE if two or more antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) fail to bring about seizure remission. This inefficacy of traditional AEDs, coupled with their undesirable side effect profile, has led to researchers considering alternative forms of treatment. Phytocannabinoids have long served as therapeutics with delta-9-THC (Δ9-THC) receiving extensive focus to determine its therapeutic potential. This focus on Δ9-THC has been to the detriment of analysing the plethora of other phytocannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The overall aim of this review is to explore other novel phytocannabinoids and their place in epilepsy treatment. The current review intends to achieve this aim via an exploration of the molecular targets underlying the anticonvulsant capabilities of cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidavarin (CBDV), delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ9-THCV) and cannabigerol (CBG). Further, this review will provide an exploration of current pre-clinical and clinical data as it relates to the aforementioned phytocannabinoids and the treatment of epilepsy symptoms. With specific reference to epilepsy in young adult and adolescent populations, the exploration of CBD, CBDV, Δ9-THCV and CBG in both preclinical and clinical environments can guide future research and aid in the further understanding of the role of phytocannabinoids in epilepsy treatment. Currently, much more research is warranted in this area to be conclusive.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 580
Author(s):  
Camilla Roveta ◽  
Anna Annibaldi ◽  
Afghan Afghan ◽  
Barbara Calcinai ◽  
Cristina Gioia Di Camillo ◽  
...  

Coastal areas are known to receive significant anthropogenic inputs, mainly deriving from metropolitan areas, industries, and activities related to tourism. Among these inputs, some trace elements are listed as priority pollutants in the European Water Framework Directive, due to their ability to bioaccumulate in organisms. Many studies have been conducted on heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and on their possible effects on different edible marine species. While the most studied sessile organisms are bivalves, in the current review, we focus our attention on other sessile taxa (sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, polychaetes, cirripeds, and tunicates), proposed as bioindicators in coastal shallow waters. Although their potential as bioindicator tools has been repeatedly highlighted in the literature, these organisms are still poorly investigated and considered for monitoring. In this context, we analyze the available literature about this topic, in order to summarize the current knowledge and identify possible applications of these organisms in a bioremediation scenario.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3395
Author(s):  
Maria Radanova ◽  
Galya Mihaylova ◽  
Neshe Nazifova-Tasinova ◽  
Mariya Levkova ◽  
Oskan Tasinov ◽  
...  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the second most commonly diagnosed disease in females and the third in males worldwide. Therefore, the finding of new more reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis, for prediction of metastasis, and resistance to conventional therapies is an important challenge in overcoming the disease. The current review presents circular RNAs (circRNAs) with their unique features as potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers in CRC. The review highlights the mechanism of action and the role of circRNAs with oncogenic functions in the CRC as well as the association between their expression and clinicopathological characteristics of CRC patients. The comprehension of the role of oncogenic circRNAs in CRC pathogenesis is growing rapidly and the next step is using them as suitable new drug targets in the personalized treatment of CRC patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khuram Shahzad Ahmad ◽  
Muntaha Talat ◽  
Shaan Bibi Jaffri ◽  
Neelofer Shaheen

AbstractConventional treatment modes like chemotherapy, thermal and radiations aimed at cancerous cells eradication are marked by destruction pointing the employment of nanomaterials as sustainable and auspicious materials for saving human lives. Cancer has been deemed as the second leading cause of death on a global scale. Nanomaterials employment in cancer treatment is based on the utilization of their inherent physicochemical characteristics in addition to their modification for using as nano-carriers and nano-vehicles eluted with anti-cancer drugs. Current work has reviewed the significant role of different types of nanomaterials in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics in a systematic way. Compilation of review has been done by analyzing voluminous investigations employing ERIC, MEDLINE, NHS Evidence and Web of Science databases. Search engines used were Google scholar, Jstore and PubMed. Current review is suggestive of the remarkable performance of nanomaterials making them candidates for cancer treatment for substitution of destructive treatment modes through investigation of their physicochemical characteristics, utilization outputs and long term impacts in patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2754
Author(s):  
Naila Qayyum ◽  
Muhammad Haseeb ◽  
Moon Suk Kim ◽  
Sangdun Choi

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), widely known as thioredoxin-binding protein 2 (TBP2), is a major binding mediator in the thioredoxin (TXN) antioxidant system, which involves a reduction-oxidation (redox) signaling complex and is pivotal for the pathophysiology of some diseases. TXNIP increases reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress and thereby contributes to apoptosis. Recent studies indicate an evolving role of TXNIP in the pathogenesis of complex diseases such as metabolic disorders, neurological disorders, and inflammatory illnesses. In addition, TXNIP has gained significant attention due to its wide range of functions in energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, improved insulin secretion, and also in the regulation of glucose and tumor suppressor activities in various cancers. This review aims to highlight the roles of TXNIP in the field of diabetology, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammation. TXNIP is found to be a promising novel therapeutic target in the current review, not only in the aforementioned diseases but also in prolonged microvascular and macrovascular diseases. Therefore, TXNIP inhibitors hold promise for preventing the growing incidence of complications in relevant diseases.


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