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In Africa and Asia, fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and South American tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta) have become severe invasive pests of maize and tomato, respectively. They rapidly develop resistance to commercial pesticides. Therefore, there is an urge to integrate new eco-friendly pesticides into the management programs. Bamboo-leaf prickly ash, Zanthoxylum armatum (Za), is known to have insecticidal activities. We tested Za's n-hexane extract against these two pests. Median lethal concentrations (LC50) at 96 h after treatment (HAT) against second-instar S. frugiperda and T. absoluta larvae were 4.41 and 4.42 mL/L, respectively. At ≥ 22.0 mL/L concentration, the extract showed a 100% ovicidal effect against both the pest species. LCQTOF analysis revealed that fatty acids constituted ~ 95% of this extract; carboxylic acids and secondary metabolites such as alkaloids and flavonoids accounted for the remaining portion. Extract's foliar application also showed oviposition deterrence against these two pests. At ≥ 22.0 mL/L extract concentration, no S. frugiperda oviposition was observed. At ≥ 6.0 mL/L, extract reduced the T. absoluta oviposition by > six folds. To understand the basis of this deterrence, we conducted Za extract's GCMS analysis. It revealed that monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and their derivatives were the most abundant constituents (55%), followed by fatty acids and their derivatives (34%), and aromatic compounds (10%). We infer that this extract is a unique combination of antibiosis- and antixenosis-causing, shelf life-increasing, and activity-enhancing compounds. It can be a highly useful biopesticide for integrating into the S. frugiperda and T. absoluta management programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) is an essential therapeutic procedure with a significant risk of complications. Data regarding the complications and predictors of adverse outcomes such as mortality are scarce, especially from India and Asia. We aimed to look at the incidence and outcome of complications in ERCP patients. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of all the patients who underwent ERCP and had a complication from January 2012 to December 2018. Data were recorded in predesigned pro forma. The data analysis was done by appropriate statistical tests. Results: A total of 17,163 ERCP were done. A total of 570 patients (3.3%) had complications; perforation (n = 275, 1.6%) was most common followed by pancreatitis (n = 177, 1.03%) and bleeding (n = 60, 0.35%). The majorities of perforations were managed conservatively (n = 205, 74.5%), and 53 (19%) required surgery. Overall, 69 (0.4%) patients died. Of these, 30 (10.9%) patients died with perforation. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.005–1.07) and need of surgery (OR: 5.11, 95% CI: 1.66–15.77) were the predictors of mortality in patients with perforation. The majority pancreatitis were mild (n = 125, 70.6%) and overall mortality was 5.6% (n = 10). Conclusion: ERCP complications have been remained static over the years, with perforation and pancreatitis contributing the most. Most perforations can be managed conservatively with good clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatio-temporal distribution of geochemical fractions of phosphorus and its bio-availability for Asia's largest brackish water lake has been carried out. One way ANOVA analysis revealed that both iron bound phosphorus (Fe-P) (p < 0.05, n = 360) and calcium bound phosphorus (Ca-P) (p < 0.05, n = 360) showed a significant variation on a spatio-temporal scale which may be attributed to pH and salinity of overlying water column. Pearson's correlation matrix revealed that sediment texture played a major role in the quantification of phosphorus species. The relationship between Ca-P and Ca was not established for the sediments of the lake Chilika, which suggested its authigenic origin. The concentration of bio-available phosphorus (BAP) in different sectors of the lake varied in the order of northern sector (45.64%) > central sector (42.22%) > outer channel (36.63%) > southern sector (29.27%) of total phosphorus (TP). This is supported by the fact that bioavailable P is comparatively higher in the freshwater zone than in the brackish water zone. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a good relationship between dissolved phosphate concentrations of water column with benthic population density. It showed that TP availability in the sediment of the lake is mostly bounded with Al, Fe and organic matter (OM). Positive association of total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and OM with negatively loading of Eh indicates towards the fact that, deposition of TN and TC is largely governed by OM availability in sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) is one of the perennial herb indigenous to North-East India and China. Despite the popular utilization of this herb as medicine, still no study has been reported so far regarding the pharmacognostical standardization. Thus, the aim of the present study was to scientifically establish a standard monograph on the basis of pharmacognostical and phytochemical aspects. Methods: The quality control standardization of H. cordata was done as per the methods described in the World Health Organization guidelines (2002). Results: The diagnostic characters of the H. Cordata leaf and rhizome portion were evaluated based on the macroscopical and microscopical characters. Determination of various physicochemical parameters such as water soluble ash (1.12% w/w), acid insoluble ash (4.02% w/w), sulphated ash (3.15% w/w), alcohol soluble extractive (12.8% w/w), water soluble extractive (14.9% w/w), loss on drying (3.42% w/w) and crude fibres content (13.10% w/w) was ascertained. Heavy metal, microbial load, fluorescence drug analysis, and preliminary phytochemical screening of different fractions were also carried out. Total phenols (45.74 mg/g tannic acid equivalent, TAE), tannins (33.29mg/g TAE), flavonoids (104.55 mg/g rutin equivalent, RE), and flavonols (17.16mg/g RE) were quantified from the ethanolic extract of the whole plant. Quantification of quercetin in the ethanolic extract was assessed by HPTLC analysis and was found to contain 4.39%, w/w. Conclusion: The obtained qualitative and quantitative standards will provide referential information for correct identification and standardization of this medicinal plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: One of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the reduction of maternal and child mortality. The 'green revolution' has increased food supply in Asia, and hunger and under nutrition have been decreasing since 1981. However, instead of having to deal with surplus food grain, South Asia and India are still facing high levels of hunger. Although some south Indian cities are witnessing a technology boom, one in every 11 children die within the first 5 years of their lives either due to malnutrition or due to non availability of even simple technology and health care. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of schoolchildren in Mangalore city. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: A total 1630 students from 11 schools were enrolled for the study. The sample size was calculated assuming the prevalence of undernourished in Mangalore city as 20% and a relative precision of 10%. Statistical Analysis: The BMI (body mass index), Z-scores, and World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentric Growth Reference Study (MGRS) growth chart was used for analysis. Results: Our study population of 1630 students comprised 830 (50.9%) males and 800 (49.1%) females. On analysis, 82 children (5.03%) were found to be undernourished, 37 (2.3%) were overweight, and 16 (1%) were obese. Undernourishment was more prevalent in boys (6.87%) than in girls (3.12%). Obesity was marginally higher among males (1.2%) as compared to females (0.8%) (P=0.003). A total of 15 boys (1.8%) and 22 girls (2.8%) were found to be overweight. Conclusions: The nutritional status of the students in our study is better than has been found in other studies. However, there are cases of under nourishment that need attention. At the same time, there is a need to deal with obesity and overweight in schoolchildren in order to prevent the impending epidemic of noncommunicable disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reviews the overall perspectives of end-use studies on urban water crisis management by analysing their beneficial application in water conservation and wastewater recycling. The paper incorporates a critical review of water end-use consumption of 16 major countries from 3 major continents, i.e. Asia, Europe, and Australia. The study reflected a different trend between the water consumption of developed and developing nations, thereby implying a need for separate prospects of end-use results in these countries. Besides, the percentage of greywater generated varies from 54% to 86% of the total indoor household water consumption and thus can be a valuable water resource to solve the urban water crisis. There exists a strong correlation between the amount of greywater generated and the amount of water used for the shower (R 2  = 0.69) and laundry (R 2  = 0.50). The same, i.e. R 2 values, for end-uses of the toilet flushing, dishwashing, and indoor taps with the amount of greywater, were found to be 0.30, 0.26, and 0.04, respectively. Further, except for the end-use pertaining to indoor taps, water consumption of all other end-uses has witnessed an upward spiral in developing countries with time, which may be attributed to the improved accuracy of collected end-use data or increased contribution of 'leaks/others' category. In developed nations like the USA, there is not a single end-use that has shown an absolute increase with time owing to a variety of measures such as increased awareness, education, retrofitting of appliances and several other factors like governmental restrictions. Change in attitude or/and behaviour of people towards water use driven by drought-like experience could also be a valid reason. After this extensive review of the end-use pattern, we proposed specific greywater recycling models that are expected to help engineers, governments, and policymakers in sustainable urban water management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we do not have a conflict of interest. We have no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)