scholarly journals Honeybees use propolis as a natural pesticide against their major ectoparasite

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1965) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelina Pusceddu ◽  
Desiderato Annoscia ◽  
Ignazio Floris ◽  
Davide Frizzera ◽  
Virginia Zanni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Chemical Analyses ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Natural Pesticide ◽  
Laboratory Bioassays

Honeybees use propolis collected from plants for coating the inner walls of their nest. This substance is also used as a natural antibiotic against microbial pathogens, similarly to many other animals exploiting natural products for self-medication. We carried out chemical analyses and laboratory bioassays to test if honeybees use propolis for social medication against their major ectoparasite: Varroa destructor . We found that propolis is applied to brood cells where it can affect the reproducing parasites, with a positive effect on honeybees and a potential impact on Varroa population. We conclude that propolis can be regarded as a natural pesticide used by the honeybee to limit a dangerous parasite. These findings significantly enlarge our understanding of behavioural immunity in animals and may have important implications for the management of the most important threat to honeybees worldwide.

scholarly journals Self-Medication Practices among Parents in Italy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Garofalo ◽  
Gabriella Di Giuseppe ◽  
Italo F. Angelillo
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
School Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs ◽  
Potential Impact

The aims of this cross-sectional survey were to document the prevalence, the determinants, and the reasons of oral medication use without the prescription of a physician among a random sample of 672 parents of students attending randomly selected public schools in Italy. A total of 69.2% practiced self-medication at least once. The odds of having performed a self-medication were higher in females, in younger population, and in those who have had a health problem in the preceding year and were lower in respondents with a middle or lower school level of education. Among those reporting experience of self-medication, 53.4% have practiced at least once in the last year and this was more likely for those who have had a health problem. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were more frequently used without a prescription in the last year. Two-thirds inappropriately self-medicated in the last year at least once. Of those who did not report a self-medication, 13.1% were willing to practice it. Females were more willing and those with a secondary school level of education less willing to practice self-medication. The frequency of oral self-medication was quite high and in most cases inappropriate with a potential impact on the health status and educative programs are needed.

Laboratory bioassays to assess the pathogenicity of mitosporic fungi to Varroa destructor (Acari: Mesostigmata), an ectoparasitic mite of the honeybee, Apis mellifera

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie E Shaw ◽  
Gillian Davidson ◽  
Suzanne J Clark ◽  
Brenda V Ball ◽  
Judith K Pell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Varroa Destructor ◽  
Mitosporic Fungi ◽  
Laboratory Bioassays

scholarly journals Use of Natural Products for Weed Management in High-Value Crops: An Overview

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupinder Saini ◽  
Sukhbir Singh
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Ecological Stability ◽  
Natural Herbicides ◽  
Low Toxicity ◽  
Potential Impact

Over the last five decades, weed management systems have relied primarily on synthetic herbicides. Due to the concerns over the potential impact of chemicals on human health and the environment, efforts are being made to reduce the heavy reliance on synthetic herbicides. To reduce the use of synthetic herbicides, the use of natural products such as essential oils, plant extracts, allelochemicals, agricultural by-products, and some microbes are gaining attention because of their short environmental half-life and low toxicity. They are a good alternative to synthetic herbicides, especially in organic agriculture, since they focus on environmental protection, and ecological stability. Most of the commercially available natural herbicides are non-selective and require careful application in order to preserve the cash crops. Although many studies in this direction have been undertaken, the use of these natural products is still not common because of their cost the difficulties in their synthesis due to their complex structure, cost effectiveness, poor performance, and rapid degradation. When used singly, these natural herbicides do not perform as well as the chemical herbicides. An integrated approach may provide better results. Using a combination of natural herbicides may be more effective than using just one.  

scholarly journals Developmental biology of Meteorus pulchricornis parasitising painted apple moth

2008 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 12-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chhagan ◽  
A.E.A. Stephens ◽  
J.G. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Biology ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Larval Instars ◽  
Larval Parasitoid ◽  
Meteorus Pulchricornis ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Laboratory Bioassays

Following the discovery of painted apple moth (PAM) Teia anartoides in Auckland in 1999 a longterm management programme was proposed in case eradication failed Research was initiated to evaluate the potential impact of natural enemies that were already present in New Zealand Laboratory bioassays determined the developmental biology of the larval parasitoid Meteorus pulchricornis on PAM at five constant temperatures (13 18 21 25 or 30 C) Total development time (egg to adult) ranged from 645 days at 13C to 160 days at 25C Meteorus pulchricornis adults provided with agarhoney parasitoid diet survived an average of 69 days and laid an average of 213 eggs at 21C Meteorus pulchricornis parasitised a significantly higher number of second and third instar PAM larvae compared to other larval instars The potential of M pulchricornis as a primary regulator of PAM populations in New Zealand is discussed

scholarly journals How far do we still need to go? A survey on knowledge, attitudes, practice related to antimicrobial stewardship regulations among Chinese doctors in 2012 and 2016

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e027687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruyu Xia ◽  
Xiaoyang Hu ◽  
Merlin Willcox ◽  
Xinxue Li ◽  
Yuxiu Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Antimicrobial Use ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mobile Phone Application ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Positive Effect

ObjectivesTo explore doctors’ knowledge, willingness, concerns and the countermeasures to the most stringent antimicrobial stewardship regulations of China which implemented in August 2012.DesignCross-sectional survey. A pretested 32-point structured questionnaire was distributed to doctors by sending a web link via the mobile phone application WeChat through snowball sampling methods and email groups of medical academic societies.SettingChina.ParticipantsDoctors.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe questionnaire inquired about the doctors’ experiences, knowledge, willingness, concerns and the countermeasures to the stewardship policies.ResultsTotal of persons in the groups was 19 791, among them 1194 submitted the answers, within them, 807 were doctors. Doctors had a mean age of 39.0 years. The majority (78.9% in 2012, 89.1% in 2016) reported that they were willing or very willing to accept the regulations. Almost all respondents (93.2%) felt the stewardship regulations had the potential to adversely affect the prognosis of patients who would have been prescribed antimicrobials before they were implemented, and >65% (65.7% in 2012, 66.9% in 2016) of doctors were often or always concerned about the prognosis of these patients. In 2012, 32% of doctors prescribed restricted antimicrobials or suggested patient self-medication with restricted antimicrobials to address doctors’ concerns, and this number decreased to 22.6% in 2016. Although compulsory antimicrobial stewardship training was frequent, less than half of respondents (46.8%) responded correctly to all three knowledge questions.ConclusionAntimicrobial stewardship regulations had some positive effect on rational antimicrobial use. Willingness and practice of doctors towards the regulations improved from 2012 to 2016. Knowledge about rational antimicrobial use was still lacking. Doctors found ways of accessing restricted antibiotics to address their concerns about the prognosis of patients, which undermined the implementation of the stewardship regulations.

scholarly journals Effect of Advertisement on Buying Behavior of OTC Medicines in Nepalese Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Buying Behavior ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Changing Practice ◽  
The People ◽  
Otc Medicines ◽  
Positive Effect

Buying of OTC medicines is the self-medication practice. From the very ancient period, people used different types of herbs for the treatment of their health problems. In the changing practice of human life, people modern treatment took over. Advertisement has become the fastest marketing communication to disseminate the message in the global society. In this connection, the study is going to identify the effect of advertisement on buying behavior of OTC medicines in Nepalese context. The study was based on the descriptive design. Data was collected from the 400 OTC consumers by using the structured questionnaire survey. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The study found that 41.2% people were aware through the advertisement of OTC medicines whereas only 32% had purchased the OTC medicine after watching the advertisement. Similarly, only 14.8% reported that they were influenced by the advertisement and 46% said that advertisement of OTC medicine had positive effect on the people as people are well informed regarding the medicines through such advertisements. It helped to sensitize the people. Study found that there was positive contribution of advertisement to disseminate the message but not so effective to change the buying behavior of consumer. Only 6.8% people believe in the advertisement done through the television or print media. People mostly rely on the recommendation of doctors or pharmacists in Nepalese context. Thus, pharmaceutical companies can use the pharmacists for the effective advertisement and sales of OTC medicines.

scholarly journals Understanding the Purchasing Behavior of Consumers in Response to Sustainable Marketing Practices: An Empirical Analysis in the Food Domain

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6169
Author(s):  
Ilaria Mancuso ◽  
Angelo Natalicchio ◽  
Umberto Panniello ◽  
Paolo Roma
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Purchasing Behavior ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Adequate Information ◽  
Sustainable Marketing ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Sustainability has become an important driver in defining business strategies, affecting most critical corporate functions and changing the way in which value is created, communicated, and distributed. This is increasingly impacting marketing practices, in particular, through promoting the development of sustainable marketing in the food sector. In line with this, our study aimed to investigate if and how sustainable marketing practices affect consumer loyalty to a specific brand. To answer our research questions, we relied on the results of a survey submitted to a sample of 907 Italian consumers of biscuits. Results showed that the consumers’ attention to sustainable issues (in the absence of adequate information that can guide them in choosing a brand) did not result in brand loyalty. The same outcome was found when consumers were overloaded by marketing campaigns, which had the effect of confusing users and making them unfaithful. Ultimately, when consumers showed both engagement with sustainable concerns and sensitivity to marketing initiatives (i.e., they are sensitive to sustainable marketing practices), a positive effect on brand loyalty was observed. Our results contribute to the emerging stream of literature discussing the relevance and potential impact of sustainable marketing.

scholarly journals Wood-decaying fungi found in Southern Ghana: A potential source of new anti-infective compounds

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Samuel Yaw Aboagye ◽  
Vincent Amarh ◽  
Paul A. Lartey ◽  
Patrick Kobina Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Natural Products ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Antimicrobial Compounds ◽  
Potato Dextrose Broth ◽  
Southern Ghana

Background: Discovery of bioactive natural products are instrumental for development of novel antibiotics. The discovery and development of natural products such as penicillin represented a major milestone in the treatment of bacterial infections. Currently, many antibiotics have lost their relevance in clinics due to the emergence of drug-resistant microbial pathogens. Hence, there is the need for continuous search of new compounds endowed with potent antimicrobial activity. In this study, wood-decaying fungi (WDF) from Southern Ghana were explored for their potential as sources of novel antimicrobial compounds with intent of expanding the effort into a drug discovery programme in the near future. Methods: A total of 54 WDF isolates were fermented in potato dextrose broth and the secondary metabolites obtained were analyzed for the presence of antimicrobial agents using the disc diffusion assay. Chromatography techniques were used for preliminary analysis of the chemical composition of the extracts and for fractionation of the extracts that showed antimicrobial activity. Results: The extracts from 40 out of the 54 WDF isolates exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against either Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli or Candida albicans. Fractionation of these bioactive extracts, followed by bioassay of the organic fractions obtained, indicate that extracts exhibiting antimicrobial activity against more than one of the three test organisms could be attributed to the presence of different bioactive compounds. Analysis of the composition of the extracts revealed that terpenes were predominant. Conclusions: This study suggests that a significant proportion of WDF in Southern Ghana produce antimicrobial compounds which could be potential sources of novel anti-infective agents and support the plans of developing a drug discovery programme in Ghana based on the fermentation of WDF.

scholarly journals Bioprospecting Trichoderma: A Systematic Roadmap to Screen Genomes and Natural Products for Biocontrol Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás A. Rush ◽  
Him K. Shrestha ◽  
Muralikrishnan Gopalakrishnan Meena ◽  
Margaret K. Spangler ◽  
J. Christopher Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Novel Species ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Clusters ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Fungal Organisms ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Potential Impact

Natural products derived from microbes are crucial innovations that would help in reaching sustainability development goals worldwide while achieving bioeconomic growth. Trichoderma species are well-studied model fungal organisms used for their biocontrol properties with great potential to alleviate the use of agrochemicals in agriculture. However, identifying and characterizing effective natural products in novel species or strains as biological control products remains a meticulous process with many known challenges to be navigated. Integration of recent advancements in various “omics” technologies, next generation biodesign, machine learning, and artificial intelligence approaches could greatly advance bioprospecting goals. Herein, we propose a roadmap for assessing the potential impact of already known or newly discovered Trichoderma species for biocontrol applications. By screening publicly available Trichoderma genome sequences, we first highlight the prevalence of putative biosynthetic gene clusters and antimicrobial peptides among genomes as an initial step toward predicting which organisms could increase the diversity of natural products. Next, we discuss high-throughput methods for screening organisms to discover and characterize natural products and how these findings impact both fundamental and applied research fields.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document