International collaboration in drug discovery and development from natural sources

Nature has been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years, and an impressive number of modern drugs have been isolated from natural sources, particularly plants, with many based on their use in traditional medicine. The past century, however, has seen an increasing role played by microorganisms in the production of the antibiotics and other drugs for the treatment of serious diseases, and more recently, marine organisms have proved to be a rich source of novel bioactive agents. Natural products will continue to play a crucial role in meeting this demand through the expanded investigation of the world's biodiversity, much of which remains unexplored. By using medicinal chemistry, and combinatorial chemical and biosynthetic technology, novel natural product leads will be optimized on the basis of their biological activities to yield effective chemotherapeutic and other bioactive agents. With much of the biological diversity found in tropical and subtropical regions, the investigation of these resources requires multidisciplinary international collaboration in the discovery and development process. Such collaboration can result in substantial short-term benefits accruing to source countries, with the potential for the generation of significant longer-term benefits in the select cases of those agents that proceed into advanced development, and possible commercialization.

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Medicinal Plants and Its Pharmacological Values

10.5772/intechopen.99848 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Smita G. Bhat

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Chemical Compounds ◽

Natural Sources ◽

Plant Parts ◽

New Drug ◽

Important Chemical

Plants have been used as a source of medicine for the treatment of different diseases from thousands of years ago. There is numerous evidences are available for use of plants as a medicine in the treatment of diseases in Indian, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Roman system of medicine. Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines derived from natural sources, mainly from plants which may further lead to development of new drug. The exploration, extraction and screening of biological diversity such as herbs, spices, microbes and other natural resources is the worldwide activity in recent years. Phytochemicals are the naturally available bioactive compounds which are derived from different plant parts and are primarily responsible for biological activities. The most important chemical compounds which are present in the plants are alkaloids, phenols, saponins, carbohydrates, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids and tannins etc.

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ANTECEDENTES EN ESPAÑA DE LA CRIMINOLOGÍA POSITIVA MODERNA Y DE LA CRIMINOLOGÍA CLINICA

Revista de Derecho Penal y Criminología ◽

10.5944/rdpc.20.2018.26486 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 331

Author(s):

Alfonso Serrano Gómez

Keyword(s):

Past Century ◽

Medium Term ◽

Short Term ◽

The Past ◽

The 1960S

La Criminología en España ha sido tutelada por los penalistas. Algunos hicieron aportaciones teóricas. A finales de la década de los sesenta del siglo pasado se inicia una nueva etapa con la aparición de los primeros trabajos empíricos y de Criminología clínica. En los últimos años se ha creado el Grado en Criminología en más de treinta universidades, aunque en el campo de la investigación disponemos de pocos expertos en la disciplina. El futuro científico de la Criminología en nuestro país a corto plazo, e incluso a medio, parece poco prometedor.Criminology in Spain has been protected by criminalists. Some made theoretical contributions. At the end of the decade of the 1960s of the past century, a new stage was initiated with then appearance of the first empirical papers and those on clinical criminology. In recent years the Degree in Criminology has been created in more than thirty universities, although in the field of investigation we have few experts in the discipline. The scientific future of criminology in our country in the short term, even in the medium term, seems quite bleak.

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Sampling, taxonomic description, and our evolving knowledge of morphological diversity

Paleobiology ◽

10.1017/s009483730001678x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 181-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Mike Foote

Keyword(s):

Morphological Analysis ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Marine Invertebrates ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Past Century ◽

General Tendency ◽

The Past ◽

Taxonomic Description ◽

History Of

Morphological analysis of four higher taxa of fossil marine invertebrates shows that, over the history of paleontology, there is no general tendency for morphologically extreme or modal species and genera to be described preferentially early or late. Reconstructing the expected evolutionary sequences of morphological disparity that would have been estimated at various times during the past century and a half reveals features that are sensitive to sampling (for example, peak trilobite disparity in the Ordovician, peak of post-Paleozoic crinoid disparity in the Triassic, and peak blastoid disparity in the Permian), as well as more robust features (for example, increase in trilobite disparity from the Cambrian to the Ordovician, continued increase in trilobite disparity despite a drop in taxonomic diversity after the Early Ordovician, decrease in blastoid disparity from the Devonian to the Carboniferous, and increase in crinoid disparity from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous followed by decline during the Cretaceous). Although we still have much to learn about the evolution of form, in many respects our view of the history of biological diversity is mature.

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Natural Polypropionates in 1999–2020: An Overview of Chemical and Biological Diversity

Marine Drugs ◽

10.3390/md18110569 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 569

Author(s):

Zhaoming Liu ◽

Hongxin Liu ◽

Weimin Zhang

Keyword(s):

Biological Diversity ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Structural Features ◽

Chemical Diversity ◽

Research Papers ◽

Chemical Structures ◽

The Past ◽

Current Review ◽

Large Subgroup ◽

The Relationship

Natural polypropionates (PPs) are a large subgroup of polyketides with diverse structural features and bioactivities. Most of the PPs are discovered from marine organisms including mollusks, fungi and actinomycetes, while some of them are also isolated from terrestrial resources. An increasing number of studies about PPs have been carried out in the past two decades and an updated review is needed. In this current review, we summarize the chemical structures and biological activities of 164 natural PPs reported in 67 research papers from 1999 to 2020. The isolation, structural features and bioactivities of these PPs are discussed in detail. The chemical diversity, bioactive diversity, biodiversity and the relationship between chemical classes and the bioactivities are also concluded.

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NGO-isation and the Plight of Women in Developing Nations

Journal of Student Science and Technology ◽

10.13034/jsst.v8i2.73 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Emily Chu

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Supplements ◽

Developing Nations ◽

Past Century ◽

Short Term ◽

Global Society ◽

The Past ◽

Pays En Développement ◽

The World ◽

Pays En Developpement ◽

Job Prospects

Over the past century, NGOs have been rapidly growing in numbers have become increasingly involved in such health crises as HIV/Aids and Ebola around the world. Many organizations have also been founded to recognize and support oppressed groups in certain countries, one of the most important of these being women. It is undeniable that women of developing nations have been greatly affected by the rise of NGOs, and the ensuing phenomenon of NGO-isation, from increased opportunities for activism, to unsustainable dependencies on nutritional supplements,. This article presents a background of both NGOs and the plight of women in developing nations, as well as attempting to draw a relationship between these two stakeholders in our global society. This article also presents evidence to support the hypotheses that NGOs allow women to become more politically and socially active through government-neutral involvement, but also hinder their health and job prospects by failing to employ local workers and using short-term solutions instead of sustainable ones. Major analysis is conducted on these topics and attempts to determine the correlation between NGOs and their involvement with women in impoverished communities. The article concludes with final comments from the author about their overall experience and thoughts on the issue.Au cours du précédent siècle, les ONG sont rapidement augmentés en nombre et en implication dans plusieurs pays en développement en conséquence de plusieurs crises de santé telles que VIH / SIDA et Ebola. Plusieurs organisations ont aussi été créés pour donner reconnaissance à certaines groupes dans des pays oppressifs, un des plus importants parmi ces groupes étant les femmes. Il est indéniable que les femmes des pays en développement ont été aidés considérablement par la montée des ONG et le phénomène qui s'ensuit d'ONG-isation. Cet article présente un contexte d'à la fois les ONG et la situation des femmes dans les pays en développement et décrit une proposition de recherche pour tenter de déterminer la relation entre ces deux très importantes parties intéressées dans notre société globale. Cette proposition de recherche décrit ses objectives, buts et hypothèses qui concernent divers aspects de la vie d'une femme et ensuite ça décrit pourquoi ceci est un problème important et comment les données vont être obtenues. L'article conclut avec des commentaires finales de l'auteur à propos de leur expérience générale et leurs pensées concernant le problème.

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Obesity and adiposity: the culprit of dietary protein efficacy

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs20190583 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 134 (4) ◽

pp. 389-401

Author(s):

Carla El-Mallah ◽

Omar Obeid

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

Physiological Mechanism ◽

Short Term ◽

The Past ◽

Body Adiposity ◽

Reduce Sugar ◽

Eye Opening ◽

Potential Strategy ◽

Limitations And Exceptions

Abstract Obesity and increased body adiposity have been alarmingly increasing over the past decades and have been linked to a rise in food intake. Many dietary restrictive approaches aiming at reducing weight have resulted in contradictory results. Additionally, some policies to reduce sugar or fat intake were not able to decrease the surge of obesity. This suggests that food intake is controlled by a physiological mechanism and that any behavioural change only leads to a short-term success. Several hypotheses have been postulated, and many of them have been rejected due to some limitations and exceptions. The present review aims at presenting a new theory behind the regulation of energy intake, therefore providing an eye-opening field for energy balance and a potential strategy for obesity management.

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The zoonotic potential of bat-borne coronaviruses

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences ◽

10.1042/etls20200097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 365-381

Author(s):

Ny Anjara Fifi Ravelomanantsoa ◽

Sarah Guth ◽

Angelo Andrianiaina ◽

Santino Andry ◽

Anecia Gentles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Material ◽

Field Research ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Mammalian Host ◽

Past Century ◽

The Past ◽

Novel Host ◽

Horseshoe Bat ◽

Human Infections

Seven zoonoses — human infections of animal origin — have emerged from the Coronaviridae family in the past century, including three viruses responsible for significant human mortality (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) in the past twenty years alone. These three viruses, in addition to two older CoV zoonoses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) are believed to be originally derived from wild bat reservoir species. We review the molecular biology of the bat-derived Alpha- and Betacoronavirus genera, highlighting features that contribute to their potential for cross-species emergence, including the use of well-conserved mammalian host cell machinery for cell entry and a unique capacity for adaptation to novel host environments after host switching. The adaptive capacity of coronaviruses largely results from their large genomes, which reduce the risk of deleterious mutational errors and facilitate range-expanding recombination events by offering heightened redundancy in essential genetic material. Large CoV genomes are made possible by the unique proofreading capacity encoded for their RNA-dependent polymerase. We find that bat-borne SARS-related coronaviruses in the subgenus Sarbecovirus, the source clade for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, present a particularly poignant pandemic threat, due to the extraordinary viral genetic diversity represented among several sympatric species of their horseshoe bat hosts. To date, Sarbecovirus surveillance has been almost entirely restricted to China. More vigorous field research efforts tracking the circulation of Sarbecoviruses specifically and Betacoronaviruses more generally is needed across a broader global range if we are to avoid future repeats of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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PCSK9 inhibition for LDL lowering and beyond – implications for patients with peripheral artery disease

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000689 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 165-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Katrin Gebauer ◽

Holger Reinecke

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Ldl Receptor ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Past Century ◽

Pcsk9 Inhibitors ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction ◽

Simultaneous Application ◽

The Past ◽

Pcsk9 Inhibition

Abstract. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been proven to be a causal factor of atherosclerosis and, along with other triggers like inflammation, the most frequent reason for peripheral arterial disease. Moreover, a linear correlation between LDL-C concentration and cardiovascular outcome in high-risk patients could be established during the past century. After the development of statins, numerous randomized trials have shown the superiority for LDL-C reduction and hence the decrease in cardiovascular outcomes including mortality. Over the past decades it became evident that more intense LDL-C lowering, by either the use of highly potent statin supplements or by additional cholesterol absorption inhibitor application, accounted for an even more profound cardiovascular risk reduction. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a serin protease with effect on the LDL receptor cycle leading to its degradation and therefore preventing continuing LDL-C clearance from the blood, is the target of a newly developed monoclonal antibody facilitating astounding LDL-C reduction far below to what has been set as target level by recent ESC/EAS guidelines in management of dyslipidaemias. Large randomized outcome trials including subjects with PAD so far have been able to prove significant and even more intense cardiovascular risk reduction via further LDL-C debasement on top of high-intensity statin medication. Another approach for LDL-C reduction is a silencing interfering RNA muting the translation of PCSK9 intracellularly. Moreover, PCSK9 concentrations are elevated in cells involved in plaque composition, so the potency of intracellular PCSK9 inhibition and therefore prevention or reversal of plaques may provide this mechanism of action on PCSK9 with additional beneficial effects on cells involved in plaque formation. Thus, simultaneous application of statins and PCSK9 inhibitors promise to reduce cardiovascular event burden by both LDL-C reduction and pleiotropic effects of both agents.

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