Contamination of Asian herbal drugs : Need for its critical evaluation

Herbal drugs have been used as remedies for the treatment of large number of humans, ailments since ancient times as the traditional medicine system; India has a glorious past, having first documented record of fully developed medical science known as Ayurveda written by several ancient Rishi’s. Major groups of indigenous system of medicine are based on herbal drugs. A survey made by WHO indicated that about 80% of the world population relies on herbal drugs. Herbal drugs are becoming more popularized and important even in the developednations with hope of their non-toxicity and may play a role of substitute to overcome the problems of multi drug resistant pathogens. Cultivation of drug plants has been started in large scale without considering the land quality and in certain cases irrigation with waste water. Application of different fungicides, pesticides in that specific field or in neighboring fields may be directly deposited superficially or may be absorbed by the plant system. Therefore in the present situation possibilities of the Asian herbal drugs, contaminated with large number of toxic components cannot be ignored which may severely hurt human life in place of healing or curing.These contaminants may be either alone or in combination and may be originated intrinsically, extrinsically and deliberately. Certain contaminants may be highly toxic and may cause severe adverse effect in the human system. Some of the important contaminants are the heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper and pesticides. Adulteration of modern drugs to enhance drug potency and heterogenous microbial population including human pathogens may contaminate both raw and powdered herbal drugs. Among these contaminants, microbial contamination seems more severe and may be due to their dual action on the drug i.e. utilization of medicinally important chemical components as nutrients and in certain cases by producing certain mycotoxins, which may be even carcinogenic under certain conditions . Critical evaluation of both raw and powdered herbal drugs for contaminants is the urgent need of the time in order to provide safety measures in herbal health care medicine.

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TOXIC PROPERTIES AND INTAKE SYMPTOMS OF SOME WILD PLANTS IN RELATION TO REPORTED FROM THE FOREST OF NORTH WEST SATPUDA REGION OF MAHARASTRA, INDIA

FLORA AND FAUNA ◽

10.33451/florafauna.v23i2pp3019-315 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

Author(s):

SANJAY A. KHAIRNAR

Keyword(s):

Secondary Phase ◽

Wild Plants ◽

Chemical Components ◽

World Population ◽

Poisonous Plants ◽

North West ◽

Toxic Plants ◽

Datura Metel ◽

Croton Tiglium ◽

Modern Era

In modern era about 80% of the world population depends on herbal alternative system of medicine. Seventy thousand plants are used in medicine and about 2000 plants are used in Indian Ayurveda. The activities of the curative plants are evaluated by their chemical components. Few of them are important as a medicine but also posses poisonous or toxic properties. The toxicity is produced in them due to the synthesis of toxic chemical compounds may be in primary or secondary phase of their life. Most of the users of such medicinal plants in crude form are tribal and peoples living in the forests and their domestic stock . Most of the time these peoples may not aware about the toxicity of such plants used by them and probably get affected sometimes even leads to death. In the study area during the field survey of poisonous plants, information are gathered from the traditional practicing persons, cow boy and from shepherds. About 20 plant species belonging to 17 families are reported as a medicinal as well as toxic. From the available literature, nature of toxic compound and symptoms of their intake on human being are recorded. In the study area the plants like, Abrus precatorious commonly known as a Gunj or Gunjpala, Jatropha curcas , (Biodiesel plant), Croton tiglium (Jamalgota), Citrullus colocynthis (Kadu Indrawan, Girardinia diversifolia (Agya), Mucuna purriens (Khajkuairi), Euphorbia tirucali (Sher), E. ligularia (Sabarkand), Datura metel ( Kala Dhotara), Datura inoxia (Pandhara Dhotara) and Asparagus racemo-sus (Shatavari) etc . are some of the toxic plants used as a medicine and harmful also.

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TO THE QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR TORTURE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Sociopolitical sciences ◽

10.33693/2223-0092-2020-10-2-103-106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 103-106

Author(s):

ASTEMIR ZHURTOV ◽

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Russian Federation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Human Life ◽

International Standards ◽

World Community ◽

The World ◽

Long Time ◽

Protection Of Human Rights ◽

The Russian Federation

Cruel and inhumane acts that harm human life and health, as well as humiliate the dignity, are prohibited in most countries of the world, and Russia is no exception in this issue. The article presents an analysis of the institution of responsibility for torture in the Russian Federation. The author comes to the conclusion that the current criminal law of Russia superficially and fragmentally regulates liability for torture, in connection with which the author formulated the proposals to define such act as an independent crime. In the frame of modern globalization, the world community pays special attention to the protection of human rights, in connection with which large-scale international standards have been created a long time ago. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international acts enshrine prohibitions of cruel and inhumane acts that harm human life and health, as well as degrade the dignity.Considering the historical experience of the past, these standards focus on the prohibition of any kind of torture, regardless of the purpose of their implementation.

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STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THEIR GENDER AND ACADEMIC STREAM

JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN HUMANITIES ◽

10.24297/jah.v3i2.5106 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 262-265

Author(s):

Dr.Navdeep Kaur

Keyword(s):

Environmental Education ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Large Scale ◽

Human Life ◽

Environmental Awareness ◽

Human Beings ◽

School Students ◽

The Earth ◽

Stages Of Learning ◽

The Masses

Since its evolution environment has remained both a matter of awe and concern to man. The frontier attitude of the industrialized society towards nature has not only endangered the survival of all other life forms but also threatened the very existence of human life. The realization of such potential danger has necessitated the dissemination of knowledge and skill vis-a-vis environment protection at all stages of learning. Therefore, learners of all stages of learning need to be sensitized with a missionary zeal. This may ensure transformation of students into committed citizens for averting global environment crisis. The advancement of science and technology made the life more and more relaxed and man also became more and more ambitious. With such development, human dependence on environment increased. He consumed more resources and the effect of his activities on the environment became more and more detectable. Environment covers all the things present around the living beings and above the land, on the surface of the earth and under the earth. Environment indicates, in total, all of peripheral forces, pressures and circumstances, which affect the life, nature, behaviour, growth, development and maturation of living beings. Irrational exploitation (not utilization) of natural resources for our greed (not need) has endangered our survival, and incurred incalculable harm. Environmental Education is a science, a well-thought, permanent, lasting and integrated process of equipping learning experiences for getting awareness, knowledge, understanding, skills, values, technical expertise and involvement of learners with desirable attitudinal changes about their relationship with their natural and biophysical environment. Environmental Education is an organized effort to educate the masses about environment, its functions, need, importance, and especially how human beings can manage their behaviour in order to live in a sustainable manner. The term 'environmental awareness' refers to creating general awareness of environmental issues, their causes by bringing about changes in perception, attitude, values and necessary skills to solve environment related problems. Moreover, it is the first step leading to the formation of responsible environmental behaviour (Stern, 2000). With the ever increasing development by modern man, large scale degradation of natural resources have been occurred, the public has to be educated about the fact that if we are degrading our environment we are actually harming ourselves. To encourage meaningful public participation and environment, it is necessary to create awareness about environment pollution and related adverse effects. This is the crucial time that environmental awareness and environmental sensitivity should be cultivated among the masses particularly among youths. For the awareness of society it is essential to work at a gross root level. So the whole society can work to save the environment.

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Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Air Soil and Water Research ◽

10.1177/11786221211028185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 117862212110281

Author(s):

Nieves Fernandez-Anez ◽

Andrey Krasovskiy ◽

Mortimer Müller ◽

Harald Vacik ◽

Jan Baetens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Large Scale ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Human Life ◽

Local Analysis ◽

Wildland Fires ◽

Fire Statistics ◽

Quantitative Evidence ◽

Wide Range ◽

Fire Patterns

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

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The ethical issues of biotechnology: Religious culture and the value of life

Current Sociology ◽

10.1177/0011392110391147 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 160-172 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shimazono Susumu

Keyword(s):

Catholic Church ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Human Life ◽

Science And Technology ◽

Medical Science ◽

Genetic Diagnosis ◽

Value Of Life ◽

Great Expectations ◽

Early Embryonic Stage ◽

Religious Cultures

Advances in biotechnology and medical science, especially breakthroughs in cloning and stem cell research, have raised great expectations for curing diseases, repairing damaged body tissue and organs, enabling conception at advanced age and selecting embryos based on genetic diagnosis. However, the question arises whether these advances will improve the happiness of humankind or whether human bodies are being assaulted as development resources in order to procure greater profits. This article investigates how the value of life is conceptualized by religious cultures vis-a-vis the emerging threats. With regard to the early embryonic stage of human life, the Catholic Church, for example, has raised a loud voice against the artificial termination of pregnancy. As a matter of fact, various religious cultures have showed and underpinned to a considerable extent the value of life and the direction that science and technology should take in this respect. It is argued that the globalized competition in science and technology makes it necessary to transcend the views concerning the value of life propagated by particular religious cultures.

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Environmental Development Strategies for an Industrial Area (Kochi Industrial Belt)

Journal of Recent Activities in Architectural Sciences ◽

10.46610/joraas.2021.v06i02.003 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Annu Reetha Thomas

Keyword(s):

Natural Environment ◽

Industrial Pollution ◽

Large Scale ◽

Human Life ◽

Industrial Area ◽

Health Issues ◽

Economic Progress ◽

Planning Approach ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Technical Solutions

Discharging of wastes and toxic pollutants produced by the industrial activities into the natural environment which consist of air, water and land implies the term Industrial Pollution. It has serious consequences on human life and its health along with several ways of negative impacts on the environment and nature. As far as our nation is concerned most of the major cities are filled with these large-scale industries which place a crucial role financial development of a country. Strictly hindering the development of industries cannot be done as it is vital for the Socio-Economic progress of a country. Yet it is our duty to protect our natural environment by limiting the pollution due to industries. This Study consist of the issues occurred in Eloor- Kadungalloor region as result of the industrial pollution followed by policies for a development plan to enhance the natural and environmental conditions with a planning approach at micro study level. As far as the Kerala context is considered, the major spot which is mostly affected by the industrial pollution is the ‘Edayar Industrial belt’ which is the largest industrial belt in Kerala. This became one of most noted spot because of the continuous dumping of dangerous chemical pollutants from adjacent industries (pesticide and fertilizer manufacturing). It has also resulted in health issues for the inhabitants of the site. Though many complaints have been filed against the companies, there has no proper laws or schemes for taking measures for reduction of pollution have come up so far. Hence this paper deals with the application of technical solutions and strategies for an Environment Improvement plan development for an industrial as well as studying on the issues of sire and its inhabitants.

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Identification of a Third Human Polyomavirus

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.00028-07 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 81 (8) ◽

pp. 4130-4136 ◽

Cited By ~ 455

Author(s):

Tobias Allander ◽

Kalle Andreasson ◽

Shawon Gupta ◽

Annelie Bjerkner ◽

Gordana Bogdanovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Large Scale ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Amino Acid Identity ◽

Human Polyomavirus ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Human Respiratory Tract ◽

Ki Polyomavirus ◽

Virus Screening

ABSTRACT We have previously reported on a system for large-scale molecular virus screening of clinical samples. As part of an effort to systematically search for unrecognized human pathogens, the technology was applied for virus screening of human respiratory tract samples. This resulted in the identification of a previously unknown polyomavirus provisionally named KI polyomavirus. The virus is phylogenetically related to other primate polyomaviruses in the early region of the genome but has very little homology (<30% amino acid identity) to known polyomaviruses in the late region. The virus was found by PCR in 6 (1%) of 637 nasopharyngeal aspirates and in 1 (0.5%) of 192 fecal samples but was not detected in sets of urine and blood samples. Since polyomaviruses have oncogenic potential and may produce severe disease in immunosuppressed individuals, continued searching for the virus in different medical contexts is important. This finding further illustrates how unbiased screening of respiratory tract samples can be used for the discovery of diverse virus types.

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Changes in Air Pollution Following the COVID-19 Epidemic in Northern China: The Role of Meteorology

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.654651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Tian Xian ◽

Zhanqing Li ◽

Jing Wei

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Large Scale ◽

Human Life ◽

Northern China ◽

Control Measures ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Low Wind Speed ◽

Seasonal Signals ◽

Haze Formation ◽

Holiday Effects

COVID-19 has a tremendous impact on both human life and the environment due to the unprecedented large-scale shutdown of economic activities at the beginning of 2020. While it was widely expected to see a dramatic reduction in air pollution, reality appears to be much more complex due to the joint influences of emissions and meteorology in dictating air pollution. By analyzing ample meteorological and environmental observational data, this study attempts to evaluate the contribution of an economic lockdown or at a well-below normal level across China to air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Besides the unprecedented emission reductions that helped to improve air quality, multiple other factors came into play, such as high humidity and low wind speed that are favorable for haze formation. After separating long-term trends, seasonal signals, holiday effects, and meteorological contributions concerning climatology, we estimated that the relative contributions of human activities to changes in particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 μm and nitrogen dioxide during the epidemic were −17.13 μg/m3 and −0.03 μg/m3, respectively, with negative quantities denoting reductions to air pollution. Furthermore, comparing the changes in PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations after lockdown revealed that for short-term control measures, meteorological factors mainly affected pollutant particles.

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On (post) modern economy and (non) freedom

Economic Annals ◽

10.2298/eka0566193m ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 50 (166) ◽

pp. 193-217

Author(s):

Krstan Malesevic

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Human Life ◽

General Internal ◽

Modern Economy ◽

Summum Bonum ◽

Essential Questions ◽

Human Liberty ◽

Fundamental Value ◽

The Impact ◽

Modern Technologies

The (post)modern economy finds itself undoubtedly in the center of a large scale, radical contradictory, and uncertain current transformation of the world. Together with the (post)modern technologies it composes the dominant core of the globalizing processes, often referred to as globalization. The key features and especially the accumulated consequences of these processes pose a challenge for scientific and theoretical thought in the form of essential questions and dilemmas which are in the last instance tied to the impact of globalization on the quality and meaning of human life. This problem relates as much to individuals as it does to different social groups and human communities, that is to the entire humanity as such. This paper attempts to problematise these contradictory relationships between global corporative, economy as an instrumental value and the human liberty as a substantive i.e. the highest, value in itself (summum bonum), which gives meaning and dignity to human life. Therefore if economy in one form or another covers most of human practical activity then it is certain that it can have decisive impact on the most fundamental value of human life, that is the value of freedom (individual, general, internal and external). Of course the impact of economy can act either way - as an encouragement or, as it often happens, as a deterrent to expansion of the human freedom. This paper aims to briefly indicate some causes, characteristics and consequences of global economic processes which, in a way paradoxically, contribute more to narrowing than to opening spaces of human liberty, or simply generate proliferation of "hedonism of unfreedom". Is this another case of "surplus of knowledge" and "deficit of wisdom" that so strongly characterize our age, or something else?.

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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students: An Online Survey

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10762

Author(s):

Thien Khai Tran ◽

Hoa Dinh ◽

Hien Nguyen ◽

Dac-Nhuong Le ◽

Dong-Ky Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Online Education ◽

Large Scale ◽

Online Survey ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Human Life ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Psychological State ◽

Survey Analysis ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic, since its beginning in December 2019, has altered every aspect of human life. In Vietnam, the pandemic is in its fourth peak and is the most serious so far, putting Vietnam in the list of top 30 countries with the highest daily cases. In this paper, we wish to identify the magnitude of its impact on college students in Vietnam. As far as we’re concerned, college students belong to the most affected groups in the population, especially in big cities that have been hitting hard by the virus. We conducted an online survey from 31 May 2021 to 9 June 2021, asking students from four representative regions in Vietnam to describe how the pandemic has changed their lifestyle and studying environment, as well as their awareness, compliance, and psychological state. The collected answers were processed to eliminate unreliable ones then prepared for sentiment analysis. To analyze the relationship among the variables, we performed a variety of statistical tests, including Shapiro–Wilk, Mc Nemar, Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon, Kruskal–Wallis, and Pearson’s Chi-square tests. Among 1875 students who participated, many did not embrace online education. A total of 64.53% of them refused to think that online education would be the upcoming trend. During the pandemic, nearly one quarter of students were in a negative mood. About the same number showed signs of depression. We also observed that there were increasing patterns in sleeping time, body weight, and sedentary lifestyle. However, they maintained a positive attitude toward health protection and compliance with government regulations (65.81%). As far as we know, this is the first project to conduct such a large-scale survey analysis on students in Vietnam. The findings of the paper help us take notice of financial and mental needs and perspective issues for indigent students, which contributes to reducing the pandemic’s negative effects and going forwards to a better and more sustainable life.

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