Species of the genus Siparuna Aublet are found in Neotropical regions, mainly in the Andes. In the Brazilian folk MEDICINE, some Siparuna species are used to combat fever, inflammation, pain, and infections. This paper presents a review of phytoCHEMICAL studies and biological activities of species of this genus. PhytoCHEMICAL studies of 18 species led to the isolation of mainly flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol derivatives) as well as alkaloids (aporphinic derivatives). Essential oils were reported for 8 species among which S. guianensis is the most studied species. Numerous reports provide evidence of antimicrobial, antiplasmodic, larvicidal, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities for some species of Siparuna genus. The reports of phytoCHEMICAL studies and biological activities motivate the continued research of other species of the genus, remembering that a large part of the identified species are unknown from the natural products chemistry point of view.

In Yoruba, southwestern Nigeria, Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre is known as “, Akerejupon”, . S. jollyanum is commonly used in traditional MEDICINE to treat a variety of ailments because of its diverse biological activities. However, a thorough examination of the traditional, pharmacological, and phytoCHEMICAL properties of S. jollyanum is yet lacking. Different plant organs are used as aphrodisiacs, treatments for chronic illnesses including coughs and ulcers, and for malaria by traditional medicinal practitioners. The pharmacological activities of this plant include anti-diabetic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, anti-allergy, antimicrobial, among others. Some of the isolated compounds from this plant are columbin, isocolumbin, fibleucin, atrotosterone A, pinnatasterone, polypodine B, and 20-hydroxyecdysone. In order to explore this plant for further research and to know its potential effect towards pharmaceutics, the present review aims to provide an updated summary of documents sourced from recent publications regarding ethnomedicinal uses, pharmacology, and phytochemistry of S. jollyanum.

Background & Objective: Interns are one of the most important groups among medical student, and thus, must learn to use evidence-based MEDICINE (EBM). The present study was performed with the aim of evaluating the knowledge of medical interns of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Iran, on evidence-based MEDICINE in 2013.Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 70 medical interns were selected using convenience sampling method. Data were gathered using a standard questionnaire and analyzed by descriptive statistics and SPSS software.Results: The information source for clinical decision making in 65.7% of interns were their textbooks among which 62.9% used textbooks because of their accessibility. In addition, 95.7% of interns believed EBM to be useful in improving patient care. However, only 37.1% of them knew the meaning of EBM and 95.7% were not familiar with EBM internet sites.Conclusion: Integrated planning is necessary in order to include EBM courses in medical curriculum and to teach the use of internet and correct forms of searching.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using portulaca oleracea as a source of plant antioxidants for feeding fattening male lambs, on carcass traits, meat quality, and oxidative stability. Twenty-one male lambs with an average weight of 24±1.5 kg and 150±15 days old were fed with one of the experimental rations included a diet without portulaca oleracea as control, a diet containing 7.5%, and a diet containing 15% portulaca oleracea, for 84 days. The muscle (Longissimus dorsi) samplewas used to determine pH, CHEMICAL composition, colorimetric properties, and oxidative stability of meat. Meat lipid oxidation was determined after 1, 7, and 30 days of refrigerated storage using thiobarbituric acid (TBARS). The use of portulaca oleracea in diets improved meat color characteristics such as L, chroma, and Hue. The highest ash concentration and the lowest meat moisture were observed in the treatment of 15% portulaca oleracea (P<0.05). Meat pH was the lowest in the first hour after slaughter but did not differ at 24 h. Compared to the control, in both treatment groups feeding the lambs with portulaca significantly reduced the concentration of Malondialdehyde in the meat of the lambs and increased the meat oxidative stability (P<0.05). The results of this experiment showed that feeding portulaca oleracea by improving properties such as color and increasing the meat oxidative stability improves meat quality, which may have lead to an increase in its nutritional value in terms of human health.