Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyzed synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and it associates with tumor growth, infiltration, and metastasis in preclinical experiments. Known inhibitors against COX-2 exhibit toxicity. Therefore, it is of interest to screen natural compounds like flavanoids against COX-2. Molecular docking using 12 known flavanoids against COX-2 by FlexX and of ArgusLab were performed. All compounds showed a favourable binding energy of >-10 KJ/mol in FlexX and > -8 kcal/mol in ArgusLab. However, this data requires in vitro and in vivo verification for further consideration.

Mastitis is one of the most costly devastating diseases in the dairy industry. Bovine mastitis can be classified as clinical or subclinical based on clinical features of the disease. Subclinical mastitis occurrence is more prominent compared to clinical form and its prevalence is more than 20 to 50% of cows in given herds. Both forms cause substantial financial losses due to reduced milk yield, degraded milk quality, drug costs and veterinary expenses, early culling of cows and increased labour costs for the farmers. The chief causal organisms of mastitis are cell-walled bacteria, even though mycoplasma, algae and yeast have also been identified to cause mastitis. Numerous influencing factors like physiological, pathological, environmental or genetic factors may contribute to the occurrence of mastitis in dairy cattle. Presently, different types of antibiotics are prescribed for the treatment of mastitis. However, therapeutic success rate of mastitis is generally poor because of pathological changes in the udder parenchyma, mastitogenic bacterial and related factors, indiscriminate use of antibiotics and poor animal husbandry practices. These evidences focus the necessity for discovering completely newer strategies for treatment of mastitis. This review will highlight the key etiological agents and factors affecting the manifestation of mastitis, and the recent advancement of therapeutic strategies including application of antibiotic-based therapies by doing antibiotic sensitivity test as a prospective approach to prevent and control mastitis in dairy herds.

The study was carried out to assess the occurrence, invasion and usage of exotic plant species in the natural ecosystem of Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Eco-park, Chittagong, Bangladesh through transect and random sampling and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) during August 2013 to April 2014. A total of 103 exotic plant species (99 species of angiosperms and 4 gymnosperms) belonging to 90 genera and 43 families were recorded through transect method from the study area. Among the exotics, tree species constitute the major category (46 species, 21 families) followed by shrubs (33 species, 18 families), herbs (21 species, 17 families) and climbers (3 species, 3 families). Mimosaceae family was represented by maximum (9) exotic plant species followed by Caesalpiniaceae (8), Myrtaceae (8) and Malvaceae (7). Most of the exotic plants were introduced in the eco-park after its establishment. Exotic tree species are given priority as the dominant plantation species in the eco-park area because of their short rotation, wider adaptability and faster growth. A total of 74 tree species (52 native and 22 exotic) belonging to 33 families were recorded through random sampling method in the eco-park. Number of both exotic and native tree species in hill top, mid hill and hill bottom varied simultaneously. Density of exotic trees were found maximum (366.6/ ha) in the hill bottom. Holarrhena antidysenterica (14.77) and Stereospermum colais (14.53) were the two native tree species that showed maximum Importance Value Index (IVI). Besides, two exotics that showed maximum IVI were Xylia xylocarpa (10.05) and Psidium guajava (9.15). The enumerated exotic plant species were categorized under six different traditional use categories according to their habit form (tree, shrub, herb and climber). The study revealed 39 exotic species used for timber purpose indicates their prominent economic potentiality. Moreover, local communities extracting exotic plants for meeting their needs of fuel, housing implements, livelihoods etc. Control of the exotics in future plantation programs need to be considered and available native plants should give priority to ensure ex-situ conservation of the Botanical Garden and Eco-park.

No abstract