This review summarizes research carried out on Jamaican medicinal plants at the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica, between 1948 and. The plants identified as being medicinal are listed along with their folk use and a summary of the scientific research done at UWI leading to the identification of natural products (NPs) and determination of their bioactivity. Natural product research on Jamaican medicinal plants began with the inception of UWI in 1948, leading to many postgraduate degrees being awarded (22 MPhil and 31 PhD). At least 334 plant species growing in Jamaica have been identified as having medicinal qualities, 193 of these have been tested for their bioactivity. Crude extracts from 80 of these plants have reasonable bioactivity and natural products (NP) have been identified from 44 plants. At least 29 of these NPs were found to be bioactive. Only 31 of the plants tested at UWI are endemic to Jamaica. Of these 23% were bioactive, as compared to 11% of the non-endemics. Based on these results, patents have been obtained and drugs have been developed. This review represents the first attempt to gather this information together in one place. Un resumen de la Investigación Sobre Plantas Medicinales en la Universidad de West Indies, Jamaica, 1948-2001 SA Mitchell 1 , MH Ahmad 1 RESUMEN El presente trabajo resume la investigación sobre plantas medicinales jamaicanas, llevada a cabo en la Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Aplicadas de la Universidad de West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica, entre 1948 y 2001. Las plantas identificadas como medicinales se enumeran junto con su uso popular y un resumen de la investigación científica realizada en UWI, la cual condujo a la identificación de los productos naturales y la determinación de su bioactividad. La investigación de productos naturales que tuvo por objeto las plantas medicinales jamaicanas, comenzó con la fundación de UWI en 1948, y en el transcurso de su desarrollo, condujo a la obtención de numerosos grados científicos. (Para el año 2001, en la Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Aplicadas se habían defendido 22 maestrías y 31 doctorados asociados con dicha investigación.) Por lo menos 334 especies de plantas que crecen en Jamaica han sido identificadas como poseedoras de propiedades medicinales, 193 de las cuales han sido sometidas a prueba para determinar su bioactividad. Los extractos crudos de 80 de estas plantas poseen una bioactividad razonable, y se han identificado productos naturales (PN) en 44 plantas. Se halló que por lo menos 29 de estos PN son bioactivos. Sólo 31 de las plantas sometidas a prueba en UWI eran endémicas de Jamaica. De éstas, el 23% resultó ser bioactivo, en comparación con el 11% en el caso de las plantas no endémicas. Sobre la base de estos resultados, se han obtenido patentes, y se han desarrollado medicamentos. Este resumen representa un primer intento por compilar esta información en un solo trabajo.

BACKGROUND: Lamin B (LMNB) and lamin B receptor (LBR) are key components of the nuclear envelope, with roles in chromosomal stability, DNA repair, and cell differentiation. Lamins provide structural support to the nuclear envelope, while LBR is believed to anchor lamin B to the envelope. In addition, LBR also has a number of downstream mediators which affect cell cycle and cell differentiation. Classically, they have been implicated in a spectrum of largely congenital ailments including certain forms of muscle dystrophy and progeria. These conditions are collectively referred to as “laminopathies”. More recently, defects in the expression of lamins have been implicated in neoplasias of the colon, prostate, liver and ovaries. In this study, we have endeavoured to elucidate the relationships between the mRNA expressions of LMNB1 and LBR and the clinicopathological parameters of human breast cancer. METHODS: Breast cancer tissues (n = 115) and associated non-cancerous tissue (ANCT) (n = 30) underwent reverse transcription and quantitative PCR. Transcript levels were correlated with clinicopathological data. RESULTS: LMNB1 mRNA expression was higher in ANCT as compared to cancerous tissue (ANCT vs. cancerous tissue: 0.12 vs. 0.00; p = <0.0001). This difference remained highly significant in all patient categories by tumour grade and clinical stage. In addition, the expression of LMNB1 declined with worsening clinical outcome. This association was statistically significant when comparing patient with disease-free survival with disease related mortalities (Disease-free vs. mortalities: 0.0011 vs. 0.000; p = 0.0177). LBR mRNA expression was found to be directly associated with tumour grade (grade 1 vs.3: 0.00 vs. 0.00; p = 0.0479) and the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI1 vs. 3: 0.00 vs. 0.00; p = 0.0551). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest such a role for LMNB1 and LBR in human breast cancer. The contrasting relationships of LMNB1 and LBR expressions with the clinicopathological parameters of human breast cancer may suggest that disruptions in the physiologically normal interactions between these molecules in the nuclear envelope may serve as pathway leading towards the pathogenesis of human breast cancer. Potentially this may be a significant pathway requiring further investigation to be better understood, in order to identify further potential areas for therapeutic intervention. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P6-04-14.

A simple scheme is described for the rapid identification of the application class of most colouring matters on the fibre. The fibre is first classified by burning and solubility tests, and these determine the appropriate series of chemical identification treatments, of which there is a maximum of 15 for cellulosic fibres, 11 for polyamides, 9 for proteins, 5 for acrylic fibres, 4 for cellulose acetate, and 3 for polyesters.

The study was conducted to investigate the productivity and profitability of broiler on L-methionine supplemented diet. A total of 160 day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) was randomly distributed to four dietary supplements, D0 (Control), D1 (0.30 % L-Met), D2 (0.35 % L- Met) and D3 (0.40 % L- Met). Each treatment was replicated five times with 8 birds per cage. The chicks were reared in the battery cages while they were fed with broiler starter diet (crumble) until Day14 of age. The birds with fed with L-Met supplemented diets starting from Day15 until Day35 of age All the diets were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous.. Results revealed that the L-Met supplementations were in favor of higher live weight (LW) and better (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio without affecting the feed intake (FI). The D3 diet resulted higher (p<0.01) LW in the birds than all others on Day35 of age. The livability (%) was unaffected (p>0.05) by the dietary supplements. No significant (p>0.05) difference was observed in the relative weights of visceral organs (small intestine, proventriculus, gizzard, liver and heart) except for the spleen. Relatively increased (p<0.05) spleen weight (%) was observed in the D3 diet. The breast weight (%) was increased marginally (p<0.07) in the D3 group, while the other carcass parts; breast weight, thigh weight, wing weight, shank weight, drumstick weight, neck weight, and abdominal fat content were found to be similar (p>0.05) in the dietary groups. Higher profit (p<0.01) and lower production cost (p<0.05) were observed in the D3 group than that of the others. It can be inferred that 0.40% L-Met supplementation in the broiler diet is better for growth performance and profitability. Bang. J. Livs. Res. Vol. 27 (1&2), 2020: P. 1-14