Background:Traditional or folk medicine is still prevalent among the Karbis as means of primary health-care. Traditional medicine is not only a source of healing, but the practice is also an important part of their religion and culture.Aim:The aim of the present study is to discuss the use of ichthyofauna in traditional health-care practices among the Karbis and other ethnic tribes of Karbi Anglong district, Assam.Setting and Design:Field study was undertaken from March 2011 to June 2012. A total of 75 informants were selected from 27 villages and the selection was based on their recognition as having sound knowledge relating to health-care practices.Materials and Methods:Information was collected following both unstructured and structured interview methods, group discussions and personal observation. Fish used in health-care practices were collected with the help of local guides and identified using available literatures.Results:The present study has recorded use of 14 species belonging 7 families in the treatment of 25 disease conditions. Traditional health-care practices of the Karbis include both local and oral applications and rituals to cure diseases. Use of fish to cure mental depression like symptoms locally referred as nihu kachingtung is prevalent until today. Studies among the Dimasa and Thadou tribes also revealed the use of fish in traditional medicine as therapies against different ailments, but do not use fish in rituals.Conclusion:Study on fish-based zootherapy could be a viable option for discovery of new compounds with therapeutic potentials. However, the attitude of the present generation towards traditional medicine as being unscientific and acculturation are the main causes of decline of such practice in the Karbis. Destructive fishing practices by poisoning water bodies with synthetic chemicals pose serious threats to aquatic fauna in the hill streams.

Reserved Forest is presented here. Data collection included interview, records of forest department and participant observation. There is an increasing trend of human-wildlife conflict in Poba RF. Encroachment for agricultural expansion, frequent venturing into forests to collect minor forest products and livestock grazing are major causes of conflicts. Most cases of conflict occurred in forests and crop f ields suggesting encroachment and venturing into animal habitat exposed human to conflict with wildlife. Pearson's correlation at 0.01 level of signif icance showed positive correlation between wildlife injured/killed and livestock killed/injured (0.819411) and wildlife injured/killed and property damaged (0.658009) but negative correlation between wildlife injured/killed and crop damaged (-0.04104). Crop raiding by wildlife caused considerable damage to crops and property resulting in food insecurity and economic loss to farmers; farmers also suffered economic loss due to livestock lifting by prey animals. Long years of exposure to crop and property loss and risk to life are associated with negative attitude towards wildlife. The present report will be useful in understanding the nature of conflicts and help local forest department in initiating appropriate conservation measures in Poba RF

The ethnic communities in Semkhor have kept a close relationship with nature since time immemorial and have traditionally used different kinds of insects and their products as folk medicine to treat a variety of human ills and diseases. The present study was conducted to record the entomotherapeutic practices of seven different ethnic groups of Semkhor.

The increasing number of cases for diabetes worldwide is a concern. Therefore, it is of interest to design therapeutic peptides to overcome side effects caused by the available drugs. It should be noted that data on several known anti-diabetic peptides is available in the literature in an organized manner. Hence, it is of interest to collect, glean and store such data in form of a searchable database supported by RDBMS. Data on anti-diabetic peptides and their related data are collected from the literature using manual search. Data on related peptides from other databases (THPdb, ADP3, LAMP, AHTPDB, AVPdb, BioPepDB, CancerPPD, CPPsite, DRAMP, SATPdb, CAMPR3 and MBPDB) are also included after adequate curation. Thus, we describe the development and utility of BioDADPep, a Bioinformatics database for antidiabetic peptides. The database has cross-reference for antidiabetic peptides. The database is enabled with a web-based GUI using a simple Google-like search function. Data presented in BioDADPep finds application in the design of an effective anti-diabetic peptide.

<p>Leech infestation is a common health problem in Assam that affects people of all ages, sexes and even livestock. Ethnomedicinal practice for management of leech infestations among ethnic groups in Assam is discussed. Data collection included ethnobotanical methods of group discussions and semi-structured interview. A total of 13 medicinal plants and 08 non-plant products are used by ethnic groups for management of leech infestation. Mikania scandens and Chromolaena odorata while among non-plant sources common salt and kerosene are the most extensively used ethnomedicines against leech infestation. In rare cases of intraperitoneal leech bites, Cucumis sativus or raw duck blood is taken to expel the leech. Ethnobotanical studies followed by chemical evaluation of locally used anti-leech plants can provide valuable clues about the bioactive compounds and prioritize species for further pharmacological investigation.</p>