Background: Many smokers have undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), and yet screening for COPD is not recommended. Smokers who know that they haveairflow limitation are more likely to quit smoking. This study aims to identify the prevalence andpredictors of airflow limitation among smokers in primary care.Methods: Current smokers ≥ 40 years old who were asymptomatic clinic attendees in aprimary care setting were recruited consecutively for two months. We used a two-step strategy.Step 1: participants filled in a questionnaire. Step 2: Assessment of airflow limitation using apocket spirometer. Multiple logistic regression was utilised to determine the best risk predictorsfor airflow limitation.Results: Three hundred participants were recruited. Mean age was 58.35 (SD 10.30) yearsold and mean smoking history was 34.56 pack-years (SD 25.23). One in two smokers were found tohave airflow limitation; the predictors were Indian ethnicity, prolonged smoking pack-year historyand Lung Function Questionnaire score ≤ 18. Readiness to quit smoking and the awareness ofCOPD were low.Conclusions: The high prevalence of airflow limitation and low readiness to quit smokingimply urgency with helping smokers to quit smoking. Identifying airflow limitation as an additionalmotivator for smoking cessation intervention may be considered. A two-step case-finding methodis potentially feasible.

Aims: Plant diseases caused by pathogens are threatening crop yield. Agrochemicals are used extensively to curb pathogens. Efforts to reduce the usage of agrochemicals are needed for sustainable agriculture. This study was aimed to screen medicinal plants possessing antifungal properties against crop pathogenic fungi. Methodology and results: Sequential extraction using absolute n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol was performed on nine selected medicinal plants to obtain crude extract. An antifungal assay using these crude extracts was performed on Fusarium solani, Collectotrichum musae and two isolates of Pyricularia oryzae. The assay showed that medicinal plant species with all three types of crude extract inhibited the growth of all three pathogenic fungal species tested. The inhibitory effects of crude extracts were not only fungal species dependent but also isolate dependent. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Antifungal effect of nine selected medicinal plant species was observed against the three tested fungal pathogens. These research findings suggest that the selected medicinal plant species may serve as a potential source for the development of new biofungicide products.
Plants, Medicinal