1.Ethnobotanical studies on the wild edible plants of Irula tribes of Pillur Valley, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2012;(z3):1493-1497
Objective: To conduct an ethnobotanical studies and collect information about the wild edible plants collected and utilized by the Irula tribes of Pillur valley, Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: The study was conducted among the Irula peoples of Pillur valley through survey, interview and field work along with the knowledgeable individuals during January 2009 -September 2010. All the traditional and other knowledge related to the collection and consumption of wild edible plants on which the communities depend was documented. Results: A total of 74 plant species have been recorded as wild edible in the study areas, of which, fruits yielding plants ranked first with 42 species, green leaves, tubers, young shoots and flowers ranked next with 26, 7, 4 and 2 species respectively. Conclusions: Our study revealed that the adivasi community in the Pillur Valley continues to have and use the knowledge about the wild edible plants, including their habitat, collection period, sustainable collection, mode of preparation and consumption. To date, this knowledge appear to be fairly well conserved and used as a result of continued reliance of local community on the wild uncultivated foods.
4.Is there a seasonal pattern of bipolar mood disorder among patients admitted at the neuro-psychiatric unit in the Philippines?
Chia Stella May L. ; Jurilla Eduardo L.
The Philippine Journal of Psychiatry 2003;28(2):3-7
OBJECTIVES:
The focus of this study is to establish Filipino data on the seasonality of bipolar mood disorder.
METHODS:
The seasonal pattern of 293 psychiatric hospital admissions and referrals for treatment of hypomanic, manic, depressed, and mixed bipolar episodes over a 3-year period were analyzed on a quarterly and bi-annual distribution of wet and dry season, using statistical analyses.
RESULTS:
No significant differences in frequency of admissions for hypomanic, manic, and depressed episodes were noted using quarterly and bi-annual distribution. Although there was no significant difference noted in the quarterly occurrence of mixed episode bipolar disorder for the years 2001 and 2002 respectively, when the over-all distribution of mixed episode bipolar disorder was compared, a significant difference was noted (Goodness of fit X2 =6.00; p 0.05 and Goodness of fit X2 = 2.00; p 0.05 respectively). A pattern was noted in that the peak occurrence was during the first quarter -January to March-and a nadir on the third quarter -July to September, which, was the same for the year 2000.
CONCLUSION:
The findings from this study of the Filipino sample is suggestive that proposed chief mechanism of seasonality of mood disorder which is the neurobiologic changes associated with the photoperiod may not adequately apply to occurrence of episodes of bipolar mood disorder in tropical geographic locations where there are no extreme variations in photoperiods, temperature, and climate.
Human
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Male
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Female
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Aged
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Middle Aged
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Adult
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Young Adult
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Adolescent
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Child
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BIPOLAR DISORDER
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MOOD DISORDERS
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DEPRESSION
5.Four cases of Kennedy's disease in three families earlier diagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Martinez Teresita L ; Rosales Raymond L
Philippine Journal of Neurology 2004;8(1):47-50
Kennedys disease (KD) is a rare, slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain stem. Most of the cases of KD in clinical practice are misdiagnosed. The knowledge of the initial presentation, the range of age within which the disease would manifest and the clinical course of the disease would be very helpful to better manage and anticipate the outcome of such cases. This report highlights the typical earliest presentation of KD and the clearcut clinical picture of KD that differentiates it from other motor neuron diseases of grave scenario and prognosis We report clinical details of 4 male patients with KD seen in our center. Diagnosis of these four patients were based on their clinical picture the time they were first seen. Common features in their history and presentation were the onset of prolonged and intermittent muscle cramps followed by weakness and atrophy of the muscles involved. All of them developed gynecomastia. Three of them have concomitant diabetes, and one has thyroid problem. All of them were initially diagnosed as Amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis.
Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Bulbo-spinal Atrophy, X-linked ; Muscle Cramp ; Gynecomastia ; Motor Neuron Disease ; Nerve Degeneration ; Brain Stem ; Diabetes Mellitus
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