Dioscin, a saponin extracted from the root of Polygonatum Zanlanscianense Pamp, markedly inhibited proliferation of Hela cells. The results indicated that Hela cells underwent apoptosis in dose- and time-dependent manners when treated with Dioscin. Caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities were also detected. The low enzymatic activity of caspase-8 and high activity of caspase-9 showed that the mitochond...

AIM OF THE STUDY The current study was designed to establish the pharmacological rationale for the traditional use of the rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum in the treatment of painful conditions and as a plant diuretic. MATERIALS AND METHODS The crude methanolic extract of the rhizomes of Polygonatumverticillatum (PR) was tested in various established pain models in rodents at 50, 100 and...

Conservation focuses on maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but gaps in our knowledge of species biology and ecological processes often impede progress. For this reason, focal species and habitats are used as surrogates for multispecies conservation, but species-based approaches are not widely adopted in marine ecosystems. Reserves in the Solomon Islands were designed on the bas...

PD Massey, R Asugeni, J Wakageni, E Kekeubata, J Maena'aadi, J Laete'esafi, J Waneagea, H Harrington, G Fangaria, D MacLaren, R Speare Health Protection, Hunter New England Population Health, Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Malaita, Solomon Islands Community leader, East Kwaio, Solomon Islands School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Queen...

Periodically-harvested closures are commonly employed within co-management frameworks to help manage small-scale, multi-species fisheries in the Indo-Pacific. Despite their widespread use, the benefits of periodic harvesting strategies for multi-species fisheries have, to date, been largely untested. We examine catch and effort data from four periodically-harvested reef areas and 55 continuousl...

The current study was undertaken to evaluate the rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum against various pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Broad spectrum antibacterial activity was demonstrated by the crude extract of the plant and its subsequent solvent fractions; predominantly against Gram-negative bacteria. MICs of the extracts against Escherchia coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexeneri were...

Quantitative models of the species-area-distance relation, based on equilibria between immigration and extinction rates, have been tested against data for birds on 52 Solomon islands. Biologically reasonable models account for 98% of the variance in species number. The data are adequate to permit determination of immigration and extinction curves and the values of seven associated parameters. T...

INTRODUCTION Atoifi Adventist Hospital is a 90 bed general hospital in East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands providing services to the population of subsistence villagers of the region. Health professionals at the hospital and attached College of Nursing have considerable human capacity and willingness to undertake health research. However they are constrained by limited research experience, tra...