An investigation, on the roots of Piper nigrum and the aerial parts of Piper betle, has yielded several alkaloids. The dried root sample of Piper nigrum was extracted using various solvents in increasing polarity. The dried aerial part of Piper betle was extracted using the Soxhlet extraction method. The alkaloids isolated were pellitorine(1), (E)-1-[3’,4’(Methylenedioxy)cinnamoyl]piperidine(2)...

Background. Asthma and obesity are common; however the impact of obesity upon asthma remains uncertain. Objectives. To assess relationships between obesity and fat mass with airway inflammation, lung function, and disease control in patients with refractory asthma. Methods. 151 refractory asthma patients were characterised for measures of airway inflammation, lung function, Juniper asthma contr...

The commonly known Pimenta longa is a commercially valuable natural resource found wild in Acre, Brazil. Specifically, three Piperaceae species with contested taxonomic status were studied, Piper hispidinervum, Piper aduncum, and Piper hispidum, to assesses the interand intra-specific genetic relationship of 49 Piper genotypes kept in the Pimenta longa germplasm collection at Embrapa Acre, usin...

Swietenia mahagoni Jacq. commonly known as West Indian Mahogany belongs to the family Meliaceae and is a valuable tree of commercial and ethno pharmacological importance. The present review aims to compile the scattered information regarding the morphological features, chemical constituents and medicinal importance of the plant. The different parts of S. mahagoni Jacq. (Leaves, bark, fruits) ar...

The wax layer covering the insect's cuticle plays an important protective role, as for example, uncontrolled water loss. In social insects, wax production is well-known in some bees that use it for nest building. Curiously, mated-fertile queens of the ant Ectatomma tuberculatum produce an uncommon extra-wax coat and, consequently queens (mated-fertile females) are matte due to such extra cuticu...

It is known that, in vitro, PIPER (N,N'-bis [2-(1-piperidino)ethyl]-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide) induces the formation of the Hoogsteen quadruplex structure in telomere DNA, thus inhibiting the polymerisation of telomeric repeats. Since the action of PIPER in vivo has been scarcely investigated, this study was addressed to gain some insight into the effects of this drug on cultured HeLa ce...

Human body models (HBMs) have the potential to provide significant insights into the pediatric response to impact. This study describes a scalable/posable approach to perform child accident reconstructions using the Position and Personalize Advanced Human Body Models for Injury Prediction (PIPER) scalable child HBM of different ages and in different positions obtained by the PIPER tool. Overall...

In Flora Costaricensis, William Burger of the Field Museum in Chicago considered eight of the Piper species that occur in Costa Rica to make up the P. obliquum complex, and six additional species to be closely allied to it (Fig. 9.1; Burger 1971). Piper calcariformis, an additional species assignable to the P. obliquum complex, was later described by Tebbs (1989). Although Burger did not apply ...

The genus Piper is an important component of tropical forests worldwide. Many Piper species have been reported as self-compatible (Figueiredo & Sazima 2000), and many have the ability to reproduce asexually, forming clonal aggregations (Grieg 1993). Furthermore, the main dispersers of Piper (bats) transport whole infructescences to feeding roosts (Fleming & Heithaus 1981), tending to disperse c...