BackgroundTraditional knowledge of indigenous plants is pivotal in developing strategies to feed livestock sustainably in low input systems. Likewise, in Pakistan the indigenous people of Central Punjab have been using their regional grasses as a ruminant fodder for centuries. This study evaluated the indigenous traditional knowledge to ascertain the value of various fodder grasses to optimise their use to feed livestock in Central Punjab.MethodsThe snowball technique was employed to identify key informants who had relevant knowledge about different grasses in the study area. Semi-structured questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and site visits were used for describing the fodder grasses. The data were then analysed by using relative frequency citation and pairwise comparison methods to determine the order of priority among the listed fodder grasses. Furthermore, SPSS 22 software was used for descriptive statistics and interpretation of associations among studied parameters. Microsoft Excel was used to present data as % values and graphs.ResultsOverall, 53 grasses were described with ethnobotanical information regarding their uses for fodder, ethnoveterinary and other purposes. All these grasses belonged to the family Poaceae where the subfamily Panicoideae had the maximum number of 30 grasses. We categorized these grasses into high (A), medium (B) and low priority (C) groups where the group A grasses were reported as not only the most abundant but also the most palatable forages to all ruminants. Their higher demand was reflected by the feeding systems of both ad libitum grazing and feeding after cutting and mixing with other feeds. The study also revealed 37 previously unreported ethnoveterinary uses of these grasses.ConclusionsThe results have reinforced the value of conserving ethnobotanical knowledge, being poorly documented previously, in developing strategies to feed livestock. It indicated the preferred fodder grasses as well as the possible reasons of their preference. The reported data need to be validated for nutritional and health benefits. This information could help the smallholder farmers in association with regional governments to propagate suitable fodder grasses for their use in sustainable livestock feeding to produce safe and healthy food for indigenous communities.

We evaluate outcome of in-home diagnostic ambulatory video-EEG monitoring (AVEM) performed on a nationwide cohort of patients over one calendar year, and we compare our findings with outcomes of inpatient adult and pediatric VEM performed during the same year at two academic epilepsy centers. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. We obtained AVEM outcome data from an independent ambulatory-EEG testing facility. Inpatient VEM data from a 4-bed adult epilepsy center and an 8-bed pediatric epilepsy center were also included. Primary outcome measure was composite percentage of VEM records with epileptiform activity on EEG tracings or at least one video-recorded pushbutton event. We assessed patient-reported symptoms documented in AVEM event diaries. Results: Of 9221 AVEM recordings performed across 28 states, 62.5% attained primary outcome. At least one patient-activated pushbutton event was captured on video in 54% of AVEM recordings (53.6% in adults, 56.1% in children). Epileptiform activity was reported in 1657 (18.0%) AVEM recordings (1473 [88.9%] only interictal, 9 [0.5%] only ictal, 175 [10.6%] both interictal and ictal). Most common patient-reported symptomatology during AVEM pushbutton events was behavioral/autonomic/emotional in adults and children. Compared to AVEM, inpatient VEM captured more confirmed representative events in adult and pediatric samples. Conclusions: AVEM is useful for non-urgent diagnostic evaluation of events. 1. Introduction Despite cost, accessibility, and convenience advantages of diagnostic ambulatory video-EEG monitoring (AVEM) over inpatient VEM, some clinicians tend to favor inpatient VEM even when inpatient level-of-care may not be medically needed, mainly because of two

The restricted and repetitive behaviors of children with autism can interfere with family functioning as well as learning and socialization opportunities for the child. To date, neither pharmacological nor comprehensive behavioral treatments have been found to be consistently effective at significantly reducing children’s engagement in repetitive behaviors. We developed Family-Implemented Treatment for Behavioral Inflexibility (FITBI) to target the full variety of repetitive behaviors found in autism. For the current study, a therapist and parents of five children with autism (mean age = 48 months) co-implemented FITBI in a clinic setting over a 12-week treatment period. Using single case design methodology, significant reductions in repetitive behaviors were found for all participants and maintenance of treatment effects for 4 of 5 participants.

The corneal endothelium is the innermost cell layer of the cornea and rests on Descemet's membrane consisting of various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins which can directly affect the cellular behaviors such as cell adhesion, proliferation, polarity, morphogenesis and function. The objective of this study was to investigate the interactions between the ECM environment and human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs), with the ultimate goal to improve cell proliferation and function in vitro. To evaluate the interaction of HCECs with ECM proteins, cells were seeded on ECM-coated tissue culture dishes, including collagen type I (COL I), collagen type IV (COL IV), fibronectin (FN), FNC coating mix (FNC) and laminin (LM). Cell adhesion and proliferation of HCECs on each substratum and expression of CEC markers were studied. The results showed that HCECs plated on the COL I, COL IV, FN and FNC-coated plates had enhanced cell adhesion initially; the number for COL I, COL IV, FN and FNC was significantly higher than the control (P < 0.05). In addition, cells grown on ECM protein-coated dishes showed more compact cellular morphology and CEC marker expression compared to cells seeded on uncoated dishes. Collectively, our results suggest that an adequate ECM protein combination can provide a long-term culture environment for HCECs for corneal endothelium transplantation.

Corneal transplantation is a common transplant procedure used to improve visual acuity by replacing the opaque or distorted host tissue with clear healthy donor tissue. However, its clinical utility is limited due to a lack of donor supply of high-quality corneas. Bioengineered neocorneas, created using an expandable population of human donor-derived corneal endothelial cells (HCECs), could address this shortage. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate HCEC sourcing with various isolation methods, including enzymatic digestion, culture medium components, and adhesive proteins. HCECs were obtained from corneas obtained from various aged donors after endothelial keratoplasty. Under a dissection microscope, the Descemet's membrane, including the attached corneal endothelium, was stripped from the stroma, and the cells were isolated and expanded by explant culture or by enzymatic digestion with enzymes such as collagenase II, dispase, or trypsin. In order to improve the initial cell attachment, tissue culture plates were coated with collagen IV, fibronectin, or fibronectin-collagen combination coating mix (FNC) before cell plating. We were able to successfully obtain HCECs from 32% (86/269) of donor corneas. Donor age and isolation method influenced the characteristics of the resulting in vitro HCEC culture. Under all conditions tested, FNC-coated plates showed higher quality cultures than the other coatings tested. These results suggest that donor age and HCEC isolation methodology are the two factors that most directly affect the quality of the resulting HCEC culture in vitro. These factors should guide the methodological development for the clinical expansion of HCECs for the generation of bioengineered neocorneas.

In the present study light and scanning electron microscopic approaches were used to study the palynological variations among 30 Asteroideae members. Variety of qualitative and quantitative palynological characters like pollen shape and type, pollen sculpturing, pollen size, P/E ratio, exine and intine thickness, interspecific difference, colpi size, pore size, spines length, spine width, and pollen fertility were observed. Results reported remarkable variations among pollen characters of studied taxa. The shape of pollen grains in polar and equatorial views varied from specie to specie such as spheroidal, prolate, oblate, subspheroidal, oblate spheroidal, prolate spheroidal, suboblate, and sub prolate. Bidens pilosa L. showed maximum pollen size in both polar and equatorial views, whereas minimum pollen size in polar view was found in Tetraneuris scaposa (DC.) Greene. (i.e., 30.5 μm) and in equatorial view was found in Cosmos sulphureus Cav. (25.5 μm).The highest P/E ratio (1.39 μm) was measured in Glebionis coronaria L. The values of exine and intine thickness also varied. Tricolporate, tetracolporate, trizonocolporate, pentoporate, and polypentoporate pollen types were examined. Spinateand echinate pollen sculpturingobserved under SEM. Variations in spine length and width also recorded. The maximum pollen fertility (98%) was measured in Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. and the lowest (56%) was recorded in Thymophylla tenuiloba (DC.) Small. It was concluded that the variations in qualitative and quantitative characters were seemed to be valuable for the taxonomic investigations of Asteroideae taxa.

This study was carried out to identify 20 high valued medicinal plants of District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan with the help of the palynological studies. The distinguishing characteristics for selected species were found by systematized methods using light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. In this study, important pollen qualitative and quantitative features of these medicinal species such as polar and equatorial outline and their diameter, P/E ratio, presence or absence of pore, sculpturing of pollen, exine thickness, intine thickness, intercellular distance of exine and intine, presence or absence of spines, length of spines, width of spines, presence or absence of colpi and length of colpi, were compared. Remarkable variations in these pollen characters have been observed. Pollen grains were usually circular-semicircular (Calendula officinalis), spheroidal (Convolvulus arvensis), bilobed and trilobed (Convolvulus arvensis), spiny, (Abutilon indicum), oblate (Terminalia chebula) and elongated (Euphorbia pilulifera). In polar view Conyza bonariensis exhibited the highest pollen size [195.9 (211.6-180.2) μm]. While in equatorial view Calendula officinalis and Euphorbia pilulifera had lowest value [22.5 (20-25) μm] whereasCarissa carandas [165 (140-179) μm] appeared to be the largest. Parthenium hysterophorus showed the highest P/E ratio, that is, 1.28. Colpi were reported in only 7 species. Most of the plants showed 100% fertility but Terminalia chebula showed the least value 35%. In the present, project the diversity in pollen morphology present pollen as a valuable taxonomic tool. It is also concluded that pollen features are helpful at the specific level as well as generic level and can provide us fruitful taxonomic solutions. Research HighlightsPalynological flora of the medicinal plant species of district Lahore, Pakistan is investigated first time on the basis of LM and SEM and the flora is found very significant for taxonomic investigations. K E Y W O R D S light microscopy, medicinal plants, palynology, scanning electron microscopy, taxonomic significance

The present study was carried out on scanning electron microscopic‐based palynological characterization of selected 20 Euphorbiaceae taxa. In this study, important pollen qualitative and quantitative features of selected Euphorbiaceae species such as polar diameter, equatorial diameter, P/E ratio, sculpturing of pollen, exine thickness, intine thickness, presence or absence of colpi and length of colpi, and pollen fertility were examined. Remarkable variations in these pollen characters had been observed among these species. In both polar and equatorial views, Riccinus communis L. exhibited the highest pollen size (polar = 264.1 μm, Equatorial = 270 μm), while Acalypha wilkesiana Mull Arg. showed lowest pollen size (Polar = 17 μm, Equatorial = 18.5 μm). Most of the pollen varied from oblate to spheroidal in shape. With regard to the P/E ratio, Sapium sebiferum L. Roxb showed the highest ratio while Bischofia javanica Blume showed minimum, that is, 1.18 and 0.85, respectively. Intine and exine thickness also varied. Most of the pollen grains were monade. Tricolporate, tricolpate, monocolpate, pentaporate, and polyporate pollen aperture types have been observed. Most of the plants showed regular, reticulate, and echinate pollen sculpturing. Pollen fertility also varied from species to species but most of the plant showed pollen fertility between 70 and 80%. Through this work, it has been concluded that quantitative and qualitative pollen features are helpful at the specific level as well as the generic level and can provide a fruitful taxonomic solution.