Piper betle (L) is a popular medicinal plant in Asia. Plant leaves have been used as a traditional medicine to treat various health conditions. It is highly abundant and inexpensive, therefore promoting further research and industrialization development, including in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Articles published from 2010 to 2020 were reviewed in detail to show recent updates on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of betel leaves. This current review showed that betel leaves extract, essential oil, preparations, and isolates could inhibit microbial growth and kill various Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as fungal species, including those that are multidrug-resistant and cause serious infectious diseases. P. betle leaves displayed high efficiency on Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The ratio of MBC/MIC indicated bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects of P. betle leaves, while MFC/MIC values showed fungicidal and fungistatic effects. This review also provides a list of phytochemical compounds in betel leaves extracts and essential oils, safety profiles, and value-added products of betel leaves. Some studies also showed that the combination of betel leaves extract and essential oil with antibiotics (streptomycin, chloramphenicol and gentamicin) could provide potentiating antibacterial properties. Moreover, this review delivers a scientific resume for researchers in respected areas and manufacturers who want to develop betel leaves-based products.

Many working equids in developing countries experience poor health and welfare due to environmental and management factors. Collecting baseline data on these populations is essential to inform education projects to improve equid health and welfare. Gili Trawangan is an island in Indonesia that has no motor vehicles and a working pony population of approximately 200. This pilot study sought to determine baseline data on their health, welfare, and husbandry to inform future health and welfare strategies. A cross-sectional study was performed in May 2017 consisting of a pony cart driver questionnaire (n = 33) and a basic pony health examination (n = 38). The body condition scores of ponies were 3/5 (60.5%), 2/5 (31.6%), and 1/5 (7.9%), while 38% and 92% of ponies had lameness and foot pathology, respectively, and 31 ponies (86.1%) had at least one wound. Thirty percent of cart drivers stated they would work their ponies despite evidence of injury or illness. Limited education, poor access to veterinary services, and remoteness pose barriers to improving pony health and welfare. Our results indicate a need for, and can help inform, targeted education programmes to improve the lives of working ponies and protect livelihoods and tourism on Gili Trawangan.

Bulung sangu (Gracilaria sp.) is commonly consumed as vegetable in Bali. Bulung sangu as other red macroalgae (Rhodophyta) is a source of beneficial nutrient for health. In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75% and 100%) of methanol, ethanol, and acetone in water were used as solvent in extraction of bulung sangu. The antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of crude extract of bulung sangu were investigated using various in vitro assay. The extract obtained by 75% of aqueous methanol produced higher extraction yield (27.390 ± 0.414 %). Highest total phenolic content was obtained by the using 100% of acetone (36.738 ± 1.062 mg galic acid equivalent/g ). The extract obtained by 100% of ethanol showed highest total flavonoid content (45.933 ± 0.563 mg quercetin equivalent/g). The same extract also exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity indicated by lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) (13.603 ± 0.413 µg/ml) evaluated by using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. This IC50 was lower than IC50 of ascorbic acid (18.593 ± 0.135 µg/ml). These results produce the suitable solvent in obtaining optimum phenolic and flavonoid content of bulung sangu. Likewise, the antioxidant activity results indicate that bulung sangu is useful in dietary application with a potential to reduce oxidative stress.

Pranajiwa plant is a medicinal plant that grows wildly and is classified as a rare plant. Currently, its existence is increasingly threatened. Pranajiwa grows around Indonesia and is known with several scientific names and morphological features due to unclear identification. Molecular identification is recommended to clarify its species. DNA Barcoding is considered the suitable method to identify pranajiwa plant molecularly. The purpose of this study was to optimized the PCR annealing temperature of EhcSnOla locus barcoding marker of pranajiwa plants collected from the coastal (Jimbaran), urban (Renon), and mountain (Bedugul) areas, representing three different areas in Bali. Research procedures include total DNA extraction, PCR procedure, and electrophoresis. The primers used in this study were EhoScnOla forward primer and EhoscnOla reverse primer. Five different temperatures were used for annealing temperature optimization: 51°C, 52°C, 55°C, 57°C, and 60°C. The result showed that all temperatures produced a clear, thick, and single electrophoresis band, indicating that all temperatures were suitable for the annealing temperature and the most optimal temperature is in the Mountains sample (Bedugul) which is 60°C. The Jimbaran, Renon, and Bedugul samples produced 882, 820, and 889 bp, respectively. EhcSnOla locus can be used as the barcoding marker to identify pranajiwa molecularly.