Therapeutic Potential of Pectin and Its Derivatives in Chronic Diseases.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are described as a collection of chronic diseases that do not typically develop from an acute infection, have long-term health effects, and frequently require ongoing care and therapy. These diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic lung disease, neurological diseases, osteoporosis, mental health disorders, etc. Known synthetic drugs for the treatment or prevention of NCDs become increasingly dangerous over time and pose high risks due to side effects such as hallucination, heart attack, liver failure, etc. As a result, scientists have had to look for other alternatives that are natural products and that are known to be less detrimental and contain useful bioactive compounds. The increasing understanding of the biological and pharmacological significance of carbohydrates has helped to raise awareness of their importance in living systems and medicine, given they play numerous biological roles. For example, pectin has been identified as a class of secondary metabolites found in medicinal plants that may play a significant role in the treatment and management of a variety of NCDs. Pectin is mainly made of homogalacturonan, which is a linear polymer composed primarily of D-galacturonic acid units (at least 65%) linked in a chain by α-(1,4)-glycosidic linkages. There are also modified pectins or derivatives that improve pectin's bioavailability. Pectin is found in the cell walls of higher plants (pteridophytes, angiosperms, and gymnosperms), particularly in the middle lamella of the plant material. Citrus pectin is used in various industries. This article compiles information that has been available for years about the therapeutic importance of pectin in chronic diseases, different modes of pectin extraction, the chemistry of pectin, and the potency of pectin and its derivatives.

Village chicken production and food security: a two-decade bibliometric analysis of global research trends.

Background: The present study aimed to reveal outputs of research works on village chicken production as a tool to combat food insecurity, taking into account the recurring challenge posed by food shortage and high rise in hunger among vulnerable people of several countries. Results: On aggregate, 104 publications were obtained in a BibTeX design for analysis using bibliometric package in R studio. The obtained data comprised, but not limited to authors, citations, institutions, key words and journals. Published articles on village chicken production with relation to food security retrieved from web of science (WOS) and Scopus data banks were utilized with a rise in research publications of a yearly growth of 12.93% during the study period. With regard to country, USA was ranked first with an aggregate sum of publications (n = 16), and a huge global academic influence with most top article citations (n = 509). The frequently used authors' keywords in this studied research area were food security (n = 23), poultry (n = 9), chickens (n = 7), backyard poultry (n = 5), gender (n = 4), which all together created a hint on related studies on village chicken production and food security. Conclusions: The present study provides a worldwide situation that traverse the intellectual quandary on village chicken production and food security research, and a direction for further researches in this field. It is very vital to emphasize that the current study only dealt with principal areas of village chicken production as related to food security research, hence, it is projected that new empirical research and prospective research findings would afford new knowledge and insight on village chicken production as a means to address food security challenges as new studies evolves.

Out-Look on Worldwide Trends of Related Studies on Citrus Waste as Feed for Livestock Production: A Scientometric Analysis.

The present study aimed to reveal the abundant tapestry of research on citrus waste and livestock feed, taking into account the recurring challenges posed by feed shortage and high price of conventional animal feed in livestock farming. In total, 565 articles were retrieved in a BibTeX format for analysis using bibliometric package in R studio. The retrieved data included, but not restricted to authors, citations, keywords, journals, and institutions. Published outputs on citrus waste and animal feed for livestock production obtained from Scopus and web of science (WOS) databases were used in this study. The field of citrus waste and livestock feed research experienced an increase in terms of research outputs with an annual growth of 10.20% during the study period. Based on the country level, Brazil was rated first with an aggregate sum of publications (n = 81), with China having a huge global academic influence with most top article citations (n = 1,338). The topmost authors' keywords commonly used in the studied research area were citrus pulp (n = 48), pectin (n = 26), performance (n = 22), and citrus (n = 33), which created a hint on associated studies on citrus waste and livestock feed. The present study provides a global trend to traverse the intellectual quandary on citrus waste and livestock feed research, and guidance for further studies in this field. It is essential to stress that the present study only dealt with core areas of citrus waste and livestock feed research, hence, it is anticipated that new empirical research and prospective solutions would afford new knowledge insight on citrus waste and livestock feed as new studies evolve.

The Medicinal Natural Products of Cannabis sativa Linn.: A Review.

Cannabis sativa is known among many cultures for its medicinal potential. Its complexity contributes to the historical application of various parts of the plant in ethno-medicines and pharmacotherapy. C. sativa has been used for the treatment of rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, skin burns, pain, the management of sexually transmitted diseases, difficulties during child labor, postpartum hemorrhage, and gastrointestinal activity. However, the use of C. sativa is still limited, and it is illegal in most countries. Thus, this review aims to highlight the biological potential of the plant parts, as well as the techniques for the extraction, isolation, and characterization of C. sativa compounds. The plant produces a unique class of terpenophenolic compounds, called cannabinoids, as well as non-cannabinoid compounds. The exhaustive profiling of bioactive compounds and the chemical characterization and analysis of C. sativa compounds, which modern research has not yet fully achieved, is needed for the consistency, standardization, and the justified application of Cannabis sativa products for therapeutic purposes. Studies on the clinical relevance and applications of cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid phenols in the prevention and treatment of life-threatening diseases is indeed significant. Furthermore, psychoactive cannabinoids, when chemically standardized and administered under medical supervision, can be the legal answer to the use of C. sativa.

Global Research Trends on the Use of Nanotechnology to Boost Meat Production: A Scientometric Analysis.

Meat production plays a vital socioeconomic role for sustainable development and for promoting food security in most countries. However, not much is known about research agendas done globally and the advancement of knowledge-generating networks in this area of study. The present study aims to reveal and analyze scientific research outputs on meat production linked with recent nanotechnology research work done till date. A compilation of research advancement and development within the sphere was realized through a scientometric study to comprehend the trend of research outputs, scientific impacts, authors' involvement, collaboration networks, and the advancement of knowledge gaps for future research endeavors on the current subject matter. Scholarly published articles were retrieved from the web of science (WOS) and Scopus databases from 1985 to 2020 and they were merged together using bibliometric package in R studio. All duplicated articles (438) from both data bases were excluded. A combination of terms (nano* AND (livestock* OR meat* OR beef* OR mutton* OR pork* OR chevon* OR chicken* OR turkey*)), and conversely analyzed for scientometric indices. A collection of 656 peer-reviewed, research articles were retrieved for the study period and authored by 2,133 researchers with a collaboration index of 3.31. The research outputs were highest in the year 2020 with total research outputs of 140 articles. The topmost three authors' keywords commonly used by authors were nanoparticles, meat, and chitosan with a respective frequency of 75, 62, and 57. China, Iran, and India ranked top in terms of meat production research outputs linked to nanotechnology and total citation with respective article productivity (total citations) of 160 (3,193), 111 (1,765), and 37 (552). Our findings revealed an increasing trend in research (with an annual growth rate of 25.18%) tending toward advancing meat production with the use of nanotechnology. Likewise, there is an increasing pointer to the fact that research work on nanotechnology and meat production has the prospect to influence positively, decision-making on research direction, and collaborations, hereby increasing the production of meat and its products in the future.