Welcome to this edition of the JoCB Bulletin containing items of information for the Chemical Biology Community
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JOCB BULLETIN
Welcome to this edition of the JoCB Bulletin containing items of information for the Chemical Biology Community
To reflect the expanded membership of the editorial board a wider range of conferences have been gathered together. As editor of this section I would welcome any contributions or suggestions about its content that would be of interest to the expanding Chemical Biology Community Dr C A Rosser Director of Studies Rye St Antony School Oxford OX3 OBY United Kingdom
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J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
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J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
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J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
J Chem Biol (2009) 2:105–112
Recently, Springer published two medicinal plant books, ‘Herbal Drugs: Ethnomedicine to Modern Medicine’, edited by K.G. Ramawat, and ‘Bioactive Molecules and Medicinal Plants’, edited by K.G. Ramawat and J.M. Merillon. Both books consider the above-mentioned issues using a chemical and molecular biology-oriented approach towards the assessment of potential activities of traditionally used medicinal plants and the efficient and renewable sourcing of their bioactive principles using biotechnology. Reflecting current trends in the life sciences, most of the plant-derived pharmaceuticals dealt with in both books refer to conditions directly or implicitly involving inflammatory signaling and apoptosis (e.g., cancer, the immune system, and neuronal protection). These two informative books complement each other. Their layouts are very similar, clearly sub-structured, supported with skeletal formulas, and illustrated mainly with black and white photographs, schemes, tables, and graphs. The following reviews outline the approach adopted by each book for their suggested audiences. As the books complement each other, potential readers would be advised to consult the table of contents to see which book best fits their needs. These can be downloaded from the Springer webpages: http://www.springer.com/chemistry/book/978-3-540-79115-7 and http://www.springer.com/chemistry/biotech/book/978-3-54074600-3.
Bioactive Molecules and Medicinal Plants
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World Health Organization, one of the key challenges for the future of herbal medicine is ‘to preserve both plant populations and knowledge on how to use them for medicinal purposes’. For an expanding population in poor countries, their local, traditional plant medicine is the only choice of treatment, whereas in developed countries, herbal products have become increasingly popular and commercially profitable. ‘Bioactive Molecules and Medicinal Plants’ focusses on the biotechnological production of certain sought-after secondary plant metabolites. It is a compilation of 20 practically oriented articles that will be most useful for all interested in biotechnology and agricultural sciences, and in particular, researchers dealing with pharmacognosy or ethnobotany. Two stimulating general chapters that would also appeal to a less specialised audience inform the reader of the history of medicinal pla
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