Clinical Effects of Lithospermum Ruderale Dosage and Using-time on Medicinal Abortion Induced by Mifepristone and Misoprostol

The clinical effects of dosage during the period of treatment of Lithospermum Ruderale extract-a kind of Chinese traditional herbal medicine-on medicinal abortion induced by mifepristone and misoprostol were studied. Lithospermum Ruderale extract was administrated 3 d before, 3 d after or 3 d before plus 3 d after the administration of misoprostol respectively. The dose of Lithospermum Ruderale extract was 50 g, 75 g or 100 g respectively. Thus 1 350 women of early pregnancy were grouped into 9 groups and observed. The results showed that the effects of Lithospermum Ruderale used 3 d before, and 3 d before plus 3 d after (6 days misoprostol were significantly better than those only used 3 d after misoprostol both for complete abortion and bleeding (P<0.05). The dosage between 50 g and 100 g made no significant difference in clinical effects. Therefore it is reasonable to use 50 g Lithospermum Ruderale before misoprostol to improve medicinal abortion.

Pampa Biome Native Plant Appreciation by the Analysis of <i>Glandularia peruviana</i>(L.) Cuttings Growth

A native plant of Biome Pampa (Southern Brazil), the Glandularia peruviana (L.) Small species has been, until now, little studied as ornamental plant for use as mulch and formation of massifs. Whilst this species didn’t suffer any genetic improvement process, it is extremely ornamental by its color and size. In order to promote its comercial propagation and its use to improve the Pampa biodiversity, this study was conducted to know, as a ruderal plant native from South America, how the behavior of the plants was when employed plant propagation and use of artificial auxin on the cuttings. The test consisted of assessing the growth of cuttings treated or not with indol-butyric acid, analyzed at diferent ages, at 21, 24, 27 and 31 days in the University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil. It was observed that the plant total dry mass values showed no standard of behavior, values for dry matter, whether of leaves, stem, root, shoot and total not responded to treatments and analyzed ages. The same occurred for specific leaf weight, plant height, number of green leaves, number of dead leaves, average leaf length and average number of stems. The lack of significant treatment and age effects may be explained by the plant primitiveness, which is ruderal, so its development has little influenced by the propagation practices.

Clinical Effects of Lithospermum Ruderal on Medical Abortion by Mifepristone with Misoprostol

Early pregnancies(<42d)in 600 women were terminated respectively by mifepristone and Lithospermum Ruderal with misoprostol or mifepristone with misoprostol. The results showed that the rate of complete abortion(99.00%)of 300 women by mifepristone and Lithospermum Ruderal with misoprostol was significantly higher than that (92. 33%)of the other 300 women by mifepristone with misoprostol(P<0.01).The average length of time of embryo removal(54.01±7.55 h)and the rate of embryo removal (82.33%)within 6 hours after administration of misoprostol of the former were significantly shorter and higher than those(56.41±9.93 h and 72.67%) of the latter(P<0.05 respectively).The average length of the bleeding time of the former(7.01±3.11d)was significantly shorter than that(8.09±5.63d)of the latter(P<0.05).The recovery of the menstruation of both was not significantly different from each other(P>0.05).In all, the medical abortion by mifepristone and Lithospermum Ruderal with misoprostol was even more successful,with less bleeding time.Therefore it is essential to make researches on the auxiliary effects of Lithospermum Ruderal on the medical abortion by mifepristone with misoprostol.

Seed bank dynamics of an invasive alien species, Helianthus annuus L.

Aims The ability to form persistent seed banks is one of the best predictors of species’potential to establish in new ranges.Wild sunflower is native to North America where the formation of persistent seed banks is promoted by disturbance and it plays a key role on the establishment and persistence of native populations.However,the role of the seed banks on the establishment and persistence of invasive populations has not been studied.Here,we evaluated the role of seed bank and disturbance on the establishment and fitness,and seed persistence in the soil in several sunflower biotypes collected in ruderal(wild Helianthus annuus)and agrestal(natural crop–wild hybrid)habitats of Argentina as well as volunteer populations(progeny of commercial cultivars).Methods In a seed-bank experiment,we evaluated emergence,survival to reproduction,survival of emerged seedlings,inflorescences per plant and per plot under disturbed and undisturbed conditions over 2 years;in a seed-burial experiment,we evaluated seed persistence in the soil over four springs(6,18,30 and 42 months).Important Findings Overall,seedling emergence was early in the growing season(during winter),and it was promoted by disturbance,especially in the first year.Despite this,the number of inflorescences per plot was similar under both conditions,especially in ruderals.In the second year,emergence from the seed bank was much lower,but the survival rate was higher.In the seed-burial experiment,genetic differences were observed but seeds of ruderals and agrestals persisted up to 42 months while seeds of the volunteer did not persist longer than 6 months.The agrestal biotype showed an intermediate behavior between ruderals and volunteers in both experiments.Our findings showed that wild and crop–wild sunflower can form persistent seed banks outside its native range and that disturbance may facilitate its establishment in new areas.