BACKGROUND The therapeutic and health promoting role of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) from fish, i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) are well known. These same benefits may however be shared by some of their precursors, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4 n-3). In order to obtain alternative sources ...

BACKGROUND Today most of herbal medicines are marketing without any standard safety profiles. Although common assumption is that these products are nontoxic but this assumption may be incorrect and dangerous, so toxicological studies should be done for herbal drugs. According to the frequent use of Echium amoenum as immunostimulant and useful in conditions including pain, cough, sore throat and...

Ptilostemon greuteri is one of the most endangered and poorly studied woody vascular plant species Mediterranean Basin, endemic to Sicily (Italy). Several peculiar traits confer P. a character uniqueness an enigmatic attractiveness. In fact, at first glimpse largest individuals this remind remarkable cases herbaceous genera (e.g., Echium, Senecio) turned on insular or insular-like mountain ecos...

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose a serious threat to biodiversity, agriculture, health, and economies globally. Accurate mapping of IAPs is crucial for their management, mitigate impacts prevent further spread where possible. Remote sensing has become valuable tool in detecting IAPs, especially with freely available data such as Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Yet, remote methods map herbaceous ...

Floral nectar is a chemically complex aqueous solution within which several secondary metabolites have been identified that affect attractiveness for pollinators. Understanding preferences and aversions to quality in flower visitors crucial since this may influence the patterns of insect floral visitation with consequences on plant fitness. We hypothesise chemical variation through different se...

Pontechium maculatum (Boraginaceae) is a species of high conservation concern in the Bulgarian flora. It assigned national IUCN category ‘Vulnerable’, legally protected according to Biological Diversity Act, and listed Annex II Habitats Directive (Council 92/43/EEC). Recent studies one largest populations country revealed some new data about which are reported here. The population studied situa...