A long-standing debate about the existence of coconut in Panama in pre-Columbian times has recently been revived and its presence, as well as the ability of the first Spanish explorers to correctly identify coconut, has been questioned. Baudouin et al. (pp. 1–5) consult original sources and confirm that the Spanish chronicler Oviedo (1478–1557) effectively distinguished coconuts from other simi...

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance, coupled with the availability of fewer antifungal agents with fungicidal actions, prompted this present study to characterize Candida species in our environment and determine the effectiveness of virgin coconut oil as an antifungal agent on these species. In 2004, 52 recent isolates of Candida species were obtained from clinical specimens sent to the M...

Urolithiasis, the formation of calculi in urinary tract, has been a major problem for mankind since ages. Although the surgical techniques such as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PN) revolutionized the management of urolithiasis yet these approaches have some limitations. So, it is worthwhile to look for an alternative management of urolithiasis, h...

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is common in India and, recently, an increase in the incidence of CHD was reported from the South Indian state of Kerala. The traditional Indian diet is low in fat content. The high incidence of CHD in Indians is, therefore, in contrast to western studies that have correlated high fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intake to CHD. Consumption of coconut and coconut o...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical effectiveness of staging radioactive particle implantation guided by computed tomography (CT) and fiber-optic bronchoscopy in treating cancerous large airway stenosis. METHODS A total of 102 patients were included; 57 had undergone staging radioactive particle implantation guided by CT and fiber bronchoscopy and 45 did not. P...

The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer, has emerged as a common menace to most of the coconut plantations in India. After its first upsurge in Kerala at the end of the 1990 ́s, the mite has spread to many states in southern and northern India, causing considerable damage. Coconut provides one third of the agricultural income in the regions in which it is grown and more than 10 million peopl...