Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)-BIG to improve motor function in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The technique called Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)-LOUD has previously been used to improve voice quality in people with Parkinson's disease. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an alternate intervention, LSVT-BIG (signifying big movements), to improve functional mobility.

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized trials.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Trinidad.

Background: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted on the Caribbean island of Trinidad to identify medicinal plants commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of medical conditions.

Methods: A pilot survey was conducted to identify the top ten most common ailments where medicinal plants were used. The results of the foregoing study guided a wider national survey conducted between October 2007 and July 2008.

Eryngium foetidum L.: a review.

Eryngium foetidum L. is a biennial herb which is used extensively as a medicinal plant in most tropical regions. It is of increasing importance as a spice plant cultivated in India, Vietnam, Australia and elsewhere with well documented procedures for maximum yield.

A gap between acceptance and knowledge of herbal remedies by physicians: the need for educational intervention.

Background: The unprecedented global increase in the use of herbal remedies is set to continue apace well into the foreseeable future. This raises important public health concerns, especially as it relates to safety issues including adverse effects and herb-drug interactions. Most Western-trained physicians are ignorant of the risks and benefits of this healthcare modality and assessment of acceptance and knowledge would identify appropriate intervention strategies to improve physician-patient communication in this area.

Screening of medicinal plants from Trinidad and Tobago for antimicrobial and insecticidal properties.

Antibacterial activity in 51 extracts from 29 plant species currently used in traditional medicine in Trinidad and the neighbouring Caribbean islands was tested for by the agar dilution streak method using six bacteria: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Salmonella tophimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis. The extracts from eight of the plants tested showed significant activity against one or more micro-organisms and the most susceptible bacterium was Staphylococcus aureus.