In the past years, COVID-19 caused millions of deaths and severely damaged not only public health, but also the global economy. New variants continue to threaten human health. Thus, natural compounds for retarding infection are in high demand. This book summarizes the emerging research with flavonoids, whose application holds great promise of antivirus, anti-inflammation, antioxidative stress, and immunomodulatory. Topics include the role of flavonoids in preventing an inflammatory storm and how flavonoids interact with critical protein targets that are involved in the infection stages of COVID-19. Key Features • Highlights anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery on natural products and medicinal plants • Includes all major subclasses of flavonoids that promisingly combat COVID-19 • Proposes molecular mechanisms of flavonoids against protein targets of SARS-CoV-2 • Contributions from an international team of leading researchers • Provides recommendations with respect to the future research

Plants have served mankind as an important source of foods and medicines. While we all consume plants and their products for nutritional support, a majority of the world population also rely on botanical remedies to meet their health needs, either as their own “traditional medicine” or as “complementary and alternative medicine”. From a pharmaceutical point of view, many compounds obtained from plant sources have long been known to possess bio/pharmacological activities, and historically, plants have yielded many important drugs for human use, from morphine discovered in the early nineteenth century to the more recent paclitaxel and artemisinin. Today, we are witnessing a global resurgence in interest and use of plant-based therapies and botanical products, and natural products remain an important and viable source of lead compounds in many drug discovery programs. This Special Issue on “Plant Natural Products for Human Health” compiles a series of scientific reports to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of plant natural products. It covers a range of disease targets, such as diabetes, inflammation, cancer, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, liver damage, bacterial, and fungus infection and malarial. These papers provide important insights into the current state of research on drug discovery and new techniques. It is hoped that this Special Issue will serve as a timely reference for researchers and scholars who are interested in the discovery of potentially useful molecules from plant sources for health-related applications.

Flavonoids are ubiquitously present in plant-based foods and natural health products. The molecule of flavonoids is characterized by a 15-carbon skeleton of C6–C3–C6, with the different structural configuration of subclasses. The major subclasses of flavonoids with health-promotional properties are the flavanols or catechins (e.g., epigallocatechin 3-gallate from green tea), the flavones (e.g., apigenin from celery), the flavonols (e.g., quercetin glycosides from apples, berries, and onion), the flavanones (e.g., naringenin from citrus), the anthocyanins (e.g., cyanidin-3-O-glucoside from berries), and the isoflavones (e.g., genistein from soya beans). Scientific evidence has strongly shown that regular intake of dietary flavonoids in efficacious amounts reduces the risk of oxidative stress- and chronic inflammation-mediated pathogenesis of human diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and neurological disorders. The physiological benefits of dietary flavonoids have been demonstrated to be due to multiple mechanisms of action, including regulating redox homeostasis, epigenetic regulations, activation of survival genes and signaling pathways, regulation of mitochondrial function and bioenergetics, and modulation of inflammation response. The role of flavonoids on gut microbiota and the impact of microbial metabolites of flavonoids on optimal health has begun to unravel. The complex physiological modulations of flavonoid molecules are due to their structural diversity. However, some flavonoids are not absorbed well, and their bioavailability could be enhanced through structural modifications and applications of nanotechnology, such as encapsulation. This Special Issue consists of four review articles on flavonoids and 15 original research articles, which cover the latest findings on the role of dietary flavonoids and their derivatives in disease prevention and treatment.

This report is structured in five parts: national framework for traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM); product regulation; practices and practitioners; the challenges faced by countries; and finally the country profiles. Apart from the section on practices and practitioners the report is consistent with the format of the report of the first global survey in order to provide a useful comparison. The section on practices and practitioners which covers providers education and health insurance is a new section incorporated to reflect the emerging trends in T&CM and to gather new information regarding these topics at a national level. All new information received has been incorporated into individual country profiles and data graphs. The report captures the three phases of progress made by Member States; that is before and after the first WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (1999?2005) from the first global survey to the second global survey (2005?2012) and from the second survey to the most recent timeline (2012?2018).

Lytic reactivation of EBV has been reported to play an important role in human diseases, including NPC carcinogenesis. Inhibition of EBV reactivation is considered to be of great benefit in the treatment of virus-associated diseases. For this purpose, we screened for inhibitory compounds and found that apigenin, a flavonoid, seemed to have the ability to inhibit EBV reactivation. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to support an elderly disabled person.

Due to changes in the learning and research environment, changes in the behavior of library users, and unique global disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries have had to adapt and evolve to remain up-to-date and responsive to their users. Thus, libraries are adding new, digital resources and services while maintaining most of the old, traditional resources and services. New areas of research and inquiry in the field of library and information science explore the applications of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other technologies to better serve and expand the library community. The Handbook of Research on Knowledge and Organization Systems in Library and Information Science examines new technologies and systems and their application and adoption within libraries. This handbook provides a global perspective on current and future trends concerning library and information science. Covering topics such as machine learning, library management, ICTs, blockchain technology, social media, and augmented reality, this book is essential for librarians, library directors, library technicians, media specialists, data specialists, catalogers, information resource officers, administrators, IT consultants and specialists, academicians, and students.