Use of probiotics for sustainable aquaculture production in Nigeria

Aquaculture is fast developing in Nigeria but to ensure a sustainable development there is need to address problem of diseases which is an important issue affecting the aquaculture production. Though the use of antimicrobial drugs has helped in some ways, the notorious effects of antibiotics has necessitated seeking an alternative that is environmental friendly and safe for the organisms and consumers. Probiotics has been established to be a good alternative and its use is now gaining acceptance. This review aims to define the concept of probiotics, highlights the process of isolation and methods of application as well as its current status, challenges and prospects in Nigeria. Probiotics are entire or components of microorganisms that are beneficial to the health of a host. They are naturally present in the organism and or the culture medium and have different mechanisms of action. They are usually isolated from the gill, skin or culture medium and pass through isolation processes to obtain the desired strains and applied in-vitro or in-vivo. Probiotics is a natural ingredient in finfish, shellfish and culture environment and its appropriate application will save Nigeria aquaculture from losses due to diseases. It will make available, aquaculture products that are safe for consumption as well ensuring a healthy aquatic environment. However research should be conducted to make available, products that suit the local species and environment in commercial forms. Also, safety issues should be considered at all time.Key words: sustainable production, fish culture, probiotics, antibiotics, diseases.

Connecting Network Properties of Rapidly Disseminating Epizoonotics

To effectively control the geographical dissemination of infectious diseases, their properties need to be determined. To test that rapid microbial dispersal requires not only susceptible hosts but also a pre-existing, connecting network, we explored constructs meant to reveal the network properties associated with disease spread, which included the road structure.Using geo-temporal data collected from epizoonotics in which all hosts were susceptible (mammals infected by Foot-and-mouth disease virus, Uruguay, 2001; birds infected by Avian Influenza virus H5N1, Nigeria, 2006), two models were compared: 1) 'connectivity', a model that integrated bio-physical concepts (the agent's transmission cycle, road topology) into indicators designed to measure networks ('nodes' or infected sites with short- and long-range links), and 2) 'contacts', which focused on infected individuals but did not assess connectivity.THE CONNECTIVITY MODEL SHOWED FIVE NETWORK PROPERTIES: 1) spatial aggregation of cases (disease clusters), 2) links among similar 'nodes' (assortativity), 3) simultaneous activation of similar nodes (synchronicity), 4) disease flows moving from highly to poorly connected nodes (directionality), and 5) a few nodes accounting for most cases (a "20:80" pattern). In both epizoonotics, 1) not all primary cases were connected but at least one primary case was connected, 2) highly connected, small areas (nodes) accounted for most cases, 3) several classes of nodes were distinguished, and 4) the contact model, which assumed all primary cases were identical, captured half the number of cases identified by the connectivity model. When assessed together, the synchronicity and directionality properties explained when and where an infectious disease spreads.Geo-temporal constructs of Network Theory's nodes and links were retrospectively validated in rapidly disseminating infectious diseases. They distinguished classes of cases, nodes, and networks, generating information usable to revise theory and optimize control measures. Prospective studies that consider pre-outbreak predictors, such as connecting networks, are recommended

Improving water use efficiency of vineyards in semi-arid regions. A review

Water is critical for viticulture sustainability since grape production, quality and economic viability are largely dependent on water availability. The total water consumption of vineyards, 300 to 700 mm, is generally higher than the annual average precipitation in many viticultural areas, which induces a risk for sustainability of vineyards. Improving vineyard water use efficiency (WUE) is therefore crucial for a sustainable viticulture industry in semi-arid regions. Increased sustainability of water resources for vineyards can be achieved using both agronomical technology and cultivar selection. Here, we review advances in grapevine water use efficiency related to changes in agronomical practices and genetic improvements. Agronomical practices focus on increasing green water use by increasing soil water storage capacity, reducing direct soil water loss, or limiting early transpiration losses. Cover crops for semi-arid areas show a favorable effect, but careful management is needed to avoid excessive water consumption by the cover crop. Canopy management practices to reduce excessive water use are also analyzed. This is a genetic based review focused on identifying cultivars with higher WUE

Outcomes after perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with proximal femoral fractures: an international cohort study

Objectives Studies have demonstrated high rates of mortality in people with proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, but there is limited published data on the factors that influence mortality for clinicians to make informed treatment decisions. This study aims to report the 30-day mortality associated with perioperative infection of patients undergoing surgery for proximal femoral fractures and to examine the factors that influence mortality in a multivariate analysis. Setting Prospective, international, multicentre, observational cohort study. Participants Patients undergoing any operation for a proximal femoral fracture from 1 February to 30 April 2020 and with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (either 7 days prior or 30-day postoperative). Primary outcome 30-day mortality. Multivariate modelling was performed to identify factors associated with 30-day mortality. Results This study reports included 1063 patients from 174 hospitals in 19 countries. Overall 30-day mortality was 29.4% (313/1063). In an adjusted model, 30-day mortality was associated with male gender (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.13, p80 years (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.31, p=0.013), preoperative diagnosis of dementia (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.16, p=0.005), kidney disease (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.55, p=0.005) and congestive heart failure (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.48, p=0.025). Mortality at 30 days was lower in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.6 (0.42 to 0.85), p=0.004). There was no difference in mortality in patients with an increase to delay in surgery (p=0.220) or type of anaesthetic given (p=0.787). Conclusions Patients undergoing surgery for a proximal femoral fracture with a perioperative infection of SARS-CoV-2 have a high rate of mortality. This study would support the need for providing these patients with individualised medical and anaesthetic care, including medical optimisation before theatre. Careful preoperative counselling is needed for those with a proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, especially those in the highest risk groups. Trial registration number NCT0432364