Recent Advances in Hydroponic Culture Media Composition and Their Effect on Plant Growth

The growing demand for food resources is facing a shortage of supplies subject to the reduction in cultivable land globally, and a dire need for alternative cultivation strategies is the need of the hour.Scientists and researchers throughout the world are focusing onalternative cultivation strategies. However, this kind of cultivation is scarce in developing countries, including India, where the impact is paramount and will woo offthe growing population and reduce cultivable land, as per land census data (2020).Hydroponics isa robust solution forgrowing plants under controlled and regulated cultivation conditions.The term hydroponics means the water at work, which primarily focuses on giving specific nutrientsto support the growth and development of the plant.This opens floodgates for researchers to formulate and optimize novel nutrient growth media.Agricultural output has been duly enhanced with this multifaceted intensive technique.Marketing research data projects that thehydroponics market will be 12,000 million US dollars by 2025.The nutrient solutions are designed to provide all essential macro and micronutrients to plants.The well-aerated media with essential nutrients, crucial organic salts, and balance of ionic concentration, conductivity, and pH, is vitalfor hydroponic culture, a solution to redundant environmental concerns.The current review highlights recent advances in the optimization of hydroponic media compositions.The synergistic effects of a multitude of media on plant growth and product yield have been discussed

A META-ANALYSIS COMPARING THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TERLIPRESSIN AND OCTREOTIDE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE VARICEAL BLEEDING

Objective: Various clinical trials have compared terlipressin and octreotide in the management of acute variceal bleed, but their results have been inconsistent. Therefore, the present meta-analysis was performed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of terlipressin and octreotide and gather the strength of evidence regarding their use in variceal hemorrhage. Methods: Randomized control trials were identified using PubMed search engine and Cochrane clinical trial register (from 1994 to 2019). Initial hemostasis rate, rebleeding rate on the 5th day, and overall mortality rate during the study period were studied. The extracted data were analyzed using review manager 5.3 software. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated for the dichotomous outcomes. Results: A total of six randomized control trials were identified. Through comparisons of data for terlipressin and octreotide groups, we found no statistically significant differences in the initial hemostasis rate, rebleeding rate on the 5th day, and overall mortality rate between the different treatment approaches. Conclusion: The comparison of terlipressin and octreotide showed them to be equally effective and safe therapeutic agents in patients of acute variceal bleeding. Further, evidence from the future randomized controlled trials with higher quality and larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings

Potentially inappropriate prescribing in elderly: a comparison of Beers and STOPP criteria in tertiary care

Background: Prescribing in elderly is a challenging task as they have age related physiological changes, various co-morbidities, altered pharmacological properties and higher propensity for adverse events. They are often prescribed medications which are potentially inappropriate for them, sometimes may even be unnecessary. The medicines are considered as inappropriate if the risk associated with them outweighs benefits. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) at a tertiary care teaching hospital according to the Beers updated 2015 criteria and STOPP criteria and to compare the two criteria in detection of PIMs.Methods: A prospective observational study involving 228 elderly patients (>65years) of medicine wards was conducted from October 2015 to March 2016. Relevant information was recorded in a predesigned proforma. The use of potentially inappropriate medications is assessed using Beers updated 2015 criteria and STOPP criteria using descriptive statistics.Results: The prevalence of PIM use in the sample was 26.31% according to the 2015 Beers criteria and 14.03% using the STOPP criteria. The most prevalent PIM according to the Beers criteria were sliding scale insulin (17.54%) and long acting benzodiazepines (5.26%); according to the STOPP criteria, they were aspirin in heart failure (5.26%) and chlorpheniramine (3.07%).Conclusions: The prevalence of PIM varied when different criteria were applied. The 2015 Beers criteria identified more PIM than the STOPP criteria

Potential drug-drug interactions among elderly in-patients with cardiac illness at a tertiary care centre

Background: Drug interactions are major cause of concern in hospitalized patients with cardiac illness especially in elderly population. Therefore, the study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) and risk factors, if any.Methods: It was a prospective observational study involving 75 elderly in-patients with cardiac diseases. IHEC approval was taken before commencement of study and written informed consent was taken from all the study participants. Data was collected using structured data collection tool. pDDI were analyzed using MEDSCAPE databse. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 in terms of descriptive statistics. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to find the association between the risk factors and potential DDIs. P value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The prevalence of pDDI was found to be 100%. Total 593 pDDI and 33 interacting drug pairs were observed in the study. The common drug interacting pairs were aspirin and furosemide 140 (23.61%), followed by aspirin+ enalapril 98 (16.53%) and heparin and clopidogrel 56 (9.44%). Majority of pDDI 480 (81%) were found to be of moderate severity. A significant association was documented between length of hospital stay (p=0.041) and occurrence of pDDI. A statistically significant correlation (r =0.621; p<0.01) was noted between number of drugs prescribed and total number of pDDIs.Conclusions: A high prevalence of pDDI was observed. The prevalence rate is directly related to number of drugs prescribed and length of hospital stay. Therefore, close monitoring of hospitalized patients is recommended

CORRIDORS AT CROSSROADS: LINEAR DEVELOPMENT-INDUCED ECOLOGICAL TRIAGE AS A CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY

The transportation infrastructure of a nation forms the backbone of its economic growth and social development, and, as a developing country, India is no exception. However, with imperatives to improve connectivity for economic and social growth, ecological costs are often at stake. Roads, old and new, cut through protected forests and connecting habitats, resulting in a plethora of ecological effects. These may include the severing of natural corridors thereby compromising the role of landscapes as conservation units especially for landscape-dependent wild animal species. Consequent loss of biodiversity and ecosystems and decline in innumerable ecosystem services emanating from these natural reserves are other serious impacts. As India aspires for better, modern roads, the ecological concerns regarding many road upgradation projects have recently been the cause of disputes between the transportation sector and the conservation community. Delayed consideration of ecological concerns into linear development project planning leads to inadequate appropriation of funds needed for mitigating impacts of such developments. It is in these circumstances that the question of prioritizing areas and strategies for mitigation given limited mitigation funds arises. We examine the different facets to the debate of triage vis-à-vis conservation, development and mitigation planning in the transportation sector in a developing country context. We suggest that it is important and possible to secure investment towards conservation in areas outside the purview of legal protection through project mitigation costs and other mechanisms. We also make suggestions to avoid the ‘laissez-faire’ approach to linear development projects that is prevalent in India

Research in Tourism and Hospitality Management

The tourism and hospitality industry makes a significant contribution to a nation’s economy. It also plays a vital role in the geographical, cultural and political advancement of the region and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the globe. According to the latest research by World Travel &amp; Tourism Council (WTTC), the sector is on a speedy recovery phase from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and is projected to contribute $8.6 trillion to global GDP in 2022. In the contemporary times, which entails a change in consumer expectations and behaviour in the post-pandemic era on one hand and the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the other, the tourism and hospitality industry is all set to embrace the transformation required for the Hospitality 4.0 revolution. This edited volume is being published for the benefit of researchers, academicians, and Industry stakeholders in the field of tourism and hospitality. It contains sixteen different chapters covering a wide range of topics on tourism and hospitality management. This book explores the emerging trends in tourism and hospitality management and covers a wide range of research in the areas of consumer behaviour, human resource management practices, sustainable tourism, marketing strategies, the impact of social media, eco-friendly practices, factors influencing job satisfaction of employees, employee motivation, the impact of COVID -19 on Tourism and hospitality and so on