Gas Under Right Hemidiaphragm: A Rare Presentation of Unruptured Liver Abscess

A perforated liver abscess mimics hollow viscus perforations. It may be accompanied by pneumoperitoneum and peritonitis. A hollow viscus perforation appears to be the most common cause of gas under diaphragm. In about 10% of the cases, it can be due to rare abdominal and extra-abdominal causes. One of the causes could be intra-abdominal infection caused by gas-forming organisms. We are reporting a rare case of pneumoperitoneum resulting from an unruptured liver abscess in an old male with no comorbidity. An unruptured pyogenic right lobe liver abscess in a 70-year-old male was accompanied by X-ray flat plate abdomen features suggestive of free gas under the right hemidiaphragm. Culture of the pus drained from liver abscess grew Klebsiella sensitive to piperacillin and tazobactam, and antibiotic treatment was administered

A Population-Based Evaluation of a Publicly Funded, School-Based HPV Vaccine Program in British Columbia, Canada: Parental Factors Associated with HPV Vaccine Receipt

Analysis of a telephone survey by Gina Ogilvie and colleagues identifies the parental factors associated with HPV vaccine uptake in a school-based program in Canada

Prospect and potential of Burkholderia sp. against Phytophthora capsici Leonian: a causative agent for foot rot disease of black pepper

Foot rot disease is a very destructive disease in black pepper in Malaysia. It is caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian, which is a soilborne pathogenic protist (phylum, Oomycota) that infects aerial and subterranean structures of many host plants. This pathogen is a polycyclic, such that multiple cycles of infection and inoculum production occur in a single growing season. It is more prevalent in the tropics because of the favourable environmental conditions. The utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a biological control agent has been successfully implemented in controlling many plant pathogens. Many studies on the exploration of beneficial organisms have been carried out such as Pseudomonas fluorescens, which is one of the best examples used for the control of Fusarium wilt in tomato. Similarly, P. fluorescens is found to be an effective biocontrol agent against the foot rot disease in black pepper. Nowadays there is tremendous novel increase in the species of Burkholderia with either mutualistic or antagonistic interactions in the environment. Burkholderia sp. is an indigenous PGPR capable of producing a large number of commercially important hydrolytic enzymes and bioactive substances that promote plant growth and health; are eco-friendly, biodegradable and specific in their actions; and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity in keeping down the population of phytopathogens, thus playing a great role in promoting sustainable agriculture today. Hence, in this book chapter, the potential applications of Burkholderia sp. to control foot rot disease of black pepper in Malaysia, their control mechanisms, plant growth promotion, commercial potentials and the future prospects as indigenous PGPR were discussed in relation to sustainable agriculture

Genomic Approaches to Enhance Stress Tolerance for Productivity Improvements in Pearl Millet

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.], the sixth most important cereal crop (after rice, wheat, maize, barley, and sorghum), is grown as a grain and stover crop by the small holder farmers in the harshest cropping environments of the arid and semiarid tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Millet is grown on ~31 million hectares globally with India in South Asia; Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali in western and central Africa; and Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania in Eastern Africa as the major producers. Pearl millet provides food and nutritional security to more than 500 million of the world’s poorest and most nutritionally insecure people. Global pearl millet production has increased over the past 15 years, primarily due to availability of improved genetics and adoption of hybrids in India and expanding area under pearl millet production in West Africa. Pearl millet production is challenged by various biotic and abiotic stresses resulting in a significant reduction in yields. The genomics research in pearl millet lagged behind because of multiple reasons in the past. However, in the recent past, several efforts were initiated in genomic research resulting into a generation of large amounts of genomic resources and information including recently published sequence of the reference genome and re-sequencing of almost 1000 lines representing the global diversity. This chapter reviews the advances made in generating the genetic and genomics resources in pearl millet and their interventions in improving the stress tolerance to improve the productivity of this very important climate-smart nutri-cereal

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Not AvailableThe availability of fresh water for agricultural use is declining in many areas of world due to increasing water needs of industries and municipalities. Thus agriculture faces challenges of using low quality waste water and saline water for crop production. Many studies indicate that these water resources traditionally classified as unsuitable for irrigation can be used successfully to grow crops without long-term hazardous consequences to crops and soils if proper management strategies are established. These strategies include adopting advanced irrigation technology, selection of salt tolerant crops, leaching of salts below the crop root zone. Water scarcity is becoming one of the major limiting factor for sustainable agriculture in the semi arid regions of the world. In India the entire arid and semi-arid regions have been characterised by low rainfall and has the problem either of water scarcity or poor quality groundwater. The use of saline/alkali ground water posses a major threat to plant growth and health, which is mostly observed in semiarid parts (Minhas and Bajwa, 2001). In India, the regions identified for poor quality water are major parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, North western UP and South western Punjab. Poor quality water constitutes 32-84 % of ground water surveyed in different parts of India is either saline or alkali (Minhas, 1996). Saline water upto 11 dS/m has been used successfully for commercial irrigation for a number of crops globally (Rhodes et al., 1992). However, in order to assure maximum yield form crops irrigated with saline water, it is necessary to develop special management techniques. Presently drip irrigation is widely regarded as the most promising irrigation system to use saline water. Several factors contribute to the good results obtained with saline water irrigation using drip irrigation under protected structures. (I) less water use results in less salt deposited on the beds, (ii) avoidance of leaf burn, (iii) high frequency drip irrigation prevents the soil from drying out between irrigations, thereby avoiding peaks in salt concentration and concomitant high osmotic potentials and (iv) salts are continuously leached out from the wetted section and accumulate at the wetting front away from the active root zone.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe present study comprises of two experiments, first conducted in the field while the second in pot house. The field study was conducted on calcareous sandy loam soils of semi-arid regions irrigating crops with water of low salinity EC 4.6 dS m-1, high salinity 8.7 dS m-1, and alternate use of low and high salinity and observed the effect on growth, development and yield of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Among three modes of saline water irrigation, continuous low salinity water irrigation resulted in maximum growth and yield of all the three seed spice crops. It was followed by alternate use of irrigation where low and high salinity water irrigations were practiced. The maximum reduction in growth and yield was recorded in continuous use of high saline water irrigation. Among crops, fennel was the most tolerant followed by coriander and least tolerance was observed in fenugreek. Decrease in yield of coriander and fennel from low salinity to alternate irrigations with low and high salinity water was 6 and 27%, and 4 and 19%, respectively. In pot study, 12 promising varieties of each of coriander and fennel were evaluated for their tolerance to salinity of irrigation water ranging from 0.6 control to 3, 6, 9 and 12 dS m-1. Relative yield reduction in each variety of two crops in response to salinity levels was worked out using piecewise linear response [Salt model] fitted to yield in response to salinity. The decrease in yield ranged from 4 to 63% among different varieties of two crops. Coriander variety RCR-446 and GCR-2 were found to be most tolerant while leafy/vegetable type variety as Pant Haritma and seed type as Sadhna and Swathi were least tolerant to salinity. In case of fennel, RF-178, RF-35,GF-1 and GF-2 were most tolerant to salinity of irrigation water.Not Availabl

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Popular article in Indian HorticultureUnder arid and semi-arid regions of the world, major problems are salinity, alkalinity and calcareousness, which seem further aggravate with changing climate scenario. Besides, most of the developing countries lie in this zone with flanging population, resultant shrinking down of land and good quality of irrigation water. About6.7 million ha area in India is affected by soil salinity and alkalinity and about 25% of ground waters are sodic and /or saline.Not Availabl