Acinetobacter infections in a tertiary level intensive care unit in northern India: Epidemiology, clinical profiles and outcomes

Summary: Background: Nosocomial Acinetobacter infections are an increasing concern in intensive care units (ICU). Objectives: To study the demographic and clinical characteristics and the outcomes of ICU patients with Acinetobacter infections. Methods: A retrospective, 1-year audit of all Acinetobacter infections diagnosed in ICU patients between January 1 and December 31, 2009. Results: Acinetobacter infection occurred in 94 patients (108 episodes). The most common site of infection was the respiratory tract (83 patients, 76.85%), with medical patients being more susceptible than surgical patients to Acinetobacter lung infections (P = 0.04), particularly late-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (P = 0.04). The majority (63.8%) of infections were acquired in the ICU, and patients with ICU acquired infections were intubated significantly longer than the other patients (P = 0.02). Seventy percent of the infections were caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, and the overall crude mortality rate was over 70%. The most important factors affecting mortality were the duration of intubation (P = 0.001) and the inappropriate use of antibiotics (P = 0.021) after diagnosis of the infection. Conclusions: Acinetobacter infections are highly prevalent in the ICU, with medical patients being more susceptible to lung infections, particularly late-onset VAP. The early and appropriate selection of antibiotics is the most important determinant of survival among these patients. Keywords: Acinetobacter, Infection, Intensive care uni

Enhancing Maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) Crop through Advanced Techniques: A Comprehensive Approach

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated crops globally, making significant contributions to food, animal feed, and biofuel production. However, maize yield is greatly affected by various climate and soil factors, and it faces hindrances due to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and cold conditions. In confronting these hurdles, the field of crop breeding has transformed thanks to high-throughput sequencing technologies (HSTs). These advancements have streamlined the identification of beneficial quantitative trait loci (QTL), associations between markers and traits (MTAs), as well as genes and alleles that contribute to crop improvement. Presently, well-established omics techniques like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are being integrated into maize breeding studies. These approaches have unveiled new biological markers can enhance maize’s ability to withstand a range of challenges. In this chapter, we explore the current understanding of the morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying maize resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We focus on the use of omics techniques to enhance maize’s ability to withstand these challenges. Moreover, it emphasizes the significant potential of integrating multiple omics techniques to tackle the challenges presented by biotic and abiotic stress in maize productivity, contrasting with singular approaches