An insight into drought stress and signal transduction of abscisic acid

The sustainable crop production is one of the major issue in the era of urbanization, industrialization, and globalization. In the environment, there are number of abiotic and biotic factors which are hampering the sustainable production of crops. The drought is one of the constraints which directly/indirectly affects the crop yield. It has various negative effects on the normal physiology and biochemistry of the plants. Therefore, researchers must have to work in the field of developing drought-tolerant crop plants to meet the food needs of the exponentially growing population of the world. The present study is the outcome of an extensive literature survey on the basic perturbations of drought to the crops, role of abscisic acid (ABA) in stressful conditions and its signal transduction

Antibiotic susceptibility profile and detection of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistant genes among extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL) producing uropathogens in women

Background/Aim: The most common bacterial diseases in women around the world are urinary tract infections. Aim of this study, was to evaluate the prevalence and current antibiotic resistance rate of uropathogens isolated from the female patients of a tertiary care hospital in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Methods: Samples were collected from patients showing urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms and analysed using microscopy, dipstick test and urine culturing followed by identification and characterisation of to identify the uropathogens. Antibiotic susceptibility test and MIC were performed. Results: The results revealed that E coli (35.5 %) was the most prominent uropathogen followed by Klebsiella spp (21 %), Enterobacter spp (17 %), Acinetobacter (11 %), Enterococcus spp (6 %), Pseudomonas spp (4.5 %), coagulase negative Staphylococci (4 %), coagulase-positive Staphylococci (0.5 %) and Corynebacterium aurimucosum (0.5 %). The antibiotic susceptibility profile study reported eight isolates with multi-drug resistance properties. However, gentamicin, imipenem and meropenem were found to be the most effective antibiotics against the isolated uropathogens. All the extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-positive isolates possess the quinolone-resistant gene qnrB, while qnrA was absent. Conclusion: The current study revealed that for appropriate treatment, it is crucial to be aware of the epidemiological data regarding the disease and to begin any empirical antibiotic treatment

Menstrual Hygiene, Management, and Waste Disposal: Practices and Challenges Faced by Girls/Women of Developing Countries

Menstruation and menstrual practices still face many social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country especially in rural areas girls are not prepared and aware about menstruation so they face many difficulties and challenges at home, schools, and work places. While reviewing literature, we found that little, inaccurate, or incomplete knowledge about menstruation is a great hindrance in the path of personal and menstrual hygiene management. Girls and women have very less or no knowledge about reproductive tract infections caused due to ignorance of personal hygiene during menstruation time. In rural areas, women do not have access to sanitary products or they know very little about the types and method of using them or are unable to afford such products due to high cost. So, they mostly rely on reusable cloth pads which they wash and use again. Needs and requirements of the adolescent girls and women are ignored despite the fact that there are major developments in the area of water and sanitation. Women manage menstruation differently when they are at home or outside; at homes, they dispose of menstrual products in domestic wastes and in public toilets and they flush them in the toilets without knowing the consequences of choking. So, there should be a need to educate and make them aware about the environmental pollution and health hazards associated with them. Implementation of modern techniques like incineration can help to reduce the waste. Also, awareness should be created to emphasize the use of reusable sanitary products or the natural sanitary products made from materials like banana fibre, bamboo fibre, sea sponges, water hyacinth, and so on

Microbial production of dicarboxylic acids from edible plants and milk using GC-MS

Abstract Objective The present experiment was designed to assess the contents of organic acids such as citric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, and malic acid in edible food plants and milk under the influence of Eschericia coli. Methods Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to estimate the contents of organic acids in edible plants and milk. Two microliters of samples was injected into the GC-MS, and the contents of organic acids were computed using standard curves. Results Maximum citric content (204 mg/g DW, 24 h E. coli treatment) was observed in tomato followed by papaya (175 mg/g DW). Papaya and grapes (715 and 504 mg/g DW, 24 h E. coli treatment respectively) can be good sources of succinic acid. Malic acid content was highest in E. coli-treated milk (168 mg/g DW). In general, there was a decrease in average citric acid and increase in succinic acid contents in the food sources tested on treatment with E. coli. Conclusion It was found that among the tested raw food items and milk, with or without E. coli inoculation, tomato and papaya hold a good potential for citric acid production, grapes and papaya for succinic acid, and milk for malic acid production. The study can be a basis for utilization of vegetables, fruits, and milk for the production of dicarboxylic acids to boost the agrarian economy

Microplastic Pollution: An Emerging Threat to Terrestrial Plants and Insights into Its Remediation Strategies

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous and constitute a global hazard to the environment because of their robustness, resilience, and long-term presence in the ecosystem. For now, the majority of research has primarily focused on marine and freshwater ecosystems, with just a small amount of attention towards the terrestrial ecosystems. Although terrestrial ecosystems are recognized as the origins and routes for MPs to reach the sea, there is a paucity of knowledge about these ecological compartments, which is necessary for conducting effective ecological risk assessments. Moreover, because of their high persistence and widespread usage in agriculture, agribusiness, and allied sectors, the presence of MPs in arable soils is undoubtedly an undeniable and severe concern. Consequently, in the recent decade, the potential risk of MPs in food production, as well as their impact on plant growth and development, has received a great deal of interest. Thus, a thorough understanding of the fate and risks MPs, as well as prospective removal procedures for safe and viable agricultural operations in real-world circumstances, are urgently needed. Therefore, the current review is proposed to highlight the potential sources and interactions of MPs with agroecosystems and plants, along with their remediation strategies