Sustainable plant protection for increased food security in a changing climate

The global climate is changing. Rising temperatures in temperate regions are making headlines, but there are a host of changes that may have even greater impact on a global scale, particularly in regions where food security is already delicately balanced. Rising sea levels, changing patterns of rainfall, availability of water and increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are all likely to affect the biotic environment upon which we depend

Clinico-Microbiological Profile and Treatment Outcome of Infectious Scleritis: Experience from a Tertiary Eye Care Center of India

Medical and microbiology records of seventeen patients (17 eyes), diagnosed as scleritis of infectious origin were reviewed; to study clinical features, predisposing risk factors, microbiologic profile and treatment outcome of infectious scleritis. The mean patient age was 52.3 ± 19.75 years. Twelve patients (70.6%) had history of trauma/prior surgery. Isolated organisms included Staphylococcus species (spp) (n = 5), Fungus (n = 4), Nocardia spp (n = 3), two each of atypical Mycobacterium spp and Streptococcus pneumoniae and one Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Treatment included intensive topical antimicrobial in all eyes and systemic medication in 15 (88.2%) patients; surgical exploration was needed for 13 (76.5%) patients and scleral patch graft was done in four (23.5%) patients. Lesions resolved in all patients and none required evisceration. The presenting log MAR visual acuity of 1.77 ± 1.40 and improved to 0.99 ± 0.91. (P ≤ 0.039) after treatment with a mean follow up of 22.57 ± 19.53 weeks. A microbiological confirmation, appropriate medical and/or surgical intervention has a good tectonic and visual outcome

STUDY OF EFFECTS OF SPONTANEOUS DELIVERY OF PLACENTA VERSUS MANUAL REMOVAL OF PLACENTA DURING CESAREAN SECTION AT TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of manual removal of placenta and spontaneous delivery of placenta during cesarean section. Methods: This was a hospital-based prospective comparative study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jhalawar Medical College, Jhalawar. 400 antenatal women at term and singleton pregnancy posted for cesarean section from October 2018 to September 2019 for 1 year duration. The study populations were divided into two groups (200 each). Group A in whom placenta deliver spontaneously and Group B in whom placenta was removed manually. Comparison was done in term of blood loss, fever, endometritis, and delayed complications. Results: The manual removal of placenta associated with greater blood loss (p<0.0001, statistically significant), the greater fall in hemoglobin (p<0.0001, statistically significant). Manual removal of placenta was associated with leukocytosis (p=0.0009), higher incidence of fever, post-operative uterine tenderness, and sub involution of uterus (p<0.05 statistically significant). This is reflected by increased incidence of endometritis with manual removal (p=0.001, Significant). The overall time taken between delivery of baby to delivery of placenta was significantly lesser in manual removal method (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Manual method seems to decrease the time interval between delivery of baby and that of placenta. Manual removal of placenta does more harm than benefit by increasing the incidence of fall in hemoglobin and delayed complication

Design, synthesis and molecular docking studies of some morpholine linked thiazolidinone hybrid molecules

A novel series of morpoline linked thiazolidione hybrid molecules targeting bacterial enoyl acyl carrier protein (Enoyl-ACP) reductase were designed and synthesized through a three step reaction protocol, which involves simple reaction setup and moderate reaction conditions. The synthesized molecules were characterized with FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS techniques. In vitro susceptibility tests against some Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) gave highly promising results. Most of the molecules were found to be active against the tested bacterial strains. The most potent molecule (S2B7) gave MIC value of 2.0 µg/mL against Escherichia coli that was better than the reference drug streptomycin. Structure activity relationship showed nitro and chloro groups are crucial for bioactivity if present at meta position of arylidene ring in designed molecules. Molecular docking simulations against multiple targets showed that the designed molecules have strong binding affinity towards Enoyl-ACP reductase. Binding affinity of -8.6 kcal/mol was predicted for S2B7. Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were predicted as the main forces of interaction

A rare case of giant condyloma acuminata during pregnancy

Genital warts (Condyloma acuminata) are a benign lesion caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) type-6 or type-11 and are usually transmitted sexually. During pregnancy, condyloma has a tendency to proliferate and may have recurrence. We have a case of G2P1L1 38 weeks previously normal vaginal delivered patient in our hospital with extensive genital warts. Patient was successfully managed by surgical excision and after that in follow up after 2 months for podophyllin resin application on remaining lesions. HPV infection presentation can range from asymptomatic to cervical cancer. Small genital wart lesion may become extensive and cumbersome during pregnancy and again regress after delivery in due course of time. HPV vaccination, sex education and early treatment of condyloma lesions should prevent and, in any case, improve the prognosis of this disease

Effect of Antimicrobial Contact Lenses on Corneal Infiltrative Events:A Randomized Clinical Trial

Purpose: To determine whether Mel4-coated antimicrobial contact lenses (MACLs) can reduce the incidence of corneal infiltrative events (CIEs) during extended wear. Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-masked, single-center, contralateral, extended contact lens wear clinical trial was conducted with 176 subjects. Each participant was randomly assigned to wear a MACL in one eye and an uncoated control contact lens in the contralateral eye or an extended-wear biweekly disposable modality for 3 months. The main outcome measures were the incidence of CIEs per 100 eye-months, identification of the microbial types colonizing the contact lenses or eyes at the time of the CIEs, and their susceptibility to Mel4. Results: Nine participants (5.1%) experienced unilateral CIEs; six participants had contact lens acute red eye, and three participants had infiltrative keratitis. The incidence rate for CIEs (0.4 events per 100 participant months; 1.7%) in the Mel4-coated lenses (test) was 69% less than that of the control lenses (1.3 events per 100 participant months; 3.4%; P = 0.29). All Gram-negative bacteria isolated from lenses and lids of participants with CIEs (Citrobacter diversus, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, and Acinetobacter lwoffii) were susceptible to Mel4 peptide; minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 15.6 to 62.5 µg/mL. Reduction of adhesion of these bacteria by Mel4-coated lenses ranged from 2.1 to 2.2 log10 colony-forming units/lens. Conclusions: MACLs had the capacity to reduce CIEs by at least 50% compared with uncoated control lenses during extended wear over 3 months; however, due to the relatively low rates of CIEs, the reduction was not statistically different compared with control lenses. Translational Relevance: This study provides evidence that antimicrobial contact lenses have the potential to reduce the incidence of corneal infiltrative events during extended wear

The Dependence of Boron Concentration in Diamond Electrode for Ciprofloxacin Electrochemical Sensor Application

This study investigates the effects of boron concentration on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes for electrochemical sensors of ciprofloxacin. The effects of boron concentration, scan rate, and pH of BDD electrodes with boron concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1% were examined to determine the optimal conditions. Furthermore, square wave voltammetry (SWV) in phosphate buffer pH 7 was used to analyze the electrochemical behavior of ciprofloxacin. The results revealed a linear calibration curve in the concentration range of 30–100 μM with a recovery of 85–110%. Meanwhile, BDD electrode with the highest boron concentration in this experiment (1%) showed a very low limit of detection of 0.17 μM, meaning that 1% BDD gave a highly sensitive and significant measurement result for the electrochemical sensor of ciprofloxacin. With the results given, this study provides new insights for controlling boron concentrations in diamond electrodes for the electrochemical sensors of quinolone antibiotics

Monitoring the spread of water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes): challenges and future developments

Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes, also referred to as Eicchornia crassipes) is one of the most invasive weed species in the world, causing significant adverse economic and ecological impacts, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Large scale real-time monitoring of areas of chronic infestation is critical to formulate effective control strategies for this fast spreading weed species. Assessment of revenue generation potential of the harvested water hyacinth biomass also requires enhanced understanding to estimate the biomass yield potential for a given water body. Modern remote sensing technologies can greatly enhance our capacity to understand, monitor and estimate water hyacinth infestation within inland as well as coastal freshwater bodies. Readily available satellite imagery with high spectral, temporal and spatial resolution, along with conventional and modern machine learning techniques for automated image analysis, can enable discrimination of water hyacinth infestation from other floating or submerged vegetation. Remote sensing can potentially be complemented with an array of other technology-based methods, including aerial surveys, ground-level sensors, and citizen science, to provide comprehensive, timely and accurate monitoring. This review discusses the latest developments in the use of remote sensing and other technologies to monitor water hyacinth infestation, and proposes a novel, multi-modal approach that combines the strengths of the different methods