Trends and Technological Skills Assessment of Flower Cultivation in the Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu

Flowers are used by people of all walks of life starting from birth to death and have become an integral part of human living in our society. The demand for flowers has been increasing ever year. Commercial cultivation of flowers has assured importance in recent times. A study was conducted to find out the trend in flower cultivation in the southern districts of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. An increase in area under flower cultivation was observed in both the districts. A majority of the farmers had a farming experience of two to four years, had followed either nipping or pruning and less than one fourth of the farmers followed regular rejuvenation

Effect of coconut consortia on coconut basal stem rot disease

Coconut is an important plantation crop in India. Many diseases severely impact coconut trees in the current climate change scenario, declining the vigor and yield of palms and deteriorating the quality of nuts on the trees. Basal stem rot caused by Ganoderma spp. is one of the most destructive diseases of coconut. Ganoderma can endure an extended period in the soil as a soil-borne pathogen. Chlamydospores are formed under unfavourable conditions, helping the pathogen's survival and spread of the disease. Rain and irrigation water also contribute to the spread from one field to another. This study assessed coconut consortia's efficiency in combating the basal stem rot disease at the field level. The experimental trial was conducted at Tittuvillai village of Thovalai panchayat, Kanyakumari district, from 2021–2022 to 2023–2024 for three consecutive years with four treatments and seven replications. The palms exhibiting the typical symptom were selected, and the experiment was started in 2021. A total of 28 palms displaying basal stem rot symptoms were randomly selected for the experiment. Four treatments were imposed, and the details of treatments include T1: Drenching of Coconut consortia (TNAU Cococon) @ 2 liters/palm along with application of mycorrhizae @ 100 g/palm at quarterly interval, T2: Drenching of Coconut consortia (TNAU Cococon) @ 2 litres/palm and root feeding with hexaconazole (0.2%) at quarterly interval, T3: Drenching of Bordeaux mixture 1% and T4: Control (Untreated). Among the four treatments, soil drenching of coconut consortia (TNAU Cococon) @ 2 liters/palm followed by root feeding with hexaconazole (0.2%) at quarterly intervals effectively reduced the disease index from 21.74 to 15.96 and enhanced nut yield from 67.14 to 90.00 nuts per palm per year in three years under field conditions

Challenges in Adopting Value Addition Technologies in Arecanut

The rise of opportunity for stakeholders in the arecanut sector to explore the potential of value-added arecanut products. The arecanut farmers are facing a lack of training on arecanut practices, the improper post-harvest practices deteriorate the quality of nuts that cause the nuts to fetch lower price in the market. They are also not aware of the opportunities for value added arecanut. The knowledge level of post- harvest practices of arecanut is lacking among arecanut growers. The arecanut farmers sell the raw nuts to the pre-harvest contractors without knowing the opportunities available in arecanut value addition. The contractors in turn they carry out the value addition and sold in the market. The price of the nut is mainly decided by its quality which correlates to post-harvest practices and value addition that plays a major role in arecanut value.The study investigated the challenges encountered by arecanut farmers in adopting value addition technology.The datas were collected among arecanut farmers related to the challenges they face in adopting value addition technology. The ex-post facto research design was employed; several kinds of constraints were gathered through a literature study and expert opinion. They were given in an interview schedule for the farmers to rank accordingly. The acquired data were analyzed, and ranks were assigned based on Rank-Based Quotient percentage.The major challenges faced by the arecanut farmers were Lack of credit (85%), Inadequate knowledge of value addition technology (82.5%), No re-training facilities (81.675), Lack of equipment/facilities (78.33%), Lack of market (74.17%) and Contacting extension agents (56.67%).By overcoming these limitations, arecanut farmers can adopt value addition technology, leading to profit

The uterine fibroid study: comparative study between total abdominal hysterectomy and laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy

ABSTRACT Background: To compare safety and efficacy of total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) in uterine fibroid patients. Methods: It is a prospective observational study conducted at six major gynaecology hospitals located in Telangana State. The data was collected from November 2022 to April 2023 and all the safety and efficacy parameters were evaluated. The collected data entered in MS Excel and then analysed and statically evaluated by using GraphPad prism software. Internal consistency reliability Cronbach’s alpha was calculated. Results:  There were 200 patients 100 each of TAH and LAVH. LAVH is less painful, has a shorter length of hospital stay and quicker return to work than TAH. On average, LAVH operations took significantly longer than TAH operations (47.9±5.953 minutes, 117.6±26.174 minutes, p<0.0001). The total length of hospital stay was significantly shorter after LAVH than after TAH (11.4±2.81 days, 2.66±0.95 days, p<0.0001). Although the haemoglobin drop in TAH was significantly higher than LAVH (173.15±40.872 and 92.5±6.83, p<0.0001), blood transfusions were more common in TAH (25 case versus 15 cases p=0.0306). The drug requirement to control pain during hospitalization after the two surgeries was not significantly different between the two groups. Fever was observed more often in the TAH group (P=0.01). Finally, Intra-operative and post-operative complications were lower in LAVH than TAH. Conclusions: LAVH is less painful, has a shorter length of hospital stay and quicker return to work than TAH. It has been concluded in present study that LAVH has become a major alternative to conventional abdominal hysterectomy with patient often opting laparoscopic approach for the result of cosmetic and faster recuperative reasons

Utilization Pattern of TNAU Banana Expert System among Nendren Banana Growers in Kanyakumari District

Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for transmission of localized information and services has increased towards making farming socially, economically and environmentally sustainable by Digital Agriculture. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has initiated a lot of efforts in digitizing agricultural information to reach the stakeholders. A few expert systems were developed to help farmers and specialists to diagnose plant diseases. The TNAU Banana expert system is one such mobile app, where a farmer can get all solution and information on banana cultivation in just one touch.  An experiment was conducted with 40 banana farmers of Kanyakumari district who form the respondents for the study. This paper analyses on Knowledge gain with the support of the TNAU Banana Expert system, which showed significant positive change. The number of technologies adopted above the average adoption level after demonstration was eleven. It was adopted by only 12.5% of farmers before using the App, while it was 62.5% after the demonstration. The overall increase in Knowledge gain over the existing level was 53.05%

Identification of LukPQ, a novel, equid-adapted leukocidin of Staphylococcus aureus.

Bicomponent pore-forming leukocidins are a family of potent toxins secreted by Staphylococcus aureus, which target white blood cells preferentially and consist of an S- and an F-component. The S-component recognizes a receptor on the host cell, enabling high-affinity binding to the cell surface, after which the toxins form a pore that penetrates the cell lipid bilayer. Until now, six different leukocidins have been described, some of which are host and cell specific. Here, we identify and characterise a novel S. aureus leukocidin; LukPQ. LukPQ is encoded on a 45 kb prophage (ΦSaeq1) found in six different clonal lineages, almost exclusively in strains cultured from equids. We show that LukPQ is a potent and specific killer of equine neutrophils and identify equine-CXCRA and CXCR2 as its target receptors. Although the S-component (LukP) is highly similar to the S-component of LukED, the species specificity of LukPQ and LukED differs. By forming non-canonical toxin pairs, we identify that the F-component contributes to the observed host tropism of LukPQ, thereby challenging the current paradigm that leukocidin specificity is driven solely by the S-component

The emergence and diversification of a zoonotic pathogen from within the microbiota of intensively farmed pigs

The expansion and intensification of livestock production is predicted to promote the emergence of pathogens. As pathogens sometimes jump between species, this can affect the health of humans as well as livestock. Here, we investigate how livestock microbiota can act as a source of these emerging pathogens through analysis of Streptococcus suis, a ubiquitous component of the respiratory microbiota of pigs that is also a major cause of disease on pig farms and an important zoonotic pathogen. Combining molecular dating, phylogeography, and comparative genomic analyses of a large collection of isolates, we find that several pathogenic lineages of S. suis emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries, during an early period of growth in pig farming. These lineages have since spread between countries and continents, mirroring trade in live pigs. They are distinguished by the presence of three genomic islands with putative roles in metabolism and cell adhesion, and an ongoing reduction in genome size, which may reflect their recent shift to a more pathogenic ecology. Reconstructions of the evolutionary histories of these islands reveal constraints on pathogen emergence that could inform control strategies, with pathogenic lineages consistently emerging from one subpopulation of S. suis and acquiring genes through horizontal transfer from other pathogenic lineages. These results shed light on the capacity of the microbiota to rapidly evolve to exploit changes in their host population and suggest that the impact of changes in farming on the pathogenicity and zoonotic potential of S. suis is yet to be fully realized.This work was primarily funded by an EU Horizon 2020 grant “PIGSs” (727966) and a ZELS BBSRC award “Myanmar Pigs Partnership (MPP)” (BB/L018934/1). G.G.R.M., E.L.M., and L.A.W. were supported by a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship to L.A.W. jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (109385/Z/15/Z). N.H. was supported by a Challenge grant from the Royal Society (CH16011) and an Isaac Newton Trust Research Grant [17.24(u)]. G.G.R.M. was also supported by a Research Fellowship at Newnham College. S.B. is supported by the Medical Research Council (MR/V032836/1). PIC North America provided part of the funds for the sequencing of the isolates from the USA. A.J.B. and M.M. were funded by Medical Research Council and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council studentships respectively, and M.M. was co-funded by the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Fund. We would like to acknowledge Susanna Williamson at the APHA for providing samples, Oscar Cabezón for sampling of the wild boar population in Spain, Mark O’Dea for access to sequence data from Australian isolates, the PIGSs and MPP consortiums for providing samples and helpful discussions, Julian Parkhill and John Welch for helpful discussions, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions for improving the manuscript. This research was funded in whole or in part by the Wellcome Trust. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Emergence of methicillin resistance predates the clinical use of antibiotics

The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics1. Here we show that particular lineages of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—a notorious human pathogen—appeared in European hedgehogs in the pre-antibiotic era. Subsequently, these lineages spread within the local hedgehog populations and between hedgehogs and secondary hosts, including livestock and humans. We also demonstrate that the hedgehog dermatophyte Trichophyton erinacei produces two β-lactam antibiotics that provide a natural selective environment in which methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates have an advantage over susceptible isolates. Together, these results suggest that methicillin resistance emerged in the pre-antibiotic era as a co-evolutionary adaptation of S. aureus to the colonization of dermatophyte-infected hedgehogs. The evolution of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in wild animals and the connectivity of natural, agricultural and human ecosystems demonstrate that the use of a One Health approach is critical for our understanding and management of antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development

Emergence of methicillin resistance predates the clinical use of antibiotics

The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics(1). Here we show that particular lineages of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-a notorious human pathogen-appeared in European hedgehogs in the pre-antibiotic era. Subsequently, these lineages spread within the local hedgehog populations and between hedgehogs and secondary hosts, including livestock and humans. We also demonstrate that the hedgehog dermatophyte Trichophyton erinacei produces two beta-lactam antibiotics that provide a natural selective environment in which methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates have an advantage over susceptible isolates. Together, these results suggest that methicillin resistance emerged in the pre-antibiotic era as a co-evolutionary adaptation of S. aureus to the colonization of dermatophyte-infected hedgehogs. The evolution of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in wild animals and the connectivity of natural, agricultural and human ecosystems demonstrate that the use of a One Health approach is critical for our understanding and management of antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development

Goodbye Hartmann trial: a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study on the current use of a surgical procedure developed a century ago

Background: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA. Methods: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up. Results: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6 years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P < 0.001). 30-day mortality was higher in HP patients (13.7%), especially in case of bowel perforation and diffused peritonitis. 1-year follow-up showed no differences on ostomy reversal rate between HP and RPA. (P = 0.127). A backward likelihood logistic regression model showed that RPA was preferred in younger patients, having low ASA score (≤ 3), in case of large bowel obstruction, absence of colonic ischemia, longer time from admission to surgery, operating early at the day working hours, by a surgeon who performed more than 50 colorectal resections. Conclusions: After 100 years since the first Hartmann's procedure, HP remains the most common treatment for left-sided colorectal emergencies. Treatment's choice depends on patient characteristics, the time of surgery and the experience of the surgeon. RPA should be considered as the gold standard for surgery, with HP being an exception