Assessing desertification vulnerability and mitigation strategies in northern Nigeria: A comprehensive approach.

Desertification constitutes a grave threat to the environmental and socio-economic stability of desertification frontline states in Northern Nigeria. From 2003 to 2020, this research comprehensively analyzes desertification vulnerability, integrating parameters such as NDVI, LST, TVDI, MSAVI, and Albedo. Key factors contributing to land degradation are identified, along with the spatial patterns and trends of desertification over the two-decade period. The consequences are profound, with Northern Nigeria's ecosystem experiencing a steady decline in vegetation cover. Agriculture, vital to the region's economy, faces increased aridity and reduced arable land, jeopardizing food security. Diminishing water resources exacerbates scarcity issues, placing additional strain on communities. These environmental changes lead to severe socio-economic implications, including displacement, loss of livelihoods, and heightened vulnerability to climate-related risks. Urgent, comprehensive, and strategic interventions are imperative. Policy recommendations underscore revising and enforcing land use regulations, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and establishing monitoring systems to guide decision-making. This research contributes practical strategies to enhance the resilience of desertification frontline states, safeguard livelihoods, and align with Nigeria's sustainable development objectives. Findings from the study indicate that only a tiny percentage (6.7 %) of the study area remains unaffected by desertification. Moreover, 13.3 % exhibit light vulnerability, 20 % demonstrate moderate exposure, and 60 % fall into the severe (26.7 %) and compelling (33.3 %) vulnerability categories. These statistics underscore the gravity of desertification in the study area, emphasizing the urgent need for effective mitigation measures to address its impact comprehensively.

Agriculture and environmental management through nanotechnology: Eco-friendly nanomaterial synthesis for soil-plant systems, food safety, and sustainability.

Through the advancement of nanotechnology, agricultural and food systems are undergoing strategic enhancements, offering innovative solutions to complex problems. This scholarly essay thoroughly examines nanotechnological innovations and their implications within these critical industries. Traditional practices are undergoing radical transformation as nanomaterials emerge as novel agents in roles traditionally filled by fertilizers, pesticides, and biosensors. Micronutrient management and preservation techniques are further enhanced, indicating a shift towards more nutrient-dense and longevity-oriented food production. Nanoparticles (NPs), with their unique physicochemical properties, such as an extraordinary surface-to-volume ratio, find applications in healthcare, diagnostics, agriculture, and other fields. However, concerns about their potential overuse and bioaccumulation raise unanswered questions about their health effects. Molecule-to-molecule interactions and physicochemical dynamics create pathways through which nanoparticles cause toxicity. The combination of nanotechnology and environmental sustainability principles leads to the examination of green nanoparticle synthesis. The discourse extends to how nanomaterials penetrate biological systems, their applications, toxicological effects, and dissemination routes. Additionally, this examination delves into the ecological consequences of nanomaterial contamination in natural ecosystems. Employing robust risk assessment methodologies, including the risk allocation framework, is recommended to address potential dangers associated with nanotechnology integration. Establishing standardized, universally accepted guidelines for evaluating nanomaterial toxicity and protocols for nano-waste disposal is urged to ensure responsible stewardship of this transformative technology. In conclusion, the article summarizes global trends, persistent challenges, and emerging regulatory strategies shaping nanotechnology in agriculture and food science. Sustained, in-depth research is crucial to fully benefit from nanotechnology prospects for sustainable agriculture and food systems.

A review on endophytic fungi: a potent reservoir of bioactive metabolites with special emphasis on blight disease management.

Phytopathogenic microorganisms have caused blight diseases that present significant challenges to global agriculture. These diseases result in substantial crop losses and have a significant economic impact. Due to the limitations of conventional chemical treatments in effectively and sustainably managing these diseases, there is an increasing interest in exploring alternative and environmentally friendly approaches for disease control. Using endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents has become a promising strategy in recent years. Endophytic fungi live inside plant tissues, forming mutually beneficial relationships, and have been discovered to produce a wide range of bioactive metabolites. These metabolites demonstrate significant potential for fighting blight diseases and provide a plentiful source of new biopesticides. In this review, we delve into the potential of endophytic fungi as a means of biocontrol against blight diseases. We specifically highlight their significance as a source of biologically active compounds. The review explores different mechanisms used by endophytic fungi to suppress phytopathogens. These mechanisms include competing for nutrients, producing antifungal compounds, and triggering plant defense responses. Furthermore, this review discusses the challenges of using endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents in commercial applications. It emphasizes the importance of conducting thorough research to enhance their effectiveness and stability in real-world environments. Therefore, bioactive metabolites from endophytic fungi have considerable potential for sustainable and eco-friendly blight disease control. Additional research on endophytes and their metabolites will promote biotechnology solutions.

Climate change reshaping plant-fungal interaction.

Plant diseases pose a severe threat to modern agriculture, necessitating effective and lasting control solutions. Environmental factors significantly shape plant ecology. Human-induced greenhouse gas emissions have led to global temperature rise, impacting various aspects, including carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, temperature, ozone (O3), and ultraviolet-B, all of which influence plant diseases. Altered pathogen ranges can accelerate disease transmission. This review explores environmental effects on plant diseases, with climate change affecting fungal biogeography, disease incidence, and severity, as well as agricultural production. Moreover, we have discussed how climate change influences pathogen development, host-fungal interactions, the emergence of new races of fungi, and the dissemination of emerging fungal diseases across the globe. The discussion about environment-mediated impact on pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and RNA interference (RNAi) is also part of this review. In conclusion, the review underscores the critical importance of understanding how climate change is reshaping plant-fungal interactions. It highlights the need for continuous research efforts to elucidate the mechanisms driving these changes and their ecological consequences. As the global climate continues to evolve, it is imperative to develop innovative strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of fungal pathogens on plant health and food security.

Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Regulating Growth, Enhancing Productivity, and Potentially Influencing Ecosystems under Abiotic and Biotic Stresses.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with the roots of nearly all land-dwelling plants, increasing growth and productivity, especially during abiotic stress. AMF improves plant development by improving nutrient acquisition, such as phosphorus, water, and mineral uptake. AMF improves plant tolerance and resilience to abiotic stressors such as drought, salt, and heavy metal toxicity. These benefits come from the arbuscular mycorrhizal interface, which lets fungal and plant partners exchange nutrients, signalling molecules, and protective chemical compounds. Plants' antioxidant defence systems, osmotic adjustment, and hormone regulation are also affected by AMF infestation. These responses promote plant performance, photosynthetic efficiency, and biomass production in abiotic stress conditions. As a result of its positive effects on soil structure, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration, AMF contributes to the maintenance of resilient ecosystems. The effects of AMFs on plant growth and ecological stability are species- and environment-specific. AMF's growth-regulating, productivity-enhancing role in abiotic stress alleviation under abiotic stress is reviewed. More research is needed to understand the molecular mechanisms that drive AMF-plant interactions and their responses to abiotic stresses. AMF triggers plants' morphological, physiological, and molecular responses to abiotic stress. Water and nutrient acquisition, plant development, and abiotic stress tolerance are improved by arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. In plants, AMF colonization modulates antioxidant defense mechanisms, osmotic adjustment, and hormonal regulation. These responses promote plant performance, photosynthetic efficiency, and biomass production in abiotic stress circumstances. AMF-mediated effects are also enhanced by essential oils (EOs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and phosphorus (P). Understanding how AMF increases plant adaptation and reduces abiotic stress will help sustain agriculture, ecosystem management, and climate change mitigation. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have gained prominence in agriculture due to their multifaceted roles in promoting plant health and productivity. This review delves into how AMF influences plant growth and nutrient absorption, especially under challenging environmental conditions. We further explore the extent to which AMF bolsters plant resilience and growth during stress.

Thoracic Splenosis - A necessary differential diagnosis for pleural based nodules with history of thoracoabdominal trauma.

Thoracic Splenosis (TS) is a rare medical condition, where there is auto-transplantation of the splenic tissue in the thoracic cavity, often leading to pleural based nodules. Our patient is the first ever case of this condition in Pakistan, and underwent extensive diagnostic procedures as well as medical treatments, before receiving the diagnosis of TS. He underwent HRCT for chronic cough that revealed pleural and mediastinal nodules. This coupled with a vague mass in the testes led to the provisional diagnosis of metastasized testicular tumour, and later a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was made. However, eventually a 99mTc denatured red blood cell scan confirmed the diagnosis of TS. TS is a benign condition, whereas other causes of pleural nodules are relatively malignant, hence its diagnosis is essential in ruling out malignancies. Among the multiple invasive and non-invasive diagnostic modalities, the gold standard remains 99mTc denatured red blood cell scan, which is a sensitive test that provides an accurate diagnosis and bars the need of multiple invasive procedures.

Factors behind the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in pediatric wards.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae made the treatment difficult, which has become a significant issue of public health. A sharp increase of carbapenem-resistance rate in Klebsiella pneumoniae was observed in a maternity and child health care hospital in Zunyi, China, in 2014.In 2015 to 2016, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKp) isolated from all the clinical samples were analyzed to identify the carbapenem-resistance genes. They were then fingerprinted in order to determine their genetic relationship. Clinical data such as usage of imipenem in 2012 to 2016 and the nosocomial infection surveillance data were analyzed.Thirty-five isolates of CRKp out of 4328 various pathogens were obtained, and blaNDM-1 was identified to be the most common resistant gene present in the CRKp isolates. The fingerprint analysis identified 15 major clusters of CRKp isolates. The bacteria with close proximity relationship tended to be from the same wards. However, a few CRKp isolates from different wards were found to be genetically highly related. The clinical data showed a significantly higher usage of carbapenems in 2012 to 2013 before the CRKp rate sharply increased in 2014. The nosocomial infection surveillance showed an unexpectedly high rate of failures to meet the requirement of the hospital environment hygiene and hand hygiene in the neonatal ward.The increasing isolation rate of CRKp was associated with poorly regulated usage of carbapenems, impropriate medical practices, and the poor hospital environmental hygiene and hand hygiene.

Efficacy of vancomycin versus linezolid against coagulase-negative staphylococci in various clinical specimens.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance has become one of the major problems. Optimal and rationale use of antibiotic is important to prevent resistance against most of the bacteria including Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), which has now been recognized as an important pathogen for nosocomial infections. This study was carried out to determine efficacy of vancomycin and linezolid against CoNS in various clinical specimens. METHODS: A total of 2989 specimens of blood, pus and wound swab were collected from wards, casualty, intensive care units (ICU) and out-patient department (O.P.D), out of these, Staphylococci were isolated in 1017 specimens, of which 381 were identified as CoNS. Culture, gram stain, catalase, coagulase test and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern were done on these specimens according to clinical manual of microbiology. A total of thirteen most commonly used antibiotics were used in this study. Susceptibility testing was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique. RESULTS: Antimicrobial resistance of these isolates were Amoxicillin (74.8%), Amoxicillin+clavulanate (32.8%), Ciprofloxacin (35.2%), Ofloxacin (33.6%), Ceftriaxone (30.4%), Erythromycin (58.3%), Clindamycin (16.3%), Kanamycin (52.2%) Fusidic acid (41.7%), Doxycycline (24.7%), Vancomycin (2.6%) and Linezolid (0.8%) respectively. Isolates obtained from blood were 45.9%. CONCLUSION: Vancomycin showed resistance against CoNS which is a real threat for currently applied therapy against methicilin resistant CoNS. However, linezolid efficacy is higher than vancomycin against CoNS in our study, which suggests that this drug may be considered superior to vancomycin for the treatment of infections associated with CoNS.