Deciphering fungicide resistance in Phytophthora: mechanisms, prevalence, and sustainable management approaches.

The genus Phytophthora contains more than 100 plant pathogenic species that parasitize a wide range of plants, including economically important fruits, vegetables, cereals, and forest trees, causing significant losses. Global agriculture is seriously threatened by fungicide resistance in Phytophthora species, which makes it imperative to fully comprehend the mechanisms, frequency, and non-chemical management techniques related to resistance mutations. The mechanisms behind fungicide resistance, such as target-site mutations, efflux pump overexpression, overexpression of target genes and metabolic detoxification routes for fungicides routinely used against Phytophthora species, are thoroughly examined in this review. Additionally, it assesses the frequency of resistance mutations in various Phytophthora species and geographical areas, emphasizing the rise of strains that are resistant to multiple drugs. The effectiveness of non-chemical management techniques, including biological control, host resistance, integrated pest management plans, and cultural practices, in reducing fungicide resistance is also thoroughly evaluated. The study provides important insights for future research and the development of sustainable disease management strategies to counter fungicide resistance in Phytophthora species by synthesizing current information and identifying knowledge gaps.

Formulation of sumatriptan succinate orodispersible tablets using chitosan and sodium starch glycolate for immediate migraine relief.

Migraine is one of the common neurological disease affecting around 23% of the Pakistani population. Prompt treatment is required to regain the functional ability of patients. The present study was designed to develop sumatriptan succinate orodispersible tablets that would quickly overcome acute migraine episodes using 22 full-factorial design. The chitosan and sodium starch glycolate were taken as independent variables; friability, disintegration, dispersion time and water absorption ratio as response variables. Eight trial formulations were generated by Design Expert® software. The main effect plots were used to check the interaction of formulations with response variables. All trial formulations showed good micromeritic properties in terms of angle of repose (19.59o-24.57°), Carr's index (17.08-24.90%) and Hausner's ratio (1.20-1.33). The tablets wetted quickly (17.1- 39 sec) in dispersion medium, showed higher water absorption ratio (188-341 sec) and disintegrated quickly (13-20 sec) with an excellent dissolution rate (94-99%). The main effect plots show interactions between the independent variables against most of the study responses. A 22 full-factorial model was found to be effective in studying the influence of formulation variables on response parameters. Both chitosan and sodium starch glycolate can be used in combination to fabricate an effective orodispersible formulation of sumatriptan succinate.

The impact of familial involvement on dropout in a culturally informed group therapy for people diagnosed with 'schizophrenia'.

Background: Individuals with schizophrenia diagnoses are high-risk for dropout from mental health treatments, yet few studies have examined whether familial involvement in therapy impacts dropout. Methods: We examined whether familial involvement and other demographic variables predicted dropout among 101 patients enrolled in culturally informed group therapy for schizophrenia (CIGT-S), which incorporates collectivistic principles and spiritual coping into treatment. We reviewed records and conducted follow-up calls to identify reasons for dropout, and performed survival analyses to identify when dropout was likely. Results: Familial involvement was linked to greater engagement with treatment and lower dropout, signifying a mechanism for improving treatment attendance in this group. Ethnic minorities and patients with higher symptom severity demonstrated higher rates of dropout. Most patients dropped out of CIGT-S before treatment began. However, significantly lower levels of dropout were observed among those who made it to session 9 (end of the spirituality module). An inability to maintain contact with participants was the most cited reason for dropout within records, and structural reasons (e.g., moving away) were commonly cited among participants who were successfully followed-up with. Discussion: Future work may identify whether family functioning or the quality of familial relationships may predict familial involvement and, consequently, treatment attendance.

A 4-session written emotional disclosure intervention lowers 6-month sympathoadrenal urinary output in persons living with HIV.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported that a brief guided written emotional disclosure (WED) intervention resulted in significant reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology in women, but not men, living with HIV. Levels of 24-hour urinary output of epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) are shown to be elevated in persons diagnosed with PTSD. The current study tested whether there was an effect for the 4-week WED intervention on 6-month change in urinary E and NE output amongst persons living with HIV. METHOD: Fourteen women and 11 men living with HIV randomized to four 30-min expressive writing sessions of either trauma writing or daily events writing in the parent trial were included based upon collection of urine specimens at baseline, 1-, and 6-months after the intervention. Total volume (µg) and concentration (µg/ml) of urinary E and NE were derived from the specimens as study outcomes. RESULTS: Four repeated measures analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to evaluate study outcomes using trauma- versus daily-writing as the between-subject factors and collection time point as the within-subject factor, controlling for age and sex. A group x time interaction was observed wherein the trauma writing treatment group showed a significantly greater decrease in total urinary output, F(2, 46) = 4.03, p = .03, and concentration, F(2, 46) = 4.74, p = .01 of epinepherine. Post-hoc analyses revealed the interaction effect for the total, F(2, 22) = 4.82, p = .03, and concentration, F(2, 22) = 7.57, p = .005, of urinary E output over 6-months was significant for women. Interactions were not observed in urinary NE output. CONCLUSIONS: Significant reductions in the total output and concentration of urinary E were found up to 6-months following initiation of a 4-session guided written emotional disclosure intervention. Profiles of sympathoadrenal activity and response to expressive writing differ between men and women living with HIV. Futher research is need to characterize the putative pathways linking sympathoadrenal response to upstream neurobiological function and downstream inflammatory-immune status in women living with HIV and PTSD.

The central executive network moderates the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptom severity and gastrointestinal related issues.

Although most adults experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, a smaller proportion will go on to be clinically diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Persons diagnosed with PTSD have a greater likelihood of developing gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. However, the extent to which subclinical levels of post-traumatic stress (PTS) correspond with the incidence of GI issues in a normative sample is unclear. Resting state fMRI, medical history, psychological survey, and anthropometric data were acquired from the Enhanced Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample (n = 378; age range 18-85.6 years). The primary aim of this study was to test the main effect of subclinical PTS symptom severity on the number of endorsed GI issues. The secondary aim was to test the moderating effect of high versus low resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the central executive network (CEN) on the relationship between PTS symptom severity and GI issues. Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40) scores were positively associated with the number of endorsed GI issues (b = -0.038, SE = .009, p < .001). The interaction between TSC-40 scores and rsFC within the CEN was significant on GI issues after controlling for sociodemographic and cardiometabolic variables (b = -0.031, SE = .016, p < .05), such that above average rsFC within the CEN buffered the effect of TSC-40 scores on GI issues. Our findings of higher rsFC within the CEN moderating the magnitude of coincidence in PTS and GI symptom severity may reflect the mitigating role of executive control processes in the putative stress signaling mechanisms that contribute to gut dysbiosis.

Recent advances in nano-enabled immunomodulation for enhancing plant resilience against phytopathogens.

Plant diseases caused by microbial pathogens pose a severe threat to global food security. Although genetic modifications can improve plant resistance; however, environmentally sustainable strategies are needed to manage plant diseases. Nano-enabled immunomodulation involves using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to modulate the innate immune system of plants and enhance their resilience against pathogens. This emerging approach provides unique opportunities through the ability of ENMs to act as nanocarriers for delivering immunomodulatory agents, nanoprobes for monitoring plant immunity, and nanoparticles (NPs) that directly interact with plant cells to trigger immune responses. Recent studies revealed that the application of ENMs as nanoscale agrochemicals can strengthen plant immunity against biotic stress by enhancing systemic resistance pathways, modulating antioxidant defense systems, activating defense-related genetic pathways and reshaping the plant-associated microbiomes. However, key challenges remain in unraveling the complex mechanisms through which ENMs influence plant molecular networks, assessing their long-term environmental impacts, developing biodegradable formulations, and optimizing targeted delivery methods. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the latest research on nano-enabled immunomodulation strategies, potential mechanisms of action, and highlights future perspectives to overcome existing challenges for sustainable plant disease management.

Impact of Sociodemographic Characteristics on the Quality of Life of Frontline Nursing Staff During COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unprecedented challenges on healthcare systems worldwide. The pandemic placed frontline nursing staff working in the ICU and ER at the epicenter of this global crisis. This study aimed to assess the multifaceted impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life (QOL) of nursing staff during the pandemic. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the QOL of 322 frontline nurses working in the ICU and ER of five Saudi hospitals from May to July 2022. Participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire including demographic characteristics and four domains of QOL from the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREFF). The data was evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Among 322 nurse participants, the majority were female (84.8%), married (64.4%), and held a bachelor's degree (92.4%). Age (above 40 years), gender (male), and marital status (married) reported a higher individual domain and overall QOL scores which shows that these characteristics have a direct influence on QOL. Years of work experience, extra working hours, and direct contact with COVID-19 patients were additional significant factors. Pearson correlation coefficients among QOL domains ranged from 0.54 to 0.91, indicating a strong interrelation among these domains. The highest transformed score was in the social domain (70.10) while the lowest score was in the psychological domain (59.20). The overall QOL mean score (SD) was 3.49(0.14) and the mean score (SD) of general health was 3.46(0.15). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that sociodemographic and work-related factors have a complex and multifaceted impact on the QOL of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. It also presents an insight into developing specific interventions to enhance nurses' resilience and well-being amidst pandemic challenges and to improve their QOL.

Genotypes, epidemiological variables and fungicides application associated with wheat leaf rust development and grain yield.

The present study was carried out at the Plant Pathology Hafizabad Research Station, the University of Layyah, during the crop seasons 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 to evaluate the response of various wheat genotypes against leaf rust severity (%), environmental conditions favourable for disease development and grain yield. Except for minimum temperature and minimum relative humidity, which had a negative association with disease development, there was a significant correlation between leaf rust severity (%) and all environmental conditions such as maximum temperature, maximum relative humidity, rainfall, and wind speed. All epidemiological variables such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, minimum relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed significantly affect the disease progression. The disease predictive model accounted for 48-69 % variability in leaf rust severity. The model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.69) and RMSE, both demonstrated acceptable predictive results for leaf rust severity (%) management. Leaf rust severity (%) increased with an increase in maximum temperature (17.8-30 °C), maximum relative humidity (76.3-85 %), rainfall (2.2-10.85 mm) and wind speed 1.1-2.7 km/h and decreased with the increase of minimum temperature (7.91-16.71 °C) minimum relative humidity (47.15-56.45 %) during both rating seasons 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. The single and two applications of fungicides at the Zadok's scale 3, ZS 4.3, and ZS 5.4 stages led to a significant reduction in grain yield losses caused by leaf rust severity (%) in both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 crop seasons. Single and two sprays of prothioconazole, were found to be the first choice among all treatments to reduce the disease severity and increase grain production and maximum gross revenue (513.1-777.8$/ha), as compared to followed by single and two sprays of propiconazole (Progress), tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin, tebuconazole, bixafen + tebuconazole, and propiconazole (Tilt), respectively. These findings recommend the involvement of genotype resistance and weather predictors in wheat leaf rust development, along with fungicide application studies, to improve the predictability of host resistance to disease, future models, and the sustainability of disease control methods.