Shoeb Ahmad’s research while affiliated with Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University and other places

The Himalayan Mountains are one of the most remarkable geological wonders in the world. Given the enormous floral and faunal diversity, the Himalayas are one of the world’s ecological hotspots. At the same time, it is one of the most vulnerable ecosystems, which has been put to exploitation across all forms. The Himalayas serve as a major tourist attraction and immensely support the economy of neighbouring countries. In India, the Himalayas contribute majorly to the GDPs of the adjoining states. Although, tourism activities in the Himalayas have provided the economic and livelihood prospectus to the residents in particular and local governments in general, however, the unorganized tourism activities could not go hand in hand with the environmental obligations of the Himalayas, hence leading to ecological imbalance. With the increase in tourist footfall in Himalayan states, it has been evident that the environmental and social standards have been subjected to change. The indiscreet developmental trends leading to pollution, over-exploitation of natural resources, witless urbanization, loss of indigenous culture, natural disasters including landslides and avalanches, increase in municipal sewage, disease outbreaks due to municipal wastes, have already affected the fragile ecological balance of the Himalayas. Since tourism contributes a major chunk to the economic well-being of the Himalayan republics and cannot be avoided as such; therefore, sustainable practices of tourism should be adopted to get in harmony with the environmental standards of the Himalayas. This chapter discusses the challenges of unorganized tourist activities and related repercussions on the Himalayan ecosystems.

Concrete, although versatile and one of the pervasive construction materials, is susceptible tomcracking. Cracks allow harmful elements to enter, compromising durability, which ultimately resultsmin high replacement costs. While prevention of crack formation in concrete is quite impossible,mnumerous techniques are engaged to heal up the cracks including chemical and polymer application. However, the conventional crack healers are known to have associated health and environment risks in additional to their short-term effectivity. On the other hand, the novel application of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), which is based on the natural phenomena of carbonate precipitation, outperforms the conventional crack-repair techniques and is self-activating, cheap, simple, and environmentally friendly. The self-healing concrete is triggered on, when the bacteria inside the concrete encounters environment upon the crack opening and fills up the fissures with their metabolic waste, calcium carbonate. This biological process of calcium carbonate precipitation has been widely applied in environmental engineering over past couple years and is used to reinforce construction materials, soil remediation and carbon sequestration. However, there are several difficulties about using such bacteria. Harsh conditions in concrete matrices, such as high alkalinity (pH up to 13), high temperatures during manufacturing processes, and constrained oxygen supply, are incompatible for bacterial life. Numerous biological aspects, such as the ideal MICP conditions, the molecular mechanisms underlying MICCP, the microorganisms applicable in concrete, the survival traits of the microorganisms embedded in concrete, and the quantity of MICP in concrete, are yet to be explored. This study discusses the recent advances in various aspects of using microbes to produce self-healing concrete and microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) methods.

Oxidative stress, driven by reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur species (ROS, RNS, RSS), poses a significant threat to cellular integrity and human health. Generated during mitochondrial respiration, inflammation, UV exposure and pollution, these species damage cells and contribute to pathologies like cardiovascular issues, neurodegeneration, cancer, and metabolic syndromes. Lifestyle factors exert a substantial influence on oxidative stress levels, with mitochondria emerging as pivotal players in ROS generation and cellular equilibrium. Phytochemicals, abundant in plants, such as carotenoids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols and polyphenols, offer diverse antioxidant mechanisms. They scavenge free radicals, chelate metal ions, and modulate cellular signalling pathways to mitigate oxidative damage. Furthermore, plants thriving in high-altitude regions are adapted to extreme conditions, and synthesize secondary metabolites, like flavonoids and phenolic compounds in bulk quantities, which act to form a robust antioxidant defence against oxidative stress, including UV radiation and temperature fluctuations. These plants are promising sources for drug development, offering innovative strategies by which to manage oxidative stress-related ailments and enhance human health. Understanding and harnessing the antioxidant potential of phytochemicals from high-altitude plants represent crucial steps in combating oxidative stress-induced disorders and promoting overall wellbeing. This study offers a comprehensive summary of the production and physio-pathological aspects of lifestyle-induced oxidative stress disorders and explores the potential of phytochemicals as promising antioxidants. Additionally, it presents an appraisal of high-altitude medicinal plants as significant sources of antioxidants, highlighting their potential for drug development and the creation of innovative antioxidant therapeutic approaches.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir rely heavily on fish as a source of nutritional protein. Fishes also contribute significantly to the local economy of this area. However, several infectious disorders, some of which are brought on by helminth parasites, constitute a persistent threat to fish. The primary goal of the present review is to find out the parasites in common fishes found in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the impact of parasites on fishes and sickness on human health. Like other animals, fishes are susceptible to several diseases, many of which are external in origin while others are internal in origin. Fishes are known to be susceptible to parasites, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other external agents that can cause disease, and they also commonly experience organic and degenerative problems internally. Fish parasites have significant impact on both fish and human health. These diverse organisms, including protozoa, helminths, and crustaceans, can infest various fish tissues, leading to detrimental effects. Infested fish often experience reduced growth, weakened immune system, behavioral changes, physical damage, and even mortality. Economically, fish parasites can diminish the value of fish in markets and increase production costs in fisheries and aquaculture. Moreover, fish parasites pose potential human health risks. Consumers who ingest raw or undercooked fish containing certain parasites, like Anisakis spp., may develop gastrointestinal discomfort or anisakiasis. Proper cooking and freezing can mitigate this risk. While fish parasites are primarily harmful, they also play ecological roles, contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem stability by controlling fish populations. Understanding the complex interactions between parasites, fish, and their environment is vital for effective fisheries management, aquaculture practices, and public health measures. Striking a balance between controlling parasite infestation and maintaining ecological integrity is crucial for sustaining both fish populations and human well-being.

Parasitic diseases affecting millions of people globally cause fatalities and incapacitating conditions. It is, therefore, essential to detect parasitic diseases by looking for the parasite/s or their specific proteases that they produce at different phases of their life cycles. Numerous symptoms and indicators can result from a parasitic infection of the neurological system, but it is still challenging to diagnose an infection because the symptoms are frequently vague or minor. It is more likely that a parasite infection of the nervous system will be identified and treated well if one is familiar with fundamental epidemiological traits and distinctive radiography findings. For accurate diagnosis of these neurological disorders, proper identification and adoption of acceptable public health measures for the management of epidemic outbreaks are required. For numerous diseases, conventional in vitro techniques are time-consuming and need centralized facilities. So, the development of biosensor technology could lead to point-of-care diagnostics that are as accurate, fast, and affordable as or better than current standards. Modern biosensors include varied sensing techniques, such as optical, electrical, and mechanical transducers, as well as micro- and nanofabrication technologies. Only a handful of well-known biosensor examples have successfully transitioned from laboratory research to clinical applications despite the need for the medical community. Biosensor-based diagnosis of protozoan diseases like malaria, leishmaniasis, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), and toxoplasmosis has been accomplished but is still in the infancy stage. In addition to the advancements in biosensors for the diagnosis of parasitic infections, we highlight the considerable challenges that must be overcome in order to bring integrated diagnostic biosensors into use in real-world scenarios.

Among all available antimicrobials, antibiotics hold a prime position in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has posed a serious threat to the effectiveness of antibiotics, resulting in increased morbidity, mortality, and escalation in healthcare costs causing a global health crisis. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in global healthcare setups have accelerated the development and spread of AMR, leading to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, which further limits treatment options. This creates a critical need to explore alternative approaches to combat bacterial infections. Phytochemicals have gained attention as a potential source of alternative medicine to address the challenge of AMR. Phytochemicals are structurally and functionally diverse and have multitarget antimicrobial effects, disrupting essential cellular activities. Given the promising results of plant-based antimicrobials, coupled with the slow discovery of novel antibiotics, it has become highly imperative to explore the vast repository of phytocompounds to overcome the looming catastrophe of AMR. This review summarizes the emergence of AMR towards existing antibiotics and potent phytochemicals having antimicrobial activities, along with a comprehensive overview of 123 Himalayan medicinal plants reported to possess antimicrobial phytocompounds, thus compiling the existing information that will help researchers in the exploration of phytochemicals to combat AMR.

Antibiotics have made formidable benefactions to human civilization and found extensive usage in infectious disease treatment. However, indiscriminate and overuse of antibiotics have evolved resistant bacterial strains, which is a cause of concern to healthcare set-ups all around the world. This situation has necessitated the need of introducing new antimicrobials or combination therapies. The slow development of novel synthetic antibiotics has diverted the research towards naturally occurring antimicrobial molecules. Plant secondary metabolites, being diverse and distributed across different habitats, provide fair chances for the exploration and discovery of novel antimicrobials, mainly due to the huge reservoir of phytochemicals produced like alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. The North-Western Himalaya fosters great diversity of medicinal plants, which present a lucrative bioresource available to be explored for the development of novel antimicrobials or potentiating molecules in combination therapies. This review presents an overview of plant-based antimicrobials reported in recent years, along with their targets and mode of action and provides an appraisal of medicinal plant resource of Pir Panjal Himalayan region, along with their reported antimicrobial phytochemicals, which provides excellent opportunity for further exploration and discovery of novel antimicrobials.