Background: Implantation is the rate-limiting step in the success of both intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization cycles. Numerous interventions that target various local signals ...have been tried to improve the implantation and clinical pregnancy rate (CPR). The most significant of these signals is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which acts as immunomodulator and improves implantation by decidualization of the endometrial stromal cells, trophoblast invasion, proliferation of uterine natural killer cells, stimulation of endometrial angiogenesis, and maintenance of progesterone secretion by the corpus luteum. Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of intrauterine hCG administration before IUI on CPR. Settings and Design: A prospective parallel randomized control study was done from September 2017 to February 2019. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 eligible women planned for IUI were randomly divided just before IUI into 2 groups. A computer-generated randomization list with block size of 10 with 1:1 allocation was used to randomize the patients. Experimental group received 0.5 ml containing 500 IU hCG, on the other hand control group received 0.5 ml of normal saline 2-3 min before IUI in single sitting. The main outcomes were CPR, miscarriage rate, and ongoing pregnancy rate. Statistical Analysis: It was performed using statistical software version SPSS 17.0. Results: Patient's demographic and baseline characteristics were comparable in both the groups. CPR in experimental group was significantly high compared to control group (26% vs. 9%, P = 0.002). Ongoing pregnancy rate was also significantly higher in experimental group (23%) compared to control group (7%) (P = 0.003). No significant difference in miscarriage rate was seen between the two groups. No cases of ectopic pregnancy, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or multiple pregnancy were reported. Conclusion: Intrauterine hCG administration is a simple procedure that can be used to improve pregnancy outcome in IUI cycles.
Clinical Trial Registration Number CTRI/2017/12/010729.
Sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) is a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) protein superfamily, encoded by Abcc8, and is recognized as a key mediator of central nervous ...system (CNS) cellular swelling via the transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channel. Discovered approximately 20 years ago, this channel is normally absent in the CNS but is transcriptionally upregulated after CNS injury. A comprehensive review on the pathophysiology and role of SUR1 in the CNS was published in 2012. Since then, the breadth and depth of understanding of the involvement of this channel in secondary injury has undergone exponential growth: SUR1-TRPM4 inhibition has been shown to decrease cerebral edema and hemorrhage progression in multiple preclinical models as well as in early clinical studies across a range of CNS diseases including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrest, subarachnoid hemorrhage, spinal cord injury, intracerebral hemorrhage, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis, neuromalignancies, pain, liver failure, status epilepticus, retinopathies and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Given these substantial developments, combined with the timeliness of ongoing clinical trials of SUR1 inhibition, now, another decade later, we review advances pertaining to SUR1-TRPM4 pathobiology in this spectrum of CNS disease-providing an overview of the journey from patch-clamp experiments to phase III trials.
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•The perovskite SrTiO3 nanocubes were prepared via facile hydrothermal route.•SrTiO3 photocatalyst achieves 94 % of MB dye degradation efficiency.•The SrTiO3 photocatalyst was ...utilized for 3 recycle runs with good stability.•SrTiO3 photocatalyst possess a specific capacitance of 864 Fg−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV/s.
Strontium titanate nanocubes (ST NCs) with high photocatalytic activity was synthesized via facile hydrothermal technique. During the synthesis, the time of growth was maintained constant while varying the hydrothermal temperature. Post synthesis, the samples were characterized using sophisticated analytical tools such as x-ray diffractometer (XRD), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy for analysing their crystal structure, morphology, composition and optical characteristics. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was tested using methylene blue (MB) dye solution. The obtained results emphasize that ST NCs grown at 210 °C degraded about 94 % (ST3) under visible light in 90 min. The degradation process obeyed first-order kinetics. It is worth noting that the rate constant estimated the efficiency of dye degradation. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies showcased that the ST NC electrode exhibited high specific capacitance (Cs) of about 864 Fg−1 (ST3) at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. Superior photocatalytic and supercapacitance behaviour of ST NCs makes it highly promising in the energy-related applications. Furthermore, ST NCs can be used to remediate polluted dyes in the environment.
Background: Misoprostol is a prostaglandin E1 analogue, a methyl-ester of prostaglandin E1 additionally methylated at C-16. Misoprostol is an effective myometrial stimulant of pregnant uterus, ...selectively binding to prostanoid receptors. The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of vaginal and oral misoprostol for the induction of labour in women with intra-uterine foetal death (IUFD). Methods: A prospective randomised clinical trial, comparing 50 microg oral and 50 microg vaginal misoprostol, six hourlies for a maximum of four doses for the induction of labour in women with IUFD. All patients with IUFD after 28 weeks without previous uterine surgeries, without contraindications for prostaglandins are included in the study. The study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Hoskote. Bangalore from June 2012 to June 2015. It is a tertiary institution serving predominantly rural population. The primary outcome measure was the induction to delivery time, secondary all complications were noted. Results: Twenty-five women were randomised to the vaginal route and twenty-five to the oral route. The induction to delivery time was longer with vaginal misoprostol 10.5 + or - 4.03 compared to oral misoprostol (9.58+ or -4.9). There was no significant difference in the amount of misoprostol needed to achieve successful induction in the two groups. 3 patients needed oxytocin augmentation to complete the induction of labour. There were no cases of failed induction. The systemic side effects (shivering, diarrhoea, vomiting and pyrexia) were more common with oral misoprostol (44.5%) compared to vaginal misoprostol (20%). Conclusions: Oral misoprostol achieved successful induction of labour in women with IUFD in a shorter time than vaginal misoprostol. Both routes are equally effective in termination of pregnancy. Sublingual route is easy to administer, patient compliant, no need for internal examination, less chance of labour dysfunction, less chance of post-partum sepsis. Keywords: Intra-uterine foetal death (IUFD), Induction
Metagenomic analysis of biofilm forming bacteria in environmental samples remains challenging due to the non-availability of gene sequences of most of the uncultivable bacteria. Sequences of ...Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1-UW genes involved either directly or indirectly in biofilm formation were analyzed using BLASTn to obtain matching sequences from different strain, species and genus. Conserved regions in the functional domain of the amino acid sequences were used to design common primers for direct PCR analysis of freshwater metagenomes. Seven key genes such as aceA, clpP, typA, cbrA, phoR, rpoS and gacA involved in biofilm formation were validated. The ortholog genes belonged to wide range of Pseudomonas sp. indicating the diversity of biofilm genes and the conservation of protein functional domains. The approach would also help in analyzing the expression of biofilm genes in different bacteria of freshwater systems for monitoring toxic contaminations such as organic or inorganic pollutants.
•Biofilm genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are conserved across wide range of bacteria.•Ortholog-PCR based direct analysis of freshwater metagenome is proposed.•Universal PCR primers amplified gene orthologs from other Pseudomonas species.
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•Explores recent advances in chromatin regulatory processes in kidney, liver and lung fibrosis.•Discusses alterations in chromatin marks in the development of organ ...fibrosis.•Discusses potential regulatory links between chromatin dysfunction and organ fibrosis as well as future perspectives.•Illustrates different types of epigenetic modifications, molecular interactions and involvement in organ fibrosis.•Discusses on-going clinical trials involving epigenetic therapeutics for organ fibrosis.•Discusses possible therapeutic interventions that can be leveraged for preventing or treating organ fibrosis.
Fibrosis leads to destruction of organ architecture accompanied by chronic inflammation and loss of function. Fibrosis affects nearly every organ in the body and accounts for ∼45% of total deaths worldwide. Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the basic mechanisms leading to organ fibrosis. However, we are limited with therapeutic options and there is a significant need to develop highly effective anti-fibrotic therapies. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have advanced the burgeoning field of epigenetics towards molecular understanding at a higher resolution. Here we provide a comprehensive review of the recent advances in chromatin regulatory processes, specifically DNA methylation, post-translational modification of histones, and chromatin remodeling complexes in kidney, liver and lung fibrosis. Although this research field is young, we discuss new strategies for potential therapeutic interventions for treating organ fibrosis.
Advancement in proteome analytical techniques and the development of protein databases have been helping to understand the physiology and subtle molecular mechanisms behind biofilm formation in ...bacteria. This review is to highlight how the evolving proteomic approaches have revealed fundamental molecular processes underlying the formation and regulation of bacterial biofilms. Based on the survey of research reports available on differential expression of proteins in biofilms of bacterial from wide range of environments, four important cellular processes
viz
. metabolism, motility, transport and stress response that contribute to formation of bacterial biofilms are discussed. This review might answer how proteins related to these cellular processes contribute significantly in stabilizing biofilms of different bacteria in diverse environmental conditions.
Graphical Abstract
Hypoxia-induced oxidative stress is one of the major hallmark reasons underlying brain dysfunction. In the present manuscript, we have used CoCl^sub 2^-induced hypoxic mice to investigate alterations ...in the activities of chief antioxidative stress enzymes- superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and expression of their genes Sod1 and Cat in the cerebral cortex as this model has not been routinely used for carrying out such study. Hypoxia mimetic mice model was accordingly developed by oral CoCl^sub 2^ administration to mice and validated by analyzing alterations in the expression of the hypoxia inducible factor gene Hif-1alpha and its immediate responsive genes. Our Western blot data demonstrated that a dose of 40 mg/kg BW of CoCl^sub 2^ was able to generate hypoxia like condition in mice in which Hif-1alpha and its immediate responsive genes-glutamate transporter-1 (Slc2a1) and erythropoietin (Epo) expression were up regulated. Our in-gel assay data indicated that SOD and CAT activities significantly declined and it was associated with significant down regulation of Sod1 and Epo expression as evident from our semi quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot data, which might be correlated with up regulation of Hif-1alpha expression in the cerebral cortex of the CoCl^sub 2^-treated hypoxic mice. Our findings suggest that CoCl^sub 2^-induced hypoxic mouse model is useful for studying alterations in the anti oxidative enzymes and biochemical/molecular/neurobiological analysis of hypoxia-induced alterations in brain function.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Hypoxia-induced oxidative stress is one of the major hallmark reasons underlying brain dysfunction. In the present manuscript, we have used CoCl sub(2)-induced hypoxic mice to investigate alterations ...in the activities of chief antioxidative stress enzymes- superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and expression of their genes Sod1 and Cat in the cerebral cortex as this model has not been routinely used for carrying out such study. Hypoxia mimetic mice model was accordingly developed by oral CoCl sub(2) administration to mice and validated by analyzing alterations in the expression of the hypoxia inducible factor gene Hif-1 alpha and its immediate responsive genes. Our Western blot data demonstrated that a dose of 40 mg/kg BW of CoCl sub(2) was able to generate hypoxia like condition in mice in which Hif-1 alpha and its immediate responsive genes-glutamate transporter-1 (Slc2a1) and erythropoietin (Epo) expression were up regulated. Our in-gel assay data indicated that SOD and CAT activities significantly declined and it was associated with significant down regulation of Sod1 and Epo expression as evident from our semi quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot data, which might be correlated with up regulation of Hif-1 alpha expression in the cerebral cortex of the CoCl sub(2)-treated hypoxic mice. Our findings suggest that CoCl sub(2)-induced hypoxic mouse model is useful for studying alterations in the anti oxidative enzymes and biochemical/molecular/neurobiological analysis of hypoxia-induced alterations in brain function.
Hypoxia-induced oxidative stress is one of the major hallmark reasons underlying brain dysfunction. In the present manuscript, we have used CoCl
2
-induced hypoxic mice to investigate alterations in ...the activities of chief antioxidative stress enzymes- superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and expression of their genes
Sod1
and
Cat
in the cerebral cortex as this model has not been routinely used for carrying out such study. Hypoxia mimetic mice model was accordingly developed by oral CoCl
2
administration to mice and validated by analyzing alterations in the expression of the hypoxia inducible factor gene
Hif
-
1α
and its immediate responsive genes. Our Western blot data demonstrated that a dose of 40 mg/kg BW of CoCl
2
was able to generate hypoxia like condition in mice in which
Hif
-
1α
and its immediate responsive genes-glutamate transporter-1 (
Slc2a1
) and erythropoietin (
Epo
) expression were up regulated. Our in-gel assay data indicated that SOD and CAT activities significantly declined and it was associated with significant down regulation of
Sod1
and
Epo
expression as evident from our semi quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot data, which might be correlated with up regulation of
Hif
-
1α
expression in the cerebral cortex of the CoCl
2
-treated hypoxic mice. Our findings suggest that CoCl
2
-induced hypoxic mouse model is useful for studying alterations in the anti oxidative enzymes and biochemical/molecular/neurobiological analysis of hypoxia-induced alterations in brain function.
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