THE CAPABILITY APPROACH: ITS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND A CRITIQU

An attempt has been made in this paper to discuss the basic ideas of the Capability Approach; To show how it has been applied by many scholars to study the various problems relating to human well being as well as to evaluate the existing public policies; What are the recent trends or contribution of several scholars to the Capability Approach and to discuss the various criticisms of the Capability Approac

The differential role of regulatory B cells in cancer and allo-immunity

A new wave of research recognizes a distinct subset of B regulatory cells (Breg) that maintain immune tolerance. Breg cells have been shown to exert immunoregulatory functions through the production of interleukin (IL)-10 and appear to play important roles in autoimmunity and in cancer. Despite the extensive body of evidence reinforcing the notion of B cells as potential regulatory cells, some controversy over the paucity of markers that can unequivocally identify Bregs still exists. To study the role of Breg in immune surveillance, I designed a comprehensive multi‐parameter panel of surface antibodies to define B-cell subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and cord blood (CB). The intracellular detection of IL-10 combined with flow cytometric phenotyping presented in my thesis demonstrate the presence of IL-10– producing Bregs with Treg-independent immunosuppressive functions in both the IgM memory (CD19+IgM+CD27+) and transitional (CD19+CD24hiCD38hi) PB B-cell subsets in healthy donors. The regulatory function PB Bregs against CD4+T cells and CD56+NK cells required both cell-cell contact and IL-10 production. Moreover, I demonstrate that Breg populations are expanded in the PB of AML patients and exert potent suppression of NK function mediated through 2B4-CD48 signaling. I further demonstrated the presence of IL-10- producing B cells with Treg-independent immunosuppressive properties in CB with the ability to suppress allogeneic-CD4+T cells through IL-10, as well as cell-cell contact mediated mechanisms involving CTLA-4 and CD80/CD86. I found an early and robust recovery of IL-10+B cells post-CBT. High Breg frequencies in CB may attenuate T-cell responses and contribute to the lower rates of cGVHD. My findings have important clinical implications and suggest that Bregs may be exploited to treat immune-mediated diseases. Whereas, strategies to deplete Bregs for optimal anti-cancer immunotherapy may benefit antitumor activity in AML and other cancers, adoptive transfer of donor-derived Bregs post transplant may offer a potentially effective immunomodulatory therapy for the treatment of GVHD.Open Acces

Antioxidant Therapy in Oxidative Stress-Induced Neurodegenerative Diseases: Role of Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems in Clinical Translation

Free radicals are formed as a part of normal metabolic activities but are neutralized by the endogenous antioxidants present in cells/tissue, thus maintaining the redox balance. This redox balance is disrupted in certain neuropathophysiological conditions, causing oxidative stress, which is implicated in several progressive neurodegenerative diseases. Following neuronal injury, secondary injury progression is also caused by excessive production of free radicals. Highly reactive free radicals, mainly the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), damage the cell membrane, proteins, and DNA, which triggers a self-propagating inflammatory cascade of degenerative events. Dysfunctional mitochondria under oxidative stress conditions are considered a key mediator in progressive neurodegeneration. Exogenous delivery of antioxidants holds promise to alleviate oxidative stress to regain the redox balance. In this regard, natural and synthetic antioxidants have been evaluated. Despite promising results in preclinical studies, clinical translation of antioxidants as a therapy to treat neurodegenerative diseases remains elusive. The issues could be their low bioavailability, instability, limited transport to the target tissue, and/or poor antioxidant capacity, requiring repeated and high dosing, which cannot be administered to humans because of dose-limiting toxicity. Our laboratory is investigating nanoparticle-mediated delivery of antioxidant enzymes to address some of the above issues. Apart from being endogenous, the main advantage of antioxidant enzymes is their catalytic mechanism of action; hence, they are significantly more effective at lower doses in detoxifying the deleterious effects of free radicals than nonenzymatic antioxidants. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of antioxidant therapy, challenges in their clinical translation, and the role nanoparticles/drug delivery systems could play in addressing these challenges

Role and contributions of women in revolutionizing neurosurgery

We owe it to the women neurosurgeons for paving the way to a more gender-inclusive world of medicine. Their dedication and sacrifices have led them and their followers to scale unimaginable heights in terms of administrative positions, leadership, and academics. In today's scenario, it is safe to say that society has progressed considerably. Past years have seen an uprise in the number of females enrolling in a medical degree programme however, this proportion is highly distorted when it comes to specialties such as Neurosurgery. This disparity seems to be evolving and leveling out in all specialties, as more and more women are stepping out of their comfort zone and challenging the established standards of the society. It is with the collective efforts of all stakeholders and women that we see more women not only choosing such specialties which were previously uncharted terrain, but also leading organizations globally and excelling on the administrative and academic fronts. Veteran female surgeons have revolutionized neurosurgery and its subspecialties in unimaginable ways and the present as well as the future generation neurosurgeons continue to take inspiration from them and follow their footsteps. This paper has put together the contributions of female neurosurgeons in various subspecialties of neurosurgery as well as giving an account of the leadership and administrative positions served by women. We also shed light on the role of women as an academician and a researcher

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia: A report of a rare entity in an elderly male

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is an uncommon benign proliferation of blood vessels of uncertain etiology. It primarily affects the head-and-neck region. Histologically, it is characterized by the prominent proliferation of plump endothelial cells, and accompanying eosinophilic and lymphocytic infiltration. Herein, we report the case of ALHE in a 65-year-old male