Frequency of caesarean section in diabetic vs. non diabetic females undergoing induction of labour at term

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy characterized by glucose intolerance recognized during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcome. Majority of patients with diabetes had induction of labour at term (≥37weeks) to prevent maternal and fetal morbidity especially shoulder dystocia, macrosomia and intrauterine fetal death at term Objectives: To find frequency of gestational diabetes (GDM) in patients undergoing induction of labour. To compare the frequency of caesarean section in diabetic (GDM) and non-diabetic females undergoing induction of labour Methodology: Study Type; It was a descriptive case series conducted at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shalamar Hospital Lahore. Duration of study was six months after approval from IRB. Sample size; Sample size of 214 cases undergoing induction of labour at term during study period; calculated with 95%confidence level and 3.4% margin of error and taking expected percentage of GDM is 6.9%. Sampling Technique; purposive sampling Methodology: 214 females who will fulfill the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study from labour room of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shalamar Hospital Lahore. Induction of labour done with tab prostin 3mg single dose and patients having gestational diabetes were identified and frequency of caesarean section in Diabetic and non-diabetic calculated. Results: In current study, mean age of the patients was 27.8±4.4 years. Mean gestational age was 37.1±3.8 weeks and mean BMI was 28.6±4.1 kg/m2. Primigravida were 88 (41.1%) and multigravidas were 126 (58.9%). Gestational diabetes was found to be in 36 patients (16.8%). Caesarean section was performed in 77 patients (36%). Comparison of frequency of cesarean section in diabetic (GDM) and non-diabetic females undergoing induction of labour revealed majority of the caesarean sections performed in GDM patients (p=0.007). Conclusion In conclusion, our study found a higher incidence of cesarean section than normal delivery in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Major factors for operational delivery in GDM population included: advanced maternal age and high BMI value

Role of VAM in alleviating allelopathic stress of Parthenium hysterophorus on maize (Zea mays L.)

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of allelopathic potential of Parthenium hysterophorus on germination, growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) as well as the role of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM) in alleviating allelopathic stress. In the first experiment germination and seedling growth response of maize to 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 % w/v aqueous extract of P. hysterophorus was studied in petri dishes. Higher concentrations of 25 and 50% aqueous extract of Parthenium significantly reduced the germination of maize grains. Root and shoot growths of seedlings were also similarly affected. In the other experiment, shoot material of P. hysterophorus was cut into very small pieces and mixed in the heat sterilized pot soil @ 0, 5 and 10 % w/w, half the pots were inoculated with VAM. The results regarding the various vegetative and reproductive growth parameters revealed that the maize crop was not susceptible to applied rates of P. hysterophorus Mulch, the maize growth was considerably enhanced in 5 % treatment while in 10 % mulch treatment crop growth was as good as in control while plants inoculated with VAM showed markedly enhanced the crop growth both in control as well as Parthenium mixed treatments. Mycorrhizal colonization was markedly suppressed by mixing shoot material of P. hysterophorus at vegetative growth stage especially in 10 % treatment.&nbsp

Altered STAT4 isoform expression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pathogenesis involves a complex interplay between genetic, environmental and immunological factors. We evaluated isoform expression of the IL-12-activated transcription factor STAT4 in children with CD and UC. METHODS: We performed a study where we collected biopsy samples from both newly diagnosed CD and UC patients. We further collected blood samples from newly diagnosed CD and UC patients as well as patients who had a flare-up after being in clinical remission, and examined the ratios of STAT4β/STAT4α mRNA. In addition to STAT4 isoforms we measured the expression of the cytokines TNFα, IFNγ, GM-CSF and IL-17 using PCR of biopsy samples and multiplex analysis of patient serum samples. RESULTS: Ratios of STAT4β/STAT4α were increased in specific GI tract segments in both CD and UC patients that correlate with location and severity of inflammation. In contrast, we did not observe changes in STAT4β/STAT4α ratios in biopsy specimens from eosinophilic esophagitis patients. We also observed increased STAT4β/STAT4α ratios in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of UC and CD patients, compared to healthy controls. Ratios were normalized after patient treatment with steroids. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data indicate that STAT4 isoforms could be an important non-invasive biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD, and that expression of these isoforms might provide further insight into the pathogenesis of IBD

Withering timings affect the total free amino acids and mineral contents of tea leaves during black tea manufacturing

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of withering timings (i.e. 0, 21, 22, 23 and 24h) on the moisture, total free amino acids, ash, essential and toxic mineral element contents of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) leaves during black tea manufacturing. Moisture, ash, Na, P, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn, Al, Ni and Pb contents were significantly (P<0.05) affected by withering, whereas non-significant (P>0.05) results were noted for total free amino acids, K, Fe and Cd contents. The highest moisture content (76.4%) was examined in fresh leaves that progressively decreased to 63.8% in 24h withering. Total free amino acid contents gradually increased up to 23h and then decreased. Ash, P, Cu, Zn and Mn contents showed an increasing trend with withering time. Conversely, significantly lowered amounts of Na (162.5mg/kg) and Mg (803mg/kg) were recorded in tea leaves after 24h withering. Among the toxic elements, Al, Ni and Pb contents were progressively increased over withering time. It was concluded that tea is a potential source of essential chemical constituents and during processing proper care should be taken to produce high quality black tea

PU.1 expression in T follicular helper cells limits CD40L-dependent germinal center B cell development.

PU.1 is an ETS family transcription factor important for the development of multiple hematopoietic cell lineages. Previous work demonstrated a critical role for PU.1 in promoting Th9 development, and in limiting Th2 cytokine production. Whether PU.1 has functions in other T helper lineages is not clear. In this report we examined the effects of ectopic expression of PU.1 in CD4+T cells and observed decreased expression of genes involved with the function of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, including Il21 and Tnfsf5 (encoding CD40L). T cells from conditional mutant mice that lack expression of PU.1 in T cells (Sfpi1lck−/−) demonstrated increased production of CD40L and IL-21 in vitro. Following adjuvant-dependent or adjuvant-independent immunization, we observed that Sfpi1lck−/− mice had increased numbers of Tfh cells, increased germinal center B cells, and increased antibody production in vivo. This correlated with increased expression of IL-21 and CD40L in Tfh cells from Sfpi1lck−/− mice, compared to control mice. Finally, although blockade of IL-21 did not affect germinal center B cells in Sfpi1lck−/− mice, anti-CD40L treatment of immunized Sfpi1lck−/− mice decreased germinal center B cell numbers and antigen-specific immunoglobulin concentrations. Together, these data indicate an inhibitory role of PU.1 in the function of T follicular helper cells, germinal centers, and Tfh-dependent humoral immunity

The ETS family transcription factors Etv5 and PU.1 function in parallel to promote Th9 cell development

The IL-9-secreting Th9 subset of CD4 T helper cells develop in response to an environment containing IL-4 and TGFβ, promoting allergic disease, autoimmunity, and resistance to pathogens. We previously identified a requirement for the ETS family transcription factor PU.1 in Th9 development. In this report we demonstrate that the ETS transcription factor ETV5 promotes IL-9 production in Th9 cells by binding and recruiting histone acetyltransferases to the Il9 locus at sites distinct from PU.1. In cells that are deficient in both PU.1 and ETV5 there is lower IL-9 production than in cells lacking either factor alone. In vivo loss of PU.1 and ETV5 in T cells results in distinct affects on allergic inflammation in the lung, suggesting that these factors function in parallel. Together, these data define a role for ETV5 in Th9 development and extend the paradigm of related transcription factors having complementary functions during differentiation

STAT4 deficiency reduces the development of atherosclerosis in mice

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process that leads to plaque formation in large and medium sized vessels. T helper 1 (Th1) cells constitute the majority of plaque infiltrating pro-atherogenic T cells and are induced via IFNγ-dependent activation of T-box (Tbet) and/or IL-12-dependent activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4). We thus aimed to define a role for STAT4 in atherosclerosis. STAT4-deficiency resulted in a ∼71% reduction (p < 0.001) in plaque burden in Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) vs Apoe(-/-) mice fed chow diet and significantly attenuated atherosclerosis (∼31%, p < 0.01) in western diet fed Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) mice. Surprisingly, reduced atherogenesis in Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) mice was not due to attenuated IFNγ production in vivo by Th1 cells, suggesting an at least partially IFNγ-independent pro-atherogenic role of STAT4. STAT4 is expressed in T cells, but also detected in macrophages (MΦs). Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-)in vitro differentiated M1 or M2 MΦs had reduced cytokine production compare to Apoe(-/-) M1 and M2 MΦs that was accompanied by reduced induction of CD69, I-A(b), and CD86 in response to LPS stimulation. Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) MΦs expressed attenuated levels of CCR2 and demonstrated reduced migration toward CCL2 in a transwell assay. Importantly, the percentage of aortic CD11b(+)F4/80(+)Ly6C(hi) MΦs was reduced in Stat4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) vs Apoe(-/-) mice. Thus, this study identifies for the first time a pro-atherogenic role of STAT4 that is at least partially independent of Th1 cell-derived IFNγ, and primarily involving the modulation of MΦ responses

The Transcription Factor PU.1 Regulates γδ T Cell Homeostasis

T cell development results in the generation of both mature αβ and γδ T cells. While αβ T cells predominate in secondary lymphoid organs, γδ T cells are more abundant in mucosal tissues. PU.1, an Ets family transcription factor, also identified as the spleen focus forming virus proviral integration site-1 (Sfpi1) is essential for early stages of T cell development, but is down regulated during the DN T-cell stage.In this study, we show that in mice specifically lacking PU.1 in T cells using an lck-Cre transgene with a conditional Sfpi1 allele (Sfpi1(lck-/-)) there are increased numbers of γδ T cells in spleen, thymus and in the intestine when compared to wild-type mice. The increase in γδ T cell numbers in PU.1-deficient mice is consistent in γδ T cell subsets identified by TCR variable regions. PU.1-deficient γδ T cells demonstrate greater proliferation in vivo and in vitro.The increase of γδ T cell numbers in Lck-Cre deleter strains, where deletion occurs after PU.1 expression is diminished, as well as the observation that PU.1-deficient γδ T cells have greater proliferative responses than wild type cells, suggests that PU.1 effects are not developmental but rather at the level of homeostasis. Thus, our data shows that PU.1 has a negative influence on γδ T cell expansion