Female Genital Mutilation. Information for Health-Care Professionals Working in Ireland.

AkiDwA, the African and Migrant Women’s Network in Ireland, developed this resource as part of a project funded by the Office of the Minister for Integration, examining the health-care needs of women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in their countries of origin and who now reside in Ireland. As the project developed in 2008, it became apparent that there were few resources for health-care professionals working in Ireland encountering these women, who may have very specific and urgent health-care needs. As a result of successful collaboration between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland’s MSc Women\u27s Health course director and students, and the coordinator of the Migrant Women\u27s Health Services Project in AkiDwA, key information on FGM and related health-care needs was researched and developed. Irish FGM-prevalence statistics were collated during 2008 and are also contained in this resource. It is envisaged that this resource will be useful to a range of health-care professionals in a broad spectrum of possible settings. The removable image sheet is designed to be used with a patient or client to illustrate FGM typologies and FGM prevalence across Africa. This resource would not have been completed without the active participation and assistance of the AkiDwA FGM Health Forum members (listed below), the board and staff of AkiDwA, the significant contribution from the RCSI, and the courageous women who have endured FGM and are seeking supports and services in Ireland

TLR9 provokes inflammation in response to fetal DNA: mechanism for fetal loss in preterm birth and preeclampsia

Preterm birth, the major cause of neonatal mortality in developed countries, is associated with intrauterine infections and inflammation, although the exact mechanisms underlying this event are unclear. In this study, we show that circulating fetal DNA, which is elevated in pregnancies complicated by preterm labor or preeclampsia, triggers an inflammatory reaction that results in spontaneous preterm birth. Fetal DNA activates NF-kappaB, shown by IkappaBalpha degradation in human PBMCs resulting in production of proinflammatory IL-6. We show that fetal resorption and preterm birth are rapidly induced in mice after i.p. injection of CpG or fetal DNA (300 mug/dam) on gestational day 10-14. In contrast, TLR9(-/-) mice were protected from these effects. Furthermore, this effect was blocked by oral administration of the TLR9 inhibitor chloroquine. Our data therefore provide a novel mechanism for preterm birth and preeclampsia, highlighting TLR9 as a potential therapeutic target for these common disorders of pregnancy