The effect of intrauterine human chorionic gonadotrophin injection before embryo transfer on the implantation and pregnancy rate in infertile patients: a retrospective study

Background: It is known that human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) has an important function in angiogenesis and reduces the inflammatory response which in turn favour the implantation process. Human chorionic gonadotrophin is secreted early during the pregnancy, hence plays an important role. Objective of the study is to investigate the effect of intrauterine hCG injection before embryo transfer (ET) on pregnancy outcome in infertile couples.Methods: 100 patients who have undergone embryo transfer from 01 October 2021, to 31 January 2022, in a study setting of ARC Fertility Centre, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. After ensuring that the patients satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria, patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 received intrauterine hCG 5000 IU 3 to 4 hours before embryo transfer. Group 2 control group that did not receive intrauterine hCG. Every patient in either group had been called back on day 15 of embryo transfer to check serum beta hCG. If beta hCG shows a positive result, then primary outcome was positive. Every patient who is pregnancy positive had been called back after 15 days of positive result to see evidence of fetal heartbeat in early obstetrics scan. If fetal heartbeat is present, then secondary outcome was documented.Results: There was significant paired difference in median values of endometrial thickness between day 2 and day on FET and it shows a positive effect on pregnancy results among the hCG group.Conclusions: This study enabled us to determine the effect of intrauterine HCG in improving the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF)

Design of rotary, turbo-molecular and cryo-sorption pumping systems for vacuum laboratory

This project deals with study, design, construction and installation of Vacuum laboratory apparatus including preparation of lab manual for Vacuum Laboratory which is being set up under Refrigeration and Cryogenic Engineering Centre in NIT Rourkela. The Vacuum laboratory, a part of first year M.Tech (Cryogenics and Vacuum Technology) curriculum in Mechanical department, consists of twelve experiments in which six experiments will be designed and installed under this project. The proposed laboratory will help both the graduate and under graduate students of our institute to conduct different experiments under vacuum environment. Two experiments using rotary pump [1] namely; Pumping speed measurement and conductance measurement of different piping analogy need to be set up. For which we designed a vacuum chamber [3] with suitable capacity first, decided pump down time allowable to get ultimate vacuum level of a rotary pump in accordance with the total lab hrs assigned to each sessions, and finally we calculated pumping speed [2] required for the pump. The same rotary pump set up will be used for conductance measurement too, but with different piping analogy. Conductance of each pipe is calculated using relations and are compared with experimental results in series and parallel connections. For high vacuum application a turbo-molecular pump [4] experimental set up is designed. Pumping speed calculation as well as leak detection test may be carried out in this set up. For roughing and backing, a suitable rotary pump is fitted with this pump. Since Mass spectroscopic leak detection [5] is most commonly used leak detection method in vacuum systems, we proposed one MSLD with turbo-molecular pump. Bill of material for the turbo pump is also prepared and handed over to department

The role of interactions of long non-coding RNAs and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins in regulating cellular functions

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators of various biological processes and human diseases. The mechanisms of action involve their interactions with proteins, RNA and genomic DNA. Most lncRNAs display strong nuclear localization. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are a large family of RNA-binding proteins that are important for multiple aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. hnRNPs are also predominantly expressed in the nucleus. This review discusses the interactions of lncRNAs and hnRNPs in regulating gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels or by changing genomic structure, highlighting their involvements in glucose and lipid metabolism, immune response, DNA damage response, and other cellular functions. Toward the end, several techniques that are used to identify lncRNA binding partners are summarized. There are still many questions that need to be answered in this relatively new research area, which might provide novel targets to control the biological outputs of cells in response to different stimuli

The role of interactions of long non-coding RNAs and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins in regulating cellular functions

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators of various biological processes and human diseases. The mechanisms of action involve their interactions with proteins, RNA and genomic DNA. Most lncRNAs display strong nuclear localization. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are a large family of RNA-binding proteins that are important for multiple aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. hnRNPs are also predominantly expressed in the nucleus. This review discusses the interactions of lncRNAs and hnRNPs in regulating gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels or by changing genomic structure, highlighting their involvements in glucose and lipid metabolism, immune response, DNA damage response, and other cellular functions. Toward the end, several techniques that are used to identify lncRNA binding partners are summarized. There are still many questions that need to be answered in this relatively new research area, which might provide novel targets to control the biological outputs of cells in response to different stimuli

Multifaceted roles of Meg3 in cellular senescence and atherosclerosis

Background and aims: Long noncoding RNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. As long non-coding RNAs maternally expressed gene 3 (Meg3) prevents cellular senescence of hepatic vascular endothelium and obesity-induced insulin resistance, we decided to examine its role in cellular senescence and atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: By analyzing our data and human and mouse data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we found that Meg3 expression was reduced in humans and mice with cardiovascular disease, indicating its potential role in atherosclerosis. In Ldlr−/− mice fed a Western diet for 12 weeks, Meg3 silencing by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides attenuated the formation of atherosclerotic lesions by 34.9% and 20.1% in male and female mice, respectively, revealed by en-face Oil Red O staining, which did not correlate with changes in plasma lipid profiles. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of cellular senescence markers p21 and p16 revealed that Meg3 deficiency aggravates hepatic cellular senescence but not cellular senescence at aortic roots. Human Meg3 transgenic mice were generated to examine the role of Meg3 gain-of-function in the development of atherosclerosis induced by PCSK9 overexpression. Meg3 overexpression promotes atherosclerotic lesion formation by 29.2% in Meg3 knock-in mice independent of its effects on lipid profiles. Meg3 overexpression inhibits hepatic cellular senescence, while it promotes aortic cellular senescence likely by impairing mitochondrial function and delaying cell cycle progression. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that Meg3 promotes the formation of atherosclerotic lesions independent of its effects on plasma lipid profiles. In addition, Meg3 regulates cellular senescence in a tissue-specific manner during atherosclerosis. Thus, we demonstrated that Meg3 has multifaceted roles in cellular senescence and atherosclerosis

An evidence for surface expression of an immunogenic epitope of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase2a on antigen-presenting cells from naive mice in the mediation of autoimmune myocarditis

We recently reported identification of sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase2a (SERCA2a) 971–990, which induces atrial myocarditis by generating autoreactive T cells in A/J mice. However, it was unknown how antigen-sensitized T cells could recognize SERCA2a 971–990, since SERCA2a-expression is confined to an intracellular compartment. In this report, we present evidence that antigen-presenting cells (APCs) from lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs in naïve animals present SERCA2a 971–990 and stimulate antigen-specific T cells. Using major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II dextramers for SERCA2a 971–990, we created a panel of T cell hybridomas and demonstrated that splenocytes from naïve A/J mice stimulated the hybridoma cells without exogenous supplementation of SERCA2a 971–990. We then recapitulated this phenomenon by using SERCA2a 971–990-specific primary T cells, verifying that the T cell responses were MHC-restricted. Furthermore, SERCA2a 971–990-sensitzed T cells exposed to APCs from naïve mice were found to produce the inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ, granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, and interleukin-17A, which are implicated in the induction of myocarditis. Finally, while T cells exposed to mononuclear cells (MNCs) obtained from heart and liver also responded similarly to splenocytes, endothelial cells (ECs) generated from the corresponding organs displayed opposing effects, in that the proliferative responses were suppressed with the heart ECs, but not with the liver ECs. Taken together, our data suggest that the surface expression of SERCA2a 971–990 by naïve APCs can potentially trigger pathogenic autoreactive T cell responses under conditions of autoimmunity, which may have implications in endothelial dysfunction

LncRNA Meg3 protects endothelial function by regulating the DNA damage response

The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating endothelial function through the DNA damage response (DDR) remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (Meg3) interacts with the RNA binding protein polypyrimidine tract binding protein 3 (PTBP3) to regulate gene expression and endothelial function through p53 signaling a major coordinator of apoptosis and cell proliferation triggered by the DDR. Meg3 expression is induced in endothelial cells (ECs) upon p53 activation. Meg3 silencing induces DNA damage, activates p53 signaling, increases the expression of p53 target genes, promotes EC apoptosis, and inhibits EC proliferation. Mechanistically, Meg3 silencing reduces the interaction of p53 with Mdm2, induces p53 expression, and promotes the association of p53 with the promoters of a subset of p53 target genes. PTBP3 silencing recapitulates the effects of Meg3 deficiency on the expression of p53 target genes, EC apoptosis and proliferation. The Meg3-dependent association of PTBP3 with the promoters of p53 target genes suggests that Meg3 and PTBP3 restrain p53 activation. Our studies reveal a novel role of Meg3 and PTBP3 in regulating p53 signaling and endothelial function, which may serve as novel targets for therapies to restore endothelial homeostasis

Transcriptome analysis-identified long noncoding RNA CRNDE in maintaining endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation

Obesity is a leading risk factor for type-2 diabetes. Diabetes often leads to the dysregulation of angiogenesis, although the mechanism is not fully understood. Previously, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to modulate angiogenesis. In this study, we asked how the expression levels of lncRNAs change in endothelial cells in response to excessive palmitic acid treatment, an obesitylike condition. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that 305 protein-coding transcripts were upregulated and 70 were downregulated, while 64 lncRNAs were upregulated and 46 were downregulated. Gene ontology and pathway analysis identified endoplasmic reticulum stress, HIF-1 signaling, and Toll-like receptor signaling as enriched after palmitic acid treatment. Moreover, we newly report enrichment of AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, IL-17 signaling, and cysteine and methionine metabolism by palmitic acid. One lncRNA, Colorectal Neoplasia Differentially Expressed (CRNDE), was selected for further investigation. Palmitic acid induces CRNDE expression by 1.9-fold. We observed that CRNDE knockdown decreases endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and capillary tube formation. These decreases are synergistic under palmitic acid stress. These data demonstrated that lncRNA CRNDE is a regulator of endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation in response to palmitic acid, and a potential target for therapies treating the complications of obesityinduced diabetes

Physical and antimicrobial properties of starch-PVA blend films as affected by the incorporation of natural antimicrobial agents

This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Coatings[EN] In this work, active films based on starch and PVA (S:PVA ratio of 2:1) were developed by incorporating neem (NO) and oregano essential oils (OEO). First, a screening of the antifungal effectiveness of different natural extracts (echinacea, horsetail extract, liquid smoke and neem seed oil) against two fungus (P. expansum and A. niger) was carried out. The effect of NO and OEO incorporation on the films¿ physical and antimicrobial properties was analyzed. Only composite films containing OEO exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity. Antibacterial activity occurred at low OEO concentration (6.7%), while antifungal effect required higher doses of OEO in the films. Incorporation of oils did not notably affect the water sorption capacity and water vapor barrier properties of S-PVA films, but reduced their transparency and gloss, especially at the highest concentrations. The mechanical response of the S-PVA films was also negatively affected by oil incorporation but this was only relevant at the highest oil ratio (22%). S-PVA films with 6.7% of OEO exhibited the best physical properties, without significant differences with respect to the S-PVA matrix, while exhibiting antibacterial activity. Thus, the use of OEO as a natural antimicrobial incorporated into starch-PVA films represents a good and novel alternative in food packaging applications.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad throughout the project AGL2013-42989-R. Amalia Cano also thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte for the FPU grant.Cano Embuena, AI.; Cháfer Nácher, MT.; Chiralt, A.; González Martínez, MC. (2016). Physical and antimicrobial properties of starch-PVA blend films as affected by the incorporation of natural antimicrobial agents. Foods. 5(3):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods5010003S1175