Molecular definition of group 1 innate lymphoid cells in the mouse uterus

Determining the function of uterine lymphocytes is challenging because of the rapidly changing nature of the organ in response to sex hormones and, during pregnancy, to the invading fetal trophoblast cells. Here we provide the first genome-wide transcriptome atlas of mouse uterine group 1 innate lymphoid cells (g1 ILCs) at mid-gestation. The composition of g1 ILCs fluctuates throughout reproductive life, with Eomes-veCD49a+ ILC1s dominating before puberty and specifically expanding in second pregnancies, when the expression of CXCR6, a marker of memory cells, is upregulated. Tissue-resident Eomes+CD49a+ NK cells (trNK), which resemble human uterine NK cells, are most abundant during early pregnancy, and showcase gene signatures of responsiveness to TGF-β, connections with trophoblast, epithelial, endothelial and smooth muscle cells, leucocytes, as well as extracellular matrix. Unexpectedly, trNK cells express genes involved in anaerobic glycolysis, lipid metabolism, iron transport, protein ubiquitination, and recognition of microbial molecular patterns. Conventional NK cells expand late in gestation and may engage in crosstalk with trNK cells involving IL-18 and IFN-γ. These results identify trNK cells as the cellular hub of uterine g1 ILCs at mid-gestation and mark CXCR6+ ILC1s as potential memory cells of pregnancy.This work was funded by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award 200841/Z/16/Z, the Centre for Trophoblast Research (CTR), and the Cambridge NIHR BRC Cell Phenotyping Hub to FC, the Associazione Italiana Ricerca per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) - Special Project 5x1000 no. 9962, AIRC IG 2017 Id.19920 and AIRC 2014 Id. 15283 to LM, and Ministero della Salute RF-2013, GR-2013-02356568 to PV. IF was funded by a CTR PhD fellowship

In vitro studies on normal and abnormal life cycle of Metathelypteris flaccida (BL,) Ching

No AbstractKey words: Aposporous gametophyte. Apogamy in vitro. plant growth regulation

Adventitious proliferation of secondary and tertiary prothalli from the primary prothalli of Pronephrium articulatum (Houlst. & Moore) Holtt

In the present study the adventitious proliferation of the gametophytes of Pronephrium articulatum (Houlst & Moore) Hoitt., has been studied. The abnonnal growth was observed on the prothalli of P. articulatum under controlled conditions of light, temperature and humidity

Outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease attributed to consumption of faecal contaminated water supplied through damaged pipelines in Thiruper, Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India, 2016

Background: On December 24, 2016, 18 Acute Diarrhoeal Disease (ADD) cases were reported in Thiruper village. We aimed to identify potential exposure and propose recommendations. Methods: We defined a case of ADD as occurrence loose stools (≥3 episodes), December 14–30, 2016. We did door-to-door case search, calculated attack rate by age and gender, drew epidemic curve and plotted cases by residence. We conducted a matched case-control study and computed Matched Odds ratio (MOR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and Population Attributable Risk (PAR). We collected stool and water specimens for laboratory testing. Results: We identified 38 (6%) cases among 625 residents. The attack rate of ADD was higher among aged <5 years (16.5%), and female (6.8%). The outbreak lasted between 14–27 December 2016 with multiple peaks. Cases clustered in areas receiving water from damaged pipelines crossing open-defecation area. We compared 38 ADD cases with 76 age, gender and neighbourhood matched controls for different exposures. Consuming water supplied through the damaged subterranean pipeline (MOR = 3.7; 95% CI = 1.1 to 16.4; PAR = 72%) was associated with ADD. The environmental investigation pointed out potential faecal contamination of water through damaged subterranean pipelines near open-air defaecation area of village. The collected stool specimens were negative for pathogens, and water specimens tested positive for Escherichia coli. Conclusions: We confirmed that the outbreak of ADD in Thiruper village was due to consumption of water contaminated with E. coli supplied through damaged subterranean pipelines post-cyclone. We recommended the replacement of subterranean pipelines and distribution of chlorinated water