Access to Justice For Women: India's Response to Sexual Violence in Conflict and Social Upheaval

A 2014 report by the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women on gender-based crimes describes the female experience in India as consisting of a "continuum of violence...from the 'womb to the tomb.'" According to Indian government data, a woman is raped in the country approximately every twenty minutes. Women and girls are especially vulnerable to sexual violence during armed conflict and mass violence. Indeed, gender-based crime is a common feature of the armed conflict and mass violence that has marred India since independence.This report examines emblematic case examples from conflict zones and incidents of mass violence to understand how the Indian State responds to sexual violence against women and girls in these contexts. The goal of this report is to analyze the efforts of women victims of sexual violence and their allies to access justice in these contexts and to identify emblematic ways the Indian legal system succeeded or failed to provide effective redress

Uropathogenic <em>Escherichia coli</em>

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections encountered worldwide in clinical practice. Escherichia coli is by far the most frequent cause of infections responsible for nearly 80–90% of the infections. The strains of E. coli causing UTI are termed as uropathogenic E. coli. They vary from commensal strains as they have acquired virulence and resistant determinants through plasmids, bacteriophages, pathogenicity islands or DNA horizontal transfer of transposons which permits them to victoriously colonize the urinary tract and cause a broader spectrum of disease. For the fact, UPEC strains possess an abundance of both structural (as fimbriae, pili, flagella, capsule, lipopolysaccharide) and secreted (toxins, iron-acquisition systems, enzymes) virulence factors that play a crucial role in the pathogenesis. The pathogenesis of UPEC involves adherence, colonization, evading host defenses and damage to host tissue to achieve virulence. UTI is often treated empirically by broad-spectrum antibiotics in the absence of culture and susceptibility results. This over-use of antibiotics has resulted in the development of antibiotic resistance worldwide. Having a detailed understanding of the bacterium and its virulence factors can help us in developing new treatment options in presence of global antimicrobial resistance

A novel allogeneic off-the-shelf dendritic cell vaccine for post-remission treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia

In elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients post-remission treatment options are associated with high comorbidity rates and poor survival. Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is a promising alternative treatment strategy. A novel allogeneic DC vaccine, DCP-001, was developed from an AML-derived cell line that uniquely combines the positive features of allogeneic DC vaccines and expression of multi-leukemia-associated antigens. Here, we present data from a phase I study conducted with DCP-001 in 12 advanced-stage elderly AML patients. Patients enrolled were in complete remission (CR1/CR2) (n = 5) or had smoldering disease (n = 7). All patients were at high risk of relapse and ineligible for post-remission intensification therapies. A standard 3 + 3 dose escalation design with extension to six patients in the highest dose was performed. Patients received four biweekly intradermal DCP-001 injections at different dose levels (10, 25, and 50 million cells DCP-001) and were monitored for clinical and immunological responses. Primary objectives of the study (feasibility and safety) were achieved with 10/12 patients completing the vaccination program. Treatment was well tolerated. A clear-cut distinction between patients with and without detectable circulating leukemic blasts during the vaccination period was noted. Patients with no circulating blasts showed an unusually prolonged survival [median overall survival 36 months (range 7-63) from the start of vaccination] whereas patients with circulating blasts, died within 6 months. Long-term survival was correlated with maintained T cell levels and induction of multi-functional immune responses. It is concluded that DCP-001 in elderly AML patients is safe, feasible and generates both cellular and humoral immune responses

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with paediatric cancer in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. DESIGN: A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. SETTING: 91 hospitals and cancer centres in 39 countries providing cancer treatment to paediatric patients between March and December 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Patients were included if they were under the age of 18 years, and newly diagnosed with or undergoing active cancer treatment for Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms' tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas or neuroblastomas, in keeping with the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause mortality at 30 days and 90 days. RESULTS: 1660 patients were recruited. 219 children had changes to their treatment due to the pandemic. Patients in LMICs were primarily affected (n=182/219, 83.1%). Relative to patients with paediatric cancer in HICs, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 12.1 (95% CI 2.93 to 50.3) and 7.9 (95% CI 3.2 to 19.7) times the odds of death at 30 days and 90 days, respectively, after presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, patients with paediatric cancer in LMICs had 15.6 (95% CI 3.7 to 65.8) times the odds of death at 30 days (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected paediatric oncology service provision. It has disproportionately affected patients in LMICs, highlighting and compounding existing disparities in healthcare systems globally that need addressing urgently. However, many patients with paediatric cancer continued to receive their normal standard of care. This speaks to the adaptability and resilience of healthcare systems and healthcare workers globally

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality