Molecular Regulation Of Trophoblast Survival During Placentation And Pathologies Of Placental Insufficiency

HBEGF, is present in the uterus at the time of embryo implantation and protects first trimester TB cells from apoptosis and promotes their invasion. The hypertensive disease, PE, in which TB invasion of the uterine arteries is reduced and TB apoptosis is elevated, is characterized by a reduction in HBEGF expression. In this study using a first trimester cell line and villous explant culture key components involved in HBEGF survival signaling pathway were identified. Specific MMP inhibitors established the requirement for MMP2 in HBEGF shedding and upregulation. NGS identified a HIF regulated gene, HSPA6 (HSP70B’) and using specific inhibitors it was established that HSP70 regulates MMP2 mediated shedding of HBEGF at low O2 and is functional upstream of MAPKs signaling cascade. To further investigate HBEGF upregulation at low O2 using NGS and siRNA knockdown of DGCR8 it was demonstrated that other components of RISC may be involved in regulation of HBEGF mRNA translation. These findings suggest that trophoblast survival during early pregnancy requires this signaling pathway and disruption of any component could lead to placental insufficiency. However, a global platform is needed to study the pathophysiology of trophoblast cells and their role in placental insufficiency. TRIC is an innovative platform to noninvasively acquire fetal cells. DNA was extracted from fetal cells isolated from 20 specimens with gestational age as early at 5 weeks to 19 weeks. This was followed by targeted sequencing using the Forenseq (Illumina) platform to identify informative SNPs. Using the Forenseq software 89% ± 12% of the 94 SNPs were called correctly in the fetal samples. Using the STR analysis out of the 20 fetal samples, 9 males were confirmed. Therefore, TRIC not only provides fetal cells but also opens new venues of perinatal testing. TRIC provides ample RNA from isolated fetal cells for extensive transcriptomic analysis. Using qPCR it was demonstrated that the fetal cells have higher expression for EVT specific markers such as HLA-G and KRT7 and markers for invasion/migration such as CDH5 and MMP9, whereas the maternal cells have a higher expression for epithelial markers such as CDH1 and ITGA6. This suggests that not only are the fetal cells EVT like but may also undergo an epithelial mesenchymal transition. Comparison of fetal and maternal cells from normal group using NGS identified 409 genes, of which top 5 upregulated and downregulated genes were validated by qPCR. Pathway analysis of the differentially regulated identified pathways related to invasion/migration, proliferation and differentiation, further suggesting the EVT like expression of the fetal cells. NGS revealed 348 differential expressed genes on comparison of the EVT like fetal cells from the EPL group to those from the normal group that were further validated by qPCR. Bioinformatic analysis identified pathways related to apoptosis, inflammation and placental disease. The exact origin and biology of cervical EVT cells, and their relationship to the human placenta and pregnancy outcomes, are widely unknown. Based on our study so far it can be hypothesized that as the placenta grows, EVT cells are naturally shed into the cervical canal, and their overall phenotype is comparable to the EVT cells residing in the placenta. These studies will provide a clearer view of the utility of EVT cells obtained by TRIC from ongoing pregnancies for investigating early placentation and mechanisms of pathology, and their potential as a platform for prenatal tests to predict maternal risk of placenta-based disease

Analysis of Non Suburban Passenger Coaching Stock Utilization

In 2007-08, Indian Railways (IR) carried 6.5 billion passengers (highest in the world as a single system, and second highest in the world as a country after Japan at 9.0 billion passengers), serviced 770 billion passenger kms (second highest in the world, close to China at 773 billion passenger kms) and passenger earnings were Rs 19,783 crores. Of this, 43% of the passengers, 84% of the passenger kms and 92% earnings were from the non suburban sector. The actual passenger kms for 2007-08 was higher than the capacity of the IR. Such overuse can be reduced by increasing the coaching stock, or by improving the utilization of coaches. The former method proves to be an expensive one for IR. Hence, this calls for an improvement in the coaching stock utilization. In this paper, we assess the utilization of coaches on the parameters % of runtime, kms/day, and average speed of rakes servicing express/mails and passenger trains in the South Central Railway (SCR), taking into consideration the rake linking involved. This is done by analyzing every rake link used in the SCR as given in their rake link booklet.

Rethinking post-disaster relocation in urban India

"After natural disasters, governments often relocate vulnerable urban communities in the name of humanitarian relief. But urban communities rarely welcome such relocation, since it frequently exacerbates their daily challenges or creates new risks. Indeed, resettlement after a disaster is often another form of eviction. This briefing discusses the situation in Chennai, where state and local authorities have been building resettlement tenements on inland marsh areas using centrally sponsored schemes for affordable housing. These have been used as a ‘quick fix’ after disasters, but without addressing communities’ underlying needs and inequalities. Their siting has also increased flood risk across the urban area, creating new risks. Instead, India should develop participatory and risk-reducing plans and policies for relocation, and also help vulnerable communities address the risks where they currently live. This briefing is part of the project ‘Longterm implications of humanitarian responses: a case of Chennai’. The research was conducted in 2016 by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and Madras Institute for Development Studies (MIDS).

Long-term implications of humanitarian responses: the case of Chennai

"Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Tamil Nadu lost about 8,000 people and the lives and livelihoods of over 897,000 families were affected. In 2015, Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, was brought to a standstill by floods which killed 289 people, left 1,000 injured, and damaged property and livelihoods worth US$2.2 billion. These extreme events and others, such as the 2003–04 drought and the 2016 cyclones, mobilised humanitarian action from a range of actors in Chennai. This study examines how humanitarian responses and post-disaster relocations fit into the wider development vision of large and fast-growing metropolises such as Chennai.

Long-term implications of humanitarian responses: the case of Chennai

"Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Tamil Nadu lost about 8,000 people and the lives and livelihoods of over 897,000 families were affected. In 2015, Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, was brought to a standstill by floods which killed 289 people, left 1,000 injured, and damaged property and livelihoods worth US$2.2 billion. These extreme events and others, such as the 2003–04 drought and the 2016 cyclones, mobilised humanitarian action from a range of actors in Chennai. This study examines how humanitarian responses and post-disaster relocations fit into the wider development vision of large and fast-growing metropolises such as Chennai.

Long-term implications of humanitarian responses: the case of Chennai

"Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Tamil Nadu lost about 8,000 people and the lives and livelihoods of over 897,000 families were affected. In 2015, Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, was brought to a standstill by floods which killed 289 people, left 1,000 injured, and damaged property and livelihoods worth US$2.2 billion. These extreme events and others, such as the 2003–04 drought and the 2016 cyclones, mobilised humanitarian action from a range of actors in Chennai. This study examines how humanitarian responses and post-disaster relocations fit into the wider development vision of large and fast-growing metropolises such as Chennai.

Neutral Zone approach for severely atrophic ridges; Avenues beyond implants and surgeries – A Case Report

One of the most common problems encountered among long term denture wearers is the reduction in the denture foundation. Prosthodontic Rehabilitation of a patient with severely resorbed ridge is the most challenging therapy a prosthodontist can undertake. In order to have a favourable prognosis for the denture therapy, impression technique selected should be based on the present state of the basal tissue support. This article presents the application of neutral zone (NZ) concept being incorporated in to impression making procedure in an effort to achieve successful complete denture therapy

Zika virus (ZIKV) disease: past, present and future

The mosquito-borne arbovirus Zika virus (positive-stranded RNA virus, ZIKV, Flavivirus, Flaviviridae), has caused an outbreak imposing by its extent and quick spread. This became the focus of a current pandemic and public health crisis all around the world because of the incessant geographic growth of both the virus and its mosquito vectors; it is often misdiagnosed with other disease like yellow fever, west nile, dengue and chikungunya because of same clinical manifestation. After unprecedented huge scale outbreak of ZIKV in Pacific, Micronesian island of Yap in 2007, though ZIKV infections are in general sporadic cases or causing mild self-limiting illness, harsh symptoms have been explained including neurological disorders, autoimmune disorder, fetal anomalies, impaired central nervous system of the fetus, microcephaly in newborns, meningoencephalitis, myelitis and Guillain Barre´Syndrome supposed to be linked with ZIKV. The virus is transmitted mainly by a mosquito Aedes aegypti, whereas, other routes of viral broadcast includes monkey bite, coitus and body fluids such as semen, blood and saliva which needs further corroboration. The relationship between these conditions with ZIKV infection is still not established and is under assessment. Till now there is no vaccine or specific antiviral against ZIKV, therefore the public health authority focuses on preventing infection, mainly in pregnant women and virus transmitted area. WHO and other health officials are working on the expansion of new projects and mosquito control techniques to manage up with infection as there is very fewer literature present on the pathogenesis of the ZIKV to help understand the clinical disease spectrum and target treatments to decrease or stop infection. The future status of ZIKV dispersal to other parts of the world is still unknown. The present review emphasizes various features of ZIKV and its history, epidemiology, transmission, clinical manifestations, progress  and advances in developing effective diagnostics, vaccines and drugs/therapeutics along with accepting suitable avoidance and control strategies to undertake this deadly emerging disease. Keywords: Zika virus, Flavivirus, Aedes aegypti, Pregnancy, Transmission, Microcephaly, Afric

Representing recovery: How the construction and contestation of needs and priorities can shape long-term outcomes for disaster-affected people

We contend that the representational aspects of recovery play an important but under-researched role in shaping long-term outcomes for disaster-affected populations. Ideas constructed around events, people and processes, and conveyed through discussion, texts and images, are seldom neutral and can be exclusionary in their effect. This review draws insights from literature across multiple disciplines to examine how the representation of needs, roles and approaches to recovery influences the support different social groups receive, their capacities to recover, and their rights and agency. It shows how these representations can be contested and challenged, often by disaster-affected people themselves, and calls for increased attention on how to move creatively towards more informed, inclusive and supportive recovery visions and processes