Genetic landscape of thrombophilia in recurrent miscarriages.

The etiology of recurrent miscarriage (RM) is extremely heterogeneous, encompassing genetic, immunological, anatomical, endocrine, thrombophilic, infectious, and uterine abnormalities. Thrombophilia is a major contributor to pregnancy complications, potentially harming the fetus and jeopardizing the continuation of pregnancy. Therefore, successful pregnancy outcomes depend on maintaining a delicate balance between coagulation and fibrinolytic factors, crucial for ensuring the adjustment of the basal plate to facilitate adequate placental perfusion.

Association of catechol-o-methyltransferase gene polymorphism with preeclampsia and biomarkers of oxidative stress: Study protocol for a prospective case-control study in Pakistan.

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the three leading causes of worldwide maternal mortality. Oxidative stress-mediated endothelial damage is expected to be an ultimate common mechanism in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The role of bioamines is also well-established in the induction of preeclampsia.

Multigenerational Effect of Heat Stress on the Sperm Proteome.

The effect of the parental environment on offspring through non-DNA sequence-based mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, noncoding RNAs, and proteins, could only be established after the conception of "epigenetics". These effects are now broadly referred to as multigenerational epigenetic effects. Despite accumulating evidence of male gamete-mediated multigenerational epigenetic inheritance, little is known about the factors that underlie heat stress-induced multigenerational epigenetic inheritance via the male germline in .

Determinants of Conception and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Endometriosis: A Longitudinal Study.

Endometriosis, affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-aged women globally, poses significant challenges, including chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility. In low- and middle-income countries like India, accessibility to affordable infertility care remains a concern. This multicenter prospective cohort study, conducted across six tertiary care hospitals in India from 2017 to 2022, aims to explore the natural progression of conception and pregnancy outcomes in women with endometriosis.

anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 cell line.

Objective: To evaluate the anticancer activity of methanolic extract of Illicium verum against triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line.

Methods: A cell culture experimental study was carried out at Pharmacology department of Bahria University Medical and Dental College (January to June 2021) in collaboration with Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Cell viability and proliferation assays were used to quantify dead and alive cells by utilizing a tetrazolium assay and an enzyme immunosorbent plate reader was used to calculate their absorbance.

Exploring the effect of surfactants on the interactions of manganese dioxide nanoparticles with biomolecules.

Interactions of manganese dioxide nanoparticles (MnO NPs) with vital biomolecules namely deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and serum albumin (BSA) have been studied in association with different surfactants by using fluorescence (steady state, synchronous and 3D), UV-visible, resonance light scattering (RLS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The esterase activity of serum albumin was tested in associations with MnO NPs and surfactants. The antioxidant potential of prepared NPs was also evaluated (DPPH method).

Assessing the prevalence and predictors of anemia among pregnant women in India: findings from the India National Family Health Survey 2019-2021.

Background: Anemia is more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries including India. Anemia in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal health problems and adverse birth outcomes. This study estimates the prevalence and associated risk factors of anemia among pregnant women in India.

Anticancer effect of (star anise fruit) against human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line.

Objective: To investigate the anticancer effect of against human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line.

Methods: An experimental study was conducted in Multidisciplinary and Tissue Culture Laboratory, Aga Khan University in collaboration with Pharmacology Department of Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan from January 2021 to June 2021. MCF-7 cells of Luminal-A breast cancer were seeded in 96-well plate and treated with methanol extract.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Emerging Life-Threatening Diseases (VA SHIELD): A Biorepository Addressing National Health Threats.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has demonstrated the need to share data and biospecimens broadly to optimize clinical outcomes for US military Veterans.

Methods: In response, the Veterans Health Administration established VA SHIELD (Science and Health Initiative to Combat Infectious and Emerging Life-threatening Diseases), a comprehensive biorepository of specimens and clinical data from affected Veterans to advance research and public health surveillance and to improve diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.

Results: VA SHIELD now comprises 12 sites collecting de-identified biospecimens from US Veterans affected by SARS-CoV-2.

Atazanavir-Loaded Crosslinked Gamma-Cyclodextrin Nanoparticles to Improve Solubility and Dissolution Characteristics.

Objectives: Atazanavir sulfate (AS), a Biosafety Cabinet (BCS) class II antiretroviral drug, shows dissolution rate-limited bioavailability, therefore, it is necessary to improve its solubility and oral bioavailability. The present investigation is intended to improve the aqueous solubility by developing AS-loaded nanoparticles (ASNPs). Additionally, the immediate release formulation of AS capsules has gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and abdominal pain, cardiovascular side effect, abnormal cardiac conduction, toxic effects on kidney and liver such as nephrolithiasis, hyperbilirubinemia, and jaundice.

MTHFR-c 677C>T polymorphism and male infertility: An analysis in a cohort of Pakistani men.

Objective: To analyze existence of an association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism with male infertility.

Materials And Methods: A case-control study was conducted from June 2017 to August 2018 in which 88 infertile and 40 fertile were recruited. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay was carried out to study the allelic frequency of C677T polymorphism.

Ameliorated Stomach Specific Floating Microspheres for Emerging Health Pathologies Using Polymeric Konjac Glucomannan-Based Domperidone.

The goal of this study was to use polymeric konjac glucomannan (KGM), Kollidon VA 64 (KVA64), and glutaraldehyde to ameliorate stomach specific floating microspheres (SSFM) using domperidone (DoN) to increase bioavailability and emerging health pathologies. The SSFM were made using the emulsion cross-linking process, and the polymer was chosen based on its ability to get cross-linked. The thermodynamic parameters were used to determine the A classes of phase solubility curves using ideal complexes produced with KVA64.

Clinical Presentations and Semen Characteristics of Men Attending the Secondary Referral Infertility Clinic at Mumbai, India.

Background: Limited information is available on the aetiology and semen profiles of male infertility in Indian population.

Aim: The aim of this study is to study the clinical and semen characteristics of men attending the infertility clinic and also to understand the impact of World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 reference values on the diagnosis of male infertility.

Setting And Design: A retrospective study evaluating the medical case records (January 2005 to December 2015, [ = 1906]) of men attending infertility clinic in Mumbai, India.

Clinical characteristics and surgical management of endometriosis-associated infertility: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Objective: To study clinical, surgical characteristics and the relationship between endometriosis lesion types and conception rate after surgery in infertile women with endometriosis.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter cohort of 204 women (age 20-35 years) with endometriosis was followed up post-surgery between November 2017 and February 2020 at three tertiary-care hospitals.

Results: Based on the severity of endometriosis lesion type, deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) (81/204, 39.

The Unique Carboxymethyl Fenugreek Gum Gel Loaded Itraconazole Self-Emulsifying Nanovesicles for Topical Onychomycosis Treatment.

The novel itraconazole (ITZ) nail penetration enhancing self-emulsifying nanovesicles (ITZ-nPEVs) loaded in carboxymethyl fenugreek gum (CMFG) gel circumvent the systemic onychomycosis treatment. The ITZ-nPEVs were prepared by the thin film hydration technique, and the particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), drug content (DC), entrapment efficiency (% EE), deformity index (DI), viscosity, morphology, and physical stability of the ITZ-nPEVs were measured. In terms of nail hydration, transungual drug absorption, and antifungal efficacy against , the chosen ITZ-nPEVs, nPEV-loaded CMFG (CMFG-ITZ-nPEVs) gel, and the commercialized Itrostred gel were compared.

Preparation of -pullulan-Based Semi-interpenetrating Polymer Network Gastroretentive Microspheres of Amoxicillin Trihydrate and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology.

Objectives: In this study, a novel and pullulan-based semi-interpenetrating polymer network gastroretentive microsphere formulation was prepared using the emulsion crosslinking method and optimized by central composite design.

Materials And Methods: The effects of the amounts of glutaraldehyde, , and pullulan on the percent drug entrapment efficiency (EE), percent mucoadhesion at 12 h, and percent drug release at 12 h were optimized. The microspheres were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry.

BDV Syndrome: An Emerging Syndrome With Profound Obesity and Neurodevelopmental Delay Resembling Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Context: CPE encodes carboxypeptidase E, an enzyme that converts proneuropeptides and propeptide hormones to bioactive forms. It is widely expressed in the endocrine and central nervous system. To date, 4 individuals from 2 families with core clinical features including morbid obesity, neurodevelopmental delay, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, harboring biallelic loss-of-function (LoF) CPE variants, have been reported.

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-related male infertility: Relevance of genetic testing & counselling in Indian population.

Background & Objectives: Due to limited information available on the frequency and spectrum of cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene mutations in congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens (CBAVD) in Indian population, it is difficult to provide accurate genetic counselling to couples. The present study was undertaken to investigate the spectrum and frequency of CFTR gene mutations in Indian men with CBAVD and to determine the female CF carrier status.

Methods: Direct DNA sequencing of the CFTR gene was carried out in eighty CBAVD men, their female partners and fifty controls from the general population.

A Distinct Phylogenetic Cluster of Indian Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Isolates.

Background: From an isolated epidemic, coronavirus disease 2019 has now emerged as a global pandemic. The availability of genomes in the public domain after the epidemic provides a unique opportunity to understand the evolution and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus across the globe.

Methods: We performed whole-genome sequencing of 303 Indian isolates, and we analyzed them in the context of publicly available data from India.

Investigation of Pectin-Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose-Coated Floating Beads for Pulsatile Release of Piroxicam.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to prepare pectin-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-coated floating beads for pulsatile release of piroxicam in the treatment of early morning inflammation.

Materials And Methods: Piroxicam-loaded beads were prepared from sodium alginate and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in different concentrations of calcium carbonate using the ionotropic gelation method. In order to avoid drug release in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, the beads were coated with a pectin-HPMC layer using the dip coating method.

NFAT5, which protects against hypertonicity, is activated by that stress via structuring of its intrinsically disordered domain.

Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) is a transcription factor (TF) that mediates protection from adverse effects of hypertonicity by increasing transcription of genes, including those that lead to cellular accumulation of protective organic osmolytes. NFAT5 has three intrinsically ordered (ID) activation domains (ADs). Using the NFAT5 N-terminal domain (NTD), which contains AD1, as a model, we demonstrate by biophysical methods that the NTD senses osmolytes and hypertonicity, resulting in stabilization of its ID regions.

Association of polymorphism c.-124G>A and c.-16 C>T in the promoter region of human INHA gene with altered sperm parameters; A pilot study.

Objective: The objective of this was to demonstrate the association of Inhibin α (INHα) c.-124G>A and INHα-c.-16 C>T polymorphisms with altered sperm parameters in a selected male population of Karachi, Pakistan.

Long-Read Genome Sequencing and Assembly of : A Specialist Parasitoid.

(Hymenoptera: Figitidae) is a specialist parasitoid of The system has emerged as a suitable model for understanding several aspects of host-parasitoid biology. However, a good quality genome of the wasp counterpart was lacking. Here, we report a whole-genome assembly of to bring it in the scope of the applied and fundamental research on parasitoids with access to epigenomics and genome editing tools.