59 research outputs found

    Hypoxia inducible factors (HIF1α and HIF3α) are differentially methylated in preeclampsia placentae and are associated with birth outcomes

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    Preeclampsia is a placental vascular pathology and hypoxia is known to influence placental angiogenesis. Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIF1α and HIF3α) mediate the response to cellular oxygen concentration and bind to hypoxia response element of target genes. However the mechanism regulating above activity is not well-understood. We investigated if placental DNA methylation (DNAm) and expression of HIF1α and 3α genes are altered and associated with pre-eclampsia, placental weight and birth outcomes. Using a cohort comprising women with preeclampsia [N = 100, delivering at term (N = 43) and preterm (N = 57)] and normotensive controls (N = 100), we analysed DNAm in HIF1α and 3α, and their mRNA expression in placentae, employing pyrosequencing and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. We observed significant hypermethylation at cg22891070 of HIF3α in preeclampsia placentae compared to controls (β = 1.5%, p = 0.04). CpG8 in the promoter region of HIF1α, showed marginally significant hypomethylation in preterm preeclampsia compared to controls (β = - 0.15%, p = 0.055). HIF1α expression was significantly lower in preterm preeclampsia compared to controls (mean ± SE = 10.16 ± 2.00 vs 4.25 ± 0.90, p = 0.04). Further, DNAm in HIF1α promoter region was negatively associated with its expression levels (β =  - 0.165, p = 0.024). Several CpGs in HIF1α were negatively associated with placental weight and birth outcomes including birth weight (β range =  - 0.224-0.300) and birth length [β range =  - 0.248 to - 0.301 (p < 0.05 for all)]. Overall, we demonstrate altered DNAm in HIF1α and HIF3α in preeclampsia placentae, also associated with various birth outcomes. Correlation of DNAm in HIF1α and its expression suggests a possible role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Further investigations on interactions between HIF1α and HIF3α in preeclampsia would be interesting

    THE PASSAGE: Enquiry into the Ephemeral Absence of Social Construct During Transitions

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    “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between them, there are doors.” ― William Blake. This thesis support paper presents my artistic research on the ephemeral nature of absence in social constructs while relocating myself to new places. I am interrogating a fluid positionality that is continuously shifting, leading me to contextualise the research stance in the between and betwixt of Passage. I am examining the experience of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another and highlight the in-between space made visible through artwork produced with various methods and processes. Throughout, absence is indicated via aesthetics, materiality, and immateriality pointing to subtle boundaries between play and seriousness, the real and imaginary, the ephemeral and permanent. Themes of travel, constraint, absence, liminality, and human consciousness are explored through performative installations, architectural spaces, and different degrees of audience participation. The research generates a dialogue between performance, space, and time which involves bodily experience, live actions with mixed media installations, and time-based works. The choice of media and symbols revolve around various conceptual ideas inspired by academic and non-academic sources — contemporary art, spiritual texts, psychology, lucid visions while meditating — which become the artistic expression's metaphorical core. Anchoring in an auto-ethnographic methodology of resisting mastery, the research was conducted by allowing space for unknowns to reveal their contours through silent being and doing by not doing

    Role of vitamin D in influencing angiogenesis in preeclampsia

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    Objective: Vitamin D plays a key role during pregnancy and is involved in implantation and maintenance of pregnancy. Its deficiency is associated with pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, characterized by abnormal angiogenesis.Method: The current article summarises studies examining the role of vitamin D in pregnancy, with special emphasis on preeclampsia.Results and conclusion: An imbalance in pro- and anti-angiogenic factors is reported in women with preeclampsia. Cell culture studies have demonstrated that vitamin D can influence the process of angiogenesis. However, the role of maternal vitamin D in influencing placental angiogenesis in preeclampsia is unclear and needs to be explored

    Role of maternal nutrition and oxidative stress in placental telomere attrition in women with preeclampsia

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    Background:Maternal nutrition influences the growth and development of the fetus and influences pregnancy outcome. We have earlier demonstrated altered maternal nutrition and increased oxidative stress in women with preeclampsia. Oxidative stress is known to be associated with reduced telomere length and short telomere aggregates. Increased telomere attrition leads to increased cellular senescence and tissue ageing. Methods:The present review focuses on the role of maternal nutrition and oxidative stress in telomere attrition in preeclampsia. Results and Conclusion:Future studies need to examine the association between maternal nutritional status in early pregnancy, oxidative stress and telomere attrition in preeclampsia
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