Beta-defensins as marker for male fertility: a comprehensive review†.

Bovine male fertility in animals has a direct impact on the productivity of dairy herds. The epididymal sperm maturations involve extensive sperm surface modifications to gain the fertilizing ability, especially by absorptions of the plethora of biomolecules, including glycoprotein beta-defensins (BDs), enzymes, organic ions, protein, and phospholipids. Defensins are broad-range nonspecific antimicrobial peptides that exhibit strong relations with innate and adaptive immunity, but their roles in male fertility are relatively recently identified. In the course of evolution, BD genes give rise to different clusters with specific functions, especially reproductive functions, by undergoing duplications and nonsynonymous mutations. BD polymorphisms have been reported with milk compositions, disease resistance, and antimicrobial activities. However, in recent decades, the link of BD polymorphisms with fertility has emerged as an appealing improvement of reproductive performance such as sperm motility, membrane integrity, cervical mucus penetration, evading of uterus immunosurveillance, oviduct cell attachment, and egg recognition. The reproductive-specific glycosylated BD class-A BDs (CA-BDs) have shown age- and sex-specific expressions in male reproductive organs, signifying their physiological pleiotropism, especially in the sperm maturation and sperm transport in the female reproductive tract. By considering adult male reproductive organ-specific BD expressions, importance in sperm functionalities, and bioinformatic analysis, we have selected two bovine BBD126 and BBD129 genes as novel potential biomarkers of bovine male fertility. Despite the importance of BDs, however, genomic characterization of most BD genes across most livestock and nonmodel organisms remains predictive/incomplete. The current review discusses our understanding of BD pleiotropic functions, polymorphism, and genomic structural attributes concerning the fertilizability of the male gamete in dairy animals.

Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Postpartum Women from Lower and Middle-income Backgrounds in India and its Effects on Early Mother-infant Bonding: An Observational Study.

The study was designed to examine the mental health impact of COVID-19 infection in postpartum women and its effects on mother-infant bonding during the first eight weeks postpartum. Fifty-seven consenting eligible postpartum women were recruited for the study. They were assessed at two time points using standardized rating scales to measure distress and uniquely designed scales assessing COVID-19-specific outcome fears and bonding. Almost half [42%] of postpartum women with COVID-19 suffered from a probable anxiety disorder, and one-third [33.3%] suffered from probable depression. The overwhelming majority [91.2%] experienced COVID-19-specific fear. There was an inverse relationship between one dimension of maternal caregiving and self-report depression and anxiety scores, respectively. Additionally, despite discharge, 25% of the mothers had not breastfed the infants till the 8th-week postpartum period, which is in discordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age that is widely practiced in India. The novel COVID-19 pandemic was associated with anxiety and depression, impacting mother-infant bonding. Therefore, there is a need for specialized mental health services and individualized breastfeeding interventions for this vulnerable population to ensure positive outcomes.

Promising role of defensins peptides as therapeutics to combat against viral infection.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitously present small peptides, which play a critical function in the innate immune system. The defensin class of AMPs represented an evolutionarily ancient family containing cationic cysteine residue and frequently expressed in epithelial or neutrophils cells. It plays myriad functions in host innate immune responses against various infection. Defensin has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, including anti-bacteria, anti-viruses (AVPs), anti-fungi, anti-cancers, and also overcoming bacterial drug resistance. In this review, we compiled the progress on defensin, particularly incorporating the mechanism of action, their application as an antiviral agent, prospects in different areas, and limitations to be solved as an antiviral peptide. Defensins were explored, in particular, their capacity to stimulate innate and adaptive immunity by trigging as anti-coronavirus (COVID-19) peptides. The present review summarised its immunomodulatory and immunoenhancing properties and predominantly focused on its promising therapeutic adjuvant choices for combat against viral infection.

Effect of summer pruning and CPPU on yield and quality of kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa).

A field experiment was conducted on bearing vines of kiwifruit cv. Abbott to find the effect of CPPU (N-(2- chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea) and summer pruning on fruit yield, fruit size and quality. CPPU greatly stimulated fruit growth indicating that it can be a powerful tool for improving kiwifruit cropping. Application of CPPU at 10 ppm concentration was done by dipping the fruits for 10 sec in the aqueous solution of compound at petal fall and 30 days after petal fall. CPPU applied fruits increased size by 20-70 g over control. Summer pruning along with CPPU application proved to be more effective in obtaining fruits of high grades with increased fruit weight (95.37 g fruit(-1)) and high quality. Summer pruning, when done by pinching 1/5th at Petal Fall stage + CPPU dipping (10 ml(-1)) and pinching 1/5th continued till harvest, at one month interval resulted in increased fruit yield (54.80 kg vine(-1)), high TSS (17.60 Brix), high total sugar (9.85%), advanced ripening by one week and reduced flesh firmness.

Unraveling determinants of integrated farming systems adoption for sustainable livelihood and dietary diversity.

Introduction: Over the years, smallholder farmers have faced more vulnerability to risk and uncertainty in India due to their dependence on cereal crops. One way to reduce this risk is through diversified agriculture, integrating different practices for efficient resource utilization, and adopting a farming systems approach. An integrated farming system (IFS) is one such technique that provides year-round income from different components of enterprises. However, the decision to adopt IFS may be determined by several characteristics of farmers, which needs to be delineated through impact analysis to harness the benefits of a systems approach. Methods: This study analyzes the economic effects of integrated farming systems and assesses their determinants, as well as the dietary diversity patterns of farmers in two states of southern India, i.e., Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A multistage sampling technique was used to obtain cross-sectional data from 367 farmers randomly chosen from one district in Kerala and two districts in Tamil Nadu. The participants have Crop + Horticulture + Animal husbandry (45.45%) as their major system, whereas non-participants have Crop + Animal husbandry (44.35%) as their predominant system. Coarsened exact matching and logit regression methods were used to evaluate the economic impacts of IFS and its influencing factors. Results: The findings of the study indicate that age, education, livestock holding, access to credit, and plantation area have a positive and significant effect on participation by farmers in the program. The matching results show that adoption of IFS resulted in a significant economic impact, generating an additional gross income of Rs. 36,165 ha-1 and a net income of Rs. 35,852 ha-1 and improving the dietary diversity of farm households by 8.6% as compared to non-adopters. Discussion: This study suggests that IFS is a promising approach for improving farmers' livelihoods, economic gains, and nutritional security. Therefore, the integrated farming systems models need to be upscaled through the convergence of government schemes in other regions of India to support smallholder farmers' farming.

Buffalo sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins reveal precise and preferential binding signatures with specific glycans targets on oviduct epithelium and zona pellucida-an implication in fertilization.

Sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins (lectins) interact with the counterpart glycans in the oviduct, oocytes, and vice-versa. It has already been well known that specific glycans are present on oviductal epithelium and zona pellucida (ZP) in different mammalian species. Some of these glycans are necessary for oviductal sperm reservoir formation and gamete recognition. The specific binding phenomenon of lectin-glycans is one of the vital factors for successful fertilization in mammals. We hypothesized that buffalo sperm membrane glycan-binding proteins have specific glycan targets in the oviduct and ZP supporting the fertilization event. In the present investigation, sperm membrane proteins were extracted and assessed for their binding capacity with glycans using a high-throughput glycan microarray. The most promising glycan binding signals were evaluated to confirm the sperm putative receptors for glycan targets in the oviductal epithelial cells (OEC) and on ZP using an in-vitro competitive binding inhibition assay. Based on an array of 100 glycans, we found that N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAc), Lewis-a trisaccharide, 3'-sialyllactosamine and LacdiNAc were the most promising glycans and selected for further in-vitro validation. We established an inhibitory concentration of 12 mM Lewis-a trisaccharide and 10 µg/ml Lotus tetragonolobus (LTL) lectin for the sperm-OEC binding interaction, indicating its specificity and sensitivity. We observed that 3 mM 3'-sialyllactosamine, and LacdiNAc were the most competitive inhibitory concentration in sperm-ZP binding, suggesting a specific and abundance-dependent binding affinity. The competitive binding affinity of Maackia amurensis (MAA) lectin with Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(ß1-4)GlcNAc further supports the abundance of 3'-sialyllactosamine on ZP responsible for sperm binding. Our findings develop the strong evidence on buffalo sperm putative receptors underlying their locking specificities with Lewis-a trisaccharide in oviduct and 3'-sialyllactosamine on ZP. The functional interaction of buffalo sperm lectins with the target glycans in OEC and ZP appears to be accomplished in an abundance-dependent manner, facilitating the fertilization event in buffaloes.

Resilience among involuntarily childless couples and individuals undergoing infertility treatment: a systematic review.

Infertility is regarded as a highly stressful and challenging experience. However, the response to this unexpected moment varies from one individual to the other. The review explores research that studies resilience in the context of infertility and its treatment. The purpose was to study the protective and risk factors associated with resilience and to identify psychosocial factors that could play a crucial role in resilience among infertile couples and individuals who are seeking infertility treatment. Four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Wiley Online Library) were searched with appropriate keywords. A total of 4101 articles were retrieved from the databases and after following various levels of screening 18 articles were finalized. These articles explored resilience and other psychosocial factors in couples/individuals seeking infertility treatment. The protective factors associated with resilience were quality of life, coping, social support, and posttraumatic growth. The risk factors associated with resilience were infertility-related stress, anxiety and depression. The unexpected diagnosis of infertility might be disturbing for many, still, it may not be extremely agonizing for some. Individuals who are encouraged to utilize their own resources and seek support are able to deal with stressors associated with infertility.

Placental Chorangiocarcinoma: Case Report with Literature Review of a Rare Entity.

Chorangiocarcinoma is an extremely rare tumor seen in the placenta, with only six cases reported in the literature so far. Its morphological characteristics, criteria for diagnosis, and the pathophysiology remain controversial to date. Although it was predominantly considered a benign entity, a solitary case of distant metastasis has been reported in the literature. We present a case of this unusual tumor in the preterm placenta of a 29-year-old female. Grossly seen as a grey white nodule, microscopic examination revealed nests of atypical trophoblastic proliferation surrounded by vascularized stroma. No evidence of basement membrane invasion was noted. On immunohistochemistry, the trophoblastic component expressed pancytokeratin, Beta HCG, and Placental Alkaline Phosphatase with high Ki-67 labelling index. The present case highlights this exceedingly rare entity with emphasis on its morpho-immunohistochemical features along with a review of literature.

Analysis of amplification and association polymorphisms in the bovine beta-defensin 129 (BBD129) gene revealed its function in bull fertility.

ß-defensins are adsorbable on the sperm surface in the male reproductive tract (MRT) and enhance sperm functional characteristics. The beta-defensin 129 (DEFB129) antimicrobial peptide is involved in sperm maturation, motility, and fertilization. However, its role in bovine fertility has not been well investigated. This study examines the relationship between the bovine BBD129 gene and Bos indicus x Bos taurus bull fertility. The complete coding sequence of BBD129 mRNA was identified by RNA Ligase Mediated-Rapid Amplification of cDNA End (RLM-RACE) and Sanger sequencing methodologies. It consisted of 582 nucleotides (nts) including 5' untranslated region (UTR) (46nts) and 3'UTR (23nts). It conserves all beta-defensin-like features. The expression level of BBD129 was checked by RT-qPCR and maximal expression was detected in the corpus-epididymis region compared to other parts of MRT. Polymorphism in BBD129 was also confirmed by Sanger sequencing of 254 clones from 5 high fertile (HF) and 6 low fertile (LF) bulls at two positions, 169 T > G and 329A > G, which change the S57A and N110S in the protein sequence respectively. These two mutations give rise to four types of BBD129 haplotypes. The non-mutated TA-BBD129 (169 T/329A) haplotype was substantially more prevalent among high-fertile bulls (P < 0.005), while the double-site mutated GG-BBD129 (169 T > G/329A > G) haplotype was significantly more prevalent among low-fertile bulls (P < 0.005). The in silico analysis confirmed that the polymorphism in BBD129 results in changes in mRNA secondary structure, protein conformations, protein stability, extracellular-surface availability, post-translational modifications (O-glycosylation and phosphorylation), and affects antibacterial and immunomodulatory capabilities. In conclusion, the mRNA expression of BBD129 in the MRT indicates its region-specific dynamics in sperm maturation. BBD129 polymorphisms were identified as the deciding elements accountable for the changed proteins with impaired functionality, contributing to cross-bred bulls' poor fertility.

Farm typology for planning targeted farming systems interventions for smallholders in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.

Due to complexity of smallholder farms, many times technologies with great potential fail to achieve the desired impact in leveraging productivity and profitability of the farming community. In the Indo-Gangetic Plains there is an urgent need to understand the diversity of farm households, identifying the main drivers deciding their system thus, classifying them into homogenous groups. In the present study, the diversity of smallholder farms was assessed using crop, livestock and income related characteristics and associated farm mechanization. Using principal component analysis and cluster analysis for 252 farm households, 4 farm types were identified i.e. Type 1. Small Farm households with cereal-based cropping system and subsistence livestock (39%), Type 2. Small Farm households with diversified cropping system dominated by cereal and fodder crops with only cattle herd (9%), Type 3. Marginal Farm household with diversified cropping system dominated by cash crop and herd comprising of only cattle (39%), Type 4. Marginal Farm household with diversified cropping system dominated by cereal crops and herd dominated by small ruminants (12%). Based on the constraints identified for different components of farming systems, low-cost interventions were planned for each farm type. These interventions have resulted in 84.8-103.2 per cent increase in the income of the farm HH under study suggesting usefulness of typology-based intervention planning in increasing income of small farm holders.

Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Spt5 like transcription elongation factor.

Elongation has emerged as a highly regulated step in the multistage process of transcription. Control of gene expression mediated through transcription elongation remains an unexplored area of study in Toxoplasma gondii where the demands of complex lifecycle necessitate a regulated transcription program. Here, we elucidate the central role of Spt5 homolog in T. gondii mRNA transcription. We demonstrate that TgSpt5 functions in conjunction with a small zinc finger protein TgSpt4. TgSpt5 interacts with TgRpb1, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II and associates with actively transcribed genes. Enrichment of TgSpt5 towards the 3' end of genes coinciding with P-Ser2 form of RNAPII, a marker of active elongation further underscores its pivotal role in transcription. TgSpt5 undergoes phosphorylation mediated through Toxoplasma Cdk9 homolog, TgCrk9, which appears crucial for its function. Inhibition of TgCrk9, which also regulates RNAPII by differential phosphorylation of its C terminal domain, results in loss of TgSpt5 enrichment at 3' sites of the genes and an overall repressive effect on parasite progression. TgSpt5 along with TgSpt4 could successfully complement the loss of function mutations in yeast counterparts emphasizing its functional significance. Together, the results highlight the possible role of TgSpt5 in transcript elongation regulated through phosphorylation by TgCrk9.