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Takayasu arteritis, which is also known as aortic arch syndrome, non-specific aortoarteritis and pulseless disease, is a rare chronic inflammatory progressive large vessel vasculitis of likely autoimmune aetiology causing narrowing, occlusion and aneurysms of systemic and pulmonary arteries, especially the aorta and its branches, afflicting women of childbearing age. It is an uncommon disease with an estimated annual incidence rate of 1.2–2.6 per million. Hypertension is the the most common mode of presentation. Based on site and extent, it is divided into five types as type I (branches of aortic arch), type II (aortic arch, its branches and descending thoracic aorta), type III (descending thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta), type IV (abdominal aorta only) and type V (aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta). Therapeutic modalities include medical (antihypertensive, steroids, cyclophosphamide, etc) as well as surgical interventions.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrinal physiological disorder characterized by chronic oligo-ovulation or an-ovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic morphology in ovaries on transvaginal or abdominal ultrasound. Hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance are already well-documented pathophysiological mechanisms in PCOS. Besides this, autoimmunity has been hypothesized in its pathogenesis. Studies regarding the association between PCOS and autoimmunity have yielded contradictory results. There is scarce data regarding the prevalence of autoimmune markers among PCOS women from India. Therefore, this study was done to find the relationship between antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity and PCOS. To determine the prevalence of ANA positivity in women with PCOS and to see the association of Serum antinuclear antibodies ANA with clinical, hormonal, and biochemical parameters of PCOS. This cross-sectional study was done in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, for a period of 18 months. The study population consisted of a total of 140 women aged 18-35 years and were equally divided into the 'PCOS 'and 'Control' groups. The 'PCOS' group consisted of 70 women with a diagnosis of PCOS as per revised 2003 Rotterdam criteria. The 'Control' group consisted of 70 healthy women with no PCOS. History-taking and clinical examinations were done on all women. History taking included medical, surgical, menstrual, and any other relevant history. Clinical examinations included general physical examination and anthropometry like height, weight, build, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHI), etc. We did Hirsutism scoring with a modified Ferriman-Gallaway scoring system. Blood samples were taken for ANA estimation and biochemical and hormonal essay. The prevalence of ANA positivity in PCOS and the control group was 10% and 4.3%, respectively (not statistically significant). There was no significant association found between ANA positivity and PCOS (p-value=-0.326). There was no significant association found between ANA positivity and modified Ferriman-Gallwey scores, serum testosterone levels and HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) levels.  There was no statistically significant association between ANA positivity and PCOS, but we found an increased prevalence of ANA in the PCOS group as compared to the non-PCOS group.Though our study did not find a significant association between ANA positivity and modified Ferriman Gallwey score, serum testosterone levels, and HOMA-IR levels, we found a significant increase in anti-TPO levels in ANA-positive PCOS women. We conclude that the increased prevalence of ANA positivity in PCOS could be an indicator of autoimmunity.

To determine the role of geminin as a tool for differentiating various types of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical carcinoma (CC). Seventy women newly diagnosed with CIN or CC undergoing cervical biopsy were included; their clinical profile, human papilloma virus (HPV) positivity, and colposcopy findings were noted, and biopsy tissue was analyzed for geminin content. On geminin immunohistochemistry, 100% of women with CIN3 and 96.29% of women with CC had geminin two plus or more. When analyzed as ordinal variables, there was a significant correlation (spearman's rho 0.35, p 0.01) between geminin and biopsy results (CIN1, CIN2, CIN3, and CC). Screening tests for cervical cancer, like conventional pap smears, liquid-based pap smears, and triaging with HPV, have limitations. It is important to be able to differentiate between high-grade lesions, invasive cancer, and low-grade lesions. The detection of geminin in these cells may aid in the confirmation of the diagnosis and ensure adequate treatment. Cervical intraepithelial lesions and carcinoma cervix demonstrated a correlation between increased geminin expression in CIN1 vs. CC and CIN2 vs. CC. Geminin may be a potential surrogate marker for higher-grade cervical lesions, and further research is needed to corroborate evidence in this direction.

The presence of polymorphic methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in mothers poses a risk for numerous detrimental outcomes in neonates. The present study investigated the association of maternal MTHFR A1298C and C677T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the clinical outcomes in their neonates. The cross-sectional study included 60 mothers and their neonates. Blood samples from mothers were analyzed for MTHFR A1298C and C677T SNP genotyping by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Clinical details of mothers and neonates were documented. Study groups were stratified based on wild, heterozygous, and mutant genotypes for the respective polymorphisms observed in mothers. Multinomial regression was applied for the association, followed by gene model formulation to estimate the impact of the genetic variants on the outcomes. The frequency percentages of mutant CC1298 and TT677 genotypes were 25% and 8.06%, respectively, and the mutant allele frequencies (MAF) were 42.5% and 22.5%. Percentages of adverse outcomes such as intrauterine growth restriction, sepsis, anomalies, and mortality were higher in neonates born to mothers with homozygous mutant genotypes. Maternal C677T MTHFR SNPs revealed a significant association with neonatal anomalies (p = 0.001). The multiplicative risk model depicted OR (95% CI) for CT vs. CC+TT as 3.0 (95% CI: 0.66-13.7), and for TT vs. CT+CC was 15 (95% CI: 2.01-112.12). The C677T SNP in mothers predicted a dominant model for neonatal death (OR (95% CI): 5.84 (0.57-60.03), p = 0.15), whereas the A1298C reported recessive model for 1298CC mothers (OR (95% CI): 11 (1.05-115.5), p = 0.02). Both the genotypes assumed a recessive model for adverse neonatal outcomes: OR (95%CI) for CC vs. AA+AC was 3.2 (0.79-12.9, p = 0.1), and for TT vs. CC+CT was 5.48 (0.57-175.7, p = 0.2). The risk for sepsis in neonates was nearly six times higher in those born from mothers with homozygous CC1298 and TT677 than in the wild and heterozygous variants. Mothers with C677T and A1298C SNPs are highly susceptible to adverse outcomes in their neonates. Hence, screening the SNPs during the antenatal period can purposefully serve as a better predictive marker, following which proper clinical management could be planned.

Women are supplemented with folic acid (FA) during pregnancy as well as preconceptionally to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns. To understand the importance of FA supplementation, women need to have awareness about the same, which in turn may be influenced by different factors. It is also known that both FA and vitamin B12 deficiency tend to cause NTDs in newborns and anemia. Very few studies have studied the relationship between hemoglobin, FA, and vitamin B12 levels. In this study, we aim to estimate the level of awareness of FA supplementation among pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy and the factors determining the presence of awareness regarding the same. Also, we aim to estimate any correlation between hemoglobin, FA, and vitamin B12 levels among a subset of pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Abhanpur Block of Raipur district in Chhattisgarh among 399 pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy, in which their knowledge was assessed using a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Each participant's knowledge score regarding FA supplementation was calculated and scored based on six indicators and classified as low, intermediate, and high scores. Logistic regression was applied to find out any significant association between knowledge about FA supplementation with any other sociodemographic variables. Scatter plots were used to assess the correlation of FA with hemoglobin, vitamin B12, and knowledge scores among 104 participants. The majority (77.9%) of women had low knowledge scores with a mean score of 1.4 (0.15). It was found that only 45.6% of the participants knew the importance of FA supplementation, and the majority (23.1%) were informed by auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) followed by doctors. The majority (41.6%) of the study participants also did not know when to start FA, and only 1.3% knew that FA should be taken preconceptionally. On multivariable logistic regression, women who lived in joint families had significantly higher odds of having intermediate knowledge compared to those who lived in nuclear families. Although not statistically significant, there was a positive correlation between serum vitamin B12 and FA levels and also between hemoglobin and serum FA levels. However, a significant positive correlation was found between serum FA levels and the knowledge scores of the study participants. The majority of study participants had poor knowledge and awareness regarding FA supplementation. So, health education, as well as information, education, and communication (IEC) activities, is required to improve the knowledge about FA supplementation among women of reproductive age in the community. A better understanding of FA supplementation can lead to adherence to FA consumption and prevent NTDs among newborns.