In recent years, most of our knowledge about myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) has come from cancer studies, which depicts Yin side of MDSCs. In cancer, inherent immunosuppressive action of MDSCs favors tumor progression by inhibiting antitumor immune response. However, recently Yang side of MDSCs has also been worked out and suggests the role in maintenance of homeostasis during non-cancer situations like pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Continued work in this area has armored the biological importance of these cells as master regulators of immune system and prompted scientists all over the world to look from a different perspective. Therefore, explicating Yin and Yang arms of MDSCs is obligatory to use it as a double edged sword in a much smarter way. This review is an attempt toward presenting a synergistic coalition of all the facts and controversies that exist in understanding MDSCs, bring them on the same platform and approach their “Yin and Yang” nature in a more comprehensive and coherent manner.

Forty patients of aluminum phosphide poisoning who were admitted to the ICU of Sir Sunder Lal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, were studied. Restlessness, excessive thirst, shock, arrhythmias, tachypnoea, and severe metabolic acidosis were the common clinical findings. Only repeated and full correction with intravenous sodium bicarbonate was able to cope up with the severity and rapidity of acidosis. There was no significant change in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate after full correction but gradually pulse and systolic blood pressure settled after ionotropic support in the survivors. There was significant improvement from 30.36% in the case when only half correction was done, as has been the common practice, to 57.5%, when full correction of metabolic acidosis was done.

Tonsillectomy is a major surgical procedure in terms of volume in the general otolaryngological practice. It is a 3000-year-old surgical operation, referred in Hindu medicine. There has been a conceptual change in the indications and surgical technique in the last 40 years. A comparative study between the various methods of tonsillectomy was done. The study was carried out in the single institutional set up by the same surgeon but using different techniques. The study aimed at comparing the intra-operative factors (blood loss, time taken for surgery), postoperative results (pain, bleeding, dehydration, time taken for complete healing), and other complications like vomiting and hospitalization time between different groups of surgical methods. This study was done in 2500 patients undergoing tonsillectomy with or without adenoid removal in a period of 35 years (1979-2013). The majority of the patients (approximately 41%) in the first half of this period underwent cold steel tonsillectomy whereas 39% underwent microdebrider assisted tonsillectomy. Microdebrider assisted tonsil surgery was done as day care procedure in 90%. In 21% of the patients, other methods viz coblation, radio frequency and laser were used. Microdebrider intracapsular tonsillectomy is associated with lower mortality and morbidity as compared to cold steel, coblation, electrodissection, laser and radio frequency.

Problem Decline in myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and Th2 cytokines levels lead to early miscarriage (EM) but how the hormonal milieu of the body regulates MDSCs and Th1/Th2 cytokine balance is still a matter of investigation. Method of study Peripheral blood and decidua samples were collected from 20 EM patients, and 20 healthy pregnant women opted for elective abortion. MDSCs and G‐MDSCs levels were analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and Th1/Th2 cytokines levels were determined in serum via flow cytometry. Estrogen (E2), Progesterone (P4), and Testosterone levels were measured via ELISA. Further, proliferation and apoptosis in decidual samples were checked via immunoblot/immunohistochemistry of estrogen receptor ‐α (ER‐α), STAT‐3/pSTAT‐3, and caspase‐3, respectively. Results Our results clearly indicate that in EM patients; decline in E2 and P4 significantly correlates with decline in MDSCs, particularly with subtype granulocytic MDSCs (G‐MDSCs) and skewness of the Th1/Th2 cytokines balance toward Th1 response. Downregulation of ER‐ α and increased caspase‐3 expression in endometrium decidua signifies poor endometrial receptivity in EM. STAT‐3 activation regulates proliferation, differentiation and suppressive potency of MDSCs. In decidua of EM, significantly lower expression of pSTAT‐3 indicates that these processes pertaining to MDSCs are compromised. Conclusion Altogether, this unfavorable systemic milieu may drive toward early breakdown of maternal‐fetal tolerance in EM. Therefore, regulated crosstalk of E2, P4 with MDSCs and balanced Th1/Th2 cytokines is prerequisite for successful pregnancy.

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Polyaniline/carbon nanotubes composite (PANI-CNT) electrochemically deposited onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass plate has been utilized for Neisseria gonorrhoeae detection by immobilizing 5'-amino-labeled Neisseria gonorrhoeae probe (aDNA) using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. PANI-CNT/ITO and aDNA-Glu-PANI-CNT/ITO electrodes have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). This bioelectrode can be used to detect N. gonorrhoeae using methylene blue (MB) as redox indicator with response time of 60 s and stability of about 75 days when stored under refrigerated conditions. DPV studies reveal that this bioelectrode can detect complementary DNA concentration from 1 x 10(-6) M to 1 x 10(-17) M with detection limit of 1.2 x 10(-17) M. Further, this bioelectrode (aDNA-Glu-PANI-CNT/ITO) exhibits specificity toward N. gonorrhoeae species and shows negative response with non-Neisseria gonorrhoeae Neisseria species (NgNS) and other gram negative bacteria (GNB).

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