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Pavement is the part of the road or street, consisting of various materials and that are placed on the natural ground or in landfills, in order to directly support traffic. Nowadays one of the coatings used in the design of pavements is precast concrete paver blocks. The application of pavements which use precast concrete blocks were generally associated with sidewalks and access the residential areas. They can also be used in gasoline service stations, parking lots, and sometimes bus bays (Morgado, 2008). Concrete paver block not only provide a functional, hard-wearing surface, and minimum maintenance, but it also harmonizes with the environment. With a structural behaviour similar to that of flexible pavements, the concrete block pavements allow the repairs without leaving a trace. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of coir fibre on physical properties of concrete. The paver blocks made of FRC concrete may serve as the placement for conventional pavements. Mix design is used as an experimental tool to evaluate the optimum content of cement, aggregates, water and concrete mix properties in-line with the various standards and specifications conforming to the Indian climatic conditions. Various properties of materials have been tested before using it for the mix. Paver blocks of 0% fibre, coir fibres of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, Recron 3S polyester fibres of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% to the total weight of cement, Coarse aggregate, Fine aggregate, and water are prepared and tested for Compressive strength, Rebound Hammer test, Water Absorption test, and Ultrasonic pulse velocity test. It is observed from results that there is 10.3% increase in compressive strength in fibre reinforced paver blocks when compared to conventional concrete paver blocks. The compressive strength of the paver blocks with coir fibres 0.3% show 8% more strength when compared to the paver block with 0.1% coir fiber. The compressive strength of the paver blocks with an optimum fiber content of Recron 3S polyester fibres shows 5.5% more compressive strength than the paver blocks with coir fibers of optimum fiber content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The placenta is a vital fetal exchange organ connecting mother and baby. Specialised placental epithelial cells, called trophoblasts, are essential for adequate placental function. Trophoblasts transform the maternal vasculature to allow efficient blood flow to the placenta and facilitate adequate nutrient uptake. Placental development is in part regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. However, our understanding of how DNA methylation contributes to human trophoblast differentiation is limited. To better understand how genome-wide methylation differences affect trophoblast differentiation, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) was conducted on four matched sets of trophoblasts; side-population trophoblasts (a candidate human trophoblast stem cell population), cytotrophoblasts (an intermediate progenitor population), and extravillous trophoblasts (EVT, a terminally differentiated population) each isolated from the same first trimester placenta. Each trophoblast population had a distinct methylome. In line with their close differentiation relationship, the methylation profile of side-population trophoblasts was most similar to cytotrophoblasts, whilst EVT had the most distinct methylome. In comparison to mature trophoblast populations, side-population trophoblasts exhibited differential methylation of genes and miRNAs involved in cell cycle regulation, differentiation, and regulation of pluripotency. A combined methylomic and transcriptomic approach was taken to better understand cytotrophoblast differentiation to EVT. This revealed methylation of 41 genes involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastatic cancer pathways, which likely contributes to the acquisition of an invasive EVT phenotype. However, the methylation status of a gene did not always predict gene expression. Therefore, while CpG methylation plays a role in trophoblast differentiation, it is likely not the only regulatory mechanism involved in this process.

Oral cavity is a rare target for metastasis with an incidence of 1% among all oral cancers. In 24% of such cases, oral metastasis is the first indication of an undiagnosed primary. Metastatic oral malignancies have been reported in the mandible, tongue, and gingiva. Although gingival metastasis has been reported from lung, prostate, rectal carcinoma in men and carcinoma of breast, adrenal glands, and genitalia in females, gingival metastasis from carcinoma of the penis has not been reported. Herein, a case of metastatic gingival carcinoma that developed after extraction of teeth from primary carcinoma of the penis is presented. An extensive literature search revealed no such similar case reports.

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a debilitating, potentially cancerous oral condition. Although areca nut is the most important causative agent, it is also considered that the disease is immunologically mediated. Aim of the Study: To establish that autoimmunity and nutritional deficiency play a role in the etiopathogenesis of OSMF. Objectives of the Study: To show that serum immunoglobulin markers (immunoglobulin-G [IgG], immunoglobulin-A [IgA]) and nutritional parameters such as total serum protein (TSP), Hemoglobin (Hb) play a role in causing OSMF and also to correlate serum, salivary IgG, IgA levels in OSMF patients. Settings and Design: A case-control study was done with 50 patients (25 patients who were provisionally diagnosed as OSMF - Group I, and 25 patients who were chronic smokeless tobacco chewers and who did not have any intraoral lesion - Group II). Materials and Methods: Five milliliters of blood and saliva were collected from both the groups. Quantitative analysis of serum, and salivary IgG, IgA was done by turbidometric immunoassay. TSP and Hemoglobin (Hb) were estimated by spectrophotometry. Statistical Analysis: Results were analyzed by independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: All patients of OSMF showed significant (P < 0.01) increase in serum IgG, IgA, and salivary IgG levels as compared to smokeless tobacco chewers. The salivary IgA levels showed a significant decrease in OSMF patients (P < 0.05). TSP and Hb levels showed significant (P < 0.01) decrease in OSMF patients as compared to smokeless tobacco chewers. Conclusion: The elevation of immunoglobulin levels supports the concept of autoimmunity. The decrease in TSP and Hb suggests that nutritional deficiency plays a defined role in the occurrence as well as a further progression of OSMF.