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Furukawa S, Tsuji N, Takeuchi K. Effects of letrozole on rat placental development. J Toxicol Pathol 2024; 37:163-172. [PMID: 39359894 PMCID: PMC11442266 DOI: 10.1293/tox.2024-0025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024] Open
Abstract
We examined the morphological effects of letrozole on placental development in pregnant rats. Letrozole was orally administered at a repeat dose to pregnant rats at 0 mg/kg (control group) and 0.04 mg/kg (letrozole group) from gestation day (GD) 6 to GD 20. In the letrozole group, fetal mortality and placental weight increased from GD 15 onwards and GD 13 onwards, respectively. Fetal weights increased on GDs 15 and 17 but decreased on GD 21. Histopathologically, letrozole treatment induced multiple cysts lined with undifferentiated syncytiotrophoblasts in the trophoblastic septa on GD 13. These cysts then develop into dilated maternal sinusoids with congestive hyperemia, resulting in an enlarged placenta. In the metrial gland, there was a dilated lumen of the spiral artery and interstitial edema throughout the experimental period, resulting in thickened metrial gland. These changes are considered to be due to maternal blood circulation stagnation in the metrial gland, which is associated with dilated maternal sinusoids in the labyrinth zone. Thus, although letrozole induces an enlarged placenta due to congestive hyperemia of the labyrinth zone and transient increases in fetal weight, these placentas are thought to decline in function as the pregnancy progresses, leading to intrauterine growth restriction at the end of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Furukawa
- Planning and Development Department, Nissan Chemical
Corporation, 2-5-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-6119, Japan
| | - Naho Tsuji
- Planning and Development, Agricultural Chemical Division,
Nissan Chemical Corporation, 2-5-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-6119, Japan
| | - Kazuya Takeuchi
- Biological Research Laboratories, Nissan Chemical
Corporation, 1470 Shiraoka, Shiraoka-shi, Saitama 349-0294, Japan
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2
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Hercus JC, Salcedo Rubio DA, Osorio Nieto ME, Sturn MML, Keum C, Christians JK. The whole is lesser than the sum of its parts? Dissecting layer-enriched samples of rodent placenta is worth the effort. Placenta 2024:S0143-4004(24)00657-X. [PMID: 39317518 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2024.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 09/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Gene expression in the placenta, assessed by bulk RNA-seq, is a common method to explore placental function. Many rodent studies homogenize the entire placenta, and yet doing so may obscure differences within specific functional regions such as the labyrinth, junctional zone and decidua. Conversely, analysis of the whole placenta could generate apparent differences due to changes in composition (e.g., relative amounts of labyrinth vs junctional zone) rather than differential gene expression. We assess the value of dissecting and separately analysing the labyrinth and junctional zone/decidua by comparing RNA-seq results from the labyrinth, junctional zone/decidua combined, and whole placenta from an experiment examining effects of maternal food restriction and fetal sex in C57BL6/J mice at gestational day 17.5. The number of genes identified as differentially expressed in response to maternal food restriction was substantially higher in the labyrinth (910 genes), than in the junctional zone/decidua (50 genes), which in turn was slightly higher than in the whole placenta (3 genes). Only one gene was differentially expressed in all 3 tissue types, and 20 genes were differentially expressed in both the labyrinth and junctional zone/decidua. The larger number of differentially expressed genes in the labyrinth was due to both larger effect sizes and estimates of effect sizes having smaller standard errors. While dissection to obtain layer-enriched samples is slightly more time-consuming than collection of whole placenta and requires some practice, our results show that layer-enrichment is clearly worth the effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jess C Hercus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | | | | | - Mackenzie M L Sturn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Cheayeong Keum
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Julian K Christians
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Women's Health Research Institute, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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3
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Dong B. A comprehensive review on toxicological mechanisms and transformation products of tebuconazole: Insights on pesticide management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168264. [PMID: 37918741 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Tebuconazole has been widely applied over three decades because of its high efficiency, low toxicity, and broad spectrum, and it is still one of the most popular fungicides worldwide. Tebuconazole residues have been frequently detected in environmental samples and food, posing potential hazards for humans. Understanding the toxicity of pesticides is crucial to ensuring human and ecosystem health, but the toxic mechanisms and toxicity of tebuconazole are still unclear. Moreover, pesticides could transform into transformation products (TPs) that may be more persistent and toxic than their parents. Herein, the toxicities of tebuconazole to humans, mammals, aquatic organisms, soil animals, amphibians, soil microorganisms, birds, honeybees, and plants were summarized, and its TPs were reviewed. In addition, the toxicity of tebuconazole TPs to aquatic organisms and mammals was predicted. Tebuconazole posed potential developmental toxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, mutagenicity, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity, which were induced via reactive oxygen species-mediated apoptosis, metabolism and hormone perturbation, DNA damage, and transcriptional abnormalities. In addition, tebuconazole exhibited apparent endocrine-disrupting effects by modulating hormone levels and gene transcription. The toxicity of some TPs was equivalent to and higher than tebuconazole. Therefore, further investigation is necessary into the toxicological mechanisms of tebuconazole and the combined toxicity of a mixture of tebuconazole and its TPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bizhang Dong
- School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China.
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Lyu C, Ni T, Guo Y, Zhou T, Chen Z, Yan J, Li Y. Insufficient GDF15 expression predisposes women to unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss by impairing extravillous trophoblast invasion. Cell Prolif 2023; 56:e13514. [PMID: 37272232 PMCID: PMC10693185 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Insufficient extravillous trophoblast (EVT) invasion during early placentation has been shown to contribute to recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). However, the regulatory factors involved and their involvement in RPL pathogenesis remain unknown. Here, we found aberrantly decreased growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) levels in both first-trimester villous and serum samples of unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (URPL) patients as compared with normal pregnancies. Moreover, GDF15 knockdown significantly reduced the invasiveness of both HTR-8/SVneo cells and primary human EVT cells and suppressed the Jagged-1 (JAG1)/NOTCH3/HES1 pathway activity, and JAG1 overexpression rescued the invasion phenotype of the GDF15 knockdown cells. Induction of a lipopolysaccharide-induced abortion model in mice resulted in significantly reduced GDF15 level in the placenta and serum, as well as increased rates of embryonic resorption, and these effects were reversed by administration of recombinant GDF15. Our study thus demonstrates that insufficient GDF15 level at the first-trimester maternal-foetal interface contribute to the pathogenesis of URPL by impairing EVT invasion and suppressing JAG1/NOTCH3/HES1 pathway activity, and suggests that supplementation with GDF15 could benefit early pregnancy maintenance and reduce the risk of early pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunzi Lyu
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
| | - Tianxiang Ni
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
| | - Yaqiu Guo
- Department of AnesthesiologyJinan Maternal and Child Health HospitalJinanShandongChina
| | - Tingting Zhou
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
| | - Zi‐Jiang Chen
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
| | - Junhao Yan
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
| | - Yan Li
- Center for Reproductive MedicineShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of EducationShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Medical Integration and Practice CenterShandong UniversityJinanShandongChina
- Lead Contact
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Sang J, Wang H, Yu Y, Ji Z, Xia M, Hao T, Li L, Ge RS. Azole fungicides inhibit human and rat gonadal 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases: Structure-activity relationship and in silico docking analysis. Food Chem Toxicol 2023; 180:114028. [PMID: 37703925 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.114028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Azole fungicides are widely used in the agricultural industry to control fungal infections in crops. However, recent studies have shown that some azole fungicides inhibit the activity of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3β-HSDs) in the gonads. Out of the 16 azole fungicides tested, 8 were found to inhibit human KGN cell 3β-HSD2 with IC50 values of less than 100 μM. The strongest inhibitor was difenoconazole, with an IC50 value of 1.88 μM. In contrast, only 3 of the azole fungicides inhibited rat testicular 3β-HSD1, which was less sensitive to inhibition. Azole fungicides potently inhibited progesterone secretion by KGN cells under basal and forskolin stimulated conditions at ≥ 5 μM. The inhibitory strength of azole fungicides was determined by their lipophilicity (LogP), molecular weight, pKa, and binding energy. A pharmacophore analysis revealed that the hydrogen bond acceptor-lipid group was a critical feature required for inhibition. Overall, these findings suggest that the use of azole fungicides have unintended consequences on reproductive health due to their inhibition of gonadal 3β-HSDs. Key words: Azole fungicides; steroid hormones; 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; docking analysis; lipophilicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianmin Sang
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Zhongyao Ji
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Miaomiao Xia
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Ting Hao
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China
| | - Linxi Li
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China.
| | - Ren-Shan Ge
- Department of Anaesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, China; Key Laboratory of Structural Malformations in Children of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Environment and Male Reproductive Medicine of Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, China.
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Lee WY, Lee R, Park HJ. Tebuconazole Induces ER-Stress-Mediated Cell Death in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cell Lines. TOXICS 2023; 11:397. [PMID: 37112622 PMCID: PMC10144106 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11040397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Tebuconazole (TEB) is a triazole fungicide used to increase crop production by controlling fungi, insects, and weeds. Despite their extensive use, people are concerned about the health risks associated with pesticides and fungicides. Numerous studies have defined the cellular toxicity of triazole groups in pesticides, but the mechanisms of TEB toxicity in bovine mammary gland epithelial cells (MAC-T cells) have not yet been studied. Damage to the mammary glands of dairy cows directly affects milk production. This study investigated the toxicological effects of TEB on MAC-T cells. We found that TEB decreases both cell viability and proliferation and activates apoptotic cell death via the upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as cleaved caspases 3 and 8 and BAX. TEB also induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress via the upregulation of Bip/GRP78; PDI; ATF4; CHOP; and ERO1-Lα. We found that TEB induced mitochondria-mediated apoptotic MAC-T cell death by activating ER stress. This cell damage eventually led to a dramatic reduction in the expression levels of the milk-protein-synthesis-related genes LGB; LALA; CSN1S1; CSN1S2; and CSNK in MAC-T cells. Our data suggest that the exposure of dairy cows to TEB may negatively affect milk production by damaging the mammary glands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won-Young Lee
- Department of Livestock, Korea National University of Agriculure and Fisheries, Jeonju-si 54874, Republic of Korea
| | - Ran Lee
- Department of Livestock, Korea National University of Agriculure and Fisheries, Jeonju-si 54874, Republic of Korea
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Sangji University, Wonju-si 26339, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jung Park
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Sangji University, Wonju-si 26339, Republic of Korea
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Ku T, Liu Y, Xie Y, Hu J, Hou Y, Tan X, Ning X, Li G, Sang N. Tebuconazole mediates cognitive impairment via the microbe-gut-brain axis (MGBA) in mice. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 173:107821. [PMID: 36827814 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tebuconazole, one of the most widely used triazole fungicides, is reported to potentially pose a risk of inducing neurological disorders in human beings. Considering the increasing exposure, whether it could influence cognitive function remains to be elucidated. Herein, we used a mouse model to evaluate the potential cognitive risks and possible mechanisms from the continuous edible application of tebuconazole at low concentrations. Our study revealed that tebuconazole deteriorated spatial learning and memory and downregulated the expression of glutamate receptor subunits. Importantly, metagenomic analysis indicated that tebuconazole not only led to significant shifts in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota but also changed intestinal homeostasis. Specifically, after exposure, tebuconazole circulated in the bloodstream and largely entered the gut-brain axis for disruption, including disturbing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, interrelated neurotransmitters and systemic immune factors. Moreover, pretreatment with probiotics improved immune factor expression and restored the deterioration of synaptic function and spatial learning and memory. The current study provides novel insights concerning perturbations of the gut microbiome and its functions as a potential new mechanism by which tebuconazole exposes cognitive function-related human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Ku
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Yutong Liu
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Yuanyuan Xie
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Jindong Hu
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Yanwen Hou
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Xin Tan
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Xia Ning
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Guangke Li
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China.
| | - Nan Sang
- College of Environment and Resource, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China.
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Sairoz, Prabhu K, Poojari VG, Shetty S, Rao M, Kamath A. Maternal Serum Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, and Iron in Spontaneous Abortions. Indian J Clin Biochem 2023; 38:128-131. [PMID: 36684499 PMCID: PMC9852411 DOI: 10.1007/s12291-022-01043-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Twenty five percent of pregnant women have some degree of vaginal bleeding during the first trimester, and about 50% of those pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion (SA) because the fetus is not developing typically. As studies have reported that inadequacies of trace metals such as Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Magnesium (Mg) can predispose to various adverse pregnancy outcomes (PO); multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementations are given without justifying their deficiency and toxicities on the fetus. Earlier studies on effects of MMN supplementations during pregnancy have not considered the need, duration, dose, and time of initiation of supplementations leading to inconclusive results. So, there is a need to optimize this to prevent their abuse and side effects. This study can help in establishing critical cut-offs of these minerals in maternal serum that can forecast future pregnancy outcomes. Study measured the serum Zn, Cu, Mg, and Fe in pregnant women who presented with (n = 80) and without (n = 100) SA at 5-2 weeks of pregnancy using iron -ferrozine method, magnesium-calmagite method, zinc reaction with nitro-PAPS, copper reaction with Di-Br- PAESA methods, respectively. Data analyzed using the student t test and cutoff value was established using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) by SPSS software. Maternal serum Cu, Mg, Fe, and Zn levels measured were significantly lower in SA as compared to that of controls (p < 0.005) (Fig. 1) and maternal age and Body mass index were not statistically significant different among study group. Maternal serum Cu, Mg, Zn and Iron (Fe) measured in 5-12 weeks of pregnancy has the potential to forecast future occurrence of SA. The study has been registered under "The Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI)," -REF/2020/01/030393.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sairoz
- Department of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka India
| | - Krishnananda Prabhu
- Department of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka India
| | - Vidyashree G. Poojari
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Sahana Shetty
- Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Mahadeva Rao
- Pharmacy Practice, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Asha Kamath
- Data Science, Prasanna Schools of Public Health Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
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