trend of caesarean delivery in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of caesarean sections in the past two decades. This study shows the trend of caesarean sections in the country, focusing on the probable causes of the increase during the past 30 years. The caesarean section rate was 35% in 2000 and increased to 48% in 2009. The study shows that there is a very wide range of prevalence of caesarean section rates in the country. This would indicate that most caesarean sections in our country are not medically indicated, although perhaps in some areas there are not enough caesarean sections. There is a need for research on health outcomes for mothers and infants associated with caesarean delivery without a medical or obstetrical indication. A more detailed examination is needed of mother, insurer, hospital and provider attitudes toward elective caesareans

[Genetic assessment of chromosome 21 microsatellites and their application in the diagnosis of down syndrome patients within an Eastern Azarbayjan population]

Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosome aneuploidies causing mental retardation which occurs in approximately 1/230 pregnancies. It is usually caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21. The aim of this study was to evaluate the simple PCR based DNA diagnostic method and also to determine the parental origin of the extra chromosome 21 in trisomal Down syndrome. To determine the polymorphism rates of chromosome 21 microsatellite markers, 50 people from Eastern Azarbayjan were randomly selected and studied for the microsatellites. The results were statistically analyzed. Thirty affected Down syndrome patients, diagnosed by specialists were referred to the lab for further molecular analysis. After genetic counseling and getting consent, blood samples were obtained. Seven pairs of chromosome 21 microsatellite markers were amplified using PCR in all the samples. Five highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were selected from a total seven markers, studied in 50 normal people. Out of 30 Down syndrome's patients, trisomal 21 was diagnosed in 21 families [70%]. In which non-disjunction errors were determined to be of maternal origin in 86% and of paternal origin in 9% of the cases. The mean maternal and parental age was 33/3 and 36/2, respectively. The three microsatellite markers, D21S1910, D21S1411 and D21S11 could diagnose a high percentage of trisomal 21 in Down syndrome' patients. The parental origin of an extra copy of chromosome 21 could be exactly determined