association between y chromosome microdeletion and recurrent pregnancy loss

To date, the role of male factor contributing in evaluation of spontaneous recurrent pregnancy loss [RPL] has been less investigated and there is discrepancy in the role of Y chromosome microdeltions in RPL. Therefore, the current study was designed to examine whether Y chromosome microdeletions were associated with RPL in an Iranian population. One hundred men from couples, experiencing three or more RPLs, and one hundred normal men from couples with at least one child and no history of miscarriages as control group were included. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and tested for Y chromosome microdeletions in AZFa, AZFb and AZFc regions using two multiplex PCR. None of the men in the case and control groups had any microdeletions in the AZFa, AZFb and AZFc regions. It seems that Y chromosome microdeletion is not associated with recurrent pregnancy loss, therefore performing this test in Iranian couples with RPL is not recommended

association between sporadic Alzheimer's disease and the human ABCA1 and APOE gene polymorphisms in Iranian population

Apolipoprotein E [APOE], which its epsilon4 allele has been reported as a risk factor in late onset Alzheimer's disease [AD], is the main cholesterol carrier in the brain. ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 [ABCA1] gene on chromosome 9, which has been known by genome-wide AD linkage study, has an important role in cellular cholesterol efflux. This study determines the association between sporadic AD and the human ABCA1 and APOE gene polymorphisms in Iranian population. 154 AD cases and 162 control subjects from Iranian population were genotyped for APOE genotypes and ABCA1 polymorphism [R219K]. The frequency of epsilon2epsilon3 genotype was higher in control subjects comparing AD patients but was not significant [13% versus 5.8%] and epsilon3epsilon4 genotype frequency was significantly higher in AD cases comparing with control subjects. APOE-epsilon2 allele frequency in cases was lower than control subjects but this difference was not significant [4.5% versus 8%]. Individuals carrying epsilon4 allele, developed AD 6.5 times more than non-carriers [OR=6.52, 95%CI=2.63-16.17]. There was no significant association between ABCA1 polymorphism and AD. Unlike other studies, R219K polymorphism was not dependent on gender and APOE-epsilon4 allele and there was no association between APOE and ABCA1 in AD patients compared to controls

Association between alzheimer's disease and apolipoprotein E polymorphisms

Alzheimer's disease as a neurodegenerative disorder is the commonest type of dementia. A growing number of genes have been reported as the risk factors, which increase the susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. Apolipoprotein E [APOE], which its 4 allele has been reported as a risk factor in late onset Alzheimer's disease [AD], is the main cholesterol carrier in the brain. The main goal of this study was to assess the role of APOE genotypes and alleles in AD in Iranian population. This study was performed in Tehran, Iran from 2007 to 2008. Totally, 154 AD cases and 162 control subjects from Iranian population were genotyped for APOE using PCR method. Genotype and alleles frequencies for APOE were calculated and compared between AD case and control subjects by epsilon 2 or Fisher's exact test. Type one error assumed less than 0.05. The frequency of epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype was significantly higher in control subjects than AD patients was [13.5% versus 5.2%, P<0.05] and epsilon 3 epsilon 4 genotype frequency was significantly higher in AD cases compared with control subjects. APOE-epsilon 2 allele frequency in cases was lower than that of control subjects but this difference was not significant [4.2% versus 7.7%]. It seems that individuals carrying epsilon 4 allele, develop AD 6.5 times more than non-carriers do [OR=6.566, 95% CI=2.89-14.92]. It has been reported that epsilon 4 allele acts in dose-age-dependent manner but we have shown that the risk of developing AD in male APOE-epsilon 4 allele carriers is higher than that of female epsilon 4 carriers

Effects of semelil [ANGIPARS[TM]] on focal cerebral ischemia in male rats

Cerebral ischemia is one of the main causes of long term disability and death in aged populations. Many herbal drugs and extracts have been used for the treatment of cerebral ischemia induced insults. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Semelil [ANGIPARS[tm], a new herbal drug, on focal cerebral ischemia in male rats. Male rats were divided into five groups: sham-operated, ischemic animals treated with distilled water as vehicle, ischemic animals treated with 1.10 and 100 mg/kg of Semilil respectively. Middle cerebral artery occlusion [MCAO] model was used in NMRI rats and neuronal injury analyzed in hippocampal CA1 sector after 48 hrs of Middle Cerebral Artery [MCAO]. Results of this study showed that treatment with semelil attenuated ischemic damages and has positive effects on focal cerebral ischemia