Stage-specific profiling of transforming growth factor-beta, fibroblast growth factor and wingless-int signaling pathways during early embryo development in the goat

Objective: This research intends to unravel the temporal expression profiles of genes involved in three developmentally important signaling pathways [transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-beta], fibroblast growth factor [FGF] and wingless/int [WNT]] during pre- and peri-implantation goat embryo development

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, we examined the transcripts that encoded the ligand, receptor, intracellular signal transducer and modifier, and the downstream effector, for each signaling pathway. In vitro mature MII oocytes and embryos at three distinctive stages [8-16 cell stage, day-7 [D7] blastocysts and day-14 [D14] blastocysts] were separately prepared in triplicate for comparative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] using the selected gene sets

Results: Most components of the three signaling pathways were present at more or less stable levels throughout the assessed oocyte and embryo developmental stages. The transcripts for TGF-beta, FGF and WNT signaling pathways were all induced in unfertilized MII-oocytes. However, developing embryos showed gradual patterns of decrease in the activities of TGF-beta, FGF and WNT components with renewal thereafter

Conclusion: The results suggested that TGF-beta, FGF and WNT are maternally active signaling pathways required during earlier, rather than later, stages of pre- and peri-implantation goat embryo development

Expression profile of developmentally important genes in pre- and peri-implantation goat embryos produced in vitro

Background: Little is understood about the regulation of gene expression during early goat embryo development. This study investigated the expression profile of 19 genes, known to be critical for early embryo development in mouse and human, at five different stages of goat in vitro embryo development [oocyte, 8-16 cell, morula, day-7 blastocyst, and day 14 blastocyst]

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, stage-specific profiling using real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction [RT-qPCR] revealed robust and dynamic patterns of stage-specific gene activity that fall into four major clusters depending on their respective mRNA profiles

Results: The gradual pattern of reduction in the maternally stored transcripts without renewal thereafter [cluster-1: Lifr1, Bmpr1, Alk4, Id3, Ctnnb, Akt, Oct4, Rex1, Erk1, Smad1 and 5] implies that their protein products are essential during early cleavages when the goat embryo is silent and reliant to the maternal legacy of mRNA. The potential importance of transcription augment at day-3 [cluster-2: Fzd, c-Myc, Cdc25a, Sox2] or day-14 [cluster-3: Fgfr4, Nanog] suggests that they are nascent embryonic mRNAs which intimately involved in the overriding of MET or regulation of blastocyst formation, respectively. The observation of two expression peaks at both day-3 and day-14 [cluster-4: Gata4, Cdx2] would imply their potential importance during these two critical stages of pre-and peri-implantation development

Conclusion: Evolutionary comparison revealed that the selected subset of genes has been rewired in goat and human/goat similarity is greater than the mouse/goat or bovine/goat similarities. The developed profiles provide a resource for comprehensive understanding of goat preimplantation development and pluripotent stem cell engineering as well

comparison between over-the-head and lateral cardiopulmonary resuscitation with a single rescuer by bag-valve mask

Mask fixation in the lateral position is difficult during CPR. The aim of this study is to compare the lateral CPR for the use of bag-valve mask by single paramedic rescuer as well as over-the-head CPR on the chest compression and ventilation on the manikin. Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. The design of this study was a randomized cross-over trial. Participants learned a standardized theoretical introduction CPR according to the 2010 guidelines. The total number of chest compressions per two minutes was measured. Total number of correct and wrong ventilation per two minutes was evaluated. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank test to analyze the non-normally distributed data in dependence groups A. P-value of more than 0.05 was considered to show statistical significance. There were 100 participants [45 women and 55 men] who participated in the study from September to March, 2011. The compression and ventilation rate in lateral CPR was lower than OTH CPR. Around 51% of participants had correct chest compression rate more than 90 beats per minute in lateral CPR and 65% of them had equal or more than ten correct ventilations per minute. In conclusion, this study confirmed that in a simulated CPR model over-the-head position CPR led to a better BLS than the lateral position CPR by a single paramedic student with a BVM device. We also concluded that by this new BVM fixation method on the face of the patients in the lateral position CPR can be a good alternative over-the-head mask fixation by a single trained rescuer

Result of chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma

Introduction: malignant tumors of head and neck [H and N] mostly squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] are common in Khorasan; the standard treatment consists of surgery with or without [pre or post operative] radiotherapy and occasionally only radical radiotherapy. According to many reports on high response rate of H and N metastatic tumorssometimes greater than 50% to the chemotherapeutic agents- it is accepted to use chemotherapy as a curative treatment modality in non-metastatic H and N tumors [1]. In our country there isn't any report about this treatment policy although there are many publications from European and American centers. In this paper we intend to present some parts of our experience on primary chemotherapy for nonrnetastatic SCC of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma

Patients and methods: the study compiles 51 patients with primary SCC of larynx and hypopharynx who had been treated during 1375-1379 in Omid hospital. Twenty-four patients had been treated only by radiotherapy while 27 had been treated by chemoradiation. None of the patients in two groups had surgical treatment except for diagnostic biopsy. The reasons that surgery was not used in this groups of patients were as follow: medical contraindication, radical surgery impossibility due to advancement of primary tumor [unresectable] and refusing surgical treatment by patient. Patient's enrolments in two groups were only by physicians decision and practice and are being compared for age, sex, primary tumor site, Stage, histological grade and radiation dose [table 1]. Three endpoints are characterized: complete response [either clinical or pathologic], failure [either in local or lymphatic region] and suspicious cases, which negative biopsy but any of these: several local edema, obvious defect in barium swallow, vocal cord fixation, suspicious mucosal ulceration and progressive post treatment dysphagia. Radiotherapy was delivered by Cobalt 60 machine using classical conventional technique and dose fractionation. [For technical details see reference 2]. Chemotherapy regimen consists of commonly used combination of 5-flouracil [5FU] and cisplatin which doses are introduced in table 2. It was allowed accrual of every case whose chemotherapy was applied before [neeoadjuvant], during [concurrent] or sequential with radiotherapy and even one case after completing radiotherapy [adjuvant]. Statistical methods used are Z and T test and P value calculated which figures below 0.05 are considered significant and 0.05 up to 0.1 are considered borderline

Results: although there isn't any significant statistical difference between two groups related to age, sex, histological grade and anatomical site but as it is shown in table 1 there is a general trend toward enrolling some known and likely poorer prognostic factors in chemoradiation group. Pathologic grade 3 with 26% ratio in the chemoradiation group has higher amount than 16% in radiotherapy group and the mean age of patients in the former group is 2.5 years older. As well hypopharyngeal origin with 40% ratio has higher proportion in chemoradiation group. In distribution according to the stage of disease most of the patients in both groups are in the more advanced stages, however while no low stage cases were treated with chemoradiation in other group these are 25%. In addition clinical presentation as a large mass [more than 6 cm] is higher in patients treated with chemoradiation [37% versus 20%]