ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of chronic anovulation with a prevalence of 5-10% in women of reproductive age. The etiology of this disease is not well known, and hepcidin is one of the factors affecting the pathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma levels of hepcidin in patients with PCOS and its correlation with serum iron level. METHODS: In this case-control study, plasma levels of hepcidin, IL-6, and ferritin using ELISA method and serum iron levels using a spectrophotometric method were tested on 56 women with PCOS (case group) and 41 healthy subjects (control group). The results were analyzed using t test, General Linear Model, Binary logistic regression, and linear regression tests. RESULTS: The mean hepcidin levels were 1.97 ± 0.53 and 2.40 ± 0.25 pg/ml in the case and control groups, respectively. The t-test results showed significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.0001). The mean serum iron levels were 72.89 ± 28.97 and 70.62 ± 31.18 g/dl in the case and control groups, respectively. The t test analysis indicated no significant difference between the two groups. The serum ferritin and iron levels had no significant relation with serum hepcidin level in two groups. CONCLUSION: Despite the differences in the serum levels of hepcidin between the two groups, no significant relation was observed between serum iron levels and hepcidin level in this group of patients. This implies the need for more comprehensive studies on gene expression in hepcidin and iron pathways using real-time and Western techniques to investigate more precisely serum hepcidin level and its relationship with the factors mentioned.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers/blood , Ferritins/blood , Hepcidins/blood , Interleukin-6/blood , Iron/blood , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/blood , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/pathologyABSTRACT
We describe a novel self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire ring laser that produces 13-fs pulses with peak powers exceeding 1 MW, pulse energies of 13 nJ, and average mode-locked output powers of 1.5 W at a cavity repetition frequency of 110 MHz. A complete resonator analysis describing the optimum mode-locking configuration is presented, together with fringe-resolved autocorrelation and sonogram measurements of the output pulses.
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The damage thresholds of five different types of quartz glass used for the production of spectroscopic cuvettes for liquids were determined with single temporal and spatial mode nanosecond pulses at 532 nm. One of the glasses had a damage threshold of ≃420 J/cm(2), which was more than twice that of the other glasses.
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The reflection properties of an interface between a dielectric and a saturable dye solution are investigated. A simple phenomenological approach describes the switching behavior, including self-phase-modulation effects induced at the interface.
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We report a theoretical and experimental study of the absorption of wire grid polarizers vs orientation and wavelength. Measurement of absorption and surface damage thresholds are in good agreement with the theory.
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We report the effect of linear absorption on self-focusing. Our experimental results show that power loss due to linear absorption before focus is responsible for the increase in the threshold power for self-focusing and that the critical power is independent of the linear absorption.
ABSTRACT
We have measured the nonlinear refractive index, n(2), of CS(2) at 10.6 microm by observing the onset of whole-beam selffocusing. We find that n(2) is (2.2 +/- 0.7) x 10(-10) esu, which is over an order of magnitude larger than n(2) in the visible.