Tissue Engineered Human Amniotic Membrane Application in Mouse Ovarian Follicular Culture.

Since folliculogenesis requires a powerful cell-matrix interaction, natural scaffolds seem to be needed for follicular culture. Human amniotic membrane (HAM) offers promise as a support of in vitro ovarian follicular culture. HAM was decellularized with trypsin and EDTA. DNA and histology assays were performed to determine the elimination rate of genomic components. Cyto-biocompatibility of decellular AM (DAM) was verified by the cell viability (MTT) test. The small parts of intact amniotic membrane (IAM) and DAM were coated on the bottom of 96-well and each well was filled with 150 µL of base medium. Mouse primary-secondary (PS) follicles were separated to three groups: 1-culture in base medium (Control), 2-culture on IAM and 3-culture on DAM. Follicular size, morphology, viability, estradiol production and genes expression were evaluated and IAM group showed better growth and development in follicle culture. The viability rate and estradiol production in both experimental groups were statistically higher than the Control. Gdf9, Bmp15 and Cx37 were found to have higher expression levels in IAM group. Also, maximum apoptotic and survival indexes were determined in Control and IAM groups, respectively. Finally, IAM provides a better protective environment for mouse PS follicular culture that can reduce apoptosis level.

Effects of Quercetin on Adiponectin-Mediated Insulin Sensitivity in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Clinical Trial.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous, multi-causal, and genetically complex disorder, which is related to the failure in endocrine glands. Adiponectin has been reported to be low in PCOS, even in the absence of adiposity. Quercetin reduces serum glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels and increases the expression and secretion of adiponectin. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of quercetin on the adiponectin-mediated insulin sensitivity in PCOS patients. Eighty-four women with PCOS were selected and randomly assigned to 2 groups of treatment and control. The treatment group received 1 g quercetin (two 500 mg capsules) daily for 12 weeks, and the control group received placebo. In addition to anthropometric assessments, fasting serum levels of total adiponectin, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, glucose, insulin, testosterone, LH, and SHBG were also measured at the baseline and at the end of the trial. Quercetin could slightly increase the level of adiponectin by 5.56% as compared to placebo (adjusted p-value=0.001) and HMW adiponectin by 3.9% as compared to placebo (adjusted p-value=0.017), while it reduced the level of testosterone (0.71 ng/dl in quercetin vs. 0.77 ng/dl in placebo; p<0.001) and LH (8.42 IU/l in quercetin vs. 8.68 IU/l in placebo; p=0.009). HOMA-IR levels were also significantly (p<0.001) lower in quercetin (1.84) group compared to placebo group (2.21). Oral quercetin supplementation was effective in improving the adiponectin-mediated insulin resistance and hormonal profile of women with PCOS.

Risk factors for recurrence rate of ovarian endometriomas following a laparoscopic cystectomy.

AIM: Objective of the study was to evaluate the risk factors that influence the recurrence of endometrioma after laparoscopic excision. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed at Arash University Hospital between 2009 and 2011 on patients who had a minimum of one year of postoperative follow-up after undergoing a laparoscopic excision of an ovarian endometrioma. The patients had any prior surgery for ovarian endometriomas was excluded. Recurrence was defined as the presence of endometrioma more than 2 cm in size, detected by ultrasonography within 1 year of surgery. The variables including age at surgery, presence of infertility, uterine myoma, previous medical treatment of endometriosis, the size of the largest cyst at laparoscopy, unilateral or bilateral involvement, serum CA125 level, revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) score and stage, postoperative medical treatment and postoperative treatment were evaluated to assess their independent effects on the recurrence using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients were admitted to the Surgery Unit for endometriomas cystectomy during the study period. After the initial assessment, 130 patients were eligible for the study. The overall rate of recurrence was 11.5% (15/130). Significant factors that were independently associated with higher recurrence were the size of the largest cyst (odds ratio [OR] =4, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] =1.6-10.4, P=0.002), a high rASRM score (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1-1.4, P=0.04) and woman age at surgery (OR=0.6, 95% CI=0.4-0.9, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: A high score of rASRM, large cyst size and young age at surgery were three significant factors that were associated with higher recurrence of endometriomas.

Critical nuclear charge for two-electron atoms.

The critical nuclear charge Z(c) required to bind a nucleus plus two electrons in a heliumlike atom has recently been an area of active study, resulting in a disagreement with earlier calculations and with the value obtained from the radius of convergence 1/Z* of a 1/Z expansion of the energy. In order to resolve the disagreement, have performed high-precision variational calculations in Hylleraas coordinates. With the double basis set method, we have been able to obtain good convergence for Z very close to Z(c), which together with the Hellmann-Feynman theorem yields the value Z(c) = 0.911,028,224,077,255,73(4), corresponding to 1/Z(c) = 1.097,660,833,738,559,80(5). This value is in agreement with the value obtained by Baker et al. [Phys. Rev. A 41, 1247 (1990)]. A significant feature of the results is that the outer electron remains localized near the nucleus, even at Z = Z(c), and the bound state evidently changes smoothly into a shape resonance for Z

Determining Nitrate and Nitrite Content in Beverages, Fruits, Vegetables, and Stews Marketed in Arak, Iran.

Background and Objectives. Presence of excessive nitrite and nitrate in foodstuff can have toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans. This study is aimed at measuring nitrate and nitrite in different foodstuffs available in Arak city market, Iran, in 2013. Methods. Totally 323 samples including stew (102 samples), beverage (116 samples), fruit (55 samples), and vegetables (50 samples) were randomly collected and analyzed according to official AOAC method 973 and ISO 6635 through spectrophotometric method. Results. Average concentration of nitrate and nitrite in the samples was 6.58-136.76, 1.52-38.22 mg kg(-1) or liter, respectively. Presence of nitrate and nitrite was confirmed in all samples. High levels of nitrate and nitrite were observed in celery and ghormeh stew; and lower level of nitrate and nitrite was found in traditionally produced vinegar, verjuice, and tomato. Conclusions. It was found that the mean values for nitrite in investigated products were higher than ADI levels of WHO.

Obstetric and neonatal outcomes of twin pregnancies conceived by assisted reproductive technology compared with twin pregnancies conceived spontaneously: a prospective follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of twin pregnancies conceived by assisted reproduction technology (ART) with spontaneously conceived (SC) twin pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study compared all dichorionic twin pregnancies in nulliparous women following fresh in vitro fertilization/intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or ICSI cycles at Royan Institute (n=320) with SC dichorionic twin pregnancies in nulliparous women at Arash Women's hospital (n=170) from January 2008 to October 2010. These pregnancies were followed-up until hospital discharge following delivery. Obstetric and neonatal outcomes of SC and ART twin pregnancies were compared. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis, adjusted for maternal age and body mass index, revealed that the obstetric outcomes were similar in both groups. However, the risks of very preterm birth [odds ratio (OR) 5.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1-12.9], extremely low birth weight (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0-3.9), admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) and perinatal mortality (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.0) were higher in the ART group. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal outcomes of ART dichorionic twins were comparable with those of SC twins. However, despite the same obstetric management, the rates of very preterm birth, extremely low birth weight, admission to a neonatal intensive care unit and perinatal mortality were significantly higher in the ART group.

Caesarean section rates in teaching hospitals of Tehran: 1999-2003.

To determine the trends of caesarean section in teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, a retrospective analysis was performed on the obstetric data from 3 hospitals in a 5-year period. The caesarean section rate increased from 35.4% of deliveries in 1999 to 42.3% in 2003. The data showed that there was a steady increase in elective operations that might explain the rise in overall caesarean section rate.

Caesarean section rates in teaching hospitals of Tehran: 1999-2003

To determine the trends of caesarean section in teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, a retrospective analysis was performed on the obstetric data from 3 hospitals in a 5- year period. The caesarean section rate increased from 35.4% of deliveries in 1999 to 42.3% in 2003. The data showed that there was a steady increase in elective operations that might explain the rise in overall caesarean section rate

First Report of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus on Potatoes in Iran.

Severe leaf and stem necrosis before flowering was observed in potato (Solanum tuberosum) fields of Firouzkoh Province, Iran, during the summer of 1998. Infected plants died before the end of the growing season. Necrosis was more severe in cv. Agria than in cvs. Ajaxs and Arinda. A high population of Thrips tabaci was observed in August and September. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) (1) was detected in affected potatoes by using specific TSWV-IgG (from Bioreba) in double-antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and by indicator plant reactions. Mechanical inoculation of indicator plants with leaf extracts of symptomatic potatoes produce necrotic local lesions in Chenopodium quinoa, C. amaranticolor, Gomphrena globosa, Vicia faba, Vigna sinensis, Phaseolus aureus var. Gohar, P. vulgaris, and Petunia hybrida. The virus caused systemic necrosis in Capsicum frutescens, Datura stramonium, D. metel, Nicotiana glutinosa, N. rustica, and Trapaeolum majus, preceded by systemic chlorotic spots. TSWV was reported from ornamental crops in Tehran and Absard areas near to Firouzkoh province (2), but this is the first report of TSWV occurrence on potatoes in Iran. References: (1) T. S. Ie. Descriptions of Plant Viruses. No. 39, 1970. (2) A. A. Moeini, et al. Iran. J. Plant Pathol. (In press.).

Models for analyzing data in initiation-promotion studies.

The objective of this paper is to construct a class of models for analyzing data in initiation-promotion (IP) studies. After the application of an initiator in animals IP studies, histochemical and/or histopathologic criteria are used to define the foci that are postulated to be the origin of tumors. Thus, the dynamics of foci growth are of inherent interest in the study of the mechanism of carcinogenesis. In this paper, models to explain these dynamics are developed and can be used to differentiate among proposed mechanisms of tumor formation and promotion. Examples are given to illustrate useful concepts for analyzing data from IP studies.