Risk factors of uterine perforation when using contraceptive intrauterine devices.

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are one of the most popular methods of contraception, and uterine perforation has been presented among the most significant potential complications of IUD use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors of uterine perforation when using an IUD. METHODS: In this retrospective study, all 164 women who have referred to Al-Zahra hospital in Tabriz- Iran to remove the retained IUD from March 2018 to March 2021, were investigated in two groups. Patients in case group underwent surgery to remove the dislocated device and management of its complications. In control group, the devices were removed using a Novak or ring forceps with or without hysteroscopy with no uterine perforation. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. P-Value was obtained for qualitative data via Fisher's exact test and Chi-Squared test and for quantitative data via Mann-Whitney U test and independent T-test. RESULTS: The mean age of patients in the groups with or without uterine perforation was 30.57 and 36.78 years respectively (P = 0.01). The frequency of two or more parities among patients with uterine perforation was higher than other patients (P = 0.13). Ultrasound study before (p = 0.037) and after (p = 0.007) IUD insertion was higher among patients without uterine perforation. The less inexperience of healthcare providers (P = 0.013) and lack of scheduled follow-up visits after the IUD insertion (P < 0.001), are the other important factors affecting the uterine perforation. Abdominal pain was the most common compliant of uterine perforation (P < 0.001) and laparoscopy was the most used surgery to remove the misplaced device. CONCLUSION: Uterine perforation can be effectively prevented by hiring experienced health care providers and appropriate patient selection.

An interdependence between GAPVD1 gene polymorphism, expression level and response to interferon beta in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Interferon-ß (IFN-ß) is among the first drugs used for reducing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Many studies show that the genetic predisposition of patients might modulate their response to IFN-ß treatment. In this study GAPVD1 gene expression and the genotyping of rs2291858 variant were analysed in 100 responder and 100 non-responder patients with MS treated using IFN-ß. Moreover, rs2291858 genotyping was performed for 200 patients with MS and 200 healthy controls. GAPVD1 expression was significantly increased in the responder patients than in non-responders and the distribution of rs2291858 polymorphism was significantly different between them. The GAPVD1 expression level in AA genotype of the responder group was higher than that in other genotypes of these two groups. The results show that the GAPVD1 expression level and rs2291858 genotype probably affect the response to IFN- ß in patients with MS.

Connection of miR-185 and miR-320a expression levels with response to interferon-beta in multiple sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by neurodegeneration in the CNS. Interferon-beta (IFN-ß) is an FDA-approved drug used as the first-line treatment for relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The exact mechanism of IFN-ß during the treatment of RRMS still remains unknown. Recently, many studies have shifted towards the role of miRNAs in the treatment of MS patients. METHODS: Herein, the expression level of miR-185-5p and miR-320a has been evaluated in order to candidate them as novel biomarkers for monitoring the response to IFN-ß therapy. For this purpose, one-hundred whole blood samples from patients with RRMS were collected, consisting of 50 responders and 50 non-responders to IFN-ß therapy. To predict the possible molecular mechanisms of IFN-ß and highlight the role of these miRNAs, in silico analysis was applied to enrich the signaling pathways which may be involved based on the target genes of miR-185-5p and miR-320a. RESULTS: It is identified that the differentially expressed miR-185-5p was statistically significant between the two treated groups with IFN-ß. Furthermore, MAPK signaling pathway was suggested as the main non-canonical pathway involved in IFN-ß therapy. CONCLUSION: miR-185-5p could be considered as a novel biomarker for monitoring the response to IFN-ß therapy.

MicroRNAs association with azoospermia, oligospermia, asthenozoospermia, and teratozoospermia: a systematic review.

Infertility is a major health problem across the world. One of the main reasons for male infertility are defects in sperm. Semen analysis is the most common test utilized to evaluate male fertility and since it suffers from multiple drawbacks, reproduction scientists have tried to find new molecular markers for detecting sperm defects. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules in cells which take part in regulating gene expression. Various studies have confirmed miRNAs to have a role in defining multiple sperm characteristics, including sperm count, motility, and morphology. In this paper, we have systematically reviewed the role of miRNAs in infertile men with sperm defects including azoospermia, oligospermia, asthenozoospermia, and teratozoospermia. Also, we have assembled various bioinformatics tools to come up with a pipeline for predicting novel miRNAs which could possibly participate in sperm count, motility, and morphology. Also, related KEGG and GO terms for predicted miRNAs have been included in order to highlight their role in sperm function. Our study emphasizes the potential role of miRNAs in male infertility and provides a general overview for future studies aiming to find robust molecular markers for this condition.

miR-504 expression level is increased in multiple sclerosis patients responder to interferon-beta.

Multiple sclerosis is immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination in axons. IFN-ß is first-line treatment of MS. Biomarkers are needed for early prediction of responders and non-responders to therapy in the first month of treatment to avoid further disabilities. In this study, we analyzed the expression level of miR-504 and miR-711 in 52 IFN-ß responder patients in comparison to 53 non-responders. In the next step, the in-silico analysis was used to enrich related signaling pathways. The expression level of miR-504 was significantly higher in patients who respond to IFN-ß therapy, compared with non-responders and we obtain related statistically significant KEGG molecular signaling pathways. Our findings suggest that miR-504 can be considered as a novel biomarker for response to IFN-b therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells as the game-changing tools in the treatment of various organs disorders: Mirage or reality?

Recently a growing attention in scientific community has been gathered on potential application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various fields of medicine. Owing to the fact that they can be easily isolated from different sources, and simply proliferated in large quantities while keeping their original biological characteristics, they can be successfully used as cell-based therapeutics. Engineering MSCs and other type of stem cells to be carriers of therapeutic agents is a new tactic in the targeted gene and cell therapy of cancers and degenerative diseases. Various useful properties of MSCs including tropism toward tumor/injury site(s), weakly immunogenic, production of anti-inflammatory molecules, and safety against normal tissues have made them prone for regenerative medicine, targeted therapy and treating injured tissues, and immunological abnormalities. In this review, we introduce latest advances, methods, and applications of MSCs in gene therapy of various malignant organ disorders. Additionally, we will cover the problems and challenges which researchers have faced with when trying to translate their basic experimental findings in MSCs research to clinically applicable therapeutics.