armin attaranzadeh

Cryopreservation and re-transplantation of ovarian tissue is a relatively new technique to preserve fertility. This study evaluated the preservation of ovarian follicles after the vitrification-thawing procedure by implanting ovarian fragments into the gluteus muscle of rabbit. Bilateral ovariectomy was performed on each rabbit. The cortices were separated from the medullae of ovaries and divided into four fragments. One fresh cortical fragment was used as a control, fixed in 10.00% formalin. Three fragments underwent vitrification-thawing for two weeks. Two of these vitrified-thawed fragments were auto-transplanted into separate locations within the opened gluteus muscle, while the final fragment was fixed in 10.00% formalin. Eight weeks after re-implantation, biopsies were collected from the ovarian fragments and fixed in 10.00% formalin. The numbers and areas (µm2) of morphologically normal follicles were evaluated on sections stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin through light microscopy. The follicular morphology in the ovarian fragments immediately after vitrification-thawing remained similar to that of the fresh ovary. The number of morphologically intact follicles was significantly lower in the ovarian fragments eight weeks after re-implantation than fresh ovary and ovarian tissue fragments after vitrification-thawing procedure. However, follicular development to the antral stage was observed in all samples eight weeks after re-implantation. There was no statistical difference in the areas (µm2) of primordial, primary, pre-antral, and antral follicles in the ovarian fragments before cryopreservation, immediately after vitrification-thawing, and following re-implantation procedures. Auto-transplantation of ovarian tissue into the gluteus muscle of rabbits could be a viable approach for preserving ovarian follicles after vitrification-thawing procedure.

Saffron petals have traditionally been used to treat a variety of diseases, such as gynecological diseases, primary dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual syndrome. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a kind of gynecological disease that causes infertility, menopausal and urogenital disorders and saffron petals seem to be an efficient treatment for such disorders.

NMRI mice (total=60, each group n=12) were divided into control, PCOS, and the treatment groups. PCOS and treatment groups were injected with testosterone enanthate (TE=1 mg/kg). After 4 weeks, the treatment group was treated with Saffron Petal Extract (SPE) for 14 days. Ovary and blood samples were collected for histological and serological analyses, and expression of NF-κB, NF-κB p65, and IκB genes was analyzed. Finally, data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA (p<0.05).

In this study, the number of corpus luteum decreased in PCOS mice (p<0.001) but increased with SPE treatment (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001). The number of cystic follicles increased in PCOS mice (p<0.001), but decreased with SPE treatment (p<0.05, p<0.001). TNFα, IL1ß, IL6, IL18, and CRP levels increased in PCOS mice (p<0.001), but decreased following SPE treatment (p<0.05, p<0.001). Glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) serum levels decreased in PCOS mice (p<0.001), but increased with SPE treatment (p<0.05, p<0.001). The transcriptional level (s) of NF-κB, NF-κB p65, IκB genes changed in PCOS condition (p<0.001), and were regulated by SPE treatment (p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.001).

The present study shows that SPE improved the PCOS symptoms in mice via increasing antioxidant factors and reducing inflammatory markers in serum.

Sustanon is considered an oil-based injectable anabolic-androgenic steroid. It comprises four different testosterone esters. The principal androgen in the testis is testosterone which is mediated by the androgen receptor. The current study aimed to investigate AR gene expression and biochemical and histological analyses in male rats after using various dosages of Sustanon. There were four groups of male adult rats. The first group (control) received an intramuscular injection of Sustanon solution (peanut oil). The second, third, and fourth groups underwent the treatment with a weekly injection of different Sustanon dosages of 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg for 8 weeks, respectively. The blood samples were obtained and the measurement of the serum levels of FSH and LH were conducted. The testes were extracted for histopathological and gene expression investigation. Using generated cDNA, real-time PCR was used to evaluate AR gene expression. SPSS software was used to do statistical analysis and analysis of variance on the data. Sustanon was shown to drastically lower the number of Leydig and Sertoli cells, perhaps resulting in a large drop in FSH and LH concentrations, according to the results.The expression of AR was dose-dependent and significantly increased at a dose of 10 mg / kg and decreased significantly at a dose of 30 mg / kg compared to the control group. Sustanon is distinguished by its unique structure. It induced biochemical plus histopathological damages and changed AR gene expression in adult male rats that may cause infertility.

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of Sertraline on spermatogenesis of male rats and whether these probable effects are constant or provisional after terminating the drug.

In this study, 32 two-month old male Wistar albino rats were equally divided into the Sertraline-treated and the control groups. The drug group was gavaged with Sertraline daily while the control group was gavaged with water at the same volume. After 80 days, half of the rats in each group were selected randomly for hormonal evaluations and bilateral orchiectomy. Histological and hormonal evaluations were performed. The remaining half of rats were kept alive for 90 more days without intervention and then underwent hormonal evalu-ation and bilateral orchiectomy in a similar fashion.

There was no difference between the testes histology and pathology of the sertraline-treated and the con-trol groups. There was a significant decrease in serum FSH in the Sertraline-treated group compared to the control group (P <0.05). However, this decline appeared to be reversible following termination of exposure to Sertraline. FSH returned to pretreatment levels in the remaining treated rats following 90 days of treatment cessation.

Within the time-frame studied, Sertraline can induce transitory changes in serum FSH of male rats without concomitant spermatogenic changes within the testes. This hormonal change appears to be reversible fol-lowing withholding of Sertraline. The long-term effect of Sertraline usage on hormonal status and spermatogenesis in rats needs further investigation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women. Saffron petals consist of, glycosides, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. In this study the effects of saffron petal extract (SPE) in PCOS-induced rats are evaluated.

mice were divided into control, sham, PCOS, and experimental groups. PCOS and experimental groups were injected with testosterone enanthate (1 mg). After 4 weeks, the experimental group was treated with SPE at doses of (50, 200, and 600) mg/kg for 14 days. Ovary and blood samples were collected for histological, serological analyses, in addition, the expression of genes was analyzed. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA.

Results showed that SPE The results showed that the petal extract in PCOS mice reduced luteinizing hormones (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), estrogen (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001). And testosterone (p < 0.05, p < 0.001), increase in follicular stimulating hormones (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) and progesterone (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) Decreased the expression of inflammatory genes and increased antioxidant enzymes in serum (p < 0.001).

The present study provides in vivo evidence that saffron petal extract improved the PCOS in mice via increasing antioxidant factors, reducing inflammatory genes expression, and restoring the estrogenic feedback mechanism on the pituitary-ovary system.`

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of female infertility. The aim of this study was to compare the oocyte and embryo quality between the PCOS women with the control group candidate for in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI).

The present study was designed at the Infertility Research Center of Milad in the prospective cohort format and was carried out on 100 cases of infertile women with confirmed PCOS (case group) and the male factor (control group) as the first IVF cycle candidates. Both groups underwent the ovary stimulation cycle and ICSI under the standard antagonist protocol. The collected data were then processed and analyzed using the SPSS software, version 16.

The average age of study cases was 35±3, and oocyte necrosis was the underlying pathological factor in both groups (28% and 26% in the PCOS and control groups, respectively). In addition, most embryones belonged to either grade 1 or 2 or were 8-cell embryos. Furthermore, the highest number of transferred embryos among the patients was related to the 8-cell and grade 1. The occurrences of biochemical pregnancy in the PCOS and control groups were up to 31.91% and 22%, respectively, leading to 72.73% and 60% childbirth in cases of both groups. Finally, there were no significant differences observed with respect to the quality and the quantity of the embryones, the oocyte, the transferred embryo, the germinal vesicle oocytes, and the rate of pregnancy among the two groups (P>0.05).

According to the results of the present study, no differences were found concerning the oocyte quality, embryo, and the pregnancy rate between PCOS cases and any other patients requiring ICSI. Therefore, such cases can similarly benefit from ICSI methods as well.

Cervical adenomyomas of endocervical type (endocervical adenomyomas) are very rare benign lesions. Here we report the case of a 33-year-old woman who referred to the Perinatology Clinic of Ommolbanin Hospital (Mashhad, Iran) in September 2017. The patient was 8 weeks pregnant and complained of spotting and feeling a mass protruding from her vagina for 2 months. Physical examination revealed the presence of three masses of approximately 10 cm in the vagina, which were treated surgically. Histopathological examination of the excised specimen showed the presence of glands lined by a single layer of endocervical-type mucinous epithelium with smooth muscle fibers. Clinicians should be aware of such lesions in order to differentiate them from other malignancies and to individualize treatment.

Since some cytokines such as IL1 and TNFα are factors involved in endometrial receptivity ,we have determined the amount of these two factors in endometrial secretion in the eligible individuals and then, study their relationship with the success or failure of pregnancy in IVF/ICSI cycles. Methods & Materials:  In this non-randomized descriptive study, 76 women selected for their first IVF/ICSI met the study inclusion criteria. All the patients underwent endometrial secretion aspiration prior to oocyte collection. The level of IL-1and TNF-α were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method using special standard kits. To detect successful implantation and pregnancy patients underwent serum human chorionic gonadotropin measurements and ultrasound evaluation. Of the 76 subjects under study, 33 (43.4%) had positive βHCG and 44 (56.6%) had negative BHCG. Of the patients with positive βHCG, 23 (30.3%) had fetal heart rate in their TVS. Comparison of cytokine levels showed higher concentration of IL1 in the group with successful chemical pregnancy compared to the group with failed pregnancy (p=0.00). However, no significant difference in terms of clinical pregnancy was revealed in IL-1 levels between two groups (p=0.06).when considering TNFα there was no significant difference in the level of TNFα between the two groups either in terms of chemical or clinical pregnancy.(P=08and .0.6 respectively). The current study suggested that higher concentrations of IL-1 in endometrial secretions might be associated with improved endometrial receptivity and IVF outcome. Regarding TNFα no statistically significant differences were seen between the groups with and without successful pregnancy.

Male infertility rate has increased over the recent years across the globe. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is mainly used to treat male infertility; however, in this method, sperm selection plays a critical role in improving ICSI outcome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of three sperm selection techniques on ICSI outcomes in oligoasthenozoospermic men.

This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 80 oligoasthenozoospermic (OAS) couples receiving ICSI in Milad Infertility Center, Mashhad, Iran from October 2016 to June 2017. The couples were randomly assigned to the three groups of control, hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) and hyaluronic acid (HA) according to the sperm selection technique for ICSI. Fertilization rate, embryo development (ED), embryo quality (EQ) and implantation rate (IR) were evaluated and compared among the groups.

Our results showed that there was no significant difference in fertilization rate between the studied groups. ED rate was increased in the HOST and HA groups compared to the control group, but this difference was not significant. EQ was increased in the HOST (P = 0.001) and HA groups (P = 0.001) compared to the control group. IR was enhanced in the HA group in comparison with the control group (P = 0.021), but there was no significant difference between the HOST and HA groups.

The results of this study showed that for achieving successful clinical outcomes and improved embryo quality and implantation rate in oligoasthenozoospermic males undergoing Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, effective sperm selection through either the HOST or HA technique is necessary.

New methods are needed to optimize intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in oligoasthenozoospermic (OAS) men. We evaluated the level of DNA fragment index (DFI) in OAS men and its impact on ICSI outcomes. In addition, we used the zeta potential method for sperm selection to investigate the efficacy of this technique in improving ICSI outcomes. This cross-sectional study was performed on 95 couples. Sperm parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) were measured. The couples were divided into the following 3 groups: group I (n=30) where SDF was between 15% and 30%, and routine sperm was selected on the basis of motility and morphology; group II (n=34) where SDF was more than 30%, and the routine sperm selection method was applied on the basis of motility and morphology; and group III (n=31) where SDF was more than 30%, and the sperm selection was performed on the basis of the zeta method. The fertilization rate, embryo development, embryo quality, and implantation rate were evaluated in these 3 groups. The fertilization rate was significantly higher in group I compared with group II (P<0.05). The embryo development rate in group I was significantly higher than that in group II (P<0.001) and group III (P<0.05), and it was significantly lower in group II compared with group III (P<0.05). The embryo quality was higher in group III compared with group II (P<0.01). The implantation rate in group I was significantly higher than that in group II (P<0.05) and group III (P<0.05). The present study indicated that a higher level of SDF has an adverse effect on the ICSI outcome. Furthermore, the zeta potential technique can be a useful method for sperm selection in OAS men.

Gastric cancer has a highmortality rate and often has a poor treatment outcome. The HER2/neu gene target therapy has been known as a potential way for treatment.

The goal of our study was assessment the relation between chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and immunohis- tochemistry (IHC)methods in determining the best diagnosticmethod for gastric cancer.

In this historical cohort study, 50 gastric cancer samples were analyzed by CISH and IHC. The relation between clinical- pathological parameters of HER2/neu was also analyzed. Alive patients were followed from 2009 through 2012 for the main out- comes (mortality). The results of these twomethods, in terms of sex, age, tumor size, grading, staging, tumor location,metaplasia, presence of necrosis and ulceration, vascular invasion, the TNM system, mucin or signet producing adenocarcinoma cells and pa- tient survival rates were compared.

There was no significant difference between IHC and CISH regarding the sex, age, tumor size, grading, staging, tumor lo- cation,metaplasia, presence of necrosis and ulceration, vascular invasion, the TNMsystem,mucin or signet producing adenocarci- noma cells and patient survival rates. Comparison of TNMscores by these twomethods showed no significant relationship between IHC and staging, but a statistically significant difference between CISH and different N staging, (P < 0.05) was assessed.

Comparison between IHC and CISH showed the only significant relationship between CISH and different N staging. Therefore, low amplified CISH was a better diagnosticmethod for gastric cancer, compared to low expression in IHC.

Pregabalin (PGB) is a new antiepileptic drug that has received FDA approval for patient who suffers from central neuropathic pain, partial seizures, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia and sleep disorders. This study was undertaken to evaluate the possible adverse effects of PGB on the muscular system of mice.
To evaluate the effect of PGB on skeletal muscle, the animals were exposed to a single dose of 1, 2 or 5 g /kg or daily doses of 20, 40 or 80 mg/kg for 21 days, intraperitoneally (IP). Twaenty-four hr after the last drug administration, all animals were sacrificed. The level of fast-twitch skeletal muscle troponin I and CK-MM activity were evaluated in blood as an indicator of muscle injury. Skeletal muscle pathological findings were also reported as scores ranging from 1 to 3 based on the observed lesion.
In the acute and sub-acute toxicity assay IP injection of PGB significantly increased the activity and levels of CK-MM and fsTnI compared to the control group. Sub-acute exposure to PGB caused damages that include muscle atrophy, infiltration of inflammatory cells and cell degeneration.
PGB administration especially in long term care causes muscle atrophy with infiltration of inflammatory cells and cell degeneration. The fsTnI and CK-MM are reliable markers in PGB-related muscle injury. The exact mechanisms behind the muscular damage are unclear and necessitate further investigations.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit multiple beneficial properties in treatment of various diseases through their differentiation capacity and secretion of paracrine signals. Therefore, using MSCs as a tool for cell therapy rely on the ability of harvesting a sufficient number of cells in a short time.

In this study, MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM) and adipose tissue (AD) were investigated in terms of success rate of culture and cell yields. To ensure that the isolated cells are MSCs, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation study were performed by Oil Red O, Alizarin Red S and Alkaline Phosphatase assay, and specific surface markers expression examined by flow cytometry.

The results showed that successful culture's rate of AD-MSCs were superior to BM-MSCs. AD-MSCs reached to confluency and passage in a shorter time (faster) and produced further amount of cells at a defined time. It was also demonstrated that the derivation of MSCs from adipose tissue were completely reproducible and not donor dependent rather than BM-MSCs.

In conclusion, with our protocol, adipose tissues are proposed the more appropriate source for derivation of MSCs in terms of percentage of cells successfully isolated and subsequent purification as compared to bone marrow.

Gastric carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Iran. It is well-known that atrophic gastritis is a major risk factor for gastric cancer, which leads to variations in the serum levels of gastrin 17 (G-17), pepsinogen I (P-I), and pepsinogen II (P-II). The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of these serum biomarkers in the early detection of atrophic gastritis. A total of 132 dyspeptic patients underwent upper endoscopy and biopsies were taken. The biopsy specimens were evaluated as the gold standard according to operative link for gastritis assessment staging system. Serum levels of G-17, P-I, and P-II were investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to calculate the diagnostic indices and optimal cut-off values using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS statistical software. A total of 67 men and 65 women were analyzed, among which 48 (36.4%) had atrophic gastritis. The mean age was 45.8 (±15.8) years. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the biomarkers (including pepsinogen I/II [P-I/II] ratio), except for P-I, are diagnostically significant in detecting gastric atrophy. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval [CI]) for G-17, P-I, P-II, and P-I/II ratio were 0.65 (0.55-0.76), 0.42 (0.32-0.53), 0.62 (0.52-0.72), and 0.61 (0.50-0.72), respectively. However, the diagnostic indices were low (sensitivity <50%, specificity <90%). The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with atrophy against those without atrophy (75.0% vs. 57.4%, P value < 0.0001). In the studied population, the serum biomarkers of atrophic gastritis are not useful screening tests due to their low sensitivity.

Secondary amenorrhea is a condition in which there is cessation of menses after at least one menstruation. It is a symptom of different diseases, such as hormonal disturbances which range from pituitary to ovarian origin, as well as chromosomal abnormalities. Knowledge of the distinct cause of secondary amenorrhea is of tremendous benefit for the management and monitoring of patients. In this study, we determine the chromosomal abnormalities in patients with secondary amenorrhea in Southwest Iran. We selected 94 patients with secondary amenorrhea who referred to our Cytogenetic Ward from 2004 until 2009. For karyotyping, peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures were set up by conventional technique. In this study, 5.3% (n=5) of patients with secondary amenorrhea presented with chromosomal abnormalities, of which all contained an X element. The chromosomal abnormalities were:i) 45, X (n=1); ii) 47, XXX (n=1); iii) 45, X [13]/ 45, Xi(X)q[17] (n=1); iv) 45, X[12]/46,X,+mar[12] (n=1); and v) 46,X,del(Xq)(q23q28) (n=1). Our study revealed that some causes of secondary amenorrhea could be due to chromosomal abnormalities. Therefore, cytogenetic studies should be important tests in the evaluation of patients with secondary amenorrhea.

Primary glomus tumors are extremely rare in the liver. To this date, only two cases of primary glomus tumors of the liver have been reported in the literature. This report is the third case of this specified tumor. The patient was a 50 year-old Iranian woman who presented with a history of epigastric pain and nausea. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed a huge hepatic mass that replaced the entire left lobe. Surgical biopsy showed that the specimen consisted of a vascular network confined by the proliferation of epithelioid cells with round-to-oval nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasms. The cells expressed diffuse reactivity for vimentin, smooth muscle actin and CD34, whereas no reactivity was observed with carcinoembryonic antigen, synaptophysin, chromogranin, cytokeratin, and human melanoma black 45. We conclude that glomus tumors must be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic masses, with immunohistochemical staining for smooth muscle actin being a useful method to prove the diagnosis.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test with three other invasive and non-invasive diagnostic methods.Materials and MethodsA total of Fifty-two dyspeptic patients were included. None of the patients had previous eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori. Endoscopic biopsy samples were obtained for histology examination and Rapid Urease Test (RUT). Urea Breath Test (UBT) and HpSA were also performed. Patients were considered Helicobacter pylori positive when 2 of 3 tests (histology examination, RUT and UBT) were positive (gold standard). Diagnostic accuracy of HpSA was assessed performing a Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis. ResultsTwenty-threeWere men and 29Were women, with a mean age of 42.3 years of the Palients.The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 67.3%. ROC curve analysis was showed a significant area under curve of 94.6% (p=0.0001). Cut-off value was estimated to be 0.1. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of HpSA was 91.4%, 94.1%, 97% and 84%, respectively. HpSA level significantly increased with increasing in bacterial load.ConclusionHpSA was proved to be a highly accurate, simple and non-invasive test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection before treatment in dyspeptic patients.

Evaluation of tumor proliferative activity may provide a predicting parameter to estimate biologic aggression and a subsequent prognosis that has been evaluated in many malignancies. We have selected renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in this study. To determine tumor proliferative activity, KI67 antibody was applied and results were compared with apoptosis, applying P53 antibody and using immunohistochemical staining.Patients and Specimens of 30 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy for RCC were selected for histopathology and immunohistochemical study. Two different grading systems (S&H, Fuhrman) were used to calibrate average nucleoli diameter and tumor grading on all specimens. After processing of paraffin-embedded samples, they were immunohistochemically stained applying (MIB-1) KI67 monoclonal and P53 antibodies. Then, statistical analysis was done. Tumor grading correlated with the average nucleus diameter. Positive reaction to KI67 and P53 antibodies in tumors increased as compared to control group. No significant relationship between age, sex and tumor grade was obtained. These two antibodies are as easy and reliable markers that could be applied on formalin-fixed tissues for better assessment of the biologic behavior of RCC and probably prediction of patients’ outcome.

Introduction and Alport’s syndrome (hereditary nephritis with deafness) is a familial uncommon disease that ultra-structural studies are gold standard method of its diagnosis.We studied 26 Iranian patients suspicious of Alport’s syndrome by electron microscopy. We examined 19 men and 7 women (male to female ratio was 2.7) and the average age was 1.5 years (with a range of 2.5-75 years).The most common findings were irregularity of the glomerular basement membrane with splitting, lamination, and foot process effacement. Thinning in basement membrane was also reported and one casehad disruption of capillary walls in study by only light microscopy. All of the patients had a diagnosis of megansial hypercellularity. Immunoflourscence studies did not show any deposits of immunoglobulin andcomplement component. definite diagnosis must be confirmed by ultra-structural findings.