bahareh karimi

Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is a clinical syndrome with reproductive and endocrine disorders. This study aimed to examine the effect of crocin on oxidative stress, gene expression, oocyte maturation, and embryo quality in DOR patients who underwent a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycle.

As a clinical trial, this study involved 34 DOR patients trying to conceive by assisted reproductive technique who were divided into two groups (17 each): An intervention group receiving crocin (15 mg, once daily, for 12 weeks) and a control group receiving a placebo (tablets with the same form of the drug). Pre- and post-intervention, demographic information was gathered, and hormonal levels (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2)) were measured. In the subsequent COH cycle, oocyte maturation, embryo quality, level of both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in follicular fluid, expression of GDF9, BMP15, and Nrf2 genes in granulosa cells were measured.

The collected data as a comparison between groups showed alteration of criteria in the intervention group as follows: Significant reduction of FSH (P<0.01), increased level of SOD in the follicular fluid (P<0.0001), decreased level of oxidative stress in the granulosa cells (P<0.0001), increased expression of Nrf2 gene (P<0.08), and of GDF9, BMP15 genes (P<0.0001) in the granulosa cells. The rate of oocyte maturation and embryo quality were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.05 and P<0.005, respectively).

Our study discussed how the Krocina supplement can slow down the progression of the disease by reducing the level of FSH, and oxidative stress, increasing the maturation rate of oocytes, and increasing the quality of embryos in women with DOR. Further research is needed to investigate the effect of crocin in improving fecundity for women with DOR.

Poor ovarian response and diminished ovarian reserves (DOR) significantly contribute to female infertility. Previous attempts have been made to enhance follicular growth and improve pregnancy outcomes in these participants.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the in vitro drug-free activation technique of the ovarian reservation and in vitro fertilization stimulation cycle outcomes in DOR participants.

This pilot phase study investigated the impact of in vitro activation (IVA) on ovarian reservation and in vitro fertilization outcome in 10 infertile women with DOR from May to December 2023 at Taleghani Infertility Center, Tehran, Iran. Participants underwent general surgery and laparoscopy, involving the removal of a portion of one ovary, immediate transfer to the laboratory, dissection into small cubes, and subsequent re-implantation into the cases’s ovary. The primary outcomes, include the count of retrieved oocytes, the number of oocytes reaching metaphase, and the secondary outcomes were the quantity and the number of embryos transferred, implantation rate, and occurrence of clinical pregnancy.

The study revealed a significant increase in the antral follicle count before and after IVA (p = 0.033). Before IVA, the median estradiol level was 93.5 (57.0), which reduced to 79.0 (35.0) after IVA, indicating a statistically significant difference. On average, 2.3 (0.8) oocytes were retrieved, among which 1.5 (0.7) were metaphase II oocytes. The observed pregnancy rate among the 2 cases was 22.2%.

The current study suggests that IVA may positively impact follicular growth and pregnancy outcomes among women with DOR.

Agricultural poisons are one of the most important groups of pollutants in agricultural industries that cause environmental pollution. The main objective of this research was to remove imidacloprid from contaminated water by using modified magnetic-silica core-shell nanoparticles.
This study was conducted at the laboratory scale and batch system. The physical and structural characteristics of the synthesized adsorbent were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the effects of various parameters such as pH, initial concentration of imidacloprid, adsorbent dose, and contact time were investigated in order to determine the equilibrium isotherms and adsorption kinetics. The potential of the adsorbent for removal of imidacloprid showed no significant change after four runs of the reaction.
The highest efficiency was found to be 97.85 %, achieved at the following conditions: a contact time of 67 minutes, an adsorbent dose of 0.06 g/l, an initial concentration of 15.6 mg/l and a pH of 6.5. The correlation coefficient of Langmuir isotherm (R2=0.9843) was higher than that of Freundlich (R2=0.8). Therefore, the Langmuir isotherm model is hereby introduced to be used for predicting the adsorption behavior of imidacloprid onto the nano-adsorbent from an aqueous medium. The reaction kinetics fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model.
A modified magnetic-silica core-shell nanoparticle is a cost-effective and recoverable adsorbent for efficient removal of imidacloprid from contaminated water.

A large variety ofpesticides are used for killing plant pests in the country and cypermethrin is the most common insecticide in the synthetic pyrethroid family. The entrance into drinking water resources by resistant pollutants can have negative impacts on human health and the environment. Currently, the control of pesticides in groundwater, drinking water and surface water is a serious subject. This paper reviews the previous studies concerning removal methods for cypermethrin pesticides. In recent years, scientists have been tried to design and develop new technologies for removing such pesticides. These include nanotechnology, which has many advantages in comparison to previous methods. The advantages of nanotechnology include effective removal of contaminants, lowering of energy, eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness in the production of healthy and high-quality water. It is found that nanotechnology is highly efficient in eliminating cypermethrin from water as collagen-CuO nanoparticles can eliminate over 90% of cypermethrin in a short period. The study also provides a comparison between nanotechnology and other methods of removing cypermethrin from contaminated water.

Frankincense has been shown to possess anti-inf lammatory activity. In this studythe effect of pretreatment with the hydro-alcoholic extract of frankincense on memory retrievalwas assessed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated rats. Forty-two adult male Wistar rats were distributed into 7 groups of 6 each. One groupreceived LPS (1 mg/kg; i.p) pre-test. The control group received saline (1 ml/kg; i.p). 2 groups ofanimals received frankincense (50 mg/kg; P.O) or DMSO 5% (1 ml/kg; P.O) and 30 minutes laterLPS (1 mg/kg; i.p). Two other groups of animals received frankincense (50 mg/kg; P.O) or DMSO5% (1 ml/kg; P.O) and 30 minutes later saline (1 ml/kg; i.p). Another group of rats received LPS(1 mg/kg; i.p) and 30 minutes later Ibuprofen (100 mg/kg; P.O). In all the experimental groups,memory retrieval was assessed 4 hours following the last injection, using a passive avoidancetask (PAT). Hippocampal TNF-α levels were measured by ELISA as an index of LPS-inducedneuroinf lammation. LPS impaired memory retrieval by decreasing step-through latency (STL), significantly.LPS also increased levels of TNF-α in the hippocampus as compared to the control group.Administration of frankincense (50 mg/kg; P.O) before LPS (1 mg/kg; i.p) improved memoryretrieval as compared to the control group. Frankincense reduced hippocampal TNF-α level in theLPS treated rats, significantly, compared to the control group. The results indicate that the hydro-alcoholic extract of frankincense has the potentialto improve memory retrieval in LPS treated rats, possibly via an anti-neuroinf lammatory activity.