Creating a sperm bank from sturgeon brood stocks in the south Caspian Sea

Sturgeon stocks are drastically decreasing in Caspian Sea during recent decades. This project has been proposed to collect the excess sperm of Caspian Sea Southern part sturgeon breeders, to cryopreserve and hold them for further use. During two spawning seasons (2006-2007), sperm quality and quantity analysis were conducted on 34 different male sturgeons of which 12 Persian sturgeon, 4 stellate sturgeon, 1 beluga and 1 ship sturgeon with better quality were chosen to cryopreserve. After dilution of fresh sperm with sturgeon sperm diluent (115 mM Tris, 23.4 mM sucrose and 15% DMSO) at the ratio of 1:1, the 0.5 ml straws were filled using special filling and sealing apparatus and frozen with a multi step freezing rate. To access the further quality and fertilization test, samples were thawed at 40 °C for 20 seconds. During the project performance, 1010 ml of Persian sturgeon sperm , 110 ml of ship sturgeon sperm , 90 ml of stellate and 80 ml of beluga sperm were cryopreserved. The reduction of frozen-thawed sperm motility in comparison with fresh samples showed 10-52.3 % decrease, but there was not any significant differences between samples after 7 months preservation in liquid Nitrogen (P < 0.005). River caught Persian sturgeon samples showed higher sperm density in comparison with nonriverine breeders (P < 0.05). Data showed that stellate sturgeon sperm showed better resistance to freezing condition in comparison with Persian sturgeon spermatozoa. Fertilization tests (4 hours after fertilization) showed 27.4% and 58.2% fertilization rate in frozen-thawed stellate and Persian sturgeon spermatozoa, respectively

Effects of metformin and insulin therapy regimens on postpartum oral glucose tolerance test results in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A comparative study

The main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two regimens of metformin and insulin therapy on postpartum oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). In this single-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT), a total number of 60 pregnant women meeting the inclusion criteria were assigned to two groups with a randomized block design (RBD): insulin therapy (IT) group (30 patients) and metformin therapy (MT) group (30 patients). At baseline, the data were comprised of prenatal maternal age, gestational age, GDM diagnosis, and maternal weight/height. During the postpartum period, 5-cc blood samples were taken from the pregnant women concerned to analyze their fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels. Then, the patients were asked to come back four days and six weeks later after delivery to check the OGTT results. At six weeks postpartum, in addition to OGTT, the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) test was performed for all mothers. Finally, six weeks after delivery, these mothers were evaluated with regard to weight loss and body mass index (BMI). Six weeks postpartum, the maternal weight and BMI significantly decreased in the MT group compared with the IT one, while there was no significant difference between both groups at baseline. On the fourth day, the OGTT results in the MT group were significantly lower in comparison with those in the IT group (p=0.012). At sixth weeks postpartum, the OGTT results were comparably lower in the MT group than those reported for the IT one; however, such a difference was not statistically significant (p=0.087). According to the study results, metformin could be an effective and safe treatment for pregnant women suffering from GDM instead of insulin therapy. © 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Efficacy of mediterranean diet on blood biochemical factors in type II diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial Tip II diyabetik hastalarda akdeniz diyetinin kan biyokimyasal faktörleri �zerindeki etkinli�i: Randomize kontrollü bir �alı�ma

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrinologic disorder and the seventh cause of mortality worldwide. In Mediterranean dietary, consumption of plant source food such as vegetables, fruits, seeds, beans etc. is much emphasized. There are many studies showed that this regimen can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and factors associated in diabetes mellitus. Therefore, in this study we investigated the efficacy of this regimen on blood biochemical factors in diabetic patients referred to diabetes clinic in Gorgan. Methods: This was a clinical trial study in which 228 well-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients between 40-60 years were included in the study. They were randomly assigned to two different groups: control and Mediterranean educational intervention group. They followed up for 6 months and before and after the intervention, we evaluated the glycemic and lipid profile and physiological parameters in them. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Totally 228 patients with diabetes mellitus type II between 40 to 60 years old were recruited. The mean age of patients was 57.3±9.28 years old. Majority of participants were female (77.2) with elementary level of literacy (77.6). The mean of fasting blood glucose was 192.50± 64.17 mg/dL in intervention group versus 208.48 ± 87.90 mg/dL in control group (P>0.05). This index was changed to 165.49± 50.39 mg/dL in intervention group which was significantly lower than the amount in control group (P<0.001). A clinically and statistically significant fall in HbA1c was observed in intervention group rather than control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: The present study represented a significant relationship between Mediterranean dietary intervention and both anthropometric and laboratory findings in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We showed that this dietary could significantly lower the FBS, HbA1c, and LDL. Although we showed this meaningful difference, it should be more evaluated in Iranian race people to investigate more in this topic. © Copyright 2020 by Gazi University Medical Faculty

Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries

The safe, highly effective measles vaccine has been recommended globally since 1974, yet in 2017 there were more than 17 million cases of measles and 83,400 deaths in children under 5 years old, and more than 99% of both occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)(1-4). Globally comparable, annual, local estimates of routine first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage are critical for understanding geographically precise immunity patterns, progress towards the targets of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), and high-risk areas amid disruptions to vaccination programmes caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)(5-8). Here we generated annual estimates of routine childhood MCV1 coverage at 5 x 5-km(2) pixel and second administrative levels from 2000 to 2019 in 101 LMICs, quantified geographical inequality and assessed vaccination status by geographical remoteness. After widespread MCV1 gains from 2000 to 2010, coverage regressed in more than half of the districts between 2010 and 2019, leaving many LMICs far from the GVAP goal of 80% coverage in all districts by 2019. MCV1 coverage was lower in rural than in urban locations, although a larger proportion of unvaccinated children overall lived in urban locations; strategies to provide essential vaccination services should address both geographical contexts. These results provide a tool for decision-makers to strengthen routine MCV1 immunization programmes and provide equitable disease protection for all children.Peer reviewe

Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries

The safe, highly effective measles vaccine has been recommended globally since 1974, yet in 2017 there were more than 17 million cases of measles and 83,400 deaths in children under 5 years old, and more than 99% of both occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)1,2,3,4. Globally comparable, annual, local estimates of routine first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage are critical for understanding geographically precise immunity patterns, progress towards the targets of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), and high-risk areas amid disruptions to vaccination programmes caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)5,6,7,8. Here we generated annual estimates of routine childhood MCV1 coverage at 5 × 5-km2 pixel and second administrative levels from 2000 to 2019 in 101 LMICs, quantified geographical inequality and assessed vaccination status by geographical remoteness. After widespread MCV1 gains from 2000 to 2010, coverage regressed in more than half of the districts between 2010 and 2019, leaving many LMICs far from the GVAP goal of 80% coverage in all districts by 2019. MCV1 coverage was lower in rural than in urban locations, although a larger proportion of unvaccinated children overall lived in urban locations; strategies to provide essential vaccination services should address both geographical contexts. These results provide a tool for decision-makers to strengthen routine MCV1 immunization programmes and provide equitable disease protection for all children

Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries

The safe, highly effective measles vaccine has been recommended globally since 1974, yet in 2017 there were more than 17 million cases of measles and 83,400 deaths in children under 5 years old, and more than 99 of both occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)1�4. Globally comparable, annual, local estimates of routine first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage are critical for understanding geographically precise immunity patterns, progress towards the targets of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), and high-risk areas amid disruptions to vaccination programmes caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)5�8. Here we generated annual estimates of routine childhood MCV1 coverage at 5 � 5-km2 pixel and second administrative levels from 2000 to 2019 in 101 LMICs, quantified geographical inequality and assessed vaccination status by geographical remoteness. After widespread MCV1 gains from 2000 to 2010, coverage regressed in more than half of the districts between 2010 and 2019, leaving many LMICs far from the GVAP goal of 80 coverage in all districts by 2019. MCV1 coverage was lower in rural than in urban locations, although a larger proportion of unvaccinated children overall lived in urban locations; strategies to provide essential vaccination services should address both geographical contexts. These results provide a tool for decision-makers to strengthen routine MCV1 immunization programmes and provide equitable disease protection for all children. © 2020, The Author(s)