Potential Molecular Mechanisms of Bisphenol A in Obesity Development

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is associated with metabolic disorders. However, several studies have suggested that exposure to BPA can cause obesity. It has recently got more attention from scientists as a risk factor for obesity due to its ability to mimic natural estrogens and bind to their receptors. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanism underpinning the environmental etiology of metabolic disorders has not been not fully clarified. In this regard, BPA exposure directly disrupts endocrine regulation, neuroimmune and signaling pathways, and gut microbes, resulting in obesity. In addition, epidemiological studies have revealed a significant relationship between BPA exposure and the development of obesity, although conflicting results have been reported. Therefore, this review summarized the possible role and molecular mechanisms associated with BPA exposure that may lead to obesity based on in vivo and in vivo studies

Hand dermatitis, Prevalence and Risk Factors among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) need to perform new preventive measures to protect themselves and patients against ongoing COVID-19 transmission, which can increase hand dermatitis (HD) among them. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of HD among HCWs and its possible risk factors in IRAN. Methods: A survey of 159 HCWS working in university hospitals was performed from August to September 2020 in a cross-sectional study. Research data were collected via standardized self-administered questionnaire. The history of HD was determined via standardized Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002). Results: The prevalence of HD in the study population was 51.6%. A significant association was found between the prevalence of HD among HCWs and sex, age, working hours per week, and wearing gloves (P<0.05).  Females had a 3.84 fold higher risk of HD than males (confidence interval (CI): 1.85-8). HCWs older than 40 and those who aged 30-39 had a 9.6 and 1.72 fold higher risk of HD than those aged 20-29 (CI: 2.6-35.7; CI: 0.87-3.4, respectively). Conclusion: Possible risk factors for developing HD among HCWs are female gender, age, wearing gloves, and fewer working hours per week. Preventive measures for HD are needed for HCWs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic

Effects of Tail fat enriched diet on male Wistar rat reproductive system

Background and Aim: Male infertility is increasing worldwide. There is now emerging evidence that nutritional status is regarded as a critical determinant of normal reproductive function. Hence, today, the role of dietary nutrition has attracted the attention of researchers. Thus, the present study was conducted to elucidate the effects of tail fat (TF) enriched diet on male rat reproductive function. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 30 adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into three equal groups and were fed with either standard diet (control) or standard diet enriched with 10 % of TF oil or standard diet enriched with 20% TF for 5 consecutive months. Finally, the rats were euthanized, the weights of their bodies, and their testes were measured. Then, the testes were dissected and the sections were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin for quantitative histopathological examination. Besides, blood samples were collected for testosterone (T) assessment. Results: Compared to the control group, the rats fed with a diet enriched with 20% TF had significantly (P&le;0.05) more body weight, while, their testes weight significantly (P&le;0.0001) decreased. Also, histological changes showed that TF, in a dose dependence manner, significantly decreased germinal layer, seminiferous area, and spermatogonia number in the rats&rsquo; testes. There was no significant difference in T concentration between the groups. Conclusion: It was clearly found that excessive and long term intake of TF can be causative of hypogonadism and increase infertility in male rats

The impact of long-term consumption of diets enriched with olive, cottonseed or sesame oils on kidney morphology: A stereological study

Abstract: To date, most of studies have only focused on metabolic effects of dietary oils while recent evidence proposes that they can influence kidneys structure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of long-term consumption of olive, cottonseed and sesame oils on renal morphology in rats. 70 male Wistar rats randomly assigned into seven equal groups and treated with standard diet (control), the standard diet enriched with 10% or 20% (W/W) of either olive oil (OLI10%, OLI20%), cottonseed oil (COT10%, COT20%) or sesame oil (SES10%, SES20%) for 5 months. Quantitative features of the kidney including kidney and cortex volumes and the number of glomeruli were analyzed stereologically. Moreover, kidney sections histologically were evaluated. All of the studied oils in low concentration had no devastating effects on renal morphology and also its pathological features. However, only in SES20% group, kidney volume as well as, cortical volume was higher than the control group. Besides, accumulation of carbohydrate macromolecules and renal fibrosis were markedly increased in SES20% group compared to the control. The results suggest that sesame oil, especially at high concentration, may lead to renal deformities as a result of histopathological changes such as dilatation, fibrosis, and tubular defects

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Iran: 1991 to 2008

Since 1991, 2042 first hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) have been performed at the Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Acute myelogenous leukemia (548 patients), thalassemia major (335 patients) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (275 patients) have been the most common transplanted disorders. There were 1418 cases that received allogeneic HSCT and 624 cases that have received autologous HSCT. The numbers of allogeneic and autologous HSCT have increased, but the allogeneic to autologous ratio has remained constant. The first peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed in 1996; since then, 1671 have been done. The donor types for 1418 allogeneic first HSCT were 1367 (96.4%) human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched-identical siblings, 29 (2%) HLA-mismatched sibling/other relative, 13 (0.9%) syngeneic twins, 5 (0.4%) HLA-matched other relatives and 4 (0.3%) unrelated. The first cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed in 1998 and since then there have been 14 patients that have obtained cord blood transplantations. Recently, new methods have been used like donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) and cellular therapy. There were 111 patients with cellular therapy for post-myocardial infarction, cirrhosis, thalassemia major, multiple sclerosis, head of femur necrosis and renal cell carcinoma

Potential Molecular Mechanisms of Bisphenol A in Obesity Development: Bisphenol A and obesity

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is associated with metabolic disorders. However, several studies have suggested that exposure to BPA can cause obesity. It has recently got more attention from scientists as a risk factor for obesity due to its ability to mimic natural estrogens and bind to their receptors. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanism underpinning the environmental etiology of metabolic disorders has not been not fully clarified. In this regard, BPA exposure directly disrupts endocrine regulation, neuroimmune and signaling pathways, and gut microbes, resulting in obesity. In addition, epidemiological studies have revealed a significant relationship between BPA exposure and the development of obesity, although conflicting results have been reported. Therefore, this review summarized the possible role and molecular mechanisms associated with BPA exposure that may lead to obesity based on in vivo and in vivo studies