The Effect of Vitrification on Mouse Oocyte Apoptosis by Cryotop Method

Background: Oocyte cryopreservation is one of the most important topics in the field of assisted reproductive technology to preserve women fertility, but relationship between cryopreservation and apoptosis is still a matter of debate. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of vitrification on apoptosis in mouse oocytes by Cryotop method. Method: A total of 200 germinal vesicle (GV) and 200 metaphase II (MII) oocytes were obtained from ovaries and fallopian tubes of NMRI mice, respectively and divided into control and experimental groups. Oocytes in experimental group were vitrified by Cryotop using vitrification medium and were kept in liquid nitrogen for one month. The survival rate of oocytes was evaluated after 2 hour incubation time. Then, the oocyte apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL technique and compared with those in control group. The data was compared statistically using SPSS software and chi-square test. Results: The survival rates of vitrified GV (93%) and MII oocytes (88%) showed a significant decrease compared with the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in survival rate of both vitrified oocyte groups. The incidence of apoptosis in vitrified and control GV oocytes showed no significant difference (13% vs. 7%), but the rate of apoptosis in vitrified MII oocytes increased significantly not only in comparison with MII control group (25% vs. 5%) but also with vitrified GV oocytes (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that vitrification increases apoptosis in mouse MII oocytes and apoptosis may play a role in MII oocyte injury after vitrification

Fenugreek: A therapeutic complement for patients with borderline hyperlipidemia: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial

Objective: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a medicinal plant from Fabaceae family. This clinical study was designed to evaluate the effects of Fenugreek seeds supplementation on serum biochemical parameters of patients with borderline hyperlipidemia. Materials and methods: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 56 patients with borderline hyperlipidemia that were divided in two groups: F group received 8 g Fenugreek seeds powder sachets and P group received placebo sachets daily for 8 weeks. After 2 months, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated and compared with the baseline. Results: After 2 months, TG, TC, LDL and FBG significantly decreased in F group in comparison with P group, but these changes were not significant in HDL and BMI. Conclusion: Our findings showed that Fenugreek seeds supplementation, as a phenolic-rich herb can be effective in the reduction of some lipid profile in patients with borderline hyperlipidemi

Quality Evaluation of Academic Thesis Abstracts Based on ANSI / NISO Z39.14 (R2015) Standard: A Case Study

Abstracts are regarded as valuable tools in assessing the relevance of documents during information retrieval. The determination of abstract compliance based on international standards is one of the methods which can be used for generating qualified information, reducing costs and establishing aligned coordination with international standards. Further, ANSI/NISO Z39.14 standard is one of the international standards presented by NISO committee which its final amendment was published in March 2015 and proposed some principles in terms of content and structural elements of different sources like theses. For this purpose, the present study aimed to evaluate the abstracts of Persian theses in different educational levels with ANSI/NISO Z39.14 standard at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) during 2010-2014. 386 Persian abstracts were selected from among the abstracts in master’s theses, PhD dissertations, Medical Doctorate(MD) and specialized medicine theses at different schools. The standard texts of ANSI/NISO Z39.14 (R2015) were used as the instrument including 15 structural and 5 content elements. Results indicated that there was a significant difference between the consistency of structural and content elements of the standards among the abstracts of the selected theses at different educational levels in different schools. The results suggest that an instructional and a coherent model should be developed, based on international and latest edition standards such as ANSI/NISOZ39.14 guideline for abstracts which are necessary to be followed by all centers in order to improve the style of writing abstracts

The Importance of Access to the SCOPUS Database in the Economic Crisis Condition

Data acquisition and delivering information resources to clients are among the most vital functions of libraries. However, current political and economic crisis has imposed unpleasant effects on these functions. In such conditions, selecting information resources becomes an ever more complex task. This research intends to answer the question on whether or not the purchase of Scopus services in such a crisis, which makes the subscription of credible scientific journals much more difficult, is a beneficial choice for Iranian medical libraries. The problem will be answered by analyzing the accessibility to full text articles via “view at publisher” image links in Scopus database. Different studies have already been carried out on the abilities and features of Scopus database in scientometric and citation analysis. However, it seems that current study is the first research to examine the value and importance of existing link for accessing the full-text articles such as "view at publisher" link. This link is one of the remarkable features devised in Scopus which has a special importance for end users. Hence, access ratio to full-text documents cited in articles written by Iranian medical faculties was studied through the "view at publisher" link in Scopus, and also via a link devised in the A-Z list of full-text journals in the Iranian National Medical Digital Library database, available at URL: www.inlm.org, followed by comparing the results obtained through the study. Results showed the ability of Scopus to make full-text articles accessible for users' depending on the type and level of individuals or institutional subscription. Such ability itself could justify the necessity for subscribing to Scopus by the universities of medical sciences. Regardless of other features of Scopus such as scientometric studies, etc., this ability becomes more important when access to some articles depends on paying subscription fee either privately or institutionally. Moreover, this ability provides the end-users to have access to a large volume of free papers. So, Scopus could be introduced as a gateway/portal for an easier access to full-text documents of various databases

The Prevalence of Postpartum Depression and Its Association with Food Insecurity among Mothers Referring to Community Health Centers

Objective: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition which may compromise both maternal and neonatal health. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of PPD and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, obstetric, and household food security status. Method: This cross sectional study was conducted in community health centers in west of Tehran. A total of 325 women were selected by stratified sampling method from community health centers. A sociodemographic questionnaire, USDA 18-item questionnaire, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and analytic analyses, such as chi-squared test and logistic regression in SPSS 22. Results: The prevalence of PPD and food insecurity among the studied population was 35.4% and 34.2%, respectively. The results of this study revealed a significant association among PPD  and food insecurity (OR = 6.690, CI  =  3.118-14.353, p<0.001), the levels of economic satisfaction (OR  =  3.419, CI  =  1.241-9.420, P  =  0.017), pregnancy loss (OR  =  1.899, CI  =  1.006-3.582, p  =  0.048), and pregnancy complications (OR  =  1.853, CI  =  1.083-3.170, P  =  0.024). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, household food insecurity may predispose mothers to PPD. Moreover, it was observed that mothers with poor economic satisfaction were more likely to be depressed. Histories of pregnancy loss and pregnancy complications were other risk factors for PPD

Sleep duration and its relationship with school performance in Iranian adolescents

Background. Inadequate or poor sleep quality is common problems in adolescent that affect on their learning, memory and school performance. The present study aimed to determine the association between sleep hours and academic performance in young adults. Methods. This cross-sectional study was designed as a descriptive-analytic study. Samples of adolescents of 14-18 years old in Qazvin city were enrolled. The Pediatric sleep questionnaire and BEARS questionnaire used for all students to screen comprehensively major sleeps problems in them. Chi-square test, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation were performed to determine the relationship between the data (P < 0.001). Results. Between 653 adolescents, 40% were male and 60% were female. Sleep duration, sleep onset delay, sleep insufficient, rate of oversleeping and academic performance had a direct relationship with gender (P < 0.001). The sleep duration, rate of oversleeping and academic performance were significantly higher in boys, sleep onset delay and sleep insufficient was significantly higher in girls. Time of falling sleep at weekend nights and weekday nights have positively correlation with age (P < 0.001). Also, a significant relationship between students’ sleep hours with academic performance was shown (P < 0.001). Conclusions. The overall result was that sleep duration, sleep onset delay, sleep insufficient and rate of oversleeping of students in this study had a significant influence on academic performance. Students without difficulty in falling asleep had good academic performance in compared to students with difficulty in falling asleep

Comparison of serum il-1beta and c-reactive protein levels in early diagnosis and management of neonatal sepsis | [Confronto tra i livelli sierici di il-1 beta e proteina c reattiva nella diagnosi precoce e nella gestione della sepsi neonatal]

Clinical signs and symptoms of non-infectious diseases are similar to those of infectious diseases during infancy. Therefore, rapid new methods for diagnosis of infections in infants are urgently needed. To examine the utility of measuring serum IL-1β for immediate diagnosis of sepsis in infants, in this crosssectional epidemiological study blood samples were taken from 83 infants (41 female and 42 male) in whom infection was suspected and who were admitted to hospital. To perform serum interleukin (IL)-1β and quantitative C-reactive protein (CRP) tests, blood samples were placed in ice containers and delivered to the laboratory. The serum was removed from the samples at 4°C and stored in refrigerators at −30°C until the time of testing. The results were analysed by t tests. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of serum IL-1β were 27%, 71%, 25%, and 73%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of serum quantitative CRP were 76%, 60%, 40% and 88%, respectively. Hence quantitative serum CRP measurement for the diagnosis of infections is more efficient than measuring serum IL-1β levels. In general, quantitative serum CRP measurement as an alternative to other tests such as serum IL-1β assays might be an ideal test for diagnosing infections in infants