The Influence of Environmental Factors on the Distribution of Wintering Populations of Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis Macqueenii in Central Iranian Plateau

Predicting species’ distribution is a prerequsit for assessing threats, determining conservation status, and planning conservation programs. Asian houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii is one of the most valuable game species threatened by extinction. We estimated the distribution of potential suitable habitats of wintering populations of Asian houbara bustard in central Iranian plateau using maximum entropy approach. Results of the model evaluation using the area under the curve ROC showed that the developed models for the species in both training and test models are better than random prediction. Among physiographic, climatic, land cover and human variables entered into the model, slope and mean temperature of the coldest quarter were the most important variables affecting the distribution of the species. We estimated that about 112,286 Km2 (22%) of the study area is a suitable habitat for wintering populations of houbara in central Iranian Plateau. Within the protected and no hunting areas, an area totaling 22372 Km2 (19.9%) was recognised as a potential suitable habitat for wintering houbaras. However, a significant proportion of favorable habitat of this species (89,914 kilometers) is outside of protected areas that requires conservation planning

Comparison of the Effects of Transcervical Ccatheter, Laminaria and Isosorbide Mononitrate on Cervical Ripening

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cervical ripening plays a pivotal role in successful induction of labor. Considering the importance of vaginal delivery, numerous methods have been proposed to ripen the cervix before proceeding with labor induction. This study aimed to compare the effects of transcervical catheter, Laminaria, and Isosorbide mononitrate on cervical ripening. METHODS: This clinical study was conducted at Kosar Teaching Hospital of Qazvin, Iran on 75 singleton nulliparous women with gestational age of ≥39 weeks and Bishop score of less than four. Participants were randomly divided into three groups of transcervical catheter, Laminaria, and isosorbide mononitrate. In the first group, oxytocin was administered after the spontaneous discharge of catheter, and immediately after obtaining the Bishop score of >4 in the other groups. The following parameters were recorded and compared between the study groups: interval between the time of labor induction and cervical ripening, Bishop score at the time of induction, interval between oxytocin administration and full cervical dilation, duration of the second and third labor phases, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal complications (IRCT: 2014012616368N1). FINDINGS: In this study, mean duration of cervical ripening was 150±42.42 minutes in the catheter group, 337.77±99.38 minutes in the Laminaria group, and 732.63±105.03 minutes in the isosorbide mononitrate group (p=0.001). Bishop scores at the time of labor induction and during the interval between induction and full cervical dilation were significantly lower in the transcervical catheter group (p=0.001). Moreover, no significant differences were observed between the study groups in terms of the duration of the second and third labor phases, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal complications. CONCLUSION: According to results of this study, use of transcervical catheter led to the improvement of the Bishop score and reduced length of labor phases

Predictors of single-dose methotrexate treatment success in ectopic pregnancies: a retrospective cohort study

Objective The present study investigated the predictors of single-dose (50 mg/m2) methotrexate (MTX) treatment success in ectopic pregnancies. Method A retrospective cohort study was conducted using information databases from a single academic tertiary care hospital among 396 participants referred for treatment of ectopic pregnancy (EP). Data were collected on age, history of EP, basal level of β-hCG, features of vaginal ultrasound (left or right), mass size, presence of hematoma around the mass and free pelvic fluid, and demand of subsequent doses of MTX or surgery. The patients were divided into success and failure groups based on whether they were treated with a single-dose of methotrexate (single dose MTX), or required subsequent doses of MTX or surgery. Results The success rate of single-dose MTX treatment was approximately 74%. The failure chance was significantly higher in right adnexal masses (OR: 3.45), history of EP (OR: 28.19), presence of hematoma on ultrasound (OR: 26.69), and serum β-hCG > 719 mIu/ml (OR: 5.19). A mass size > 19 mm was associated with a 79% increased chance of failure (p = 0.10). These variables accounted for approximately 45–66% of the failure variance for single-dose MTX treatment. Based on ROC curve analysis, initial β-hCG level of 719 mIu/ml was the best cutoff for patients with EP (with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 63%). Conclusion The treatment outcome of single dose MTX can be successfully predicted based on the previous history of EP, the presence of hematoma on ultrasound, mass location, and measurement of β-hCG levels before treatment