Systemic delivery of menstrual blood stem cells is more effective in preventing remote organ injuries following myocardial infarction in comparison with bone marrow stem cells in rat

Objective(s): Remote organ injury is a phenomenon that could happen following myocardial infarction (MI). We evaluated the potency of menstrual blood stromal (stem) cells (MenSCs) and bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) to alleviate remote organ injuries following MI in rats.Materials and Methods: 2 × 106 MenSCs or BMSCs were administrated seven days after MI induction via the tail vein. Four weeks after cell therapy, activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), urea, creatinine, and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) were evaluated. The level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were determined by ELISA assay. The expression of Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Apoptosis activity and tissue damage were also determined by TUNEL and H&E staining, respectively.Results: MenSCs and BMSCs administration caused a significant reduction in AST, urea, and BUN levels compared with the MI group. In addition, systemic injection of MenSCs significantly decreased the IL-1β level compared with BMSCs and MI groups (P0.05).Conclusion: MenSCs are probably more protective than BMSCs on remote organ injuries following MI via decreasing cell death and immunoregulatory properties

Survey on seasonal variation in the frequency of preterm births in the city of Rafsanjan in 2011-2012

AbstractBackground and aim: Seasonal variations in incidence of diseases can be reason of effect ofenvironmental factors on health. Since the seasonal pattern in preterm birth varies across countriesand because of importance of preterm births and unknown causes of it, this study was designed toinvestigate the frequency of preterm births in different seasons.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used data of all 5,860 infants born in theRafsanjan Nik-Nafs hospital in 2011-2012. Inclusion criteria included live birth more than 20 weeksgestational age and birth weight more than 500 grams. Gestational age was determined according tomother's last menstrual period date. The criterion for preterm birth was gestational age less than 37weeks gestation. Data was collected through delivery records of hospital medical documentary unit.For data analysis, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests was used.Results: The prevalence of preterm birth in this study was 6.96% (408 cases). The highest and thelowest frequency of preterm births were in January and February, respectively (P=0.031). Also,preterm births was most frequent in spring (8.4%) and it was least frequent in winter (4.9%)(P=0.002). The difference in frequency of preterm births in varying seasons across naturaldeliveries, Afghan race and boys was found statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion: The results of our study showed that preterm birth increase in the warm seasons of theyear and it is necessary for health care systems, as well as nursing and midwifery services to takeappropriate action in these circumstances.Keywords: Preterm birth, Season, Month, Race, Rafsanja