Emergency Surgery for Acute Dissection of the Ascending Aorta

Background: Aortic dissection is a nonprevalent disease and its late diagnosis can be life-threatening with a high mortality rate.The timely treatment of this disease can increase the survival rate considerably.Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide a surgery report of patients with aortic dissection operated in a community hospital.Methods: In this descriptive study, the mortality rate and operation events of five patients with an acute aortic dissection referredto a community hospital were reported during the period of 2011 to 2015.Results: In this study, 5 patients with aortic dissection referred to the cardiology emergency ward of the hospital were operated.Twoof five patients were males; one of them had the Marfan’s disease and another one had the bicuspid aortic valve. The remainderswere females; the first case was an old woman with a traumatic chest injury who died during the operation due to arrhythmia. Thesecond case was a 42-year-old pregnant woman suspicious to Marfan’s disease with a history of sudden death in her brother. Thethird woman was a case of aneurysm of ascending aorta with a bicuspid aortic valve.Conclusions: The findings of this study show that early diagnosis and timely operation can increase the survival rate of patientswith an aortic dissection

Protective effect of vitamin E on sperm parameters, chromatin quality, and DNA fragmentation in mice treated with different doses of ethanol: An experimental study

Background: Excessive consumption of alcohol induces an increase in oxidative stress production and can lead to detrimental effects on the male reproductive system. Objective: To evaluate the possible protective effects of coadministration of vitamin (vit) E on the detrimental changes in the sperm quality of mice administered ethanol. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four BALB/c mice were categorized into nine groups (n = 6/each). The control group received a basal diet while the eight experimental groups received ethanol 10%; ethanol 20%; vit. E 100 mg; vit. E 200 mg; ethanol 10% + vit. E 100 mg; ethanol 10% + vit. E 200 mg; ethanol 20% + vit. E 100 mg; ethanol 20% + vit. E 200 mg. After 35 days, the sperm parameters and sperm chromatin were assessed. Results: The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the motility rate, normal morphology rate, viability rate, increase in abnormal DNA structure and packaging (TB staining), and DNA damage (TUNEL) in ethanol consumer groups. In addition, the findings showed a significant increase in the aforementioned parameters in ethanoland vit. E-consumer groups compared to the ethanol-only consumer groups. The ethanol group received 20% of the most damage among the groups. The group receiving vit. E 100 mg and those receiving ethanol 10% + vit. E 200 mg gained the highest benefit among the groups. Conclusion: Sperm forward progressive motility, normal morphology rate, and viability decreased in the ethanol groups. Also, the rates of spermatozoa with abnormal DNA structure and DNA fragmentation increased in the ethanol groups. Our findings revealed that the coadministration of vit. E and ethanol can protect destructive changes in DNA structure and damage. Key words: Ethanol, Sperm parameters, Vitamin E

Does combination of estradiol and sesame oil improve the oocyte quality, embryo development and expressions of Zp3, E-cad, and Ctnnb1 genes in mice? An experimental study

Background: Aging may reduce oocyte maturation, embryo quality, and fertility potential. Objective: To compare the effect of estradiol (E2) and sesame oil on oocyte and embryo quality between young and old mice. Materials and Methods: Sixty old and young female mice were divided in to two groups (30 mice/group, grouped by age). Each group was divided into three subgroups of mice treated with sesame oil, E2 + sesame oil, and normal saline as control group. After ovulation induction, some oocytes were considered for in vitro fertilization and the rest were assessed for morphological status. After obtaining the two-cell embryos, the embryos were collected to determine the expression of zona pellucida (ZP) glycoprotein 3, E-cadherin, and β-catenin genes and some of them followed until the blastocysts stage to evaluate the viability. Results: The findings showed that the mean ZP and perivitelline space thickness increased in the old mice that received the E2 + sesame oil treatment. The number of 2-cell embryos, blastocysts, and live cells were significantly higher in the old group treated with sesame oil respectively (p = 0.018, 0.002, and < 0.0001, respectively). The normal ZP shape and refractile body numbers increased in the old mice that were treated with sesame oil, respectively. The E-cadherin gene was downregulated in the treatment groups compared to the controls. Conclusion: Sesame oil showed a better response in the old mice, because aging is associated with an increased rate of reactive oxygen species, causing deficiencies in both oocyte and embryo qualities. Key words: Estradiol, Sesame oil, Gene expression, Oocyte, Mouse

Does resveratrol affect prepared sperm parameters and chromatin quality in normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic patients before and after freezing? A lab trial study

Background: Previous studies have examined the effect of resveratrol as a potent antioxidant for free radicals in semen. While, the prepared spermatozoa are more affected by ROS factors due to centrifugation and incubation. Objective: To evaluate the RSV’s effects on the prepared sperm parameters and chromatin quality in both normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic cases before and after freezing. Materials and Methods: The sample of 10 normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men was prepared through the swim-up method. The groups were then divided into two samples of control and experimental (exposure to 30 μmol/l of RSV) to evaluate and compare the sperm parameters and chromatin quality before and after freezing. Results: The motility and viability of spermatozoa were seen to be significantly different before and after freezing separately in the control and treatment samples of the groups (p ≤ 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). However, the stated difference between the control and treatment samples of normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic patients were not significant (p > 0.05). In addition, the sperm morphology and chromatin quality were not significantly different between the two samples of each group; nonetheless, chromatin quality of the treated sample was better than that of the control before and after freezing. Conclusion: Despite the protective effects of RSV on the semen samples, RSV cannot affect significantly the prepared sperms parameters and chromatin quality in normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic patients. Key words: Resveratrol, Chromatin, Motility, Spermatozoa, Freeze

Influential effect of age on oocyte morphometry, fertilization rate and embryo development following IVF in mice

Changes of oocyte quality and decreasing of ovarian follicle reserve in advanced age are the major challenges in infertility treatments. One factor associated with aging is the thickness of zona pellucida, which has adverse relation with embryo score. Although, there is no correlation between perivitelline space and granulation with embryo quality, an inversely correlation is observed between these two factors with subsequent embryo quality. The aim was to investigate the influence of age on the oocyte quality, fertilization rate and embryo development following in vitro fertilization setting in mice. NMRI mice (N = 21) were categorized into 3 groups regarding to their ages (groups I–III; 25, 30, 35 weeks old, respectively). Standard in vitro fertilization protocol was conducted for each group. After collection of the oocytes, three points of zona pellucida and perivitelline space diameters were measured in each group and mean values were calculated. Also, the number of oocytes, fertilization rate, the number of cleavage embryos and blastocyst formation were compared among the groups. All the changes were insignificancy age related, as the mean value of zona pellucida and perivitelline space diameters as well as the number of oocytes, rate of fertilization and 2 cells embryos were higher in group I compared to other groups. Also, there was significant difference between some evaluated parameters, such as the number of generated 4 cells cleavage embryos and blastocysts as well as oocytes degeneration rates. The advanced maternal age influenced negatively on the oocyte morphometry and cleavage and blastocyst embryo formation in animal model. Keywords: Age, In vitro fertilization, Zona pellucida, Perivitelline space, Oocyt

Protective Effect of Vitamin E on Sperm Parameters, Chromatin Quality, and DNA Fragmentation in Mice Treated with Different Doses of Ethanol: an Experimental Study

Background: Excessive consumption of alcohol induces an increase in oxidative stress production and can lead to detrimental effects on the male reproductive system. Objective: To evaluate the possible protective effects of coadministration of vitamin (vit) E on the detrimental changes in the sperm quality of mice administered ethanol. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four BALB/c mice were categorized into nine groups (n = 6/each). The control group received a basal diet while the eight experimental groups received ethanol 10%; ethanol 20%; vit. E 100 mg; vit. E 200 mg; ethanol 10% + vit. E 100 mg; ethanol 10% + vit. E 200 mg; ethanol 20% + vit. E 100 mg; ethanol 20% + vit. E 200 mg. After 35 days, the sperm parameters and sperm chromatin were assessed. Results: The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the motility rate, normal morphology rate, viability rate, increase in abnormal DNA structure and packaging (TB staining), and DNA damage (TUNEL) in ethanol consumer groups. In addition, the findings showed a significant increase in the aforementioned parameters in ethanoland vit. E-consumer groups compared to the ethanol-only consumer groups. The ethanol group received 20% of the most damage among the groups. The group receiving vit. E 100 mg and those receiving ethanol 10% + vit. E 200 mg gained the highest benefit among the groups. Conclusion: Sperm forward progressive motility, normal morphology rate, and viability decreased in the ethanol groups. Also, the rates of spermatozoa with abnormal DNA structure and DNA fragmentation increased in the ethanol groups. Our findings revealed that the coadministration of vit. E and ethanol can protect destructive changes in DNA structure and damage. Key words: Ethanol, Sperm parameters, Vitamin E

The Mediating Role of A2A Adenosine Receptors in the Mitochondrial Pathway of Apoptotic Hippocampal Cell Death, Following the Administration of MDMA in Rat

Introduction: The 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a popular recreational drug and a major source of substance abuse, which ultimately leads to sensations of well-being, elation and euphoria, moderate derealization/depersonalization, and cognitive disruptions, as well as intense sensory awareness. The mechanisms involved in memory impairment induced by MDMA are not completely understood.  Methods: The current study used 40 Sprague-Dawley rats, weighted 200 to 250 g. Experiments were performed in four groups, each containing 10 rats. The first group of rats was used as the control, treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The second group was treated with MDMA. The third group was treated with MDMA and CGS (the adenosine A2A receptor agonist, 2-[p-(2- carboxyethyl) phenethylamino]-5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine) (CGS 21680) and the fourth group was treated with MDMA and SCH (the A2A receptor antagonist [7-(2-phenylethyl)-5-amino-2-(2-furyl-) pyrazolo-[4, 3-e]-1, 2, 4 triazolo [1,5-] pyrimidine]) (SCH 58261). The drugs in all groups were administrated intraperitoneally (i.p.) once a day for 7 days. In 5 rats of each group, following perfusion, samples were taken from hippocampi to investigate apoptosis. Accordingly, the samples were stained using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay kit, and studied by light microscopy. In other rats, fresh tissue was also removed to study the expression of bax and bcl-2 by Western blotting technique.  Results: It was observed that the coadministration of MDMA with CGS reduced bax expression and prevented apoptosis of hippocampal cells. The coadministration of MDMA and SCH increased bax expression, and also increased the frequency of hippocampal cell apoptosis. Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that administration of CGS with MDMA decreased the common side effects associated with MDMA

Does Combination of Estradiol and Sesame Oil Improve the Oocyte Quality, Embryo Development and Expressions of Zp3, E-cad, and Ctnnb1 Genes in Mice? an Experimental Study

Background: Aging may reduce oocyte maturation, embryo quality, and fertility potential. Objective: To compare the effect of estradiol (E2) and sesame oil on oocyte and embryo quality between young and old mice. Materials and Methods: Sixty old and young female mice were divided in to two groups (30 mice/group, grouped by age). Each group was divided into three subgroups of mice treated with sesame oil, E2 + sesame oil, and normal saline as control group. After ovulation induction, some oocytes were considered for in vitro fertilization and the rest were assessed for morphological status. After obtaining the two-cell embryos, the embryos were collected to determine the expression of zona pellucida (ZP) glycoprotein 3, E-cadherin, and β-catenin genes and some of them followed until the blastocysts stage to evaluate the viability. Results: The findings showed that the mean ZP and perivitelline space thickness increased in the old mice that received the E2 + sesame oil treatment. The number of 2-cell embryos, blastocysts, and live cells were significantly higher in the old group treated with sesame oil respectively (p = 0.018, 0.002, and < 0.0001, respectively). The normal ZP shape and refractile body numbers increased in the old mice that were treated with sesame oil, respectively. The E-cadherin gene was downregulated in the treatment groups compared to the controls. Conclusion: Sesame oil showed a better response in the old mice, because aging is associated with an increased rate of reactive oxygen species, causing deficiencies in both oocyte and embryo qualities. Key words: Estradiol, Sesame oil, Gene expression, Oocyte, Mouse