Age, sex ratio, spawning season, gonadosomatic index, and fecundity of Cobitis faridpaki (Actinopterygii, Cobitidae) from the Siahrud River in the southeastern Caspian Sea basin

Cobitis faridpaki Cobitis faridpaki (Mousavi-Sabet, Vasil'eva, Vatandoust and Vasil'ev, 2011) is found in streams of the Siahrud River in the southeastern Caspian Sea basin, and this is the first report on reproductive parameters of the newly described endemic loach. Reproductive conditions are key parameters of fish populations, and their assessment is very important for endemic fishes. To study reproduction biology of this fish, sampling was done at monthly intervals throughout the year and 258 individuals of Cobitis faridpaki, were caught from Siahrud River in the southeastern Caspian Sea basin, in the north of Iran. Age, sex ratio, fecundity, oocytes diameter and gonadosomatic index were estimated. A regression analysis was used to find relationships between fecundity and fish size (length and weight), gonad weight and age. Sex ratio differed significantly from unity and was biased to females. The mature females and males were longer than 40 and 30 mm in total length, and +2 and +1 in age, respectively. The average egg diameter was 0.578 mm. Spawning took place from beginning of May to late July when water temperature was between 19.4 to 25.1 °C. Average GSI value at the beginning of the reproduction period was 9.12% and ranged between 2% to 20% in ripe mature females. The averages of absolute and relative fecundity were calculated as 1366 and 508, respectively. The absolute fecundity was significantly related to body weight and gonad weight. Based on the pattern of gonadosomatic index, it was concluded that this fish has a prolonged active reproduction period, which is a type of adaptation of short-lived small fishes to environmental conditions

A comparative study on body shape of the genus Alburnus (Rafinesque, 1820) in Iran, using geometric morphometric analysis

Geometric morphometric method was used to examine body shape variations among all the seven valid species of the genus Alburnus in Iran. In total 409 specimens of A. chalcoides, A. filippii, A. atropatenae, A. caeruleus, A. mossulensis, A. hohenackeri and A. zagrosensis were collected from Babolrud, Baleqlu-Chai, Miriseh, Sarabeleh, Gamasiyab, Mahabad-Chai Rivers and the Gandoman lagoon, respectively. Shape data was extracted by recording 15 landmark points on 2-D pictures of specimens. The PCA, DFA and CVA/MANOVA analysis were used to examine shape differences among the seven species. Significant differences were found among the species in term of body shape. The PCA and CVA/MANOVA showed separation of A. hohenackeri and A. caeruleus from the others. Results revealed that the studied species are divided into two categories; a group with great body depth and short caudal peduncle and the other one with shallow body depth and longer caudal peduncle. The obtained body shape properties can provide a shape-based identification key for the genus Alburnus in Iran, useful for fisheries and stock management or conservation programs

Review of the genus Alburnoides Jeitteles, 1861 (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from Iran with description of three new species from the Caspian Sea and Kavir basins

The genus Alburnoides Jeitteles, 1861 in Iran is reviewed, and diagnoses are presented for all eight recognized species. Alburnoides eichwaldii, A. holciki, A. idignensis, A. namaki, A. nicolausi, A. petrubanarescui, A. qanati and A. tabarestanensis are considered valid and three new species are described: Alburnoides coadi sp. n., from Namrud River in Kavir basin, A. parhami sp. n., from Atrak River in the south-eastern Caspian Sea basin, and A. samiii sp. n., from Sefidroud River in the southern Caspian Sea basin. All species, except unstudied A. petrubanarescui are illustrated and characterized morphologically

Frequency and clinical patterns of stroke in Iran - Systematic and critical review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrovascular disease is the second commonest cause of death, and over a third of stroke deaths occur in developing countries. To fulfil the current gap on data, this systematic review is focused on the frequency of stroke, risk factors, stroke types and mortality in Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirteen relevant articles were identified by keyword searching of PubMed, Iranmedex, Iranian University index Libraries and the official national data on burden of diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The publication dates ranged from 1990 to 2008. The annual stroke incidence of various ages ranged from 23 to 103 per 100,000 population. This is comparable to the figures from Arab Countries, higher than sub-Saharan Africa, but lower than developed countries, India, the Caribbean, Latin America, and China. Similarly to other countries, ischaemic stroke was the commonest subtype. Likewise, the most common related risk factor is hypertension in adults, but cardiac causes in young stroke. The 28-day case fatality rate is reported at 19-31%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data on the epidemiology of stroke, its pattern and risk factors from Iran is scarce, but the available data highlights relatively low incidence of stroke. This may reflect a similarity towards the neighbouring nations, and a contrast with the West.</p

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions

Ponticola iranicus sp. nov. (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Caspian Sea basin

Background. Five species of Ponticola have hitherto been recognized among freshwater gobies in the Ponto–Caspian basin. In 2014 a number of specimens representing this genus were collected in northern Iran. The detailed morphological and karyological study of those gobies collected revealed significant differences between them and their known congeners. The aim of this study was to describe these fish as a new species from the Caspian Sea basin. Materials and methods. The fish specimens were collected in August 2014 at two localities of the Sefid-Rud River drainage, and in the Gisum River, Guilan Province, northern Iran. In total, 18 specimens were used for karyological study following a previously described method. Both karyotyped and intact specimens were then morphologically investigated using characters developed for study on gobiids, and particular for freshwater Caucasian gobies. The comparative materials were specimens from museum collections, as well as published descriptions, illustrations, and measurements of other species. Results. Ponticola iranicus sp. nov. differs from its congeners in a set of the following features: D1 VI, D2 I/(14½) 15½ – 17½, A I/10½ – 13½; nape scaled completely, scales cycloid; cycloid scales covering upper part of opercle; lateral line system with posterior sub-orbital row d2 continuous; predorsal area uniform, dark grey; first dorsal fin with oblique black stripe between first two or three rays; short dark grey strip on upper part of pectoral fin base; karyotype consisting of 46 acrocentric chromosomes. Conclusion. All known  Ponto–Caspian gobies demonstrate mosaic pattern of morphological and karyological features that presumes their polyphyletic origins. Further phylogenetic studies by molecular genetic methods are necessary for identification of their marine ancestors and clarifying of common trends in the evolution of the Ponto–Caspian goby group

Length–weight and length–length relations of the seven endemic Alburnus species (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in Iran

The length–weight (LWR) and length–length (LLR) relations were estimated for the first time for the seven endemic species of the genus Alburnus Rafinesque, 1820 inhabiting Iranian rivers namely Alburnus atropatenae Berg, 1925; Alburnus caeruleus Heckel, 1843; Alburnus chalcoides (Güldenstädt, 1772); Alburnus filippii Kessler, 1877; Alburnus hohenackeri Kessler, 1877; Alburnus mossulensis Heckel, 1843; and Alburnus zagrosensis Coad, 2009. A total of 178 specimens were caught by electrofishing during 2010–2012. The b values of the LWR (W = aLb) ranged from 2.672 for A. chalcoides to 3.313 for A. atropatenae. The r2 values ranged from 0.85 to 0.997 and the intercepts were between 0.0041 and 0.0190. All LLRs were highly significant (r2 > 0.96)

First records of Acipenser baerii and Huso huso (Actinopterygii: Acipenseriformes: Acipenseridae) from the Tigris–Euphrates basin, Iran

We report herewith the first record of the Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt, 1869, and the beluga, Huso huso (Linnaeus, 1758), from the Tigris–Euphrates basin. It is also the first Iranian record of Acipenser baerii from natural water bodies. It is possible, that the presently reported specimens were accidentally released from aquaculture facilities located in the region

Age, reproduction, and fecundity of a population of Cobitis sp. (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from the Babolrud River in the southern Caspian Sea basin

Background. Loach fishes, Cobitis sp., are found in the majority of streams in the southern Caspian Sea basin, but reproductive parameters of them are barely known. Reproductive conditions are key parameters of fish populations and their assessment is very important for several reasons. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to obtain reproductive characteristics of this fish which will be a first report for the basin. Materials and methods. Sampling was done at monthly intervals throughout the year and 226 individuals of Cobitis sp., were caught from the Babolrud River in the southern Caspian Sea basin, north of Iran. Age, sex ratio, fecundity, oocytes diameter, gonadosomatic- and modified gonadosomatic indices were estimated. Regression analyses were used to find relations between fecundity and fish size (length and weight), gonad weight, and age. Results. Sex ratio differed significantly from unity, and the percentage of females was greater than that of males. The mature females and males were longer than 45 and 35 mm in total length (+2 and +1 in age, respectively). The average egg diameter was 0.58 mm. The spawning took place from beginning of May to late July, when water temperature was between 19.1 and 24.6°C. Average GSI value at the beginning of the reproduction period was 8.93% and ranged between 4% and 26% in ripe, mature females. The average of absolute and relative fecundity was calculated 2172 and 590, respectively. The absolute fecundity was significantly related to body weight and gonad weight. Conclusion. Based on the pattern of gonadosomatic index, it was concluded that this fish has a prolonged active reproductive period. Their reproduction in this basin shows some differences from other reports, which might be related to different environmental conditions