Gene Expression Analysis of VEGF and Its Receptors and Assessment of Its Serum Level in Unexplained Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion

Objective: Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is one of the main complications of pregnancy which is usually defined as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses before the 20th week of gestation without a known cause. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor and shown, along with its receptors (VEGFR1, 2), to play important roles in several physiologic processes including reproduction. The aim of the present study was to analyze gene expression of VEGF and VEGF receptors in endometrium of patients with a history of URSA compared with normal fertile women. In addition, serum VEGF concentration was assessed and compared between the two groups at the same time. Materials and Methods: In this case control study, endometrial and blood samples were obtained between day 19th and 24th of menstrual cycle (window of implantation) from 10 women with a history of URSA (case group) and 6 fertile women who had at least one successful pregnancy (control group). Expression of VEGF and VEGFRs was studied by reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then quantified by real time PCR. Normalization of expression levels was done by comparison with beta-actin expression level as an internal control. Relative VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression quantities were compared between the two groups. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for serum VEGF assay. Results: VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 gene expression was detected in endometrial samples of both groups. The mean relative expression of VEGF gene was lower in the case group compared with control women, however, both VEGF receptors were expressed higher in endometrium of the case group. In addition, the serum level of VEGF was significantly higher in the case group compared with the controls. Conclusion: Alteration in gene expression of VEGF and its receptors in endometrium and changes of serum VEGF might play important roles in pathogenesis of unexplained RS

An Efficient and Reliable Structural Health Monitoring System for Buildings after Earthquake

AbstractOccupation of buildings of high importance like hospitals and shelters after earthquake is a risky yet vital task for rescue workers. This paper presents a structural health monitoring system to ensure the safety and reliability of the buildings after earth quack. It is understood that ground motion and lateral displacement due to earthquack may cause deformation and thus excessive strain and stress at the main structural elements. Therefore, the building may suddenly goes to failure, requiring a reliable yet efficient health monitoring system. An array of piezoelectric sensors is mounted at desired location to measure the deformation and stress at critical points. The voltage generated by piezoelectric sensors is sent to computer via a data acquisition system. Measuring and monitoring the trend of changing sensors voltages indicate the probability of existing damages and the rate of propagation. The performance-based seismic is reported based on the nonlinear static analysis (pushover) under the influence of the lateral loading and structural behaviour through the Sap2000® software and FEMA356. The proposed model is verified for a three-story steel structure building. The effects of the lateral displacement caused by earthquake forces on strain and sensors voltage are investigated for each main element in each floor. Increasing the strain and displacements at selected elements increases the voltage generated at piezoelectric sensors. Continuous monitoring and analysis of generated signals helps the building manager to apply warning alarm or call for evacuation of the building

Diagnostic accuracy of serum activin A in detection of ectopic pregnancy

Background: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) still remains a main cause of maternal mortalities. This study is designed to evaluate the accuracy of serum Activin A in detection of ectopic pregnancy. Methods : This prospective observational study was conducted from 2009 to 2010 at two main referral university hospitals, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Two hundred subjects who were under 10 week′s pregnancy with clinical presentations of abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding were enrolled. After sampling serum Activin A, patients underwent ultrasonography, titer of B-HCG and surgery (if indicated) and were divided into two groups: EP (n = 100) and intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) (n = 100). The mean of Activin A was compared between groups and by ROC curve, the optimal cut off with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were determined. Results : The mean age of women with IUP was 25.4 ± 4.3 years (15-40 years) compared with 25.9 ± 4.1 years in women in EP group (P = 0.448). Statistical difference was not found between EP versus IUP groups in gestational age (6.32 ± 1.03 vs. 6.85 ± 1.82 weeks, P = 0.124). The mean of serum Activin A in EP group was 0.264 ± 0.0703 ng/ml versus 0.949 ± 0.5283 ng/ml in IUP group (P < 0.05). According to ROC curve (area under the curve = 0.981, P < 0.05, confidence interval: 0.961-1.000), the optimal cut off was estimated as 0.504 ng/ml with sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 93.5%. Conclusion : This study indicated that the mean of serum Activin A is lower in EP compared with IUP. The serum Activin A has a fair accuracy in detecting EP