Reproductive status of male rat offspring following exposure to methamphetamine during intrauterine life: An experimental study

Background: Methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy is associated with maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Methamphetamine induces reproductive damage in adults; however, its effect has not been studied during pregnancy. Objective: To investigate the effects of methamphetamine exposure during pregnancy on the reproductive system. Materials and Methods: Fifteen pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups (n = 5/group), they received daily intraperitoneal injections of saline or methamphetamine (5, and 10 mg/kg) from day 10 until the end of pregnancy. One adult male offspring was selected from each dam. Subjects were euthanized, and their testis was removed. Sperm samples from cauda epididymis were analyzed for sperm concentration, morphology, and motility. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay was used to detect apoptotic cells. Levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 protein (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X-protein were measured using Western blot. Results: Methamphetamine significantly decreased sperm concentration (5 mg vs. saline: p = 0.001, 10 mg vs. saline: p < 0.001), normal sperm morphology (saline vs. 10 mg: p = 0.001), and motility (p: saline vs. 5 mg = 0.004, 5 mg vs. 10 mg = 0.011, saline vs. 10 mg < 0.001) in a dose-dependent manner. There was a significantly higher number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling -positive cells and higher exposure. Moreover, Bcl-2 associated X-protein was increased, and Bcl-2 was decreased in these rats. Conclusion: The present study shows that chronic methamphetamine exposure during intrauterine period can induce apoptosis of seminiferous tubules and decrease sperm quality in adult rats. Moreover, we showed that the intrinsic apoptotic pathway is involved in this process. Further studies are required to identify the complete molecular pathway of these results. Key words: Methamphetamine, Testis, Fertility, Reproduction, Apoptosis, Intrauterine exposure

Length-Weight relationship, Condition factor and length frequency of rock oyster, Saccostrea cucullata in coastal waters of Persian Gulf

This study aimed to achieve length frequency, condition factor and length-weight relationship of the rock oyster, Saccostrea cucullata in the coastal waters of Persian Gulf. Sampling was carried out by 0.25 m2 quadrat through intertidal zone from winter 2015 to autumn 2016. According to the results, length-weight relationship calculated as W=0.000004L2.79 for both sexes. In addition, coefficient of determination (R2) value was determined as 0.94. Furthermore, b value was significantly different from 3. Condition factor was estimated as 14.36, 16.87, 20.85 and 20.76 for autumn, winter, spring and summer, respectively. Mean length and weight were 34.4±4.96, 36.8±8.46, 30.25±7.1 and 33.31±4.31 cm and 8.9±7.57, 10.4±9.8, 10.9±6.11 and 7.8±4.19 g in spring, summer, autumn and winter , respectively. Maximum and minimum length were 97mm and 2 mm in spring and autumn, respectively. Maximum dry weight was found in winter (2.21g) and the minimum was determined in autumn (0.009 g). Maximum length frequency was observed in the 35-45 mm range class in all seasons. However, range class of 40-45 mm was also frequent in the spring. According to the nMDS results based on length and weight ordination, autumn was distinct from all seasons probably due to the juvenile recruitments in this season

Occupational Performance Priorities of Children With Cerebral Palsy From the Parents’ Perspective

Objective Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of non-progressive disorders in a developing brain that results in motor problems and other limitations in daily living activities. The presence of motor functions in these children reduces their participation in daily activities. This is one of the important aspects of the child’s health and development, especially the child’s physical and psychological development. Participation in social activities promotes life satisfaction. Besides, family has a prominent role in identifying and supplying the child’s needs. In other words, family plays an essential role in ensuring the health and well-being of their children. Thus, provisions of growth-related health services has now changed from a child-cantered model into a family-cantered model. As a result, it is very important to understand the parents’ priorities about participation of their children in the daily activities and providing appropriate client-center services. Materials & Methods In this descriptive-analytic study, 78 children and teenagers with CP aged 3-18 years without psychiatric problems and their parents from Yazd City, Iran had participated. The samples were selected by convenience sampling method, from clients of private and public rehabilitation centers in Yazd Province. In this regard, one state and two private centers were randomly selected and the study samples were selected from the clients referred to the centers. Parents' priorities for participation of their children in activities of daily living were found through semi-structured interviews. In these interviews, we used Canadian occupational performance measure to evaluate the child's level of occupational performance and parents’ satisfaction in the three areas of self-care, productiveness, leisure from the parents’ perspective. In addition, the level of gross motor performance was evaluated based on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) at five levels. In the Iranian society, the validity of Canadian occupational performance measure for each of three areas of occupational performance has been reported to be between 9.75 and 3.75 and the reliability level for the three domains reported above 0.78. The statistical analysis of data was performed in SPSS V. 16. Descriptive statistics and odds ratio were used for analyzing the data. Results the children’ Mean±SD age was 8.12±4.22 years. The first priority reported by the parents was self-care. Mobility was known as the second important priority in everyday life for children. The results obtained from the statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between age and different motor levels (P≥0.05). Conclusion Parents reported functional priorities in similar performance aspects by all age groups and GMFCS levels in Cerebral Palsy children. The first priority was related to self-care. This reflects the desire of the parents to children’ doing self-care activities, which not only reduces care pressure, but also leads to promotion in social participation and independence in individual life. The next priority was mobility and the reason can be attributed to the fact that children with CP need mobility to manage their daily life activities

Application of Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard to organize island ecosystem: the Abu Musa Island, Persian Gulf case study

Abstract. Zare R, SinaeiM, ShakouriA, KourandehMB, GeramiMH. 2017. Application of Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard to organize island ecosystem: the Abu Musa Island, Persian Gulf case study. Biodiversitas 18: 153-159. A first step in marine conservation plans is to identify and classify habitat types. These classifications should be scientificallyrigorous with high application. The Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) is a nested, hierarchical framework that applies a uniform set of rules that have a high capacity in marine habitats classifications. In this study, this capacity was tested for the Abu Musa Island ecosystem, Persian Gulf. The Surface Geology Component and the Biotic CoverComponent were analyzed and encoded with the given instructions. In total, 21 codes were determined for benthic communities and 19 codes for geoform component, which showed high diversity of habitats and variety of biotopes in this island.Finally, results indicated that the CMECS approach was successful in Abu Musa habitat classification. In addition, results were very useful for sustainable development especially for ecotourism plans. Keywords: Abu Musa Island, CMECS, ecotourism, habitat classificatio