Chorionic Bump in First-trimester Sonography

Objectives The present research was motivated by providing new insight into early pregnancies with a chorionic bump diagnosis in first-trimester sonography and its impact on live birth rate. Methods To determine the rate of CB, first trimester sonograms of pregnant women referring to Akbarabadi Hospital, which is a treatment and training center affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences as well as those referring to a private center were analyzed. The total number of transvaginal sonographies performed was 1900 cases from whom 8 cases of CB were detected. The chorionic bump size and number and history of infertility or coagulation disorders were considered as our independent variables and multiple gestation with pregnancy outcome as dependent ones. Results Overall, the prevalence rate of CB was 0.4 (4 per 1000), with 8 patients diagnosed with CB from 1900 the first trimester pregnant women. Of 8 pregnant women, 5 showed live birth (62.5) and 3 experienced fetal demise (37.5). The chorionic bumps ranged in size from 0.1 cc to 1.8 cc (average, 0.73 cc). No significant relationship was found between history of smoking, coagulopathy, infertility, multiple gestation and the size of CB. Conclusions The main finding was that the frequency of live birth in our sample was 62.5 (5 from 8). The clinical inference is that a chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography does not definitely guarantee a secure prediction. The correlation between bump size and pregnancy outcome is not clear, which warrants further research. © 201

Chorionic Bump in First-trimester Sonography

Objectives The present research was motivated by providing new insight into early pregnancies with a chorionic bump diagnosis in first-trimester sonography and its impact on live birth rate. Methods To determine the rate of CB, first trimester sonograms of pregnant women referring to Akbarabadi Hospital, which is a treatment and training center affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences as well as those referring to a private center were analyzed. The total number of transvaginal sonographies performed was 1900 cases from whom 8 cases of CB were detected. The chorionic bump size and number and history of infertility or coagulation disorders were considered as our independent variables and multiple gestation with pregnancy outcome as dependent ones. Results Overall, the prevalence rate of CB was 0.4 (4 per 1000), with 8 patients diagnosed with CB from 1900 the first trimester pregnant women. Of 8 pregnant women, 5 showed live birth (62.5) and 3 experienced fetal demise (37.5). The chorionic bumps ranged in size from 0.1 cc to 1.8 cc (average, 0.73 cc). No significant relationship was found between history of smoking, coagulopathy, infertility, multiple gestation and the size of CB. Conclusions The main finding was that the frequency of live birth in our sample was 62.5 (5 from 8). The clinical inference is that a chorionic bump on first-trimester sonography does not definitely guarantee a secure prediction. The correlation between bump size and pregnancy outcome is not clear, which warrants further research. © 201

Evaluation of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Cinnamon Effect on Testicular Tissue and Fertility of Busulfan-Induced Oligo-Spermic Model Rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Busulfan is one of the cancer treatment drugs that cause infertility of the patient. In traditional medicine, one of the important properties of cinnamon is enhancement of fertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cinnamon on the physiological structure of testes and fertility rate of busulfan-treated rats. METHODS: In this experimental study, 24 adult male rats were divided into 3 groups of 8 subjects, Sham: healthy rats without intervention. Control group: Busulfan-sterilized rats (15 mg/kg) intraperitoneal injection, Cinnamon group: Busulfan-treated rats + cinnamon extract (200 mg/kg) for fourteen days. The testicles length, width and weight parameters as well as the formation of germinal cells were analyzed by H & E staining and optical microscopy. FINDINGS: The number of spermatogonia cells, primary spermatocytes and spermatid in the cinnamon group was 72.25±12.63, 61.71±11.47, and 79.1±10.02, and in the control group was 51.83±23.37, 31.67±5.27 and 38.67±15.7 respectively, and the increase in cinnamon group was significant (p<0.005). The testicles length, width and weight parameters in the cinnamon group were increased compared to the control group (busulfan). The thickness of germinal epithelium in the cinnamon and control group was 53.46 ± 16.44 and 30.4±10.21 respectively, which was significantly higher in the cinnamon group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, cinnamon extract has positive therapeutic and protective effects on testicular tissue and increases sperm production in busulfan-treated rats

Lipid Profile and the Risk of Stroke: A Study from North of Iran

Stroke is the second cause of mortality in the world and third in Iran and lipid abnormalities are the main cause of stroke. The relation of dyslipidemia and the risk of stroke is mater of controversy. The aim of this paper is to determine the relationship of dyslipidemia and the risk of stroke in Sayad Shirazi hospital, Gorgan, Northeastern Iran. Retrospectively, we investigated all medical records with a diagnosis of stroke based on International Classification of Diseases, Revision 10, from August 2015 to August 2016 in Sayyad Shirazi hospital. We include those records with laboratory reports on serum lipid profile. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guideline was used to classifying lipid profile. The Data management and analysis was performed using SPSS 20. Out of 415 identified records, 9.6% had an unspecified diagnosis of stroke subtype. Only, in 160 records the lipid parameters were measured. The majority of cases with dyslipidemia was men (56.6%) and age older than 60 years (71%). There was a significant difference between ethnic groups and dyslipidemia (p=0.04) and between discharge outcome and lipid profile in women (p=0.05). Furthermore, the relation between dyslipidemia and another comorbid risk factor for stroke including diabetes (p=0.004), ischemic heart disease (0.035), and prior stroke (0.002) was significant. This study has shown that dyslipidemia coexisting with diabetes, ischemic heart diseases, and prior stroke increases the risk of stroke especially in older age. In general, therefore, it seems that lipid-lowering therapy must be one of the priorities in this population

Dynamic behaviour of interphases and its implication on high-energy-density cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries

Undesired electrode-electrolyte interactions prevent the use of many high-energy-density cathode materials in practical lithium-ion batteries. Efforts to address their limited service life have predominantly focused on the active electrode materials and electrolytes. Here an advanced three-dimensional chemical and imaging analysis on a model material, the nickel-rich layered lithium transition-metal oxide, reveals the dynamic behaviour of cathode interphases driven by conductive carbon additives (carbon black) in a common nonaqueous electrolyte. Region-of-interest sensitive secondary-ion mass spectrometry shows that a cathode-electrolyte interphase, initially formed on carbon black with no electrochemical bias applied, readily passivates the cathode particles through mutual exchange of surface species. By tuning the interphase thickness, we demonstrate its robustness in suppressing the deterioration of the electrode/electrolyte interface during high-voltage cell operation. Our results provide insights on the formation and evolution of cathode interphases, facilitating development of in situ surface protection on high-energy-density cathode materials in lithium-based batteries.ope

Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer disease: mapping the road to the clinic.

Biomarker discovery and development for clinical research, diagnostics and therapy monitoring in clinical trials have advanced rapidly in key areas of medicine - most notably, oncology and cardiovascular diseases - allowing rapid early detection and supporting the evolution of biomarker-guided, precision-medicine-based targeted therapies. In Alzheimer disease (AD), breakthroughs in biomarker identification and validation include cerebrospinal fluid and PET markers of amyloid-β and tau proteins, which are highly accurate in detecting the presence of AD-associated pathophysiological and neuropathological changes. However, the high cost, insufficient accessibility and/or invasiveness of these assays limit their use as viable first-line tools for detecting patterns of pathophysiology. Therefore, a multistage, tiered approach is needed, prioritizing development of an initial screen to exclude from these tests the high numbers of people with cognitive deficits who do not demonstrate evidence of underlying AD pathophysiology. This Review summarizes the efforts of an international working group that aimed to survey the current landscape of blood-based AD biomarkers and outlines operational steps for an effective academic-industry co-development pathway from identification and assay development to validation for clinical use.I recieved an honorarium from Roche Diagnostics for my participation in the advisory panel meeting leading to this pape

Multiscale multifactorial approaches for engineering tendon substitutes

The physiology of tendons and the continuous strains experienced daily make tendons very prone to injury. Excessive and prolonged loading forces and aging also contribute to the onset and progression of tendon injuries, and conventional treatments have limited efficacy in restoring tendon biomechanics. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) approaches hold the promise to provide therapeutic solutions for injured or damaged tendons despite the challenging cues of tendon niche and the lack of tendon-specific factors to guide cellular responses and tackle regeneration. The roots of engineering tendon substitutes lay in multifactorial approaches from adequate stem cells sources and environmental stimuli to the construction of multiscale 3D scaffolding systems. To achieve such advanced tendon substitutes, incremental strategies have been pursued to more closely recreate the native tendon requirements providing structural as well as physical and chemical cues combined with biochemical and mechanical stimuli to instruct cell behavior in 3D architectures, pursuing mechanically competent constructs with adequate maturation before implantation.Authors acknowledge the project “Accelerating tissue engineering and personalized medicine discoveries by the integration of key enabling nanotechnologies, marinederived biomaterials and stem cells,” supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Authors acknowledge the H2020 Achilles Twinning Project No. 810850, and also the European Research Council CoG MagTendon No. 772817, and the FCT Project MagTT PTDC/CTM-CTM/ 29930/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-29930