Toward Practical Criteria for Analyzing and Designing Urban Blocks

The streets, blocks, lots, and buildings are the main elements of cities’ texture. Surrounded by streets and surrounding the buildings, urban blocks invariably interact with these components dialectically, in that it can connect the network of streets and buildings, hence its significance in urban design. However, affected by unsound formal and spatial changes of urban forms in modern and postmodern eras, space coherence reduction led to a loss of blocks’ identity. Therefore, we can barely find a comprehensive functional tool structured on a solid understanding to design this very component of the urban morphology. In this regard, this study seeks to define a practical tool for analyzing and designing this crucial element developing an operational, yet expandable, checklist for urban blocks including various factors, from concepts to indices. All these factors are classified under three main concepts: spatial balance, spatial continuity and integration, and durability. In fact, as a primitive step, this research can enable urban designers to understand urban blocks more effectively and use the framework to assess the current situation and design the future

Prevalence of congenital anomalies and related factors in live births in Zahedan, Southeast of Iran: A cross-sectional study

Background: The term congenital anomalies (CAs) refers to structural or functional abnormalities at the time of conception. Approximately 12 deaths related to congenital disabilities occur in every 10,000 babies born. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of single and multiple CAs in live births in Zahedan, Southeast Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 59,087 live births in a referral hospital in Zahedan located in the southeast of Iran from 2009 to 2019. All live births were examined by pediatricians and the CAs and categorized based on the international classification of diseases. Results: Of 59,085 live births, at least 883 had a significant anomaly, and the prevalence rate of CAs was about 149 per 10,000. Anomalies of the nervous (24.1%) and cardiovascular systems (21.10%) were the most frequent, occurring in 213 and 187 of the live births, respectively. Spina bifida is the most common anomaly of the central nervous system. The most common anomalies in the cardiovascular system were unspecified heart malformations (17.1%), cardiovascular malformations (18.7%), and patent ductus arteriosus (11.7%). Significant correlations were found between the parent’s consanguinity marriage, the mother’s age, an existing anomaly in the family, and relatives in single and multiple CAs (p = 0.02, p = 0.02, p < 0.001, p = 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: The prevalence of CAs was 149 per 10,000 live births. The highest prevalence of CAs was related to the central nervous system. Increasing the public’s knowledge about fetal defects can reduce the prevalence of CAs. Key words: Congenital anomalies, Hospitalization, Iran, Live birth, Prevalence, Risk factors

Conjugated linoleic acid improves glycemic response, lipid profile, and oxidative stress in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Aim To investigate if conjugated linoleic acid supplementation (CLA) affects metabolic factors and oxidative stress in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods The study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial conducted in specialized and subspecialized clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from January 2014 to March 2015. 38 obese NAFLD patients were randomly allocated into either the intervention group, receiving three 1000 mg softgel of CLA with a weight loss diet and 400 IU vitamin E, or into the control group, receiving only weight loss diet and 400 IU vitamin E for eight weeks. Dietary data and physical activity, as well as anthropometric, body composition, metabolic factors, and oxidative stress were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study. Results Weight, body composition, and serum oxidative stress, insulin, and lipid profile significantly improved in both groups, while hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels (P = 0.004), total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein ratio (P = 0.008), low density lipoprotein to high density lipoprotein ratio (LDL/HDL) (P = 0.002), and alanine aminotransferase to aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) ratio (P = 0.025) significantly decreased in the intervention group. At the end of the study, fat mass (P = 0.001), muscle mass (P = 0.023), total body water (P = 0.004), HbA1c (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.006), LDL/HDL ratio (P = 0.027), and ALT/ AST ratio (P = 0.046) were significantly better in the CLA group than in the control group. Conclusion CLA improved insulin resistance, lipid disturbances, oxidative stress, and liver function in NAFLD. Therefore, it could be considered as an effective complementary treatment in NAFLD

Royan Institute First Attempts: Autotransplantation of Vitrified Human Ovarian Tissue in Cancer Patients

Today, timely diagnosis and therapeutic progress open a road of hope for survival in cancerous patients. Increasedknowledge about the various cytotoxic treatment's impacts on ovarian function and fertility has resulted in a surgein the number of patients seeking to preserve their fertility before starting the anti-cancer treatment process. In thisregard, embryo cryopreservation can be recommended for fertility preservation when the woman is married and hasadequate time for ovarian stimulation. If patients are prepubertal girls or not married women, oocytes or ovarian tissuecan be frozen instead to be used in the future. In this regard, the first attempts for ovarian tissue transplantations wereconducted in 2016 and in 2019 for two cancerous patients whose ovarian tissue was cryopreserved in the RoyanHuman Ovarian Tissue Bank (Tehran, Iran). Unfortunately, the transplantations did not result in a live birth

Maternal-Effect Gene Expression in Cultured Preantral Follicles Derived from Vitrified-Warmed Mouse Ovary

Objective: This study was conducted to assess survival of follicles, their oocyte maturation and fertilization potential as well as expression of early embryo developmental genes in in vitro cultured pre-antral follicles derived from vitrified-warmed mouse ovary. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, ovaries of 12-day old Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) female mice were placed into non-vitrified and vitrifiedwarmed groups. Isolated preantral follicles from experimental groups were cultured in vitro for 12 days. On the 12th day of culture, oocyte maturation was induced and then matured oocytes were in vitro fertilized. The rates of oocyte maturation and two-cell stage embryo formation were assessed. Relative expression of Mater and Zar1 was evaluated on days 1, 6, 10 and 12 of culture. Data analysis was performed by t test and two-way ANOVA (P<0.05). Results: Our data showed no significant difference between the control and vitrification groups in the rate of follicular survival, oocyte maturation and two-cell stage embryo formation. The level of gene expression was higher on the 6th and 10th days of culture for Mater and Zar1 in vitrified-warmed group compared with non-vitrified group, however, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: It seems that the applied vitrification method did not reveal any negative effect on maturation and developmental competence of oocytes surrounded in preantral follicles and therefore could preserve follicular reserves efficiently

Utilizing Fibrin-Alginate and Matrigel-Alginate for Mouse Follicle Development in Three-Dimensional Culture Systems

In vitro culture of ovarian follicles is a new technique in reproductive technology, which helps in understanding the process of folliculogenesis. The in vitro culture of follicles could be carried out using three-dimensional (3D) natural scaffolds that mimic the ovarian tissue stroma. Selection of the right matrix and culture media in these scaffolds could increase the survival and maturation of the follicles. In this work, the applicability of matrigel-alginate (MA) and fibrin-alginate (FA) 3D scaffolds for folliculogenesis was assessed. The ovaries of 13-day-old Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were isolated and distributed into control and vitrification groups. Preantral follicles (mean diameter: 120-140 μm) were mechanically isolated from control and vitrified-warmed ovaries, encapsulated in MA or FA scaffold and cultured for 12 days. Follicle survival, growth, maturation, and quantitative expression of oocyte maturation genes (Gdf9, Bmp15, Fgf8, KitL, Kit, and Amh) and proteins (GDF9 and BMP15) were assessed. Survival rate of culture preantral follicles in control groups was found to be significantly higher than vitrified follicles. Antrum formation was similar in all groups. Follicle diameters were significantly increased in all groups during culture period. A decreasing pattern of gene expression was seen for all genes in all groups. This trend was verified through evaluation of protein expression, during which there was strong staining in antral follicles from all groups in the last day of in vitro culture. The better survival and maturation rate of follicles in the MA compared to FA scaffold indicates that the MA matrix, being rich in extracellular matrix components, could mimic the ovarian condition better and presents a good environment for follicle development

Diagnostic value of immunohistochemistry staining of Bcl-2, CD34, CD20 and CD3 for distinction between discoid lupus erythematosus and lichen planus in the skin

Background: Cluster of differentiation (CD) markers is a classification system for monoclonal antibodies against cell surface molecules on leukocytes and antigens from other cells. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate immunohistochemical markers in patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and lichen planus (LP) and correlation of these markers in two groups and with the normal group in the West of Iran. Settings and Design: Analytical cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on paraffin blocks of DLE and LP patients with normal group (21, 21 and 16 cases, respectively) between 2009 and 2012. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from each DLE, LP, and normal skin biopsy specimen were cut into 4-μ thick sections and mounted on glass slides. Initial sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Primary antihuman antibodies against CD3, CD20, CD34, and Bcl-2 were applied. Positive control samples for CD3, CD20, and Bcl-2 were received from lymph nodes and for CD34 from dermal microvessels. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 19 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, USA) and Microsoft Excel 2007. Results: The mean staining for four markers was more significant in DLE and LP groups compared to normal group and for CD34 and CD3 was more significant in LP groups versus DLE group. Conclusions: CD3+, CD34+, Bcl-2+, and CD20+ cells are significantly higher in DLE and LP lesional skins versus normal skin. In addition, there were higher expressions of CD3 and CD34 in LP lesional skin versus DLE lesional skin