Mouse oocyte vitrification: the effects of two methods on maturing germinal vesicle breakdown oocytes

Purpose  

Evaluation of viability and subsequent developmental ability of mouse germinal vesicle breakdown oocytes vitrified in conventional straws.     

Prevalence of aeroallergens in allergic rhinitis in shiraz

Allergic rhinitis is an extremely common disease worldwide. Aeroallergens are very often involved in allergic rhinitis and their prevalence may vary in different regions. The causative allergens of allergic rhinitis in our area are unknown.The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of skin reactivity to different aeroallergens in patients with allergic rhinitis in the city of Shiraz, Iran.A total of 212 patients who were referred to Motahari Allergy Clinic with chronic rhinitis were subjected to skin prick test (SPT) with a series of common allergenic extracts including grasses, weeds, trees, house dust mites and moulds. One hundred and thirty two subjects (62.2%) had positive SPT to at least one aeroallergen. Male to female ratio was 1.2 and mean age was 18.2 years. The prevalence rates for allergen groups were: pollens (92.4%), mites (22.7%) and moulds (8.3%). Among 122 patients reactive to pollens, 92 (75.4%) showed skin reactivity to weeds, 78 (63.9%) to grasses and 68 (55.7%) to trees. Polysensitization was common, with 75.7% of all sensitized patients being positive to more than one aeroallergen.Pollens are the main sensitizing allergens among patients with allergic rhinitis in Shiraz. This pattern of prevalence was expected based on herbal geography, climate and also found to be compatible with the results from studies carried out in places with the same habitat.     

Hydrothermal Endometrial Ablation Can Reduce the Need for Hysterectomy and Transfusion

Women seeking emergency care for severe uterine hemorrhage with profound anemia often undergo transfusion dilatation curettage and ultimately hysterectomy. The purpose of this article is to describe a modern conservative approach to treating persistent uterine hemorrhage unresponsive to medical therapy, avoiding transfusion and allowing for nonemergent future therapy without the potential complications of transfusion. Six patients with unremitting uterine bleeding were included in the study performed in the Department of Gynecology at an academically affiliated general hospital. Patients underwent successful hydrothermal endometrial ablation after failed medical therapy. This procedure is effective in controlling severe uterine bleeding in patients with large intrauterine fibroids; thus, the number of women being transfused can be significantly reduced.     

Validation of the Thessaly test for detecting meniscal tears in anterior cruciate deficient knees

Meniscal injuries are frequently associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Clinical tests that are useful for detecting meniscal tears may not be valid in this setting. The Thessaly test, a newly described dynamic clinical examination, has been shown to have a very high diagnostic accuracy for detecting meniscal tears. This study evaluates the accuracy of the Thessaly test in patients with combined ACL and meniscus injuries. We examined eighty patients with ACL deficiency for meniscal injuries using the Thessaly test (at 20° of knee flexion), the lateral and medial joint line tenderness tests, and the McMurray test. Examiners were blinded to the MRI report on the conditions of the menisci. All patients underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction during which the menisci were evaluated by direct vision and probing. During the Thessaly test, six patients developed severe pain and could not complete the test. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and predictive values were calculated for all tests. The Thessaly test had a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 40%, positive predictive value of 56%, negative predictive value of 66%, positive likelihood ratio of 1.33, negative likelihood ratio of 0.51%, and overall accuracy of 60%. We concluded that the Thesally test has a low specificity in patients with combined ACL and meniscal injuries and can not be recommended as a diagnostic test in this setting.     

A reinvestigation of the analgesic effects induced by stimulation of the periaqueductal gray matter in the rat. I. The production of behavioral side effects together with analgesia

It has been shown that stimulation-produced-analgesia (SPA) in the cat elicited from the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) is obtained from sites located in the ventral part, particularly the dorsal raphé nucleus (DRN). These data contrast with the numerous studies performed in the rat in which efficient sites seem widely distributed throughout the PAG. These discrepancies led us to reinvestigate SPA from PAG and adjacent structures in the rat. Central stimulation was delivered through bipolar concentric electrodes (one for each animal). Analgesia was evaluated (before and during central stimulation) by measuring the modification in the vocalization threshold induced by electrical tail shocks or by considering the reaction of the animal to pinch. In contrast with the majority of previous studies, these experiments were performed on the totally freely-moving rat. The most striking result was that, in order to obtain analgesia from all regions of the PAG, it was necessary to apply intensities of central stimulation which also triggered other strong behavioral reactions. With intensities of PAG stimulation which did not induce such side effects, very few effective analgesic sites were found (21/129 sites of which 14/83 were strictly located in the PAG). However, it was possible to define two 'pure analgesic regions', both located in the ventral PAG: one centered on the dorsomedial part of the DRN and the other one situated in the ventrolateral PAG. No modification of nociceptive thresholds was observed when stimulating the dorsal and dorsolateral parts of the PAG as well as structures adjacent to these regions; in some rats, an increase in pain reactivity was even noted. When the intensity of central stimulation (applied to the various parts of the PAG) was increased, some stereotyped 'behavioral responses' occurred depending on the location of the stimulation site: motor effects (gnawing, rotation or tremor) in the ventral PAG and aversive effects (flight, jumping and on occasions, distress vocalizations) in the dorsal, dorsolateral PAG and in the ventral region just surrounding the cerebral aqueduct. Under these conditions, analgesia was obtained from practically the entire PAG, the vocalization threshold being increased dramatically on occasions. It must be emphasized that antinociceptive effects associated with other obvious behavioral manifestations (aversive ones) were also obtained from sites located outside the PAG (colliculi and tectum adjacent to the dorsal and dorsolateral PAG).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Estimation of anthropogenic mercury emission from various sources in Iran

This research has been done to estimate the mercury emission in Iran following to the UNEP procedures, which to identify and to quantify of mercury releases of anthropogenic sources in Iran. According to results, the rate of mercury emission in Iran in 2015 was 136.78 ton per year in which 31.5 ton has been emitted to the air, 9.8 ton to water, 10.1 ton to land, 18.5 ton to products, 5.5 ton to general wastes, and 61.3 ton to sector specific sector-specific treatment/disposal. The results also showed that total mercury emissions in Iran were about 1.58 ram per year. These high values compared with other countries attributed to lack of control technologies and use of non-environmental friendly technology in Chlor-alkali production. Chlor-alkali plant is responsible of 50% mercury emission in all environmental compartments in Iran.     

Radiation-induced brachial plexopathy: clinical and electromyographical (EMG) considerations in 13 cases

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and electromyographical characteristics of the initial picture, and the subsequent course of the radiation-induced brachial plexopathy. The AA. studied 13 females affected by infiltrating carcinoma of the breast, who underwent a radical mastectomy with removal of the axillary cavity, followed by radiotherapy (total dose was 50 Gy per cycle). The symptom-free interval between the end of radiotherapy and the appearance of symptoms varied considerably (from one month to 15 years). The initial clinical picture presented pain (5 cases), paresthesia (6 cases) and motor deficit (8 cases). EMG examination showed a pluriradicular denervation in 10 cases (with a very frequent damage of the lower roots of the plexus) and a monoradicular denervation in 3 cases. In 6 cases it was possible to carry out a follow-up with repeated tests for 3-17 years after radiotherapy. The role of the EMG in the diagnosis and prognosis of this plexopathy is then discussed.     

Differential ability of tachykinin NK-1 and NK-2 agonists to produce scratching and grooming behaviours in mice

Potent and selective NK-1 and NK-2 agonists as well as compounds with lower selectivity and affinity for NK-1 binding sites were compared in their ability to produce scratching and grooming behaviours when injected intracerebroventricularly in mice. Septide, an agonist with a low affinity for NK-1 binding sites, [Sar⁹, Met(O₂)¹¹]SP and to a lesser extent [Pro⁹]SP, two potent and selective NK-1 agonists were the most effective drugs in stimulating these behaviours. Only high doses of [Apa^9,10]SP and [Lys⁵, Tyr⁷, Pro⁸]NKA(4–10), two agonists with low affinity for NK-1 binding sites, produced scratching and grooming responses. Similarly, only high doses of [Lys⁵, MeLeu⁹, NLe¹⁰]NKA(4–10), a potent NK-2 agonist, produced grooming behaviour. When coinjected with the endopeptidase enzyme inhibitor phosphoramidon, the effects of [Apa^9,10]SP, [Lys⁵, Tyr⁷, Pro⁸]NKA(4–10) and [Pro⁹]SP were markedly enhanced. Analyses of the potency of the different agents to displace ³H-SP binding in mouse subcortical structures revealed that the affinities of the agonists for NK-1 receptors are similar to those previously reported in rat brain. The efficacy of the agonists at producing behavioural responses was not equivalent to their potency to bind to central NK-1 receptors. These findings therefore suggest that a stimulation of NK-1 but also non classical NK-1 receptors are involved in the induction of scratching and grooming behaviours.