Antioxidant Effects of Brown Algae Sargassum on Sperm Parameters: CONSORT-Compliant Article

The occurrence of oxidative stress during the sperm freeze-thaw cycles affects the sperm parameters and eventually leads to a decrease in its reproductive potential. Sperm protection against oxidative reactions during freezing is done by antioxidants. Since the selection of a suitable sperm cryopreservation bank is effective in maintaining acceptable reproductive potential and motility of sperm during cryopreservation.This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant effects of different doses of the extract of brown algae Sargassum on oxidative stress and frozen human sperm parameters.We conducted a randomized controlled trial on the semen samples from 11 healthy men in the age group of 25 to 36 years. The samples were collected by masturbation after 3 to 5 days of abstinence from ejaculation. The specimens were divided into 3 equal parts, including 1 control group and 2 experimental groups.The 2 experimental groups were frozen using the rapid solidification technique with Sargassum extract at doses of 250 and 500 μg/mL.Motility and morphology of sperms were measured using a computer system and CASA software and the amount of reactive oxygen species was determined using Oxisperm kit.Sargassum extract significantly decreased the amount of reactive oxygen species (P < 0.005) and at doses of 250 and 500 μg/mL, significantly increased the overall motility (P < 0.006) and progressive motility (P < 0.007) after solidification, but did not affect the normal morphology of sperms.The addition of ethanol extract of Sargassum prevents reactive oxygen species production during the solidification process and improves sperm motility at doses of 250 and 500 μg/mL.     

Evaluating the Correlation Between the Survival Rate of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Expression of p53 and Cyclin D1 Biomarkers Along with Other Prognostic Factors

Objective

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the survival rate of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and expression of two biomarkers along with age, gender, tumor margin, depth of invasion, site of tumor, tumor diameter, tumor grade, number of involved nodes, and vascular invasion.

Materials and Methods

In this retrospective survey, medical records of patients referred to the Shohada-e Tajrish hospital during 2001 to 2005 were reviewed and subjects with definite diagnosis of SCC were included. Required data were extracted from the patients’ records, and their prepared paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were collected under supervision of two pathologists. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis was performed at the Firoozgar hospital in Tehran, Iran.

Results

The studied population included 20 men (74%) and 7 women (26%). The mean age at diagnosis was 58 ± 22. Results showed significantly higher survival rates in women compared to men (85.7 vs. 40%) (p = 0.001) and in patients with well-differentiated tumors compared to poor-differentiated cases (20 vs. 5%) (p = 0.004). No significant relationship was found between p53 expression and prognostic factors like age, gender, the site, grade, and size of the tumor, depth of invasion, involvement of lymph nodes, and vascular invasion.

Conclusion

Positivity of p53 and cyclin D1 was not found to be predictive of survival in patients with esophageal SCC which might be due to the small sample size of the present survey. Further investigations with larger sample populations and longer follow-ups are required to evaluate this correlation.

     

Assessment of women's empowerment: An exploratory study to develop a valid and reliable Persian-version tool

Abstract

Lack of a valid and reliable women's empowerment tool was reported by previous studies in Iran. The authors of this paper, accordingly, intended to fill this gap by developing a valid questionnaire. 600 women in Dezful city, southeast of Iran, took part in the study in 2014–2015. Multistage sampling method was used to recruit the participants. Our exploratory factor analysis revealed that 18 items of the model loaded on 4 factors. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was suitable as Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.77. Considering high validity and shortness of the questionnaire, it can be used as a trustful and comprehensive tool to measure women's empowerment in future studies.     

Reduced-port surgery for right paraduodenal hernia in an adult patient: A case report and review of the literature

Paraduodenal hernia (PDH) is a congenital internal hernia caused by an abnormal rotation of the midgut during embryotic life; it is characterized as right- or left-sided according to the hernial sac location. Herein, we describe a case of a 30-year-old male patient who was preoperatively diagnosed with right PDH and underwent successful laparoscopic repair using reduced-port surgery (RPS). The patient presented with postprandial nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced CT and an upper gastric series led to the preoperative diagnosis of right PDH associated with intestinal malrotation. Thereafter, laparoscopic repair using RPS was performed. After the small bowels were reduced from the hernial sac, the hernial orifice was opened widely and laterally. The postoperative course was uneventful. This is the first report of a successful laparoscopic surgery on right PDH using RPS.     

Ultrasound-guided interscalene nerve block vs procedural sedation by propofol and fentanyl for anterior shoulder dislocations

Background

Few studies were performed to compare ultrasound guided brachial plexus block with procedural sedation for reduction of shoulder dislocations in the Emergency Department (ED). This study was done to provide further evidence regarding this comparison.

Influence of levothyroxine treatment on serum levels of soluble Fas (CD95) and Fas Ligand (CD95L) in chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism

Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis results in the destruction of thyrocytes in chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism (CAIH). In this study, we examined the serum levels of soluble Fas (sFas) and soluble sFas ligand (sFasL) in euthyroid patients with chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism, who were taking levothyroxine (euthyroid, LT4-CAIH), to investigate the possible role of thyroid hormone therapy in down-regulation of apoptotic factors. Fifty euthyroid patients with CAIH on levothyroxine (median of duration 36 months, range 6-228 months) were compared with 75 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Serum levels of soluble Fas and soluble Fas Ligand, autoantibodies to thyroid peroxide and thyroglobulin were measured using ELISA. Serum levels of sFas were significantly higher in the euthyroid, LT4-CAIH group [median 9.12 ng/ml, interquartile range (7.86-10.72 ng/ml)] than in the controls [6.11 ng/ml (5.60-6.81 ng/ml)] (P < 0.0001). Compared with controls [80.33 pg/ml (68.22-103.70 pg/ml)], the euthyroid, LT4-CAIH group [125.71 pg/ml (106.11-149.48 pg/ml)] had significantly higher levels of sFasL (P < 0.0001). In a chronological study, there was no significant correlation between sFas, sFasL, and the duration of levothyroxine therapy. In conclusion, normalization of serum sFas and sFasL levels cannot be achieved during levothyroxine treatment in patients with CAIH. It appears that levothyroxine therapy has no important effect on down-regulation of apoptotic factors in CAIH. Thus, like thyroid autoantibodies, monitoring of serum levels of sFas/sFasL is not indicated during thyroid hormone therapy.     

Antimicrobial properties of Teucrium polium against some clinical pathogens

ObjectiveTo explore the antibacterial effect of the alcoholic extracts of aerial parts of Teucrium polium, native in Iran on some pathogenic bacteria.MethodsAntibacterial activity of ethanolic extract (50 to 400 mg/mL) and methanolic extract (400 and 600 mg/mL) was evaluated by disc diffusion method.ResultsThe ethanolic extract results showed that Bacillus anthracis was the most sensitive species, while Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis were more resistant than others. In the case of the methanolic extract, Bordetella bronchiseptica was the most sensitive and Proteus mirabilis and Arcanobacterium pyogenes were the most resistant species. The hydroalcoholic extract of Teucrium polium had a relatively satisfactory effect on Salmonella typhi. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi was 40 mg/mL and Bordetella bronchiseptica and Bacillus anthracis was 10 mg/mL. The minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) against Bacillus anthracis was 10 mg/mL while against other species were not found (>200 mg/mL). The methanolic extract had also synergistic effect with methicillin, vancomycin against Staphylococcus aureus and with novobiocin against Salmonella typhi.ConclusionsThese results suggest that this plant contains relatively good antibacterial activity and it can be used as a source of antiseptic compounds for medicinal uses.     

4-anilino-5-carboxamido-2-pyridone derivatives as noncompetitive inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase

A new series of MEK1 inhibitors, the 4-anilino-5-carboxamido-2-pyridones, were designed and synthesized using a combination of medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and structural elucidation. The effect of variation in the carboxamide side chain, substitution on the pyridone nitrogen, and replacement of the 4'-iodide were all investigated. This study afforded several compounds which were either equipotent or more potent than the clinical candidate CI-1040 (1) in an isolated enzyme assay, as well as murine colon carcinoma (C26) cells, as measured by suppression of phosphorylated ERK substrate. Most notably, pyridone 27 was found to be more potent than 1 in vitro and produced a 100% response rate at a lower dose than 1, when tested for in vivo efficacy in animals bearing C26 tumors.     

Functional inactivation of orexin 1 receptors in CA1 region impairs acquisition, consolidation and retrieval in Morris water maze task

Orexin containing neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) produce orexin-A (hypocretin-1) and orexin-B (hypocretin-2) and send their axons to the hippocampus, which predominantly expresses orexin 1 receptors (OX1Rs) showing a higher affinity to orexin-A. Recent studies have shown that central administration of orexin-A has an effect on learning and memory but literature concerning the role of orexinergic system in cognition remains controversial. Therefore, we examined the effect of pre-training, post-training and pre-probe trial intrahippocampal CA1 administration of a selective OX1R the orexin 1 receptor antagonist SB-334867-A (1.5, 3, 6 microg/0.5 microl) on acquisition, consolidation and retrieval in a single-day testing version of Morris water maze (MWM) task. Our results show that, SB-334867-A impaired acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of MWM task as compared with the control group. This drug had no effect on escape latency of a non-spatial visual discrimination task. Therefore, it seems that endogenous orexins, especially orexin-A, play an important role in spatial learning and memory in the rat.     

Small bowel metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer

Small bowel metastasis from lung cancer is rare. We present 2 cases of small bowel metastasis from lung cancer. A 69-year-old man with postoperative lung cancer was admitted to our hospital because of the development of anemia secondary to melena A 56-year-old man with postoperative lung cancer was admitted to our hospital because of weight loss and fever. Both patients were operated on with suspicion of small intestine tumor after some examinations. The metastatic tumors were found in the small intestines. Resection of metastasis to the small bowel of lung cancer is benefical for better prognosis.