Predictive value of the level of vitamin D in follicular fluid on the outcome of assisted reproductive technology.

Objective: To assess the correlation between the levels of vitamin D in follicular fluid and serum, and to determine whether the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OH-D) in follicular fluid of infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) is associated with the outcome.

Study Design: Eighty-two infertile women undergoing ART at an academic tertiary care centre were recruited for a prospective cohort study. Levels of 25OH-D in follicular fluid and serum were measured.

Developing optimized fMRI protocol for clinical use: comparison of different language paradigms.

Purpose: To compare the potential of five functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) language paradigms in activating language areas in Persian-speaking volunteers in order to optimize these tasks for clinically useful protocol.

Materials And Methods: 16 healthy right-handed Persian-speaking volunteers were studied. Each individual performed five tasks during the fMRI scan: word generation (WG), object naming (ON), word reading (WR), word production (WP), and reverse word reading (RWR).

Nutritional status of children hospitalized in Tabriz Paediatric Hospital, Islamic Republic of Iran, 2008.

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of children consecutively admitted as inpatients to Tabriz Paediatric Hospital in the north-west of the Islamic Republic of Iran between June and August 2008. A total of 140 children aged 2-12 years were included. Patients' weight, height and triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT) were measured, and nutritional status was evaluated.

Estradiol supplementation during the luteal phase in poor responder patients undergoing in vitro fertilization: a randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of adding Estradiol (E2) supplementation to progesterone (P) on improvement of pregnancy outcomes in poor responder patients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Methods: In a prospective randomized clinical trial, 118 poor responder patients, older than 38 years without contraindications of estradiol consumption from Infertility clinic of a university hospital were randomly divided (by computerized software) into two groups. Control group (59 patients) received only P and intervention group (59 patients) received P and E2 (4 mg/d).

Application of density similarities to predict membrane protein types based on pseudo-amino acid composition.

Cell membranes provide integrity of living cells. Although the stability of biological membrane is maintained by the lipid bilayer, membrane proteins perform most of the specific functions such as signal transduction, transmembrane transport, etc. Then it is plausible membrane proteins being attractive drug targets.

Cleavable biotin probes for labeling of biomolecules via azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

The azide-alkyne cycloaddition provides a powerful tool for bio-orthogonal labeling of proteins, nucleic acids, glycans, and lipids. In some labeling experiments, e.g.

Subjective global assessment of nutritional status in children.

This study was aimed to compare the subjective and objective nutritional assessments and to analyse the performance of subjective global assessment (SGA) of nutritional status in diagnosing undernutrition in paediatric patients. One hundred and forty children (aged 2-12 years) hospitalized consecutively in Tabriz Paediatric Hospital from June 2008 to August 2008 underwent subjective assessment using the SGA questionnaire and objective assessment, including anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Agreement between two assessment methods was analysed by the kappa (κ) statistic.

Trend of lipid ratios associated with well known risk factors of coronary artery disease in different age: a population based study of 31,999 healthy individuals.

Background: Developing current evidence in order to better assess the rates and pattern of the CAD risk factors among populations is pivotal in CAD risk stratification.

Methods: A large scale population based survey involving 31,999 healthy people was designed. Risk factors information was provided from medical history, physical examination and laboratory assessments.

Comparison of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists in assisted reproduction cycles of polycystic ovarian syndrome patients.

Aim: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists have reduced the incidence of severe ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS) and rate of hospitalization due to severe OHSS, especially in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients. The present study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients with PCOS undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with GnRH agonist versus GnRH antagonist protocols for assisted reproduction cycles.

Methods: The present clinical trial compared GnRH antagonist (cetrorelix) and GnRH agonist (buserelin) protocols during COH of 112 infertile PCOS patients entering assisted reproduction cycles.

Evaluation of the clinical performance of high-risk human papillomavirus testing for primary screening: a retrospective review of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group experience.

Objective: We investigated the potential impact of using the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) test as a primary screening tool for the detection of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions.

Materials And Methods: From October 2005 to March 2006, conventional cervical cytological samples and Hybrid Capture II HPV tests were cocollected from all patients. Human papillomavirus tests were processed in all women aged 30 years and older and women younger than 30 years with a cytological finding of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.

Sudden deterioration due to intra-tumoral hemorrhage of ependymoma of the fourth ventricle in a child during a flight: a case report.

Introduction: To the best of our knowledge, the association between air travel and intra-tumoral hemorrhage in pediatric populations has never been described previously.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a two-and-a-half-year-old Caucasian, Iranian boy with a hemorrhaging brain tumor. He had a posterior fossa midline mass and severe hydrocephalus.

Cortical representation of Persian word production: an fMRI study.

Background: Neural correlates of single word reading with the use of a functional MRI (fMRI) scan have been widely studied in different languages. These study patterns of cortical activation differ in different languages. In this report we used a similar technique to study cortical activation when reading single Persian words.

Effects of dietary egg yolk antibody powder on growth performance, intestinal Escherichia coli colonization, and immunocompetence of challenged broiler chicks.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of different levels of specific IgY (sIgY) and nonspecific IgY (nsIgY) egg yolk antibody powder on growth performance, immune functions, and intestinal morphology of Escherichia coli O78:K80-challenged broiler chicks. Lyophilized antibody isolated by the water-dilution method was obtained from the eggs of laying hens hyperimmunized with E. coli O78:K80.

Screening for decreased renal function in taxi drivers in Tehran, Iran.

Background And Objectives: The rapid increase in end stage renal disease (ESRD) prevalence, plus the enormous cost of treatment, necessitates an urgent approach to implement strategies to prevent development and progression of ESRD, especially in the developing world. Screening that leads to early identification and treatment has been recommended, as it may slow or prevent progression to a more expensive and disabling stage of the disease and thus may save lives as well as finite resources.

Methods: In 2007, the Healthy City Office of Tehran municipality conducted a large-scale population-based cross-sectional survey titled "Kidney Disease Screening of Taxi Drivers in Tehran.

Pelvic radiation improves local control after hysterectomy for uterine leiomyosarcoma: a 20-year experience.

Background: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is associated with high rate of recurrence after surgical resection. The role of adjuvant radiation therapy in improving survival in women with uterine LMS is unclear.

Methods: All cases of LMS treated from 1985 to 2005 at 11 regional medical centers were identified.

Cell-selective metabolic labeling of proteins.

Metabolic labeling of proteins with the methionine surrogate azidonorleucine can be targeted exclusively to specified cells through expression of a mutant methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS). In complex cellular mixtures, proteins made in cells that express the mutant synthetase can be tagged with affinity reagents (for detection or enrichment) or fluorescent dyes (for imaging). Proteins made in cells that do not express the mutant synthetase are neither labeled nor detected.

Manipulation of signaling thresholds in "engineered stem cell niches" identifies design criteria for pluripotent stem cell screens.

In vivo, stem cell fate is regulated by local microenvironmental parameters. Governing parameters in this stem cell niche include soluble factors, extra-cellular matrix, and cell-cell interactions. The complexity of this in vivo niche limits analyses into how individual niche parameters regulate stem cell fate.

The role of black holes in galaxy formation and evolution.

Virtually all massive galaxies, including our own, host central black holes ranging in mass from millions to billions of solar masses. The growth of these black holes releases vast amounts of energy that powers quasars and other weaker active galactic nuclei. A tiny fraction of this energy, if absorbed by the host galaxy, could halt star formation by heating and ejecting ambient gas.

Menstrual cycle length in relation to antimüllerian hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.

Objective: To find a relationship between serum antimüllerian hormone (AMH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in women with regular menstruation.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 71 women with male factor infertility. Serum level of AMH and FSH and mean menstrual cycle length (MCL) were measured.

Subjective vs objective nutritional assessment study in children: a cross-sectional study in the northwest of Iran.

Different methods have been used to assess nutritional status in hospitalized pediatric patients, and there is no agreement on the finest index which reflects nutritional status. The aim of this study was to compare the subjective global assessment (SGA) and objective assessment of nutritional status in hospitalized pediatric patients. One hundred forty children with mean age of 6.

Testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels and IVF/ICSI results.

Objective: To determine the effect of serum androgens [testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS)] on in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes.

Study Design: This observational (cross sectional) study was conducted on 53 consecutive infertile women undergoing IVF cycles in an academic infertility clinic between September 2006 and August 2007. Basal testosterone and DHEAS were measured and on third day of IVF cycle and on 14th day of embryo transfer these values were re-checked.

Brain abscess as a manifestation of spinal dermal sinus.

Dermal sinuses have been associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to drainage of purulent material from the sinus tract, inclusion tumors, meningitis, and spinal abscess. To date, there has been no documented report of brain abscess as a complication of spinal dermal sinus. Here, we report an 8-month-old girl who was presented initially with a brain abscess at early infancy but lumbar dermal sinus and associated spinal abscess were discovered afterwards.

The outcome of Iranian children on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: the first report of Iranian National Registry.

Background: Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is not a very common modality to treat Iranian children with end-stage renal disease; however, there is sometimes no choice but to offer this therapy to salvage the patient. Obviously, promotion in each program needs re-evaluation to find the pitfalls. Therefore, a nation-wide survey on pediatric continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis was conducted to find the cause of death or termination of dialysis.