Effects of melatonin and human follicular fluid supplementation of in vitro maturation medium on mouse vitrified germinal vesicle oocytes: A laboratory study.

Background: Vitrification as the most efficient method of cryopreservation, enables successful storage of oocytes for couples who undergo specific procedures including surgery and chemotherapy. However, the efficacy of in vitro maturation (IVM) methods with vitrified germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes could be improved.

Objective: As melatonin and follicular fluid (FF) might enhance IVM conditions, we used these supplements to assess the maturation rate of vitrified GV oocytes and their artificial fertilization rate.

Effects of trust-based decision making in disrupted supply chains.

The United States has experienced prolonged severe shortages of vital medications over the past two decades. The causes underlying the severity and prolongation of these shortages are complex, in part due to the complexity of the underlying supply chain networks, which involve supplier-buyer interactions across multiple entities with competitive and cooperative goals. This leads to interesting challenges in maintaining consistent interactions and trust among the entities.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Social Capital Questionnaire in Iran.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of Social Capital Questionnaire ( SCQ) developed by Onyx and Bullen (2000) among a sample of medical science students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran and to compare the factor analysis with findings from two previous studies in Australia and the United States.

Methods: Multistage cluster sampling was employed to recruit 293 medical science students (Male: 95/Female: 198) from 7 faculties in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. After translating SCQ into Persian applying back-translation technique and three-stage consensus panel, the questionnaires administered to the respondents and they were asked to complete them.

Methodological studies of multiple reference genes as endogenous controls in vascular gene expression studies.

Detection and quantification of differentially expressed genes requires valid and reliable references to control for error variability introduced by preparatory procedures or efficiency of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification conditions. So-called housekeeping genes are frequently used as endogenous standards, based on the assumption that they are constitutively expressed and independent of experimental conditions. However, if the influence of experimental stimuli is to be analyzed, it cannot a priori be assumed that their expression is unaffected by stimulation.