The benefit of intravenous immune globulin in the treatment of delayed radiation myelopathy.

Delayed radiation myelopathy (DRM) is a rare yet severe complication of radiotherapy. This condition has a progressive pattern that is often irreversible. Several therapeutic strategies have been introduced to alleviate disease complications, including corticosteroids, hyperbaric oxygen, anticoagulants, and antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. However, despite their beneficial effect, they have not been the definitive treatments for DRM. Here we present the case of a 55-year-old woman with a history of multiple myeloma who developed neurological complications 11 months after radiation therapy. As her radiologic findings demonstrated transverse myelitis, based on the DRM diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis of delayed radiation myelitis was reached. Therefore, methylprednisolone pulse therapy was initiated, resulting in the complete resolution of her neurological symptoms. However, on her follow-up examination, although she did not have new neurological complications, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a residual enhancement in the thoracic spinal cord area. Hence, due to the possibility of myelitis progression and spinal cord atrophy, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) was administered, resulting in the resolution of lesion enhancement. Considering this outcome and the immunomodulatory properties of IVIG, it could be regarded as a potential therapeutic option in the case of DRM activity.

Association of leptin G2548A and leptin receptor Q223R polymorphisms and their serum levels with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss in Iranian women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Adipokine leptin plays a crucial role in metabolic and reproductive functions. Leptin receptor has a soluble form that binds to leptin, thus modulating its level in the circulation. It has been indicated that the levels of leptin and leptin receptor and also LEP rs7799039 and LEPR rs1137101 polymorphisms are associated with metabolic disorders. In the present study, we assessed the levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), and also the frequency of rs7799039 and rs1137101 polymorphisms in healthy fertile women and patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), inclusive of PCOS-infertile and PCOS-recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) subjects. METHODS: A total of 324 PCOS patients- including 199 infertile cases and 125 patients with a history of RPL- and 144 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Biochemical parameters and plasma leptin and sOB-R levels were measured by ELISA and the genotypes of rs7799039 and rs1137101 polymorphisms were determined using PCR- RFLP. RESULTS: Plasma leptin and sOB-R levels were significantly higher and lower in PCOS, PCOS-infertile and PCOS RPL groups, respectively. The GG genotype frequencies of rs7799039 and rs1137101 polymorphisms were significantly different between PCOS-infertile women and non-PCOS subjects (P = 0.043, OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.22-0.97, and P = 0.01, OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.12-0.75, respectively). Increased LEP levels were associated with the risk of PCOS and RPL in women with PCOS (P = 0.039, OR = 1.203, 95%CI = [1.009-1.435] and P = 0.012, OR = 1.267, 95% CI = [1.054-1.522], respectively). CONCLUSION: Polymorphisms rs7799039 and rs1137101 and circulating leptin and sOB-R levels were associated with infertility in Iranian women with PCOS. Further studies are needed to reveal the role of leptin in PCOS pathogenesis.

Effects of silymarin, cabergoline and letrozole on rat model of endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Silymarin as an herbal drug has potent antioxidant effects that could make it a good choice for endometriosis therapy. The aim of the current study was to determine the effects of silymarin as an herbal drug on induced endometrial lesion in rat model of endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 32 mature, female Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated into 4 experimental groups. The duration of study was about 6 months. Endometriosis implants were surgically prepared and autografted into 32 rats. Three weeks after endometriosis induction, animals were randomly allocated into four groups: Group 1 received cabergoline (CAB group); Group 2 received letrozole (LET group); Group 3 received silymarin (SIL group) and Group 4 received no medication (CONT group). Experimental groups were treated for 3 weeks and then were sacrificed for volume and histopathological evaluation of implants and biochemical assessment. Serum and peritoneal levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), total antioxidant activity (TAC) and tumor necrosis (TNF)-α were measured. RESULTS: Mean volume of the implants decreased significantly in silymarin (p < 0.001), letrozole (p < 0.001) and cabergoline (p < 0.001) groups compared to the control. Histopathologic score was significantly lower in silymarin (p: 0.039), letrozole (p: 0.017) and cabergoline (p < 0.001) groups compared to the control. Those receiving silymarin had significantly higher serum TAC compared to control after 21 days of therapy (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Silymarin, Letrozole, and Cabergoline administration resulted in decreased size and histopathologic grade of the induced endometrial lesions in a rat model. Silymarin appears to be a virtual novel therapeutic agent for treatment of endometriosis.

Role of vitamin E and D3 supplementation in Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection outcomes of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A double blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Ovulation induction has been proven to impose oxidative stress during ICSI treatment cycle. Also, data indicates that PCOS women show higher oxidative markers. Available data are not convincing about which antioxidant supplements have the potential to overcome oxidative stress in PCOS subjects. The aim of this trial was to investigate the possible role of combined vitamin E and D supplementation in the ICSI outcomes (oocyte number and quality, embryo number and quality, pregnancy rate) of PCOS subjects. METHODS: A total of 105 PCOS infertile women scheduled for ICSI were enrolled in a double-blinded RCT to treatment group (vitamin E, 400 mg/day - and vitamin D3, 50,000 IU/one in two weeks, n = 52) or placebo group (n = 53) for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were implantation rate, pregnancy and clinical pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes included oocyte quality, embryo quality, fertilization rate, alteration in serum MDA, TAC and vitamin D3 after treatment. Further, association between serum and follicular fluid Malondialdehyde (MDA), Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), and serum vitamin D3 level were assessed. RESULTS: Pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and implantation rate were significantly higher in treatment group (P < 0.001). Data analysis in both groups revealed a significant increase in serum MDA compared to baseline and a significant decrease in serum TAC compared to baseline after treatment. Further analysis showed that there is a positive weak association between vitamin D level, implantation rate (P = 0.015) and increased clinical pregnancy (P = 0.037). No significant association was detected between either follicular fluid or serum MDA and TAC and ICSI outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the findings of this trial do not add clinical support to the evidence that vitamins E and D3 may play a role in the success rate of IVF via an antioxidant mechanism. REGISTRY CODE: IRCT2014081018662N1.

Construction of genetically engineered M13K07 helper phage for simultaneous phage display of gold binding peptide 1 and nuclear matrix protein 22 ScFv antibody.

The most common techniques of antibody phage display are based on the use of M13 filamentous bacteriophages. This study introduces a new genetically engineered M13K07 helper phage displaying multiple copies of a known gold binding peptide on p8 coat proteins. The recombinant helper phages were used to rescue a phagemid vector encoding the p3 coat protein fused to the nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) ScFv antibody. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis revealed that the expression of gold binding peptide 1 (GBP1) on major coat protein p8 significantly enhances the gold-binding affinity of M13 phages. The recombinant bacteriophages at concentrations above 5×104 pfu/ml red-shifted the UV-vis absorbance spectra of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs); however, the surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles was not changed by the wild type bacteriophages at concentrations up to 1012 pfu/ml. The phage ELISA assay demonstrated the high affinity binding of bifunctional bacteriophages to NMP22 antigen at concentrations of 105 and 106 pfu/ml. Thus, the p3 end of the bifunctional bacteriophages would be able to bind to specific target antigen, while the AuNPs were assembled along the coat of virus for signal generation. Our results indicated that the complex of antigen-bacteriophages lead to UV-vis spectral changes of AuNPs and NMP22 antigen in concentration range of 10-80µg/ml can be detected by bifunctional bacteriophages at concentration of 104 pfu/ml. The ability of bifunctional bacteriophages to bind to antigen and generate signal at the same time, makes this approach applicable for identifying different antigens in immunoassay techniques.

Effect of Administration of Single Dose GnRH Agonist in Luteal Phase on Outcome of ICSI-ET Cycles in Women with Previous History of IVF/ICSI Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: GnRH agonist administration in the luteal phase has been suggested to beneficially affect the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET) cycles. This blind randomized controlled study evaluates the effect of GnRH (Gonadotropine Releasing Hormone) agonist administration on ICSI outcome in GnRH antagonist ovarian stimulation protocol in women with 2 or more previous IVF/ICSI-ET failures. METHODS: One hundred IVF failure women who underwent ICSI cycles and stimulated with GnRH antagonist ovarian stimulation protocol, were included in the study. Women were randomly assigned to intervention (received a single dose injection of GnRH agonist (0.1 mg of Decapeptil) subcutaneously 6 days after oocyte retrieval) and control (did not receive GnRH agonist) groups. Implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were the primary outcome measures. RESULTS: Although the age of women, the number of embryos transferred in the current cycle and the quality of the transferred embryos were similar in the two groups, there was a significantly higher rate of implantation (Mann Whitney test, p = 0.041) and pregnancy (32.6% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.030, OR = 3.3, 95%CI, 1.08 to 10.4) in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that, in addition to routine luteal phase support using progesterone, administration of 0.1 mg of Decapeptil 6 days after oocyte retrieval in women with previous history of 2 or more IVF/ICSI failures led to a significant improvement in implantation and pregnancy rates after ICSI following ovarian stimulation with GnRH antagonist protocol.

ART Outcomes in GnRH Antagonist Protocol (Flexible) and Long GnRH Agonist Protocol during Early Follicular Phase in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Since increased LH in the early follicular phase in PCOS patients especially in GnRH antagonist protocol could be associated with reduced oocyte quality and pregnancy and impared implantation. The current study was conducted to determine ART outcomes in GnRH antagonist protocol (flexible) and long GnRH agonist protocol and compare them with adding GnRH antagonist in GnRH antagonist (flexible) protocol during early follicular phase in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing ICSI. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 150 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing ICSI were enrolled from 2012 to 2014 and randomly assigned to receive either GnRH antagonist protocol during early and late follicular phase or GnRH antagonist protocol (flexible) or long GnRH agonist protocol. The clinical and laboratory pregnancy in three groups was determined and compared. In this context, the chi-square and Fisher's exact test and ANOVA were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was defined as p<0.05. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference with respect to chemical pregnancy and clinical pregnancy between the three groups. Also, other indices such as number and quality of oocytes and embryos were alike. CONCLUSION: Totally, according to our results, GnRH antagonist protocol during early and late follicular phase and GnRH antagonist protocol (flexible) and long GnRH agonist protocol in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing ICSI are similarly effective and use of each one based on patients' condition and physicians' opinion could be considered.

Biomolecular markers in assessment and treatment of asthma.

Asthma is a chronic and heterogeneous inflammatory disorder with several different phenotypes. Whereas clinical features of asthma are non-specific and pulmonary function tests are often insensitive, further development is needed for efficient treatment or even early diagnosis. Recently, several airway inflammatory biomarkers have emerged as valuable tools in diagnosis and management of asthma. The analysis of molecular markers of airways inflammation has provided promising and non-invasive techniques that facilitate the detection of disease phenotypes as well as measurement of therapeutic efficacy. Although conventional treatments remain the preferred therapy, they do not adequately control some severe cases of asthma. Novel therapeutic agents have been developed to target various biomarkers involved in the inflammatory responses and have been investigated in patients with asthma. In this article, we summarized the most studied asthma biomarkers, derived from a variety of biological sources including exhaled gases, induced sputum, serum and urine. Likewise, the effects of current anti-inflammatory asthma treatments on inflammatory biomarkers and some promising biomarkers for developing new targeted therapies are also discussed.

A comparison of serum androgens in pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the serum androgens level during the third trimester of pregnancy between normotensive and pre-eclamptic women. METHOD: A case-control study was performed on 64 pregnant women with the gestational age of 28-34 weeks. 32 women were pre-eclamptic (case group), and 32 women were normotensive till term gestation (control group). The serum level of androgens including sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), total and free testosterone, androstenedione (ADD), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The women of the two groups had no statistically significant difference according to age, gestational age, BMI (body mass index), parity and fetal sex. Serum level of SHBG (90.86 ± 9.30 vs. 55.86 ± 8.02 nmol/l, p = 0.02), total testosterone (3.70 ± 0.57 vs. 2.06 ± 0.24 ng/ml, p = 0.01), free testosterone (1.28 ± 0. 17 vs. 0. 74 ± 0.07 pg/ml, p = 0.01), and ADD (2.47 ± 0.10 vs. 2.17 ± 0.10 ng/ml, p = 0.04), was higher in the pre-eclamptic women. However, there was no difference between the two groups for DHEA-S (0.75 ± 0.18 vs. 0.51 ± 0.08 µg/ml, p = 0.19). CONCLUSION: Serum androgen levels during third trimester of pregnancy are higher in pre-eclamptic women and this may propose an effect of androgens in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.