Ezatollah Rafiei Alavi

Background: Brucellosis in pregnancy is associated with severe outcomes ranging from abortion to neonatal development problems. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the seroprevalence of brucellosis antibodies among pregnant women presented with spontaneous abortion and stillbirth. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 80 cases (stillbirth or spontaneous abortion) and 80 healthy pregnant women were serologically examined for brucellosis antibodies using Coombs, Wright and 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) brucella agglutination tests. The questionnaire consisting of the following data was prepared for all the participants: gestational age, age, history of abortion, parity, source of dairy consumption, contact with livestock, urban or rural living setup, serological outcomes and education levels. Results: The two groups were not significantly different in terms of the brucellosis test. Patients in the case group with and without infection were not significant in terms of contact with livestock, place of residence, dairy consumption, and history of abortion. However, education level was significantly different in the two, seropositive and seronegative, groups. Conclusion: Our study did not find a significant number of seropositive brucellosis cases associated with stillbirth and spontaneous abortion. Further studies with greater samples are therefore recommended.

Persistence of low levels of thyroid hormone from the time of birth is one of the significant causes of the mental retardation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of transient congenital hypothyroidism among neonates in (XXX). This cross-sectional study, neonates aged 3–5 days who were referred to our center for checkup were screened for thyroid stimulating hormone. Those with TSH < 5mIU/l were, infants were subjected to retesting after one week for TSH and T4 levels. A questionnaire consisting of test results, demographic characteristics, place of sampling, gender, need for re-sampling after the second week for TSH level, birth weight, type of hypothyroidism and prematurity was filled for all the neonates. Of 3600 neonates screened, 126 were presented with had TSH above 5 mIU/l, of which 7 had high TSH and low T4 and were diagnosed with transient hypothyroidism (5.3%). The mean weight of the neonates with hypothyroidism of significantly lower, p = 0.001. However, the type of delivery was not associated with the prevalence of hypothyroidism, p = 0.999. The relationship between maternal hypothyroidism, preterm birth and intake of antithyroid drugs and transient hypothyroidism was statistically significant, p < 0.001, respectively. The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism was 1 in 514 births and was significantly associated with preterm birth, mean weight, maternal hypothyroidism and intake of antithyroid drugs. Routine screening in high prevalence regions are therefore importance, considering the associated factors.

Introduction: Regulatory T lymphocytes have an effective role in induction of immune tolerance and angiogenesis during pregnancy. Differentiation and replication of these lymphocytes from other T cells is controlled by FOXP3 transcriptional factor. FOXP3 gene is polymorphic. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the role FOXP3 common polymorphisms in susceptibility to preeclampsia in Lur populations of Lorestan province of Iran. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on three polymorphisms rs2232365 A/G, rs3761548 C/A and rs5902434 del/ATT using polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers (PCR SSP). A total of 100 participants were subjected to be studied. Data analysis was done using Fisher’s exact test and multivariate logistic regression. Results: In rs2232365 polymorphism, AA genotype was a risk factor (P=0.002) and AG genotype was a protecting factor (PP=0.036) and AA genotype was a protecting factor (P=0.015). In polymorphism rs5902434, del/del genotype was a risk factor (P=0.013) and del/ATT genotype was a protecting factor (PP=0.040; odds ratio [OR] =4.19). Conclusion: The present population showed a unique association for the role of FOXP3 polymorphism in susceptibility to preeclampsia in comparison to previous studies.

Ghrelin has recently been reported to exert beneficial effects on various oxidative stresses as a result of its antioxidant properties. Therefore, we designed this study to explore the probable antioxidative effects of this peptide in the testis. Twenty-eight male adult Wistar rats were divided into equal control and treatment groups. In the treatment group, 1 nmol of ghrelin was administered as subcutaneous injection for 10 consecutive days or vehicle (physiological saline) to the control rats. The control and treated rats were killed on days 6 and 10 after beginning of ghrelin injection (n = 7 from each group on each day). The testes were taken and measured for antioxidant enzyme activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Glutathione peroxidase activity significantly increased on day 10 in the treated animals compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Although the mean activity of glutathione peroxidase was greater on day 6 in the ghrelin-treated group than in the control animals, it was not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities between the groups. However, MDA level decreased by ghrelin treatment on day 10 compared with the control rats (P < 0.05). The results of this study indicate for the first time novel evidences for antioxidant properties of ghrelin in the rat testis.