Accumulation of macrophages within the artery wall is an eminent feature of atherosclerotic plaques. Macrophages are influenced by various plaque microenvironmental stimuli, such as oxidized lipids, ...cytokines, and senescent erythrocytes, and thereby polarize into two main phenotypes called proinflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. In the hemorrhagic zones of atheroma, upon exposure to iron, sequestration of iron by M1 macrophages results in an uncontrolled proinflammatory phenotype impairing wound healing, while M2 macrophages phagocytose both apoptotic cells and senescent erythrocytes. M1 macrophages are prominent phenotype in the unstable plaques, in which plaque shoulder contains macrophages mainly present markers of M1 phenotype, whereas the fibrous cap encompassing the necrotic lipid core content macrophages expressed markers of both M1 and M2 subtypes. The abovementioned findings suggest macrophage modulation as a potent approach for atherosclerosis therapy. Curcumin is a polyphenol dietary derived from turmeric with numerous pharmacological activities. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that curcumin exerted lipid-lowering effects, and also can modulate function of different macrophage subsets in various macrophage-involved diseases. The current review aimed to present role of macrophage subtypes in atherosclerosis development and progression, and to understand effect of curcumin on macrophage polarization and foam cell formation in the atherosclerosis lesions. Overall, we would address important targets for macrophage modulation in atherosclerotic plaques.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Based on the epidemiologic findings of Covid-19 incidence; illness and mortality seem to be associated with metabolic risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the ...association of metabolic risk factors and risk of Covid-19.
This study was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Two independent researchers searched for the relevant studies using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The search terms developed focusing on two main roots of "Covid-19" and "metabolic risk factors". All relevant observational, analytical studies, review articles, and a meta-analysis on the adult population were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effect model for pooling proportions to address heterogeneity among studies. Data were analyzed using STATA package version 11.2, (StataCorp, USA).
Through a comprehensive systematic search in the targeted databases we found 1124 papers, after running the proses of refining, 13 studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of obesity in Covid-19 patients was 29% (95% CI: 14-47%). For Diabetes and Hypertension, these were 22% (95% CI: 12% 33%) and 32% (95% CI: 12% 56%), respectively. There was significant heterogeneity in the estimates of the three pooled prevalence without any significant small-study effects. Such warning points, to some extent, guide physicians and clinicians to better understand the importance of controlling co-morbid risk factors in prioritizing resource allocation and interventions.
The meta-analysis showed that hypertension is more prevalent than obesity and diabetes in patients with Covid-19 disease. The prevalence of co-morbid metabolic risk factors must be adopted for better management and priority settings of public health vaccination and other required interventions. The results may help to improve services delivery in COVID-19 patients, while helping to develop better policies for prevention and response to COVID-19 and its critical outcomes.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the 3rd common gynecologic cancer. Numerous procedures are involved in the growth of OC, like migration, angiogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis. ...Therefore, a better knowledge of the molecular processes complicated in ovarian tumorigenesis can lead to better measures for the prevention and treatment of the disease and its diagnosis. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs), a subclass of non-coding RNAs, are much more diverse than previously thought. It is suggested that these RNAs may play a role in controlling complex cellular signaling mechanisms via binding to proteins and influencing their function. Nevertheless, our acquaintance with the participation of LncRNAs in the pathogenesis of OC is still restricted. Especially, we do not yet recognize how to pharmacologically correct the epi-mutations. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol mostly derived from grapes, has been evaluated in many studies to find its cancer therapeutic potential. In the current paper, we aimed to review the role of resveratrol as a potential natural product on lncRNAs as novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets in OC and represent new insights for further investigations.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused serious public health problems and compromised the health of individuals and communities. This study aimed to evaluate a Distance ...e-Learning from the perspective of medical students in the Gynecology ward during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Iran University of Medical from the September 2020 to September 2021. The study sample included 130 medical students who participated in distance training courses in the gynecology ward during the COVID-19 pandemic. All medical students were included for the study. Medical students (externs and interns), who received Distance eLearning in the gynecology ward during the study, were included. The self-administered questionnaire was used in this study. Questionnaires was developed through literature review and consultation with gynecology and eLearning experts. Face and content validity was established by eight experts. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha.
The questionnaire was sent to 170 medical students. Of the 130 respondents 65% were female and 35% were male. There were 57 (43.8%) externs and 73 (56.2) interns. Most students agreed that mobile devices increase their learning and home is the preferred place for participation in DE. Most students (66.9%) either strongly disagreed or disagreed that Distance e-Learning was an appropriate method for learning basic clinical skills.72.3% of respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed that Distance e-Learning provided them an opportunity to practice clinical skills effectively. Most medical students (69.3%) strongly agreed or agreed that Distance e-Learning created more opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge directly to medical practice.
The results of the online survey suggest that medical students have found both positive and negative aspects of clinical learning by DEL format in Gynecology ward.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare bleeding disorder with a high prevalence in communities where consanguineous marriages are mainstream. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, and its ...risk increases in women with menstrual periods of longer than six days. The phenotypic expression of endometriosis is determined by the frequency and rate of the menstrual flow, as well as genetic and environmental factors.
14-year-old monozygotic twin sisters with GT who developed ovarian endometriosis were referred to Hazrat Rasoul Hospital due to severe dysmenorrhea. In ultrasonic examination, endometrioma cysts were reported in both patients. They both went under endometrioma cystectomy, and the bleeding was managed using antifibrinolytic drugs, followed by recombinant activated coagulation factor VII. Both were discharged after 3 days. In the ultrasound examination performed one year after the surgery, ovaries were normal in the first twin, while the second twin had a 28 × 30 hemorrhagic cyst in the left ovary.
Menstrual bleeding and genetic factors are two theories that could be related to GT and endometriosis association, and GT could be considered a risk factor for endometriosis.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: Hysteroscopy is a pragmatic diagnostic and operative method for the assessment of uterine pathologies. Cervical preparation is an important step for hysteroscopy, and it is recommended in ...order to reduce complications. The efficacy of Dilapan-S and Misoprostol as two means of cervical preparation were evaluated and compared in this study. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on women referred to Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital outpatient department. A total of 120 menopausal and non-menopausal patients with no history of vaginal delivery were included in this study. 400 micrograms of misoprostol and Dilapan-S were used for cervical ripening three hours before hysteroscopy. Cervical dilation was measured by the diameter of the largest dilator inserted without resistance prior to hysteroscopy. The time needed to achieve 9 mm dilatation was recorded. Complications of the procedure were evaluated and compared in both groups. Results: The size of the largest Hegar dilator without resistance in Dilapan-S and misoprostol groups were 7.6 ± 0.86 mm and 6.05 ± 1.04 mm, respectively (p < 0.0001). Preoperative complications including headache and nausea were significantly higher in misoprostol group (p = 0.013). Applying Dilapan-S for cervical ripening significantly reduced the time of cervical dilation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Short-term application of Dilapan-S before surgery, due to proper preparation of the cervix, increases the chance of successful hysteroscopy, without causing intolerance or major complications in patients or necessitating a longer preoperative hospital. Clinical Trial Registration: the study was registered at https://en.irct.ir/ (registration number IRCT20191123045476N2).
Cervical cancer is the fourth-ranked cancer in the world and is associated with a large number of deaths annually. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are known as the common therapeutic approaches in the ...treatment of cervical cancer, but because of their side effects and toxicity, researchers are trying to discovery alternative therapies. Beta-glucans, a group of glucose polymers that are derived from the cell wall of fungi, bacteria, and etc. it has been showed that beta-glucans have some anti-cancer properties which due to their impacts on adaptive and innate immunity. Along to these impacts, these molecules could be used as drug carriers. In this regard, the application of beta-glucans is a promising therapeutic option for the cancer prevention and treatment especially for cervical cancer. Herein, we have summarized the therapeutic potential of beta-glucans alone or as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of cervical cancer. Moreover, we highlighted beta-glucans as drug carriers for preventive and therapeutic purposes.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background. The present study was designed to verify the accuracy of the noninvasive biomarkers enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19-9 as a clinical diagnostic tool for the detection of endometriosis. ...Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed at Rasool-e-Akram Hospital affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from April 2015 to April 2018. Eighty-six women were scheduled to undergo laparoscopy due to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, pelvic mass, and abnormal uterine bleeding. Serum and urine samples of all patients were collected preoperatively. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9, and urine levels of enolase-1 were measured. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 were determined by the electrochemiluminescence method (ECL). Urinary enolase-1 was measured by the ELISA method. Result. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 were significantly higher in the endometriosis group than in controls (p<0.001, p=0.004, respectively). Levels of enolase I and enolase/Cr were higher in patients with endometriosis, but the differences were not statistically significant. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of combined enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19-9 were 65%, 66.6%, 71%, and 60.1%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of combined enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19-9 was 1.94 and 0.52, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for enolase/Cr+CA125+CA19−9 was 0.675 (95% confidence interval 0.573-0.710). Conclusion. The present study revealed that concurrent measurement of enolase-1, CA125, and CA19-9 might be a valuable noninvasive test for the identification of endometriosis.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Abstract Background Endometriosis affects 10–15% of women of reproductive age and is considered a critical gynecological problem. Endometriosis causes pain and infertility, both of which can impair ...the patient’s quality of life. Sleep disorders account for the most bothersome presentation of impaired quality of life. This study investigated the frequency and severity of sleep disorders in women with endometriosis. Methods In this analytical cross-sectional study, 665 women referred to three hospitals in Tehran, Rasool-e-Akram, Pars, and Nikan, were included (463 patients with endometriosis and 202 women without endometriosis). All of them were informed about the study design and the aim of the research, and then they were asked to sign the consent form and complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). After data gathering and entering, they were analyzed by SPSS version 22 and were considered significant with P < 0.05. Results The study population’s mean age was 35.4 ± 7.9 years. The mean global PSQI score in the case group (endometriosis patients) was higher than in the control group (non-endometriosis patients) (10.6 vs. 7.1; P < 0.001). Patients with dyspareunia, dysuria, pelvic pain, and dyschezia had a significantly higher PSQI score ( P < 0.05). Conclusion According to the findings of the present study, the sleep quality in endometriosis patients is low, and there is a need to pay greater attention to these patients. This may result in some changes in the therapeutic strategies for this disease.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
MicroRNAs or miRNAs are a component of the non-coding RNAs family which is engaged in many cellular functions such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, gene expression, signaling pathways, angiogenesis, ...and etc. Endometriosis is a malignant gynecologic disorder occurring in women before menopausal age. Pathogenesis of this illness is still a discussion subject between the scientists but in our knowledge, microRNAs can be one of the possible involved factors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of apoptotic activities of miRNAs in endometriosis. Accumulative evidence has demonstrated the role of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion in the progression of these diseases. In this review, we looked into the specific role of apoptosis and its related genes and pathways in endometriosis and tied to present an explanation of how miRNAs can affect endometriosis by their apoptotic activities. What we found is that a great extent of miRNAs is involved in this illness and they are responsible for repressing apoptosis and progression of the disease. As a result, miRNAs have two different usages in endometriosis: biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. In this review we gathered a great amount of evidence to inquire into the role of micro RNAs in inducing apoptosis and how this mechanism can be exerted for therapeutic purposes for endometriosis.
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