shabnam fayezi

Primordial germ cells develop into oocytes and sperm cells. These cells are useful resources in reproductive biology and regenerative medicine. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been examined for in vitro production of primordial germ cell-like cells. This study aimed to summarize the existing protocols for MSCs differentiation into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGLCs). In the limited identified studies, various models of mesenchymal stem cells, including those derived from adipose tissue, bone marrow, and Wharton's jelly, have been successfully differentiated into primordial germ cell-like cells. Although the protocols of specification induction are basically very similar, they have been adjusted to the mesenchymal cell type and the species of origin. The availability of MSCs has made it possible to customize conditions for their differentiation into primordial germ cell-like cells in several models, including humans. Refining germ cell-related signaling pathways during induced differentiation of MSCs will help define extension to the protocols for primordial germ cell-like cells production.

The omega-3 fatty acid (ω-3 fatty acid) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is currently used in the clinic as a nutritional supplement in the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The present study was designed to investigate the effect of EPA on the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (encoded by the CYP-19) in primary cultured granulosa cells (GC) from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and also to compare these effects with those in GC of PCOS patients. In this experimental study, human GC were isolated, primary cultured in vitro, exposed to a range of concentrations of the EPA and investigated with respect to gene expression levels of PPARγ and CYP-19 using real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The participants (n=30) were the patients admitted to the IVF Center in February-March 2013 at Alzahra Hospital, Tabriz, Iran, who were divided into two groups as PCOS (n=15) and non-PCOS (n=15) women (controls). All doses of the EPA significantly induced PPARγ mRNA gene expression level as compared to the control recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) alone condition. High doses of EPA in the presence of rFSH produced a stimulatory effect on expression level of PPARγ (2.15-fold, P=0.001) and a suppressive effect (0.56-fold, P=0.01) on the expression level of CYP-19, only in the PCOS GC. EPA and FSH signaling pathway affect differentially on the gene expression levels of PPARγ and CYP-19 in PCOS GC. Altered FSH-induced PPARγ activity in PCOS GC may modulate the CYP-19 gene expression in response to EPA, and possibly modulates the subsequent steroidogenesis of these cells.

The omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is currently used in the clinic as a nutritional supplement to improve infertility, particularly in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of EPA on insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) gene expression in primary cultured granulosa cells from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and also to compare this effect with those in granulosa cells of PCOS patients.

In this experimental study, human granulosa cells were isolated from follicular fluid of normal and PCOS women undergoing IVF by hyaluronidase digestions, followed by Percoll gradient centrifugation. Cells were cultured in vitro, exposed to a range of concentrations of the EPA (25-100 μM) for 24 hr, and investigated with respect to COX-2 and IGF-1 gene expression by real time-PCR.

In both groups, all doses of the EPA significantly induced IGF-1 mRNAgene expression compared to the untreated control. High doses of EPA in thepresence of recombinant (r) FSH produced a stimulatory effect on IGF-1 and asuppressive effect (p=0.01) on the COX-2 gene expression, which were morepronounced in granulosa cells from PCOS patients.

EPA affect diversely the gene expression of IGF-1 and COX-2 in granulosa cells, which were more pronounced in PCOS compared to control. These findings represent the possible underlying molecular mechanisms for the positive impact of the ω-3 fatty acids on reproduction, especially in patients with PCOS.

Paraoxonase-3 (PON3), as a high density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated lactonase, is capable of preventing the oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL). PON3 activity in follicular fluid (FF) is three times more than its activity in serum. However, the detailed role of PON3 in women’s fertility remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between PON3 activity in the FF of women undergoing assisted reproductive technique (ART), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This cross-sectional study consisted of 50 women from couples with male factor infertility (MFI) or with female factor infertility (FFI). The FF samples were obtained during the ART intervention. PON3 activity, HDL cholesterol (HDL C), total antioxidant status (TAS) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. The morphology of the embryo was determined using embryo cell number (ECN) and embryo fragmentation score (EFS). In addition, fertilization rate (FR) was used an oocyte fertilization index. Of 50 women, 20 women belonged to FFI group and the remaining 30 women belonged to MFI group. PON3 activity in FF of women in FFI group was significantly lower (p<0.05) in comparison with corresponding value in MFI group. The value of PON3 activity/MDA in the FFI group was lower than that in MFI group. Moreover, MDA level in the FF of FFI group was significantly higher (p<0.05) than its concentration in MFI group. Meanwhile, no significant difference was found in HDL-C concentration and TAS of both groups. No significant correlation was observed between the ECN and FF biochemical parameters. There was also a negative correlation between FR and MDA (r=-0.42, p=0.02), whereas a positive relation between FR with PON3 activity (r=0.59, p=0.004), HDL-C (r=0.35, p=0.04) and PON3/MDA (r=0.59, p=0.001). According to the results of this study, PON3 activity level as a key component of antioxidant system in FF may directly be associated with the success rate of ART and fertilization rate in women.

Education is a key element for society development. Introducing new methods of education، information and communication technology have influenced learning and teaching procedures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the infrastructures and faculty members’ preparedness of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences for implementing e-learning. In this descriptive study، a 5-point Likert scale was categorized in 5 domains including cultural، technological، knowledge، student acceptance، and availability. Then it was distributed to 70 medical faculty members. A checklist was used to assess preparedness of technology infrastructure، strategic plan، organizational chart، content preparation equipment، and resources. Mean scores of readiness for launching e-learning program were respectively 3. 36±0. 37 for cultural domain، 2. 7±0. 49 for technological domain، 3. 69±0. 38 for knowledge، 3. 30±0. 66 for student adoption، and 1. 96±0. 77 for availability. E-learning acceptance was significantly higher among females. Eighty percent indicated infrastructures of availability and 90% noted human resource as the most critical problems among infrastructures. In general the level of admitting e-learning in university is desirable، however weakness in some infrastructures including human resource، availability، and fair allocation of financial resources are identified as barriers to launch e-learning. According to the positive attitude of faculty members to this method of learning، it seems that e-learning could be successfully applied by focusing on above-mentioned shortcomings.

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, also known as the MEK/ERK1/2 kinase cascade, has recently been implicated in the regulation of lipid metabolism and fatty liver disease. However, its functional effect on cellular fatty acid composition is unknown. Herein, we examined the effect of a pharmacological inhibitor of MEK, the upstream kinase activator of ERK1/2, on fatty acid composition of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. HepG2 cells cultured in RPMI-1640 were exposed to the commonly used ERK1/2 pathway inhibitor PD98059 and were investigated with respect to fatty acid composition by gas-liquid chromatography. Exposure of cells to the ERK1/2 pathway inhibitor induced an increase in monounsaturated fatty acids and the fatty acid desaturation index and a decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Specifically, we showed a significant increase of oleic acid (18:1n‑9; +29%, P=0.003) and arachidonic acid (20:4n‑6)/linoleic acid (18:2n‑6) ratio (3.5-fold; P<0.001) in HepG2 cells. Cellular fatty acid composition of HepG2 cells appeared to be differentially regulated by ERK1/2 pathway, thus suggesting related metabolic pathways as potential mediators of the effects of ERK1/2 signaling on hepatic fatty acid composition.