No abstract

Background.

Women with vitamin D deficiency at cutoff 20 ng/ml are more at risk of preeclampsia. This association can be specific up to 90% at 10.60 ng/ml cutoff. Treatment of vitamin D deficiency is necessary before pregnancy.

No abstract

Natural killer cells (NKs) are the most important cells in the fetomaternal immune tolerance induced through interaction of maternal killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and fetal human leucocyte antigens (HLA). Hence, we intend to perform a meta-analysis on the role of maternal KIR genes diversity in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The present paper is a meta-analysis of previous genetic association studies and our previous original study. The results showed that KIR3DL1 was a significantly protecting factor for RSA (p=0.044; OR=0.833 [0.698-0.995]; fixed effect model). KIR2DS2 (p=0.034; OR=1.195 [1.013-1.408]; fixed effect model) and KIR2DS3 (p=0.013;]; fixed effect model) were significantly risk factors for RSA. For KIR2DS1 there was a high heterogeneity and publication bias. Briefly, the inhibitory gene KIR3DL1 was a protecting factor, and the activating genes KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 were risk factors for RSA. However, the effect sizes were not suitable. We suggest further studies on different causes of pregnancy loss, to find the role of KIR2DS1.

Background:Maternal health improvement is one of the eight goals of the third millennium development, set in 2000. Pregnancy complications are the most important causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Proper and qualified health care access is one the most important factors for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates.Objectives:This study aimed to determine quality of peripartum care in Lorestan province in 2013.Materials and Methods:This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, in which quality of peripartum care was assessed among 200 women (sample size was determined according to other studies), referred to Lorestan province public hospitals. Quality assessment according to the WHO was used for the framework of structure, process and outcome. Data was collected by a researcher-made checklist, developed based on the administered instructions by Iran Health Ministry. The checklists were filled by observation. The calculated quality scores were expressed as percentage. SPSS version 18 was used for data analysis.Results:The mean percentages of compatibility with desirable situation were 54%, 57% and 66% in first, second and third stage of labor, respectively. The lowest scores were related to: Leopold maneuvers in the first stage, hand washing in the second stage and pulse control in the third stage of labor.Conclusions:Quality of peripartum care is moderate in Lorestan province, therefore, continuous evaluation of quality of care by administrators and hospital staff is essential to improve this quality and will ultimately result in maternal and neonatal health improvement.

Introduction Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific syndrome occurring in 3%-14% of all pregnancies worldwide based on recent reports (1). There are a variety of approaches to its pathogenesis. Among these approaches, immune system and its involved molecules are notable (2). The fascinating feature of immune system is that it does not normally reject the semi-allograft fetus. Two roles can be considered for immune system in implantation and pregnancy; the first one is impeding the formation of abnormal embryos, and the second one is maintenance of the fetomaternal interaction through immune tolerance signals. Natural killer-cells (NKs) are the most important cells in the immune tolerance. The NKs identify self-cells through their killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) expressed on their surface. These KIRs interact with the human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) expressed on surface of nuclear self-cells. KIR has 8 inhibitory (2DL1, 2DL2, 2DL3, 2DL4, 2DL5, 3DL1, 3DL2 and 3DL3) and 6 activating (2DS1, 2DS2, 2DS3, 2DS4, 2DS5 and 3DS1) genes. In human genome, both HLA and KIR have loci (not locus) and therefore they are inherited as haplotypes. As well, each gene of their loci can be polymorphic. Hence interactions of different KIRs with different HLAs lead to different outcomes. Therefore from an anthropological point of view, people of ethnicities have different KIR-HLA interactions (3-7). There are 2 classes of HLA, I and II, and class I can be classical or non-classical. HLA-G is a nonclassical HLA expressed on the semi-allograft embryonic cells. This HLA interacts with KIR2DL4 molecules and triggers the immune tolerance (8-13). NKs might have (or not) the marker CD16 which is a weapon for antibodydependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Usually CD56 dim NKs are CD16 + ; therefor CD16 + CD56 dim NKs are called cytotoxic NKs. On the other hand, CD16-CD56 bright NKs are called immune-regulatory NKs (2, 14-16). About 90% of uterine NKs (UNKs) are immune-regulatory. Hence UNKs are not usually cytotoxic for embryo (2, 15). The fascinating point is that how the immune system is both killing and protective. In other words, this system is a bodyguard to protect the self and kill the non-self. Pregnancy is a semi-allograft transplantation. Thus there

Background Triple negative breast cancer is the most invasive breast cancer subtype and possesses poor prognosis and survival. Rho GTPase famil, especially Rac1 participates in a number of signaling events in cells with crucial roles in malignancy, migration and invasion of tumor cells. Silibinin, a flavonoid antioxidant from milk thistle has attracted attention in the recent decades for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of tumor cells. In this study, the effect of silibinin on the migration capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells, a highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line was investigated by evaluation of Rac1 expression. Method MTT wound healing and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of silibinin on proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, the influence of the silibinin on the expression of Rac1mRNAs was assessed by RT-PCR. Results Results indicated significant dose-dependent inhibitory effect of silibinin on proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. It significantly inhibited the expression of Rac1 mRNA. Conclusion In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the silibinin can be used as an experimental therapeutic for the management of TNBC metastatic cancer.