objective: in this study, the possibility of prenatal diagnosis of down syndrome with real-time pcr method was evaluated. in this context, optimization of a suitable method for purification of high quality dna from amniotic fluid samples was also considered. materials and methods: pregnant women who had the high risk of having babies with down syndrome were selected according to the biochemica...

Little is known about ciliogenesis as it proceeds through the entire airway tree, from the trachea to the terminal bronchioles, especially during the postnatal period. The purpose of this study was to define the spatial and temporal (prenatal and postnatal) pattern of normal cilia development in the mouse. Three airway generations representing the entire airway tree were examined: trachea, loba...

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global environmental problem and is listed by the International Program of Chemical Safety as one of the six most dangerous chemicals in the world's environment. Human exposure to MeHg primarily occurs through the consumption of contaminated food such as fish, although catastrophic exposures due to industrial pollution have occurred. The fetus is particularly sensitive...

BACKGROUND Dysmorphology and dysfunction caused by prenatal ethanol consumption in different organs of the offspring are wellknown phenomena. The objective of the present study was to explore the antioxidant effect of vitamin E supplementation on testis damage induced by maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy and early postnatal days. METHODS Pregnant Wistar rats on gestation day 7 wer...

Prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) results in a continuum of physical, neurological, behavioral, and learning defects collectively grouped under the heading fetal alcohol spectrum disorders [5] (FASD). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe combination of these defects under this heading, and is characterized by preand postnatal growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and defect...

background: congenital uterine malformations are the result of disturbances in mullerian duct development. in patients with recurrent miscarriage, the reported frequency of uterine anomalies varies widely, from 1.8% to 37.6%. there are reports in which cervical cerclage has been shown to prevent preterm labor in uterine anomalies. the aim of this study was to compare the role of cervical cercla...

background: thalassemia is the most common monogenic disease in south-east of iran. despite the 70% reduction in iranian thalassemia cases after thalassemia control comprehensive program, 601 affected babies were born in sistan and balouchistan province, iran from 2002 to 2010, so this study aims at investigating the causes of new thalassemia cases. methods: data from this retrospective cross-s...

background: hemoglobinopathy and thalassemia are prevalent genetic disorders throughout the world. beta thalassemia is one of these disorders with high prevalence in iran, especially in khuzestan province. in this study, the rate of different mutations in β-globin gene for prenatal diagnosis in fetal samples was evaluated. materials and methods: in this experimental pilot study, 316 fetal sampl...

objective(s):the hippocampus has been implicated in pathophysiology of schizophrenia. prenatal stress is a contributing risk factor for a wide variety of neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia. this study examined long-term effects of prenatal restraint stress on the stereological parameters in the cornu ammonis (ca) of adult male rats as an animal model of schizophrenia. materials a...

background: health literacy includes the ability to understand instructions come from health workers and units, cognitive and social skills and the competence to use such information and services in ways, which are health-enhancing. antenatal care is an important key for a healthy maternity. maternal health literacy and particular cognitive and social skills required for healthy maternity inclu...