BACKGROUND Developing infants may be especially sensitive to hormone disruption from chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). OBJECTIVE We investigated relationships between cord serum levels of PCBs and PBDEs and thyroid hormones measured in cord blood serum and neonatal blood spots. METHODS We measured PCBs and PBDEs, thyrotropin (TS...

The effect of curcumin administration in reducing the serum levels of cholesterol and lipid peroxides was studied in ten healthy human volunteers, receiving 500 mg of curcumin per day for 7 days. A significant decrease in the level of serum lipid peroxides (33%), increase in HDL Cholesterol (29%), and a decrease in total serum cholesterol (11.63%) were noted. As curcumin reduced serum lipid per...

The identification of noninvasive biomarkers to monitor the disease progression in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is becoming increasingly important. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and are implicated in the pathogenesis of neuromuscular diseases, including motor neuron degeneration. In this study, we selectively characterized the expression of miR-9, miR-206, and miR-132 in spinal c...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive value of a cord serum screen test and possible subsequent development of allergic disease in infants. DESIGN Cohort study. SETTING 100 pregnant women were randomly recruited for the study. METHODS The maternal serum and the cord serum of their matched newborn were analyzed for total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), gamma interferon (g IFN), house dust mit...

Background and Objectives: Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is considered as a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory functions. Moreover, a number of studies have revealed its lipid lowering properties. Therefore, we aimed to examine the effect of ALA on serum lipids in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who have high mortality rate mainly due to accelerated atherosclerosis. Materials and Method...

OBJECTIVES To measure the cord blood and maternal serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, zinc, copper, selenium and lead in infants born with neural tube defect (NTD), and to examine a possible relationship between the nutriture of these micronutrients and occurrence of neural tube defect. DESIGN Case-control study. METHODS Maternal serum and cord blood samples were obtained at delivery f...

background: oxidative stress in reproductive system leads to sperm dna damage and sperm membrane lipid peroxidation and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of male infertility, especially in idiopathic cases. antioxidants such as carotenoids function against free radical damages. objective : the aim of this study was to determine the levels of lycopene, beta-carotene and retinol in s...