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Autophagy is a ubiquitous process through which damaged cytoplasmic structures are recycled and degraded within cells. Aging can affect autophagy regulation in different steps leading to the accumulation of damaged organelles and proteins, which can contribute to cell dysfunction and death. Motor neuron (MN) loss and sarcopenia are prominent features of neuromuscular aging. Previous studies on phrenic MNs showed increased levels of the autophagy proteins LC3 and p62 in 24 month compared to 6 month old mice, consistent with the onset of diaphragm muscle sarcopenia. In the present study, we hypothesized that aging leads to increased expression of the autophagy markers LC3 and p62 in single lumbar MNs. Expression of LC3 and p62 in lumbar MNs (spinal levels L1-L6) was assessed using immunofluorescence and confocal imaging of male and female mice at 6, 18 and 24 months of age, reflecting 100 %, 90 % and 75 % survival, respectively. A mixed linear model with animal as a random effect was used to compare relative LC3 and p62 expression in choline acetyl transferase-positive MNs across age groups. Expression of LC3 and p62 decreased in the white matter of the lumbar spinal cord with aging, with ~29 % decrease in LC3 and ~ 7 % decrease in p62 expression at 24 months of age compared to 6 months of age. There was no change in LC3 or p62 expression in the gray matter with age. LC3 expression in MNs relative to white matter increased significantly with age, with 150 % increase at 24 months of age compared to 6 months of age. Similarly, p62 expression in MNs relative to white matter increased significantly with age, with ~14 % increase at 24 months of age compared to 6 months of age. No effect of sex or MN pool was observed in LC3 and p62 expression in MNs. Overall, these data suggest autophagy impairment during elongation (increased LC3) and degradation (increased p62) phases with aging in lumbar MNs.

Dear Editor-in-Chief Monkeypox is a global public health concern that needs serious attention to prevent it from spreading worldwide and encountering a new pandemic like COVID-19 again. Since the 1970s, monkeypox has been endemic in several African countries, but the biggest outbreak of monkeypox started in May 2022 in non-endemic countries (1). On June 23, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox an "emerging threat of moderate public concern" due to the observation of more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 50 countries from five regions of the world in less than three months (2). Although monkeypox is a mild and self-limiting disease, it can cause severe consequences in pregnant women, children, and immunocompromised individuals (1). In this article, the authors described the epidemiology and clinical features of monkeypox and chickenpox in order to better equip clinicians and public health specialists to provide a correct and timely diagnosis.

Thrombotic events in SARS-COV-2 disease patients are frequent, especially in patients with comorbidities such as heart failure, hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, vascular disease, and other pulmonary illnesses. In severe cases, in particular those of hospitalized patients with other comorbidities, the development of thrombotic events in spite of anticoagulation therapy has been observed. The main thrombotic events are pulmonary thromboembolism, cerebral ischemic stroke, and peripheral artery thrombosis. Despite the severity of SARS-COV-2 disease, some patients with the aforementioned comorbidities develop thrombotic events regardless of the severity of their SARS-COV-2 infection. In this setting, the cerebellum makes no exception as an uncommon, but still possible target for thrombotic events.

Zinner syndrome is a rare congenital malformation of the mesonephric duct comprising of seminal vesicle cyst, ipsilateral renal agenesis, and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Clinical presentation varies with perineal pain, painful ejaculation, hematospermia and infertility common presenting complaints. Here, we present a case of Zinner syndrome in a 35-year-old male with a rare clinical presentation of only abdominal discomfort. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the challenging clinical presentation of Zinner syndrome and the use of imaging modalities in diagnosing the condition.

Abstract Background This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis on published studies about the Global Survival Rate of Graft and Patients in the Kidney Transplantation of children. Methods Studies that investigated the survival rate of kidney transplants published until the 30th of December 2020 were selected using a systematic search strategy in the following databases: Medline, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane. The extracted data were entered into the Excel software and STATA 16.0. The search identified 6007 study references. From the total, we excluded 1348 duplicates, 3688 reference titles and abstracts that were deemed irrelevant, and 846 references that were not original articles (i.e., letter, commentary, review) or did not meet the inclusion criteria. As such, 89 studies involving 12,330 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Results In this study 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10-year survival rates of graft were estimated to be 92, 83, 74.40, 67.10, and 63.50%, respectively. Also, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10-year survival rates of patients were estimated to be 99.60, 97.30, 95.20, 74.60, and 97.90%, respectively. Conclusions The findings suggest differences in graft and patient survival among children with kidney transplants. Although differences in ethnic origin, incompatibility with deceased donor kidneys, and types of kidney disease are unavoidable, interventions to improve preventive and living-donor transplantation are particularly needed in minority groups. In addition, more research is needed to establish and address the contribution of medical and sociocultural barriers to preferential treatment of these groups.

Background Obstructive defecation syndrome (ODS) affects quality of life of patients to a great extent by disturbing defecation. Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) has gained much attention in the recent years. Common synthetic used meshes have a risk of erosion for adjacent pelvic organs leading to some complications. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of LVMR using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mesh in patients with ODS for the first time. Methods and Materials: In this experimental study, patients with a history of ODS and associated signs and symptoms such as descending perineum, rectocele, enterocele, intussusception, rectal prolapse or a combined disorder were recruited. The patients underwent LVMR using a PVDF mesh. They were followed using the Constipation Scoring System (CSS) score. Participants were followed up for 12 months after surgery. Complications and CSS for each patient and its changes were the main outcomes of this study. Results Of 156 patients, 155 had a 12-month complete follow-up. Thirty-nine (25.2%) were male and 116 (74.8%) female. Mean ± SD age of participants was 45.61 ± 14.02 years. The overall complication rate was 3.87%. No major mesh-related complications were recorded. Four cases (2.58%) of trocar site hernia were reported. Also, two cases (1.29%) of postoperative bleeding occurred. CSS before the operation and 1, 3, and 12 months after it were 11.04 ± 5.93, 7.98 ± 4.85, 5.46 ± 3.70 and 4.09 ± 2.98, respectively (p

Background & Objective: Recent studies from gene profiling have revealed some genes that are overexpressed in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and are responsible for its initiation and activation resulting in tumor progression and metastasis. The present study aimed to assess the role of genes involved in the EMT process and the association of these genes with axillary lymph node and vascular invasion in breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods: In this case-control study, the tumor samples were initially extracted from 33 BC patients. The samples of 15 BC tissues without vascular and axillary invasion were also prepared from the biobank as a control group. RNAs from both tumor and control samples were extracted and stabilized. For assessing overexpression in tumor tissues of selected 18 genes, the real time technique was employed. Results: There was a significant increase in MMP-2 gene fold expression in tumor cells with vascular invasion regardless of axillary involvement compared to the control group (P=0.0008) and also in the comparison of the control group with those with vascular invasion and not axillary lymph node involvement (P=0.003). In addition, gene fold expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) was decreased in axillary involving tumor cells compared to control group (P=0.045), and also in comparison with all samples that did not present any axillary lymph node involvements including the control group and the group with isolated vascular invasion (P=0.012). Conclusion: Overexpression of MMP-2 and under-expression of TIMP-1 were associated with more invasive behavior in breast tumor cells.

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most common gynecological complaints that can affect the quality of life. The exact pathophysiology of dysmenorrhea is not yet fully understood. However, some studies have suggested an association between anthropometric indices and dysmenorrhea. Objectives: We aimed to evaluated the association between anthropometric indices and dysmenorrhea. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in Qazvin, Iran, during 2016, 400 high school students aged between 14 and 18 years old were enrolled based on the inclusion criteria. The relevant information and anthropometric indices were collected using a checklist. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 17. Results: Among 400 students, the prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 82.5%. There were significant differences in cycle length (29.15 ± 2.69 vs. 27.57 ± 2.38; P = 0.001), duration of menstruation (6.03 ± 1.11 vs. 5.65 ± 1.20; P = 0.011), hip circumference (93.13 ± 9.25 vs. 90.14 ± 12.15; P = 0.021), height (162.62 ± 5.47 vs. 160.72 ± 5.92; P = 0.01), and waist to hip ratio (WHR) (0.78 ± 0.06 vs. 0.81 ± 0.09; P = 0.001) between the groups with dysmenorrhea and without dysmenorrhea. Based on a logistic regression model, only WHR was a predictive protective factor for dysmenorrhea (OR = 0.896, CI95% = 0.821 - 0.971, P = 0.012) and height (OR = 1.057, CI95% = 1.006 - 1.111, P < 0.001), cycle length (OR = 1.238, CI95% = 1.117 - 1.372, P = 0.028), and menstruation length (OR = 1.269, CI95% = 1.002 - 1.608, P = 0.048) were risk factors. Conclusions: WHR and height were noted to be associated with dysmenorrhea. In addition, WHR was found to be a protective factor and height to be a risk factor.

Ovarian epithelial type carcinomas of testis are an extremely rare group of tumors, a few cases of which having been reported. We present the case of a 67-year-old man, presented with testicular mass and inflation, who underwent radical orchiectomy and pathological and immunohistochemical assessments revealed serous papillary carcinoma of ovarian epithelial type tumor of testis.