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Objective: Studies of the effects of estrogens on the male reproductive system have emphasized the role of these hormones in male fertility. Sesame oil has many phytoestrogenic compounds and may improve male fertility. This study investigated the effects of sesame oil and different concentrations of estrogen on sperm parameters and DNA integrity in male mice.Methods: Twenty old NMRI (The Naval Medical Research Institute) male mice (40 weeks; weight, 30–35 g) were treated with sesame oil or different concentrations of estrogen (estradiol, 1 and 10 μL/kg/ day) or received no treatment (controls). After 35 days, sperm parameters and DNA integrity were assessed and analyzed.Results: Sperm count, progressive motility, and morphology were decreased in the group that received 10 μL/kg of estradiol. A remarkably lower percentage of DNA fragmentation and protamine deficiency were detected in the group that received 1 μL/kg of estradiol. In the groups that received sesame oil and 1 μL/kg of estradiol, the numbers of spermatogonia and Leydig cells were higher than in controls. The combination of sesame oil and 1 μL/kg of estradiol led to improved sperm parameters and chromatin and testicular structure.Conclusion: Based on this study, consumption of sesame oil and a low concentration of estradiol may improve testicular function in older mice.

Insulin is implicated as a leading factor in glucose homeostasis and an important theme in diabetes mellitus (DM). Numerous proteins are involved in insulin signaling pathway and their dysregulation contributes to DM. microRNAs (miRNAs) as single-strand molecules have a critical effect on gene expression at post-transcriptional levels. Intensive investigation done by DM researchers disclosed that miRNAs have a significant role in insulin secretion by direct targeting numerous proteins engaged in insulin signaling pathway; so, their dysregulation contributes to DM. In this review, we presented some major miRNAs engaged in the insulin production and secretion.

Ali Khodadadian,1 Somaye Darzi,1 Saeed Haghi-Daredeh,2 Farzaneh Sadat Eshaghi,3 Emad Babakhanzadeh,1,4 Seyed Hamidreza Mirabutalebi,1 Majid Nazari1 1Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 2Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran; 3Department of Medical Genetics, Biotechnology Research Center, International Campus, Shahid Sadoughi University of Science, Yazd, Iran; 4Yazd Medical Genetics Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IranCorrespondence: Ali Khodadadian Email Ali.khodadadian@yahoo.comAbstract: In a clinical trial, people with the same disease can show different responses after treatment with the same drug and exactly under the same conditions. Some of them may improve, some may not show any response, and occasionally side effects may be observed. In other words, people with the same disease process under the same therapeutic conditions may have different responses. Today, some diseases are resistant to conventional (standard) treatment procedures. Why do people with the same disease show different responses to the treatment with the same drug? This is primarily due to differences in molecular pathways (especially genetic variations) associated with the disease. On the other hand, designing and delivery of a new drug is a time-consuming and costly process, so any mistake in any stage of this process can have irreparable consequences for pharmaceutical companies and consumer patients. Therefore, we can achieve more accurate and reliable treatments by acquiring precise insight into different aspects of precision medicine including genomics and transcriptomics. The aim of this paper is to address the role of genomics and transcriptomics in precision medicine.Keywords: precision medicine, personalized medicine, genomics, transcriptomics, pharmacology

Emad Babakhanzadeh,1,2,* Ali Khodadadian,1,* Majid Nazari,1 Masoud Dehghan Tezerjani,1 Seyed Mohsen Aghaei,1 Sina Ghasemifar,1 Mehdi Hosseinnia,3 Mahta Mazaheri1,4 1Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 2Medical Genetics Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 3Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran; 4Mother and Newborn Health Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mahta Mazaheri Email mahta.mazaheri2019@gmail.comIntroduction: DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (DGCR8) contributes to miRNA biogenesis, and defects in its expression could lead to defects in spermatogenesis.Methods: Here, we assess gene and protein expression levels of DGCR8 in the testicular biopsy specimens obtained from men with obstructive azoospermia (OA, n = 19) and various types of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) including maturation arrest (MA, n = 17), Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS, n = 20) and hypospermatogenesis (HYPO, 18). Also, samples of men with NOA were divided into two groups based on successful and unsuccessful sperm recovery, NOA+ in 21 patients and NOA− in 34 patients.Results: Examinations disclosed a severe decrease in DGCR8 in samples with MA and SCOS in comparison to OA samples (P < 0.001). Also, the results showed DGCR8 has significantly lower expression in testis tissues of NOA− group in comparison to NOA+ group (p< 0.05). Western blot analysis confirmed that the DGCR8 protein was not expressed in SCOS samples and had a very low expression in MA and HYPO samples.Discussion: The results of this survey showed that DGCR8 is an important gene for the entire spermatogenesis pathway. Moreover, DGCR8 gene plays an important role in the diagnosis of NOA subgroups, and also the expression changes in it might contribute to SCOS or MA phenotypes. This gene with considering other related genes can also be a predictor of sperm retrieval.Keywords: DGCR8, obstructive azoospermia, non-obstructive azoospermia, spermatogenesis

Emad Babakhanzadeh,1,2 Majid Nazari,1 Sina Ghasemifar,1 Ali Khodadadian1 1Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 2Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IranCorrespondence: Ali KhodadadianGenetic Department, Clinical and Research Centre for Infertility, Bou-Ali Avenue, Safayeh, Yazd, IranTel +98 351 8247085Fax +98 351 8247087Email a.khodadadian.ak@gmail.comAbstract: Infertility is defined as the inability of couples to have a baby after one year of regular unprotected intercourse, affecting 10 to 15% of couples. According to the latest WHO statistics, approximately 50– 80 million people worldwide sufer from infertility, and male factors are responsible for approximately 20– 30% of all infertility cases. The diagnosis of infertility in men is mainly based on semen analysis. The main parameters of semen include: concentration, appearance and motility of sperm. Causes of infertility in men include a variety of things including hormonal disorders, physical problems, lifestyle problems, psychological issues, sex problems, chromosomal abnormalities and single-gene defects. Despite numerous efforts by researchers to identify the underlying causes of male infertility, about 70% of cases remain unknown. These statistics show a lack of understanding of the mechanisms involved in male infertility. This article focuses on the histology of testicular tissue samples, the male reproductive structure, factors affecting male infertility, strategies available to find genes involved in infertility, existing therapeutic methods for male infertility, and sperm recovery in infertile men.Keywords: male infertility, spermatogenesis, azoospermia, non-obstructive azoospermia