Antioxidants are commonly used for maturation, fertilization and early development of embryos. Melatonin as an antioxidant have been recently proven to be useful for the assisted reproductive technology. In the present study, we evaluated the roles of melatonin in the in vitro maturation, fertilization, development and also the gene expression of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in the blastocysts. The immature oocytes of BDF1 mice were transferred to the media containing different doses of melatonin (10-6, 10-9, 10-12 M). The blastocysts that developed under in vitro fertilization from each group were stained to determine the cell number of embryos and analyzed to determine the expression level of HMGB1 by real-time PCR. The most effective doses of melatonin for maturation of oocytes were 10-6 and 10-12M (P<0.05). Fertilization rate, early development and the cell number of blastocysts were significantly higher in the group that treated with 10-12 M of melatonin comparing to the other groups. The HMGB1 expression decreased in groups that treated with 10-6M and 10-9M of melatonin and increased in the group that treated with 10-12 M of melatonin, but did not show a significant difference (p˃0.05). From the results, it may be concluded that the melatonin could be effective when the embryos undergo maturation, fertilization and early developmental processes. The HMGB1 expression, as a marker of early development in mice embryos, increased in the groups that treated with low doses of melatonin

Abstract: This paper is a study about the efficiency of the criminal system designed in the new Criminal Procedure Code of Iran, that came into effect on June 22, 2015. Notwithstanding the notable legislator’s efforts, infrastructural and structural reforms have not been carried out. Accordingly, it is not expected to be as efficient as the previous laws due to the lack of fundamental reforms; reforms caused the improvement in “low-level efficiency” (saving resources in the economic sense) rather than in the “high-level” one (saving resources plus developing more justice). The analysis of the efficiency of the Code and proposal of fundamental reforms for having a high-level efficient Criminal Law in Iran are the main objectives of this paper. After an introduction (Chapters I and II), we made a historical approach of the Iranian system in this matter (Chapter III). Then, we analyze three types of efficiency (Chapter IV), attending to some infrastructural elements, some structural factors and other procedural aspects. At last, we synthetize four conclusions (Chapter V). Main conclusion is that efficiency in the system of criminal procedure would be only on low-level.

Resumen: Este artículo contiene un estudio sobre la eficiencia del sistema penal diseñado en el nuevo Código de Procedimiento Penal de Irán, que entró en vigor el 22 de junio de 2015. A pesar de los notables esfuerzos del legislador, no se han llevado a cabo las reformas estructurales y estructurales necesarias. En consecuencia, no se espera que sea tan eficiente como las leyes anteriores debido a la falta de reformas fundamentales; las reformas causaron la mejora en la “eficiencia de bajo nivel” (ahorro de recursos en el sentido económico) más que en la de “alto nivel” (ahorrar recursos y desarrollar más justicia). El análisis de la eficiencia del Código y la propuesta de reformas fundamentales para contar con un Derecho Penal altamente eficiente en Irán son los principales objetivos de este documento. Después de una introducción (capítulos I y II), se da el enfoque histórico del sistema iraní en esta materia (capítulo III). Luego, se analizan tres tipos de eficiencia (en el capítulo IV), atendiendo algunos elementos, como la infraestructura, los factores estructurales y otros relacionados con el procedimiento. Finalmente, sintetizamos lo revisado en cuatro conclusiones (en el capítulo V). La principal conclusión es que la eficiencia en el sistema de procedimiento penal solo se hará a bajo nivel.

Nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (ntESCs) show stem cell characteristics such as pluripotency but cause no immunological disorders. Although ntESCs are able to differentiate into somatic cells, the ability of ntESCs to differentiate into primordial germ cells (PGCs) has not been examined. In this work, we examined the capacity of mouse ntESCs to differentiate into PGCs in vitro. ntESCs aggregated to form embryoid bodies (EB) in EB culture medium supplemented with bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4) as the differentiation factor. The expression level of specific PGC genes was compared at days 4 and 8 using real time PCR. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining were used to detect Mvh as a specific PGC marker. ntESCs expressed particular genes related to different stages of PGC development. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining confirmed the presence of Mvh protein in a small number of cells. There were significant differences between cells that differentiated into PGCs in the group treated with Bmp4 compared to non-treated cells. These findings indicate that ntESCs can differentiate into putative PGCs. Improvement of ntESC differentiation into PGCs may be a reliable means of producing mature germ cells.