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Background: Carbon monoxide (CO), influences ovarian function, pregnancy, and placental health. Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 and its products, including CO, exhibit protective and anti-inflammatory properties. Objective: This study investigates the protective effects of CO released by the carbon dioxide-releasing molecule (CORM)-2 against oxidative stress, functional and structural changes of the ovaries, and HO-1 expressions in female rats suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 24 Rattus norvegicus var. Albinus female rats (180-200 gr, 8 wk) were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 6/each): control, CORM-2 (10 mg/kg), PCOS (induced by 4 mg/kg, intramuscular injection and a single dose of estradiol valerate), PCOS + CORM-2. Ovary histological changes were evaluated by crystal violet staining. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of ovarian tissue were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HO-1 expression was evaluated using Western blot. Results: Corpus luteal formation significantly decreased in the PCOS group and was significantly restored with CORM-2 administration compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The expression of ovarian HO-1 protein was reduced in the PCOS group compared to controls (p < 0.01), and administration of CORM in PCOS rats significantly increased its expression (p < 0.0001). In addition, CORM administration markedly reduced ovarian MDA levels and restored SOD activity (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: CORM-2 administration to PCOS rats created protective effects by reducing oxidative stress (reducing MDA level and restoring SOD activity) and increasing ovarian HO-1 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of critical issues such as increase in pollution levels, sudden climatic changes and the rise of temperature in the urban area, leading to the formation of Urban Heat Islands (UHI), have been resulted from urbanization. As population density increases, most terrestrial areas become cities, and cities grow very fast. The reason to do the current study is to compare Single-Channel, SEBAL and Split-Window methods and then choose the best method for estimating land surface temperature. The objectives are as follows: Three independent studies were conducted using a series of Landsat data: (i) to land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) classification by object-oriented method and change detection; (ii) to understand the connection between particular LU/LC class and Land Surface Temperature(LST); and (iii) LST recovery using Single-Channel, SEBAL and Split-Window, as well as comparing these methods together. The results of land-use classification and change detection indicated that urban areas have increased, while agriculture has declined. The results of validation of the three temperature recovery methods demonstrated that due to using two thermal bands simultaneously, the Split-Window method functions better and in these three algorithms, water bodies and wet soils exhibit minimum surface temperatures. Due to less vegetation, areas such as deserts, saline soils and residential area display a higher surface temperature. Vegetation has always been an obstacle for heat input and inversely related to surface heat. In addition, due to fuel pollution of machinery and factory, urban areas experience high temperatures. The only gap of this study was the utilizing 5-cm surface temperature data, which was only available at airports and was not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress is known to play a key role in the occurrence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as the most common cause of anovulatory infertility. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether diminished activity of ovarian enzymes responsible for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production, cystathionine βsynthase (CBS), and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) contributes to oxidative stress in PCOS. The study also explored whether administration of sodium hydrosulfide (NaSH), an H2S donor, could ameliorate PCOS symptoms by reducing oxidative stress. Methods: The total eighteen rats were randomly assigned into three groups (n=6): control, PCOS, and PCOS+NaSH. PCOS was induced by intramuscular injection of estradiol valerate to induce PCOS in the PCOS and PCOS+NaSH groups. The PCOS+NaSH group received 30 μmol/L of NaSH in drinking water for 27 days after PCOS induction. Ovarian tissue samples were analyzed for oxidative stress indices including malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Additional analyses measured H2S levels, CBS, and CSE activity. Results: PCOS induction led to a significant decrease in SOD activity, H2S levels, and CBS and CSE activity, accompanied by a significant increase in MDA levels (p<0.0001). Furthermore, PCOS caused severe histological alterations in the ovaries. However, administration of NaSH effectively restored all measured parameters to pre-PCOS induction levels (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that the decrease in the activity of H2S-producing enzymes and H2S levels may contribute to oxidative stress in PCOS. Therefore, administration of NaSH as a H2S donor can be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for PCOS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]