Background
A number of different types of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides, and other environmental chemicals have been shown to adversely impact ...upon male reproductive health. Understanding the potential effects of EDCs on male reproductive health may enable the development of novel treatments and early prevention of the effects of EDCs on male infertility and their potential long‐term sequelae. This review critically evaluates the research performed in this area and explores potential harmful effects of EDCs in animals and humans, including the possibility of trans‐generational transmission.
Methods
A literature review was conducted using electronic databases using the following terms: ‘endocrine disrupt*’ OR ‘endocrine disruptors’ OR ‘endocrine disruptor chemicals’ OR ‘EDC’ AND ‘sperm*’ OR ‘spermatozoa’ OR ‘spermatozoon’ OR ‘male reproductive health’ OR’ male fertility’.
Main findings
Several studies have shown that EDCs have a variety of pathophysiological effects. These include failure of spermatogenesis, embryonic development, the association with testicular cancer, and long‐term metabolic effects.
Conclusions
Several studies observe correlations between chemical doses and at least one sperm parameter; however, such correlations are sometimes inconsistent between different studies. Mechanisms through which EDCs exert their pathophysiological effects have not yet been fully elucidated in human studies.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cellular growth and proliferation depend upon the acquisition and synthesis of specific metabolites. These metabolites fuel the bioenergy, biosynthesis, and redox potential required for duplication ...of cellular biomass. Multicellular organisms maintain tissue homeostasis by balancing signals promoting proliferation and removal of cells via apoptosis. While apoptosis is in itself an energy dependent process activated by intrinsic and extrinsic signals, whether specific nutrient acquisition (elevated or suppressed) and their metabolism regulates apoptosis is less well investigated. Normal cellular metabolism is regulated by lineage specific intrinsic features and microenvironment driven extrinsic features. In the context of cancer, genetic abnormalities, unconventional microenvironments and/or therapy engage constitutive pro-survival signaling to re-program and rewire metabolism to maintain survival, growth, and proliferation. It thus becomes particularly relevant to understand whether altered nutrient acquisition and metabolism in cancer can also contribute to the evasion of apoptosis and consequently therapy resistance. Our review attempts to dissect a causal relationship between two cancer hallmarks, i.e., deregulated cellular energetics and the evasion of programmed cell death with primary focus on the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
To test the ability of the smartphone-based YO Home Sperm Test to accurately and precisely measure motile sperm concentration (MSC) versus the SQA-Vision, an automated laboratory semen analyzer.
MSC ...compared for the YO device on Galaxy and iPhone smartphones versus the SQA-Vision in a double-blind manner.
Academic medical center.
Donor semen samples from 24 men in 144 aliquots.
None.
Accuracy, precision, and agreement assessed between the YO device and the SQA-Vision for MSC results.
The YO device demonstrated good correlation and good to moderate agreement with the SQA-Vision for MSC results up to a range of 94 × 106/mL with Pearson and concordance correlation coefficient above 0.92. The YO also showed a very high level of accuracy (97.8%) with positive and negative percent agreement above 94%. The difference in coefficient of variation between the YO and the SQA-Vision was low (between 9.4% and 11.2%) and not statistically significant. The precision among the YO phone devices was lower (16.0%) than the manufacturer's claim of ≤20%.
The smartphone-based device has a high level of accuracy and precision when compared with the SQA-Vision. It can detect samples with abnormally “low” MSC (below 6 × 106/mL cutoff), which supports its use as an effective home sperm test for screening “low” and “moderate/normal” MSC cases. In addition, the device effectively identifies varying levels of normal MSC in a precise manner over a wide range of normal MSC. Thus, the YO Score can improve patient satisfaction and empowerment.
Dispositivo de evaluación del semen en casa versus analizador de calidad espermática en el laboratorio:comparación de la concentración de espermatozoides móviles
Evaluar la habilidad del test espermático YO basado en el teléfono móvil en casa, para medir de forma precisa y exacta la concentración de espermatozoides móviles (MSC) en comparación con el SQA-Vision, un analizador automatizado de semen en el laboratorio.
Comparación doble ciego de la MSC para el dispositivo YO en teléfonos móviles Galaxy e iPhone versus el SQA-Vision.
Centro médico académico.
Muestras de semen de donantes de 24 hombres en 144 alícuotas.
Ninguna.
Exactitud, precisión y concordancia evaluadas entre el dispositivo YO y SQA-Vision para la MSC.
El dispositivo YO demostró una buena correlación y una concordancia de buena a moderada con los resultados de SQA-Vision para la MSC hasta un rango de 94 x 106 / mL mediante análisis de Pearson y con coeficiente de correlación y concordancia por encima de 0.92. El YO también mostró un nivel muy alto de precisión (97.8%) con un porcentaje de concordancia positivo y negativo superior al 94%. La diferencia en el coeficiente de variación entre el YO y la SQA-Vision fue baja (entre 9.4% y 11.2%) y no estadísticamente significativa. La precisión entre los dispositivos telefónicos YO fue más baja (16.0%) que la declarada por el fabricante de ≤ 20%.
El dispositivo basado en teléfonos móviles tiene un alto nivel de exactitud y precisión comparado con el SQA-Vision. Puede detectar muestras con un MSC anormalmente “bajo” (por debajo de 6 x 106 / mL de corte), lo que respalda su uso como una prueba doméstica eficaz de despistaje de casos de MSC “bajo” y “moderado/normal”. Además, el dispositivo identifica eficazmente los niveles variables de MSC normal de una forma precisa en un amplio rango de MSC normal. Por lo tanto, la valoración del YO puede mejorar la satisfacción y autonomía del paciente.
Prueba de esperma en casa, concentración de espermatozoides móviles, analizador de calidad seminal, teléfono móvil, semen.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Avelumab, a programmed death ligand-1 inhibitor, has shown success in providing durable responses for difficult-to-treat Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs).
Evaluate the efficacy and safety of avelumab in ...the treatment of advanced MCC.
Studies reporting the use of avelumab as a monotherapy or in combination with other agents in the treatment of stage III or IV (advanced) MCC were included. The primary outcomes were overall response rate, overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events.
A total of 48 studies were included, involving 1,565 patients with advanced MCC. Most patients were male (1,051, 67.3%) with stage IV MCC (517, 97.0%). The overall response rate was 46.1% (partial response-25.4% and complete response-20.7%) after a mean follow-up period of 9.5 months. Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the pooled stage III and IV group demonstrated OS rates of 58% at 1 year, 47% at 2 years, and 28% at 5 years after completion of treatment with avelumab (median OS: 23.1 months). The most common treatment-related adverse events consisted of constitutional (44%), gastrointestinal (19%), and dermatologic (12%) symptoms.
Avelumab monotherapy and combination therapy have shown success in the overall response rate and survival for patients with advanced MCC.
In the present work, ferroelectric sodium niobate (NaNbO3) nanorods are formulated to attain photopiezocatalysis for water pollutant degradation and bacterial disinfection. NaNbO3 nanorods, ...integrating the advantages of photocatalysis (generation of free charge carriers) and piezocatalysis (separation of these charge carriers), possess synergistic effects, which results in a higher catalytic activity than photocatalysis and piezocatalysis alone. Active species that are involved in the catalytic process are found to be •O2 – < OH• < h+, indicating the significance of piezocatalysis and photocatalysis. The degradation efficiency of sodium niobate (NaNbO3) nanorods for Rhodamine B in the presence of both sunlight and ultrasonic vibration is 98.9% within 60 min (k = 7.6 × 10–2 min–1). The piezo potential generated by NaNbO3 nanorods was reported to be 16 V. The antibacterial activity of the produced sample was found to be effective against Escherichia coli. With inhibitory zones of 23 mm, sodium niobate has a greater antibacterial activity.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Patient-centered and physician-led innovations are key to promoting physicians as visionary leaders in the healthcare system especially during times of crises. COVID-19 has inspired some promising ...recent advancements within medicine worth noting, including improvements in telemedicine, 3-D printed personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, drug and vaccine development, sterilization of PPE allowing for reuse, and point of care testing; they highlight a broader lesson for how we might innovate better within medicine, even after the crisis has passed. As such, with the complexities of modern-day medicine, to continue to foster this culture of innovation, it is paramount that going forward, medical education adapt and embrace an innovation curriculum that prepares physicians and healthcare workers to work with their communities and researchers to confidently tackle any challenges that may present. Integrating innovation into our careers and medical training is important for advancement of the field and to be able to handle challenges that may present to the healthcare system.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Alzheimer’s is an insidious, progressive, chronic neurodegenerative disease which causes the devastation of neurons. Alzheimer's possesses complex pathologies of heterogeneous nature counting ...proteins as one major factor along with enzymes and mutated genes. Proteins such as amyloid precursor protein (APP), apolipoprotein E (ApoE), presenilin, mortalin, calbindin-D28K, creactive protein, heat shock proteins (HSPs), and prion protein are some of the chief elements in the foremost hypotheses of AD like amyloid-beta (Aβ) cascade hypothesis, tau hypothesis, cholinergic neuron damage, etc. Disturbed expression of these proteins results in synaptic dysfunction, cognitive impairment, memory loss, and neuronal degradation. On the therapeutic ground, attempts of developing anti-amyloid, anti-inflammatory, anti-tau therapies are on peak, having APP and tau as putative targets. Some proteins, e.g., HSPs, which ameliorate oxidative stress, calpains, which help in regulating synaptic plasticity, and calmodulin-like skin protein (CLSP) with its neuroprotective role are few promising future targets for developing anti-AD therapies. On diagnostic grounds of AD C-reactive protein, pentraxins, collapsin response mediator protein-2, and growth-associated protein-43 represent the future of new possible biomarkers for diagnosing AD. The last few decades were concentrated over identifying and studying protein targets of AD. Here, we reviewed the physiological/pathological roles and therapeutic significance of nearly all the proteins associated with AD that addresses putative as well as probable targets for developing effective anti-AD therapies.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Our understanding of this new disease continues to ...grow. The impact of the disease on immunocompromised transplant recipients is largely unknown. We present a case of a solid organ transplant recipient on immunosuppressive therapy who successfully recovered from COVID-19 infection. We also review 10 similar cases found in the literature and describe the clinical course and management, including immunosuppressive therapy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 encompass a comprehensive framework to address the world’s most pressing challenges, aiming to achieve a more sustainable and ...equitable future for all. Among these goals, Goal 11 specifically targets sustainable cities and communities, emphasizing cultural and natural heritage preservation and management. This research paper delves into the significance of SDG 2030 in the context of heritage management, focusing on both Indian and global perspectives. The paper highlights the importance of safeguarding cultural and natural heritage for sustainable development, contributing to social cohesion, economic growth, and environmental conservation. The paper also draws on empirical data and case studies; the research delves into the unique challenges faced by India in managing its diverse and rich heritage. The study examines how India’s efforts align with global goals and identifies potential gaps and areas for improvement. Factors such as rapid urbanization, population growth, and climate change are explored regarding their impact on heritage sites and their management. In analyzing the global context, the research assesses various heritage management strategies and best practices from different countries worldwide. Drawing comparisons with India’s approach, the paper highlights successful models that can be adapted to address global heritage management challenges. The study concludes with a series of policy recommendations to strengthen the efforts toward achieving the SDG 2030 targets related to heritage management. Emphasizing collaboration and knowledge-sharing, the paper advocates for a collective approach to conserving and promoting the diverse heritage of nations and the world.