Subchronic elevation in ambient temperature drives alterations to the sperm epigenome and accelerates early embryonic development in mice.

Forecasted increases in the prevalence and severity of extreme weather events accompanying changes in climatic behavior pose potential risk to the reproductive capacity of humans and animals of ecological and agricultural significance. While several studies have revealed that heat stress induced by challenges such as testicular insulation can elicit a marked negative effect on the male reproductive system, and particularly the production of spermatozoa, less is known about the immediate impact on male reproductive function following subchronic whole-body exposure to elevated ambient temperature. To address this knowledge gap, we exposed unrestrained male mice to heat stress conditions that emulate a heat wave (daily cycle of 8 h at 35 °C followed by 16 h at 25 °C) for a period of 7 d.

Big data and electronic health records for glaucoma research.

The digitization of health records through electronic health records (EHRs) has transformed the landscape of ophthalmic research, particularly in the study of glaucoma. EHRs offer a wealth of structured and unstructured data, allowing for comprehensive analyses of patient characteristics, treatment histories, and outcomes. This review comprehensively discusses different EHR data sources, their strengths, limitations, and applicability towards glaucoma research.

Systematic review of randomised controlled clinical trials examining effectiveness of contingent financial rewards for smoking cessation during pregnancy: intention-to-treat and causal effects on birthweight.

Background: To examine birth weight change caused by adding financial rewards for smoking cessation compared to no rewards for pregnant women. To estimate the average expected birth weight change for those who quit because of rewards.

Methods: This study updates a previous systematic review and refocuses the outcome from smoking cessation to birth weight.