Membrane-bound receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a stable biomarker of low-quality sperm.

Study Question: Does receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) on the surface membrane of the sperm cell function as a biomarker of low-quality sperm?

Summary Answer: Membrane-bound RAGE at a cellular level directly correlates with low sperm motility, high cell permeability, decreased mitochondrial function, DNA fragmentation, and higher levels of apoptosis.

What Is Known Already: RAGE has previously been measured by ELISA in low-quality sperm in diabetic men and has been shown to correlate with DNA fragmentation (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay).

Study Design Size Duration: Semen samples were recovered from 60 non-obese, non-diabetic and non-smoking subjects, washed with fresh media, and analysed directly or purified further by differential gradient centrifugation (DGC) or fractionated by direct swim-up before being analysed for sperm motility and molecular health parameters, including cell membrane permeability, cell death, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, and RAGE protein expression.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and patient self-advocacy: a statistical analysis of those who can and can't get vaccinated.

Background: This study applies the Patient Self-Advocacy scale to investigate vaccine hesitancy in New Zealand. Due to New Zealand's very limited tertiary hospital system and vulnerable populations, the Government's strategy to address COVID-19 has been to prevent the virus from entering the nation and to eliminate it when it does cross the border. Therefore, there is no opportunity for the nation to generate any acquired immunity through exposure.

"You're kind of at war with yourself as a nurse": Perspectives of inpatient nurses on treating people who present with a comorbid opioid use disorder.

Background: In the midst of an opioid epidemic, health care workers are encountering an increasing number of patients who have opioid use disorder in addition to complex social, behavioral and medical issues. Of all the clinicians in the hospital, nurses spend the most time with hospitalized patients who have opioid use disorder, yet there has been little research exploring their experiences in caring for this population. The objective of this study was to assess the attitudes, perceptions, and training needs of nurses in the inpatient setting when caring for patients who have opioid use disorder.

Evaluation of Whatsapp for Promoting Social Presence in a First Year Undergraduate Radiography Problem-Based Learning Group.

The article reports the findings of an analysis into student postings on a mobile instant messaging service (WhatsApp) established to develop social presence in a small group of first-year undergraduate radiography students. The analysis was carried out using a validated and reported tool specifically designed to identify categories of social presence, developed using the Community of Enquiry theoretical model. The students themselves undertook the analysis, which enhanced validity due to participant verification of findings.

(1)H NMR based metabolic profiling of day 2 spent embryo media correlates with implantation potential.

Morphological assessment is currently the primary technique for selection of viable embryos for uterine transfer during assisted reproductive techniques, however this method has limited predictive power. The objective of this study was to employ NMR based metabolic profiling analysis of spent embryo culture media to identify novel biomarkers of embryo viability and provide insight into the metabolism of a viable embryo. A total of 37 patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment were recruited and 58 media samples were collected from embryos that were transferred back to the uterus.