High sperm DNA stainability might not be an accurate predictive indicator of male fertility and assisted reproductive technology outcomes.

Background: The clinical need for assisted reproduction continued to increase, so did the need for predictive markers of assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. Among all the markers, sperm DNA integrity was paid more and more attention in the assessment of male fertility in recent years, but its clinical value remains still in doubt.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study.

GSP-AI: An AI-Powered Platform for Identifying Key Growth Stages and the Vegetative-to-Reproductive Transition in Wheat Using Trilateral Drone Imagery and Meteorological Data.

Wheat () is one of the most important staple crops worldwide. To ensure its global supply, the timing and duration of its growth cycle needs to be closely monitored in the field so that necessary crop management activities can be arranged in a timely manner. Also, breeders and plant researchers need to evaluate growth stages (GSs) for tens of thousands of genotypes at the plot level, at different sites and across multiple seasons.

The Dissection of Nitrogen Response Traits Using Drone Phenotyping and Dynamic Phenotypic Analysis to Explore N Responsiveness and Associated Genetic Loci in Wheat.

Inefficient nitrogen (N) utilization in agricultural production has led to many negative impacts such as excessive use of N fertilizers, redundant plant growth, greenhouse gases, long-lasting toxicity in ecosystem, and even effect on human health, indicating the importance to optimize N applications in cropping systems. Here, we present a multiseasonal study that focused on measuring phenotypic changes in wheat plants when they were responding to different N treatments under field conditions. Powered by drone-based aerial phenotyping and the AirMeasurer platform, we first quantified 6 N response-related traits as targets using plot-based morphological, spectral, and textural signals collected from 54 winter wheat varieties.

Tetrahydropalmatine: Orchestrating survival - Regulating autophagy and apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in perforator flaps.

Background: Introduced in clinical practice in 1989, perforator flaps are vital for tissue defect repair, but they are challenged by distal necrosis. Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) from celandine is renowned for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. This study investigates THP's use in perforator flaps.

Panicle-Cloud: An Open and AI-Powered Cloud Computing Platform for Quantifying Rice Panicles from Drone-Collected Imagery to Enable the Classification of Yield Production in Rice.

Rice () is an essential stable food for many rice consumption nations in the world and, thus, the importance to improve its yield production under global climate changes. To evaluate different rice varieties' yield performance, key yield-related traits such as panicle number per unit area (PNpM) are key indicators, which have attracted much attention by many plant research groups. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to conduct large-scale screening of rice panicles to quantify the PNpM trait due to complex field conditions, a large variation of rice cultivars, and their panicle morphological features.

Clinical Uncertainty Influences Antibiotic Prescribing for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Qualitative Study of Township Hospital Physicians and Village Doctors in Rural Shandong Province, China.

Objective: This study aimed to explore how clinical uncertainty influences antibiotic prescribing practices among township hospital physicians and village doctors in rural Shandong Province, China.

Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 township hospital physicians and 6 village doctors from rural Shandong Province, China. A multi-stage random sampling method was used to identify respondents.

Antibiotic use in township hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shandong, China.

Background: The overuse of antibiotics in primary healthcare settings (PHSs) has caused a serious public health problem in China. The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about dramatic changes in the supply of and demand for medical services in PHSs, possibly resulting in unprecedented changes in antibiotic use.

Objective: This study aims to assess the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the changes in antibiotic consumption in PHSs.

Clinical detection, diagnosis and treatment of morphological abnormalities of sperm flagella: A review of literature.

Sperm carries male genetic information, and flagella help move the sperm to reach oocytes. When the ultrastructure of the flagella is abnormal, the sperm is unable to reach the oocyte and achieve insemination. Multiple morphological abnormalities of sperm flagella (MMAF) is a relatively rare idiopathic condition that is mainly characterized by multiple defects in sperm flagella.

Interventions to optimize the use of antibiotics in China: A scoping review of evidence from humans, animals, and the environment from a One Health perspective.

Objectives: The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has accelerated the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance. The aim of the study was to review interventions conducted in China to optimize use of antibiotics in humans, animals, and the environment from a One Health perspective.

Methods: The literature review for this study was limited to English and Chinese articles published from January 1985 to May 2021.

Genetic analysis and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes of Chinese patients with congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens.

Purpose: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a major cause of obstructive azoospermia and male factor infertility. CBAVD is mainly caused by mutations in the genes encoding CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) and ADGRG2 (adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G2). This study aimed to describe CFTR and ADGRG2 variations in 46 Chinese CBAVD patients and evaluated sperm retrieval and assisted reproductive technology outcomes.

Influencing Factors and Cumulative Risk Analysis of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

Objective: To explore the influencing factors and cumulative risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) patients.

Methods: 607 patients confirmed PTMC pathologically after thyroidectomy were enrolled in this retrospective study. The rate of LNM was calculated.

Formulation and evaluation of a α-linolenic acid and vitamin E succinate microemulsion with low surfactant content and free of co-surfactant for use as a nutritional supplement.

Herein, we have designed an alcohol-free and low-surfactant microemulsion to safely and effectively supply α-linolenic acid (ALA) and vitamin E (VE). Ternary phase diagrams show that the use of medium- or short-chain alcohols as the co-surfactant (CoS) was unfavorable for the formation of the ALA microemulsion due to the competitive hydrogen bonding effect and vitamin E succinate (VES) significantly increased the ALA microemulsion region by improving the hydrophilicity of the oil phase. The optimal microemulsion formulation (M) was 6.

One-step dynamic fabrication of asymmetric multi-layered porous films for sustained drug delivery.

Asymmetric multi-layered porous films were prepared by casting inverse emulsion following the breath figure method. The porous morphologies both on the surface and in the bulk of the fabricated film could be dynamically manipulated by tuning the emulsion composition as well as the environmental conditions. The model drug was efficiently loaded into the porous film by direct encapsulation during film fabrication, and remarkable sustained drug release from the porous film for more than 28 days was achieved.

Mutation of the novel acetylation site at K414R of BECN1 is involved in adipocyte differentiation and lipolysis.

BECN1, a protein essential for autophagy, is involved in adipocyte differentiation, lipolysis and insulin resistance. The discovery of new mechanisms for modifying BECN1 in adipocytes may provide novel therapeutic targets for obesity. This study aimed to investigate the impact of mutations at the acetylation sites of BECN1 on adipocyte differentiation and lipolysis.

Prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children.

Background: Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health globally. Irrational utilization of antibiotics being one of the main reasons of antibiotic resistant. Children as a special group, there's more chance of getting infected.

Erratum: Microporous polysaccharide multilayer coated BCP composite scaffolds with immobilised calcitriol promote osteoporotic bone regeneration both and : Erratum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.29566.

The Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Knowledge, Attitudes and Reported Practices on Antibiotic Use in Humans and Pigs: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Twelve Villages in Shandong Province, China.

Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention for residents in rural China on knowledge, attitudes and reported practices (KAP) on antibiotic use in humans and pigs. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 12 villages in rural Shandong province, divided into intervention and control groups, covering a two-year period from July 2015 to June 2017. A package of health education-based interventions including training sessions, speakerphone messages, posters and handbooks for residents was developed and implemented over a one-year period to improve the use of antibiotics in humans and pigs.

Well-dispersed platelet lysate entrapped nanoparticles incorporate with injectable PDLLA-PEG-PDLLA triblock for preferable cartilage engineering application.

Platelet lysate (PL) as a cost-effective cocktail of growth factors is an emerging ingredient in regenerative medicine, especially in cartilage tissue engineering. However, most studies fail to pay attention to PL's intrinsic characteristics and incorporate it directly with scaffolds or hydrogels by simple mixture. Currently, the particle size distribution of PL was determined to be scattered.

Comparison of cecal microbiota composition in hybrid pigs from two separate three-way crosses.

Objective: The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in host physiology, metabolism, immunity, and behavior. And host genetics could influence the gut microbiota of hybrid animals. The three-way cross model is commonly utilized in commercial pig production; however, the use of this model to analyse the gut microbial composition is rarely reported.

The effects of the primary health care providers' prescription behavior interventions to improve the rational use of antibiotics: a systematic review.

Background: Irrational antibiotics use in clinical prescription, especially in primary health care (PHC) is accelerating the spread of antibiotics resistance (ABR) around the world. It may be greatly useful to improve the rational use of antibiotics by effectively intervening providers' prescription behaviors in PHC. This study aimed to systematically review the interventions targeted to providers' prescription behaviors in PHC and its' effects on improving the rational use of antibiotics.

Importance of a semen analysis report for determining the relationship between SCSA sperm DNA fragmentation index and assisted reproductive technology pregnancy rate.

In the past, semen parameters have been the primary diagnostic criteria used to establish male infertility. However, with the exception of sperm motility, which is known to be linked to rates of in vitro fertilization success, these parameters are generally unreliable at accurately predicting the potential fertility of a couple. More recent research has suggested that sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) may be a more robust and reliable means of predicting assisted reproductive outcomes.

Comorbidities and the risk of severe or fatal outcomes associated with coronavirus disease 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Existing findings regarding the relationship between comorbidities and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are inconsistent and insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between different comorbidities and the severity of COVID-19.

Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify studies reporting the rates of comorbidities in COVID-19 patients with severe/fatal outcomes.

Design, optimization and evaluation of co-surfactant free microemulsion-based hydrogel with low surfactant for enhanced transdermal delivery of lidocaine.

Microemulsion is the preferred vehicle for local anesthetics; however, the toxicity and irritation associated with a quantity use of surfactants (S) and co-surfactants (CS), i.e., medium- or short-chain alcohols, restrict its commercial application.

A free-standing multilayer film as a novel delivery carrier of platelet lysates for potential wound-dressing applications.

Great efforts have been made to develop suitable bioactive constructs that release growth factors (GFs) in a controlled manner for tissue-regeneration applications. Platelet lysates (PLs) are an affordable source of multiple GFs and other proteins, and show great potential in the wound-healing process. Herein, poly-l-lysine (PLL) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were applied to build free-standing polyelectrolyte multilayer films (PEMs) using the PH-amplified layer-by-layer self-assembly method.