Metformin reverses infertility in a mouse model of endometriosis: unveiling disease pathways and implications for future clinical approaches.

Research Question: Does metformin reverse endometriosis-associated infertility?

Design: Endometriosis was induced by transplanting uterus fragments from B6CBAF1 mice into recipients of the same strain. The mice were divided into groups: endometriosis (End, n = 24), sham-operated (Sham, n = 12), endometriosis with metformin (0.5mg/ml) orally administered for 3 months (EndMet, n = 21) and sham-operated metformin-treated (ShamMet, n = 16).

Effect of dry needling, ischemic compression and cross-taping of the masseter in patients with orofacial myofascial pain: a randomized comparative study.

Background And Objective: Temporomandibular disorders, of multifactorial etiology, refer to a series of pathologies that affect the temporomandibular joint and the associated musculature of the orofacial region and are the result of alterations in the physiological relationships of the stomatognathic system, responsible for functions such as chewing, phonation and swallowing. They produce, among other symptoms, mainly pain, which affects the quality of life of the patients who suffer from them. To alleviate the discomfort of neuromuscular pathology in the orofacial region, various therapeutic strategies are employed, ranging from non-invasive to more invasive methods.

Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia.

The two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide 'dry diagonal' of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus to test if Amazônia-Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods.

Impact of chronic painful temporomandibular disorders on quality of life.

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) are pathologies based on multifactorial etiology and a biopsychosocial model, where anxiety becomes one of the most important psychological factors as it is the most frequent symptom presented in most of the population at some point in life. Taking into account the need for a multidisciplinary approach, we set out to evaluate the possible impact of orofacial pain on patients' quality of life. In this study, the sample population FROM the Medical School of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) was evaluated using two tools: Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder (DC/TMD) and an adaptation of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory.

Impact of trace mineral supplementation and translucency score on eggshell quality, hatchability, fertility, and chick quality.

The broiler breeder industry is facing a problem with fertility, hatchability, and the number of broiler breeder eggs produced per hen. The supplementation of trace minerals such as zinc, manganese, and copper in broiler breeder diets has been previously linked to an increase in eggshell quality, which may lead to increased fertility, hatchability, and chick quality. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of amino-acid complexed mineral supplementation on eggshell quality, fertility, hatchability, chick quality, and shell translucency.

A narrative review about the intricate crosstalk among endometrium, adipose tissue, and neurons in endometriosis. The multifaceted role of leptin.

Endometriosis is a highly prevalent gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrium-like tissue outside the uterus, whose etiopathology is far from being elucidated. The most frequent complains of patients are pelvic pain and infertility. Increasing evidence supports the systemic impact of endometriosis suggesting that an intricate crosstalk among distinct organs underlies the development of the disease.

Strengthening the governance of food systems for nutrition in Africa: a political economy analysis of food policy in South Africa and Ghana.

Objective: To examine underlying political economy factors that enable or impede the integration of nutrition considerations into food system governance.

Design: Comparative political economy analysis of data collected through (1) value chain analyses of selected healthy and unhealthy commodities and (2) food system policy analyses, using a theoretical framework focused on power, politics, interests and ideas.

Setting: Ghana and South Africa.

An interactive dashboard for analyzing user interaction patterns in the i2b2 clinical data warehouse.

Background: Clinical data warehouses provide harmonized access to healthcare data for medical researchers. Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) is a well-established open-source solution with the major benefit that data representations can be tailored to support specific use cases. These data representations can be defined and improved via an iterative approach together with domain experts and the medical researchers using the platform.

Construction and demolition waste as a low-cost adsorbent for water treatment: kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and Fenton regeneration.

The present study proposes to investigate the feasibility of using construction and demolition waste (CDW) as an aqueous remediation agent through adsorption. The CDW, with and without chemical and thermal pre-activation, was evaluated to remove the methylene blue (MB) dye from the water solution. Variables interfering with adsorption processes, such as adsorbent dosage, solution pH, and particle size, were evaluated.

Incremental Value of Radiomics Features of Epicardial Adipose Tissue for Detecting the Severity of COVID-19 Infection.

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is known for its pro-inflammatory properties and association with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. However, existing detection methods for COVID-19 severity assessment often lack consideration of organs and tissues other than the lungs, which limits the accuracy and reliability of these predictive models.

Material And Methods: The retrospective study included data from 515 COVID-19 patients (Cohort 1, n=415; Cohort 2, n=100) from two centers (Shanghai Public Health Center and Brazil Niteroi Hospital) between January 2020 and July 2020.

The gut microbiota of wild birds undergoing rehabilitation as a reservoir of multidrug-resistant enterococci in a metropolitan area in Brazil.

Enterococci are ubiquitous usually commensal bacteria that can act as opportunistic pathogens frequently associated with resistance to multiple antimicrobial classes. A variety of animals may carry potentially harmful enterococci. In the present work, the occurrence and characteristics of enterococci recovered from the fecal microbiota of wild birds belonging to four families (Accipitridae, Cathartidae, Falconidae and Strigidae) were investigated.

Nocturnal activity and forestry-urban dispersal of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from an ecotourism park in Amazonian Brazil.

Phlebotomine sand flies are insects of notorious importance in public health, mainly due to their involvement in the transmission of Leishmania protozoa. Their flight activity occurs predominantly in the twilight/night period, being stimulated mainly by the need to search for food and reproduction. Despite being naturally wild, some species are able to invade anthropized environments.

Evidence of Browning and Inflammation Features in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Women with Endometriosis.

Background: Patients with endometriosis tend to have a low body mass index, suggesting an inverse relationship between body fat and risk of disease. This is supported by evidence that miRNAs differentially expressed in endometriosis induce browning of pre-adipocytes in vitro. Thus, we hypothesize that endometriosis may underlie adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction and browning.

Large deletions and small insertions and deletions in the factor VIII gene predict unfavorable immune tolerance induction outcome in people with severe hemophilia A and high-responding inhibitors.

Introduction: Hemophilia A is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the factor VIII gene (F8), which leads to factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency. Immune tolerance induction (ITI) is a therapeutic approach to eradicate alloantibodies (inhibitors) against exogenous FVIII in people with inherited hemophilia A. Few studies have evaluated the role of F8 variants on ITI outcome.

Rapid Deployment of a Pseudonymization Service in a Distributed Research Data Infrastructure - Lessons Learned.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the importance of fast, collaborative research in biomedicine. Within the ORCHESTRA consortium, we rapidly deployed a pseudonymization service with minimal training and maintenance efforts under time-critical conditions to support a complex, multi-site research project. Over two years, the service was deployed in 13 sites across 11 countries to register more than 10,000 study participants and 15,000 biosamples.

Health Data Re-Identification: Assessing Adversaries and Potential Harms.

Sharing biomedical data for research can help to improve disease understanding and support the development of preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic methods. However, it is vital to balance the amount of data shared and the sharing mechanism chosen with the privacy protection provided. This requires a detailed understanding of potential adversaries who might attempt to re-identify data and the consequences of their actions.

Ground-dwelling invertebrates from an Urban park in the Brazilian Amazon, with particular reference to Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae).

The ground-dwelling invertebrate fauna from an urban park in Belém, Amazonian Brazil, with particular reference to the subfamily Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae), were characterized. Sampling was performed from March 2022 to May 2023, with 10 emergence traps installed in 2 microhabitats, 5 in each 1: "M1," which included surrounding (up to 1.5 m) trees with tabular roots, and "M2," which included no trees with tabular roots.

Use of rainbow trout skin treated with glutaraldehyde as a mesh for abdominal hernioplasty in rats.

Purpose: To test the use of rainbow trout skin as a surgical mesh in abdominal hernioplasties in rats.

Methods: The experiment involved 20 Wistar rats receiving implants of trout skin processed for disinfection in 0.5% glutaraldehyde and preserved in 100% glycerin.

A multicommuted system using bacterial cellulose for urease immobilization and copper (II)-MOF colorimetric sensor for urea spectrophotometric determination in milk.

This work describes determining urea in milk samples using a multicommuted approach with a urease enzyme immobilized in bacterial cellulose and solid MOF as a colorimetric reagent. The Cu(2+)-MOF was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM. The urea quantification was based on the urea hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by urease and reacted with Cu(2+)-MOF forming [Cu(NH)], monitored at 450 nm.

Experience from a regional percutaneous coronary intervention center: Aiming to assess and improve quality of care.

Introduction And Objectives: Ischemic heart disease is the single most common cause of death in Europe. Mortality in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with many factors, one of which is the time delay to treatment. The purpose of this work is to analyze the coronary pathway in our region in terms of timing, taking into consideration the place of first medical contact (FMC).

A Scalable Pseudonymization Tool for Rapid Deployment in Large Biomedical Research Networks: Development and Evaluation Study.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has demonstrated once again that rapid collaborative research is essential for the future of biomedicine. Large research networks are needed to collect, share, and reuse data and biosamples to generate collaborative evidence. However, setting up such networks is often complex and time-consuming, as common tools and policies are needed to ensure interoperability and the required flows of data and samples, especially for handling personal data and the associated data protection issues.

Direct evidence of plant consumption in Neolithic Eastern Sudan from dental calculus analysis.

The Neolithic communities of Eastern Sudan combined intensive pastoralism with plant exploitation as their main subsistence strategies. However, to date, it remains unclear which plant species were part of the human diet during the Neolithic. This contribution presents direct data on plant consumption in Eastern Sudan from the Early to Late Neolithic, obtained through the analysis of microdebris inclusions in the dental calculus of 37 individuals, integrated by dentoalveolar pathology analysis of 78 individuals, from the sites UA53 (4th millennium BCE) and Mahal Teglinos (3rd-2nd millennium BCE), located in the Gash Delta/Kassala region.