Intergenerational toxicity of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2): Effects of parental exposure on early larval development and transcriptomic profiles in the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata.

This study exposed adult Sydney rock oysters, of either sex or both, to the synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) at 50 ng/L for 21 days, followed by an examination of developmental endpoints and transcriptomic responses in unexposed larvae. Reduced survival was observed at 1 day post-fertilisation (dpf) in larvae from bi-parental exposure (FM). Motile larvae at 2 dpf were fewer from maternal (FM), paternal (FM), and FM exposures.

Peri-surgical imaging of intersex and gender diverse youths.

This publication provides an overview of current imaging indications and practices for patients undergoing gender-affirming surgery, with an emphasis on the importance of tailored, patient-specific care. Gender-affirming surgeries are performed with personalized approaches at various stages of life for those with intersex traits or differences in sex development (I/DSD) and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. For I/DSD patients, ultrasound, genitography, or MRI occurs during infancy and puberty to evaluate genital and gonadal anatomy.

Fertility preservation in transfeminine adolescents using TESE at the time of Histrelin Acetate subcutaneous implant placement: A Case Series.

Background: Fertility preservation (FP) is an important aspect of the care of transgender patients in whom Gender Affirming Medical Treatment (GAT) may begin before puberty is completed. While there are overall few studies that can be used to guide conversations about long-term effects of GAT, there are concerns that GAT could negatively impact fertility. Prior studies have shown low utilization of FP in this population, with avoidance of delay in starting GAT cited as one of the most common reasons for foregoing FP.

Applying Shear Wave and Magnetic Resonance Elastography to Grade Brain Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Reports find that magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) can classify intracranial tumors according to stiffness. However, systematic syntheses of these articles are lacking. In this report, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate whether SWE and MRE can predict meningioma and glioma grades.

One-Stage Shifted Laplacian Refining for Multiple Kernel Clustering.

Graph learning can effectively characterize the similarity structure of sample pairs, hence multiple kernel clustering based on graph learning (MKC-GL) achieves promising results on nonlinear clustering tasks. However, previous methods confine to a "three-stage" scheme, that is, affinity graph learning, Laplacian construction, and clustering indicator extracting, which results in the information distortion in the step alternating. Meanwhile, the energy of Laplacian reconstruction and the necessary cluster information cannot be preserved simultaneously.

Mendelian Disorders in an Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Cohort.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic pain disorder causing symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, and bladder discomfort or pain. Although this condition affects a large population, little is known about its etiology. Genetic analyses of whole exome sequencing are performed on 109 individuals with IC/BPS.

Serum Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy.

Purpose: To investigate serum cholesterol efflux capacity (the ability of the serum to accept cholesterol) and factors that regulate it using nuclear magnetic resonance-quantified measures of lipoprotein particle composition and size and apolipoproteins metrics in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design: Case-control study.

Participants: Four hundred two serum samples from 80 patients with early AMD (eAMD), and 212 patients with neovascular AMD (nAMD), including 80 with typical nAMD (tAMD) and 132 with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), and 110 age- and gender matched control participants.

Regulates Subclinical Inflammation and Activates Proangiogenic Response in the Retina and Choroid.

High-temperature requirement A1 (HtrA1) has been identified as a disease-susceptibility gene for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) including polypoidal choroidal neovasculopathy (PCV). We characterized the underlying phenotypic changes of transgenic (Tg) mice expressing ubiquitous CAG promoter (CAG-HtrA1 Tg). In vivo imaging modalities and histopathology were performed to investigate the possible neovascularization, drusen formation, and infiltration of macrophages.

Growth Inhibition, Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis, and S and G2/M Phase Arrest in Breast Cancer Cells Induced by Fluorine-Incorporated Gold I Compound, Ph3PAu[SC(OMe)=NC6H4F-3].

Gold-based anticancer compounds have been attracting increasing research interest due to their ability to kill cancer cells resistant to platinum-based compounds. Gold I- and gold III-based complexes have shown satisfactory anticancer activities. In this study, two new fluorine-incorporated gold (I) compounds such as PhPAu[SC(OMe)=NCHF-3] and DPPFeAu[(SC(OMe)=NCHF-3)] were evaluated for their activities against human breast cancer cell lines, primary breast cancer cells, and breast cancer stem cells (parental breast cancer stem cells, BCSC-P, and breast cancer stem cells, BCSC).

Cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 from provirus-activated cells to resting naïve and memory human primary CD4 T cells is highly efficient and requires CD4 and F-actin but not chemokine receptors.

Latently infected cells harboring replication-competent proviruses represent a major barrier to HIV-1 cure. One major effort to purge these cells has focused on developing the "shock and kill" approach for forcing provirus reactivation to induce cell killing by viral cytopathic effects, host immune responses, or both. We conducted kinetic and mechanistic studies of HIV-1 protein expression, virion production, and cell-to-cell virus transmission during provirus reactivation.

Clinical outcomes in pediatric hydrocephalus patients treated with endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization (ETV+CPC) is a novel procedure for infant hydrocephalus that was developed in sub-Saharan Africa to mitigate the risks associated with permanent implanted shunt hardware. This study summarizes the hydrocephalus literature surrounding the ETV+CPC intraoperative abandonment rate, perioperative mortality rate, cerebrospinal fluid infection rate, and failure rate.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed a prespecified protocol and abides by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Microplastics act as a carrier for wastewater-borne pathogenic bacteria in sewage.

Microplastic pollution, a pressing global environmental problem, has a severe impact on both aquatic ecosystems and public health worldwide. Due to the small size of microplastics, they are able to pass through the filtration systems of municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTWs). In recent years, studies have focused on the environmental abundance and ecotoxicological effects of microplastics, but there are limited studies investigating the colonization of microplastics by bacteria, especially those pathogenic ones.

Presence of Autoantibodies in Males and Females With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more common in females, and although the cause of RA is unknown, it is characterized by the production of autoantibodies. The aims of this study were to determine whether RA-associated autoantibodies are more often found in females than males and to identify factors that influence the relationship between sex and seropositivity.

Methods: Databases were searched and studies of RA (N ≥ 100) were included if they reported proportion of seropositive patients with RA by sex.

Soluble Immune Checkpoints Are Dysregulated in COVID-19 and Heavy Alcohol Users With HIV Infection.

Immune checkpoints (ICPs) consist of paired receptor-ligand molecules that exert inhibitory or stimulatory effects on immune defense, surveillance, regulation, and self-tolerance. ICPs exist in both membrane and soluble forms and . Imbalances between inhibitory and stimulatory membrane-bound ICPs (mICPs) in malignant cells and immune cells in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) have been well documented.

Vaginectomy in Transmasculine Patients: A Review of Techniques in an Emerging Field.

Purpose: This report reviews the various techniques for vaginal obliterative surgery in the transmasculine patient population, including advantages and drawbacks with differing methods and reflects on the focus of future research and surgical efforts.

Findings: Existing techniques for vaginal obliterative surgery by vaginectomy or colpocleisis vary without strong evidence to identify a superior approach.

Summary: The increasing number of transmasculine patients seeking vaginectomy as a part of gender-affirming surgery must be matched by evidence-based techniques that provide a safe, long-term outcome.

The accumulation and distribution of arsenic species and selected metals in the saltmarsh halophyte, spiny rush (Juncus acutus).

This study examined the accumulation of As species, Se, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in the halophyte Juncus acutus, collected from three anthropogenically impacted estuaries in NSW, Australia. As concentration ranged from 4 to 22 μg/g at Georges River, 2-16 μg/g at Lake Macquarie and 6 μg/g at Hunter Estuary. Inorganic As was accumulated mainly in roots with low translocation to culm with a greater abundance of AsV.

Prostatic metaplasia of the vagina in transmasculine individuals.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of prostatic metaplasia in an expanded cohort of transmasculine individuals undergoing gender-affirming resection of vaginal tissue.

Methods: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Clinical records were reviewed for all transmasculine individuals undergoing vaginal tissue resection at our institution between January 2018 and July 2021.

Benthic infaunal assemblages adjacent to an ocean outfall in Australian marine waters: Impact assessment and identification of indicator taxa.

An impact assessment of oceanic effluent releases from Belmont wastewater treatment works (WWTW) in Newcastle, Australia, was undertaken. Benthic infaunal assemblages in sandy sediments of ~25 m water depth were examined, at sites adjacent to the release point, and at increasing distances up to 2 km in both a NE and SW direction over five consecutive years (2016-2020). Localised impacts were evident for infaunal assemblages, with sites within 20 m of the outfall ("Impact" site types) exhibiting lower taxa richness and Shannon diversity, higher abundances of polychaetes and/or nematodes, higher polychaete ratios, and shifts in assemblage composition in comparison to sites at greater distances during some years.