We investigated the association between values and attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality, with reproductive agency in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Using 2020-21 World Values Survey (WVS) data (n = 3,096), we utilized the SRHR Support Index including five subindices to gauge SRHR attitudes, the WVS Equality Index for gender equality values, and the perceived level of freedom of choice and control over whether, when, and how many children to have as a proxy for reproductive agency. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse how values and attitudes differed between respondents of high vs low reproductive agency using the median as cutoff, stratified by country and sex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Prod Bioprospect
January 2025
Chemically engineered extracts represent a promising source of new bioactive semi-synthetic molecules. Prepared through direct derivatization of natural extracts, they can include constituents enriched with elements and sub-structures that are less common in natural products compared to drugs. Fourteen such extracts were prepared through sequential reactions with hydrazine and a fluorinating reagent, and their α-glucosidase inhibition properties were compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Blood pressure (BP) is linearly related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease from values as low as 115/75mmHg, even at young ages. A particularly concerning issue is the decrease representation of optimal BP among children and youth. The mechanisms by which minimal elevations in BP increase cardiovascular risk are not defined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Sexual health needs of young refugees and asylum-seeking men are seldom explored or addressed, adversely affecting their mental and physical well-being. By interviewing young male former unaccompanied minors, refugees and asylum seekers in Stockholm, Sweden, this study aimed to get a deeper understanding of what they needed to achieve a positive and respectful approach to sexuality, romantic and consensual relationships. Additionally, we explored how their sexual health needs were related to their mental health, as well as the factors influencing both.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndometriosis 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Greater vulnerability of Black vs. White individuals to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well charted in the United States, but studies involving sub-Saharan blacks are scarce.
Methods: Baseline data (2021-2024) were collected in 168 sub-Saharan Blacks and 93 European Whites in an ongoing clinical trial (NCT04299529), using standardized patient selection criteria.
The conventional assessment of the relationship between arterial hypertension (AH) and cardiovascular damage has predominantly relied on office measurements. However, the diagnostic significance of ambulatory and home measurements has gained prominence, particularly in identifying distinct AH phenotypes like masked hypertension (MH), characterized by normal office values but elevated readings outside the clinical setting, carrying comparable risks to sustained AH. Current guidelines advocate for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) in individuals with office values exceeding 130/85 mmHg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: BRCA1/2 genes play a critical role in genome stability and DNA repair. In animal models, loss of cardiomyocyte-specific BRCA1/2 is associated with DNA damage, apoptosis, cardiac dysfunction, and mortality following anthracycline exposure. However, whether these preclinical findings translate to humans remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The changes associated with aging are multidimensional and multifactorial, with the geriatric syndrome of frailty being its most problematic and complex expression. This syndrome leads to vulnerability, disproportionate changes in health status, and functional decline, making its effective identification and comprehensive management necessary.
Objective: To describe the sociodemographic, clinical, and functional characteristics of older adults with cardiovascular risk in Southwestern Colombia.
Metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) is a cancer therapeutic approach characterized by low dose drug chronic administration and limited or null toxicity. Obesity-induced metabolic alterations worsen cancer prognosis and influence the intestinal biochemical barrier, altering the Multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) and Multidrug resistance protein-1 (Mdr-1), efflux pumps that transport chemotherapeutic drugs. Obesity and cancer are frequent co-morbidities; thus, our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and toxicity of MCT with cyclophosphamide (Cy) in obese mice with metabolic alterations bearing a mammary adenocarcinoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
October 2024
is a bacterial pathogen of considerable significance in public health, capable of inducing a diverse range of infectious diseases. One of the most notorious mechanisms used by to survive and colonize the site of infection is its ability to form biofilms. Diflunisal, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a known inhibitor of the Agr system in , which is key in regulating biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSystems chemistry aims to develop molecular systems that display emerging properties arising from their network and absent in their individual constituents. Employing reversible chemistry under thermodynamic control represents a valuable tool for generating dynamic combinatorial libraries of interconverting molecules, which may exhibit intriguing collective behaviour. A simple dynamic combinatorial library was prepared using dithioacetal/thiol/disulfide exchanges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigates vertically stacked CVD grown ReS/MoS unipolar heterostructure device as Field Effect Transistor (FET) device wherein ReS on top acts as drain and MoS at bottom acts as source. The electrical measurements of ReS/MoS FET device were carried out and variation in Ids (drain current) Vs Vds (drain voltage) for different Vgs (gate voltage) revealing the n-type device characteristics. Furthermore, the threshold voltage was calculated at the gate bias voltage corresponding to maximum transconductance (g) value which is ~ 12 V.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAchieving clinical effectiveness with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) requires a Time in Therapeutic Range (TTR) above 65%. TTR is influenced by genetics (CYP2C9, VKORC1, CYP4F2), treatment adherence, and knowledge. The SAMe-TT2R2 algorithm is used to assess VKA treatment suitability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Medical devices benefit patients living with overweight or obesity, but studies in the adolescent population are lacking. The goal of this study was to collect information on the performance and safety of a swallowable intragastric balloon program (SGBP) in adolescent patients.
Materials And Methods: Data were collected retrospectively on patients aged 15 to 17 years with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m who received the swallowable intragastric balloon (SGB) and associated lifestyle and nutritional change program.
Resource competition is a driver of gut microbiota composition. Bacteria can outcompete metabolically similar rivals through the limitation of shared growth-fuelling nutrients. The mechanisms underlying this remain unclear for bacteria with identical sets of metabolic genes.
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