Olfactory receptor (OR) expression is also present in the sperm cells and could mediate sperm chemotaxis. OR1D2 was the first OR expressed in the testis demonstrated to be involved in chemotaxis and to be expressed also in the nose with a similar behavior. Bourgeonal is the OR1D2 most potent known agonist. Infertility affects ~15 % of couples in western countries and sometimes it is unexplained. This pilot study compared the bourgeonal olfactory thresholds, the ability of sperm to sense the bourgeonal and the frequency of 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of OR1D2 gene in nine males suffering of unexplained infertility with a control group of 15 healthy males. The mean olfactory threshold for bourgeonal was statistically different between the study group (10.5 ± 3.7; median 12.3) and the control group (14.0 ± 2.8; median 15.5) (p = 0.006). Statistical analysis showed a significantly higher percentage of spermatozoa that migrated toward the capillaries filled with bourgeonal in the control group compared to the study group (p < 0.0001). Sperm migration was equally inhibited in both groups of subjects when, together with bourgeonal, capillaries were filled with undecanal, a strong bourgeonal inhibitor (p = 0.42). The 13 SNPs of OR1D2 revealed a statistically significant difference for allele and genotype frequency of rs769423 in study group versus control group (p = 0.02). The present preliminary study seems to confirm the important role of OR1D2 both in nose and spermatozoa and may explain the idiopathic infertility of the study group. Further studies on larger series are mandatory to confirm our preliminary evidence.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00405-013-2441-0 | DOI Listing |
Background: Assisted partner services (APSs; sometimes called index testing) are now being brought to scale as a high-yield HIV testing strategy in many nations. However, the success of APSs is often hampered by low levels of partner elicitation. The Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (CASI)-Plus study sought to develop and test a mobile health (mHealth) tool to increase the elicitation of sexual and needle-sharing partners among persons with newly diagnosed HIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Infodemiology
January 2025
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Puch/Salzburg, Austria.
Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) sparked significant health concerns worldwide, prompting policy makers and health care experts to implement nonpharmaceutical public health interventions, such as stay-at-home orders and mask mandates, to slow the spread of the virus. While these interventions proved essential in controlling transmission, they also caused substantial economic and societal costs and should therefore be used strategically, particularly when disease activity is on the rise. In this context, geosocial media posts (posts with an explicit georeference) have been shown to provide a promising tool for anticipating moments of potential health care crises.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurology
February 2025
Department of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, First Medical Faculty, General University Hospital and Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Background And Objectives: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may demonstrate better disease control when treatment is initiated on high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) from onset. This subgroup analysis assessed the long-term efficacy and safety profile of the high-efficacy DMT ocrelizumab (OCR) as first-line therapy for early-stage relapsing MS (RMS).
Methods: Post hoc exploratory analyses of efficacy and safety were performed in a subgroup of treatment-naive patients with RMS who received ≥1 dose of OCR in the multicenter OPERA I/II (NCT01247324/NCT01412333) studies.
ACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.
A major challenge in the field of synthetic motors relates to mimicking the precise, motion of biological motor proteins, which mediates processes such as cargo transport, cell locomotion, and cell division. To address this challenge, we developed a system to control the motion of DNA-based synthetic motors using light. DNA motors are composed of a central chassis particle modified with DNA "legs" that hybridize to RNA "fuel", and move upon enzymatic consumption of RNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Background And Objectives: Urological complications after kidney transplantation, due to the ureteroneocystostomy, are associated with significant morbidity, prolonged hospital stay and even mortality. Ureteral stents can minimize the number of complications but are not consistently used, as previous studies were retrospective in nature. We aim to prospectively determine the most effective stenting approach.
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