Background: Protamines are the most abundant sperm nuclear proteins and pack approximately the 92-98% of the mammalian sperm DNA. In mammals, two types of protamines have been described, the Protamine 1 (P1) and the Protamine 2 (P2) family. The deregulation of the relative P1/P2 ratio has been correlated to DNA damage, alterations in seminal parameters, and low success rate of assisted reproduction techniques. Additionally, the extraction and analysis of protamines have been important to understand the fundamental aspects of the sperm chromatin structure and function, protamine sequence conservation among species, and sperm chromatin alterations present in infertile males. However, protamines show a particular chemical nature due to its special amino acid sequence, extremely rich in arginine and cysteine residues. Because of these peculiar characteristics of protamines, their extraction and analysis is not as straightforward as the analysis of other chromatin-associated proteins, for which many detailed protocols are already available.
Conclusion: A step-by-step protocol was needed to facilitate protamine analysis to researchers interested in their implementation. Therefore, in order to contribute to fulfill this need, here we provide a detailed protocol, which should be useful to research teams and laboratories interested in the protamine field. In addition, we also briefly review the different studies published so far on protamine alterations and male infertility.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929866525666180412155205 | DOI Listing |
Cancer Treat Rev
January 2025
Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. Electronic address:
Importance: Endocrine treatments, such as Tamoxifen (TAM) and/or Aromatase inhibitors (AI), are the adjuvant therapy of choice for hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. These agents are associated with menopausal symptoms, adversely affecting drug compliance. Topical estrogen (TE) has been proposed for symptom management, given its' local application and presumed reduced bioavailability, however its oncological safety remains uncertain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Ment Health
January 2025
Inspire, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Background: There is potential for digital mental health interventions to provide affordable, efficient, and scalable support to individuals. Digital interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, and mindfulness programs, have shown promise when applied in workplace settings.
Objective: The aim of this study is to conduct an umbrella review of systematic reviews in order to critically evaluate, synthesize, and summarize evidence of various digital mental health interventions available within a workplace setting.
J Neurosurg Spine
January 2025
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and.
Objective: Smartphones and wearable devices can be effective tools to objectively assess patient mobility and well-being before and after spine surgery. In this retrospective observational study, the authors investigated the relationship between these longitudinal perioperative patient activity data and socioeconomic and demographic correlates, assessing whether smartphone-captured metrics may allow neurosurgeons to distinguish intergroup patterns.
Methods: A multi-institutional retrospective study of patients who underwent spinal decompression with and without fusion between 2017 and 2021 was conducted.
J Neurosurg
January 2025
Departments of1Neurosurgery.
Objective: Craniopharyngiomas are rare, benign brain tumors that are primarily treated with surgery. Although the extended endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA) has evolved as a more reliable surgical alternative and yields better visual outcomes than traditional craniotomy, postoperative visual deterioration remains one of the most common complications, and relevant risk factors are still poorly defined. Hence, identifying risk factors and developing a predictive model for postoperative visual deterioration is indeed necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Computer Science, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom.
Mold defects pose a significant risk to the preservation of valuable fine art paintings, typically arising from fungal growth in humid environments. This paper presents a novel approach for detecting and categorizing mold defects in fine art paintings. The technique leverages a feature extraction method called Derivative Level Thresholding to pinpoint suspicious regions within an image.
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