Seroprevalence of HSV-2 in multiple subgroups of infertile men with abnormal sperm parameters and those seeking sex selection: a case-control study.

Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) primarily acquired through sexual contact. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time reported the association of STIs with male infertility. Infertility is described as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy after engaging in regular, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or more.

Effects of conditional cash transfers on tuberculosis incidence and mortality according to race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort.

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have been implemented globally to alleviate poverty. Although tuberculosis (TB) is closely linked to poverty, the effects of CCT on TB outcomes among populations facing social and economic vulnerabilities remain uncertain. Here we estimated the associations between participation in the world's largest CCT program, the Brazilian Bolsa Família Program (BFP), and the reduction of TB incidence, mortality and case-fatality rates using the nationwide 100 Million Brazilian Cohort between 2004 and 2015.

Flow prediction in sound-based uroflowmetry.

Sound-based uroflowmetry (SU) offers a non-invasive alternative to traditional uroflowmetry (UF) for evaluating lower urinary tract dysfunctions, enabling home-based testing and reducing the need for clinic visits. This study compares SU and UF in estimating urine flow rate and voided volume in 50 male volunteers (aged 18-60), with UF results from a Minze uroflowmeter as the reference standard. Audio signals recorded during voiding were segmented and machine learning algorithms (gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine) estimated flow parameters from three devices: Ultramic384k, Mi A1 smartphone, and Oppo smartwatch.

The two sides of Phobos: Gray and white matter abnormalities in phobic individuals.

Small animal phobia (SAP) is a subtype of specific phobia characterized by an intense and irrational fear of small animals, which has been underexplored in the neuroscientific literature. Previous studies often faced limitations, such as small sample sizes, focusing on only one neuroimaging modality, and reliance on univariate analyses, which produced inconsistent findings. This study was designed to overcome these issues by using for the first time advanced multivariate machine-learning techniques to identify the neural mechanisms underlying SAP.

Comprehensive genomic characterization of early-stage bladder cancer.

Understanding the molecular landscape of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is essential to improve risk assessment and treatment regimens. We performed a comprehensive genomic analysis of patients with NMIBC using whole-exome sequencing (n = 438), shallow whole-genome sequencing (n = 362) and total RNA sequencing (n = 414). A large genomic variation within NMIBC was observed and correlated with different molecular subtypes.

Implementing a closed loop clinical decision support system for sustainable preoperative care.

Unnecessary preoperative testing poses a risk to patient safety, causes surgical delays, and increases healthcare costs. We describe the effects of implementing a fully EHR-integrated closed-loop clinical decision support system (CDSS) for placing automatic preprocedural test orders at two teaching hospitals in Madrid, Spain. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to evaluate changes in rates of preoperative testing after CDSS implementation, which took place from September 2019 to December 2019.

Faces of different socio-cultural identities impact emotional meaning learning for L2 words.

This study investigated how exposure to Caucasian and Chinese faces influences native Mandarin-Chinese speakers' learning of emotional meanings for English L2 words. Participants were presented with English pseudowords repeatedly paired with either Caucasian faces or Chinese faces showing emotions of disgust, sadness, or neutrality as a control baseline. Participants' learning was evaluated through both within-modality (i.

A reduction in effective population size has not relaxed purifying selection in the human population of Eivissa (Balearic Islands).

Ibiza (Eivissa) is one of the main Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean. Recent studies have highlighted the genetic distinctiveness of present-day Eivissans within the region and suggested it could be attributed to the genetic drift caused by recent demographic events. Whether this distinctiveness emerged from a differential demographic history, or rather from a bias for sampling in a small geographic region such as Eivissa, remains an open question, together with the understanding of the functional consequences of demography in the island.

Genomic and phenotypic stability of fusion-driven pediatric sarcoma cell lines.

Human cancer cell lines are the mainstay of cancer research. Recent reports showed that highly mutated adult carcinoma cell lines (mainly HeLa and MCF-7) present striking diversity across laboratories and that long-term continuous culturing results in genomic/transcriptomic heterogeneity with strong phenotypical implications. Here, we hypothesize that oligomutated pediatric sarcoma cell lines mainly driven by a fusion transcription factor, such as Ewing sarcoma (EwS), are genetically and phenotypically more stable than the previously investigated adult carcinoma cell lines.

Maintenance Immunosuppression With Tacrolimus and Everolimus in Heart Transplantation Compared With the Usual Tacrolimus and Micophenolate Protocol: Results From a Retrospective Registry.

Introduction: Real-life data on the long-term use of a maintenance immunosuppressive protocol in heart transplant patients using delayed Everolimus + Tacrolimus are scarce.

Methods: This is a retrospective study that included all heart transplant patients from 2011 to 2021 in two Spanish hospitals. In Hospital A, the preferred immunosuppressive strategy included Everolimus initiation at 2 months post-transplant combined with Tacrolimus and was compared with the results of Hospital B, where a standard Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate mofetil protocol was used.

Mucormycosis Infection in Lung Transplant Patients: Experience in Andalusia, Spain.

Introduction: Mucorales infections in the airways of lung transplant (LT) patients are rare but have a rising incidence in transplanted lungs.

Objective: We present our experience with LT in immediate postoperative infections due to mucormycosis.

Methods: Review of 767 LT performed in Andalusia between 2000 and 2023 identifying Mucorales through microbiological results and histological findings.

High-risk Cytomegalovirus in Heart Transplant: How Can We Improve?

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with worse outcomes after heart transplant (HT). CMV mismatch (donor positive, recipient negative serology, D+/R-) increases the risk of infection. Guidelines recommend 3 to 6 months of antiviral prophylaxis in these patients.

Non-HLA Antibodies and the Risk of Antibody-mediated Rejection without Donor-specific Anti-HLA Antibodies After Lung Transplantation.

Background: Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) has become one of the leading causes of chronic lung graft dysfunction. However, in lung transplantation, this entity is sometimes difficult and controversial to diagnose. It is mainly caused by the appearance of donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSA), although there are situations with C4d deposits in biopsy in the absence of circulating DSA.

Cross-sectional study of the perceived wellbeing of children in palliative care.

Objective: To describe the perceived wellbeing (pWB) and the psychological characteristics of young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions (LLTCs).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in young people aged 8 years or older with collection of data on demographic and disease-related variables from the health records. In the psychological evaluation, we collected data on emotion regulation, cognitive strategies and risk of depression and anxiety, in addition to the assessment of the pWB through a visual analogue scale.

The impact of hypoalbuminemia on the long-term prognosis of patients with acute heart failure: The modifying role of carbohydrate antigen 125.

Aims: Hypoalbuminemia is frequently found in patients with heart failure (HF), associated with higher morbimortality in acute HF (AHF). Moreover, Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA125) is elevated in most of the AHF patients. In this cohort of patients admitted for AHF, our objective was to evaluate the association between hypoalbuminemia and long-term outcomes, including mortality and HF readmissions, stratified by CA125 concentration.

[Translated article] High-risk pediatric medications: A listing proposal by interdisciplinary consensus technique.

Introduction: Pediatric patients are more likely to experience medication-related errors and serious associated harms. The identification of high-risk medications (HRM) and their study in special populations, such as children with excess body weight (EBW), is a part of safety improvement strategies.

Objective: To generate, through a consensus technique structured by an interdisciplinary group of pediatricians and hospital pharmacists, an operational and updated list of HRM for hospital use in children over 2 years of age.

Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate to predict cardiac events in major noncardiac surgery: a secondary analysis of two large international studies.

Background: Optimised use of kidney function information might improve cardiac risk prediction in noncardiac surgery.

Methods: In 35,815 patients from the VISION cohort study and 9219 patients from the POISE-2 trial who were ≥45 yr old and underwent nonurgent inpatient noncardiac surgery, we examined (by age and sex) the association between continuous nonlinear preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the composite of myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, nonfatal cardiac arrest, or death owing to a cardiac cause within 30 days after surgery. We estimated contributions of predictive information, C-statistic, and net benefit from eGFR and other common patient and surgical characteristics to large multivariable models.

Hand acceleration time (HAT) as a diagnostic tool in the assessment of haemodialysis access-induced distal ischaemia (HAIDI): study protocol for a prospective cohort study in the Barcelona south metropolitan area.

Introduction: Chronic hand ischaemia may affect some haemodialysis patients with an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or graft (AVG), a condition known as haemodialysis access-induced distal ischaemia (HAIDI). Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) can provide comprehensive insights into anatomical and perfusion properties, and measuring the hand acceleration time (HAT) has been demonstrated to be sensitive within the framework of chronic upper limb ischaemia.

Methods And Analysis: This single-centre, prospective cohort study will involve adult end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients requiring either AVF or AVG for haemodialysis.

All-in-one gene therapy alternative for DBAS.

Diamond-Blackfan anemia syndrome is a ribosomopathy classified among the bone marrow failure syndromes. This disease exhibits significant heterogeneity, with up to 24 genetic variants identified to date. Voit et al.

Experts' discussion: implications of the World Health Organization's World report on hearing for the cochlear implant field.

Objective: This review aims to analyse the implications of the World Health Organization's 2021 world report on hearing, with a particular focus on the cochlear implant field. The objective is to understand the challenges and opportunities highlighted in the report and propose viable solutions for effective implementation within the cochlear implant community.

Methods: Following the release of the World Health Organization's world report on hearing, cochlear implant professionals explored and discussed the implications of the report with examples from various countries to understand the disparities in access, reimbursement policies, and social stigma associated with hearing loss.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory in people with heart diseases.

Background: Fatigue is one of the most limiting symptoms in individuals with heart disease (HD). However, valid and reliable instruments for assessing fatigue in clinical practice still need to be improved.

Objective: To assess the dimensional structure of the self-reported Spanish Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and analyze its psychometric properties in individuals with HD.

Novel transfer learning based bone fracture detection using radiographic images.

A bone fracture is a medical condition characterized by a partial or complete break in the continuity of the bone. Fractures are primarily caused by injuries and accidents, affecting millions of people worldwide. The healing process for a fracture can take anywhere from one month to one year, leading to significant economic and psychological challenges for patients.

Effect of in vitro exposure of first-line antiretrovirals on healthy human spermatozoa on kinematics and motility.

Purpose: Contemporary antiretroviral (ARV) medications are used by millions of men for HIV treatment worldwide. Limited data exist on their direct effect on sperm motility. This pilot study hypothesizes that in vitro exposure to ARVs will reduce sperm kinematic and motility parameter values.