Claudin-11 regulates immunological barrier formation and spermatogonial proliferation through stem cell factor.

Tight junctions (TJs) between adjacent Sertoli cells are believed to form immunological barriers that protect spermatogenic cells expressing autoantigens from autoimmune responses. However, there is no direct evidence that Sertoli cell TJs (SCTJs) do indeed form immunological barriers. Here, we analyzed male mice lacking claudin-11 (Cldn11), which encodes a SCTJ component, and found autoantibodies against antigens of spermatocytes/spermatids in their sera.

Changes in lake sturgeon spawning periodicity is associated with prior reproductive effort.

Long-lived iteroparous organisms vary resource expenditures toward migration and reproduction in response to individual physical factors and conspecific interactions, which can affect future reproductive timing and interval. Reproductive actions can lead to trade-offs associated with allocations to current vs. future reproduction, including longer reproductive interval, require additional study.

Clinical exome sequencing for carrier screening in assisted reproductive technology and sperm donation.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of clinical exome sequencing (CES) in individuals involved in assisted reproductive technology (ART) or sperm donor programs, with a specific focus on its impact on clinical decision-making.

Methods: A total of 3991 individuals without a family history of genetic disorders underwent CES targeting 5595 genes at a reproductive center between December 2022 and April 2024. The cohort comprised 217 sperm donors, 232 female recipients, and 1771 couples (3542 patients) undergoing ART with their own gametes.

Branched-chain and Aromatic Amino Acids in Blood and Seminal Plasma are Associated with Sperm Parameters; A Practice within a Fertility Clinic Considering the Metabolic Syndrome.

The metabolomic approach has recently been used in the assessment of semen quality and male fertility. Additionally, the crucial roles of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs) in metabolic syndrome (MetS) were reported. However, little information exists about the association between BCAAs and AAAs with semen parameters, particularly in men with and without MetS.

Efflux transporters in drug disposition during pregnancy.

Evidence-based dose selection of drugs in pregnant women has been lacking because of challenges in studying maternal-fetal pharmacokinetics. Hence, many drugs are administered off-label during pregnancy based on data obtained from nonpregnant women. During pregnancy, drug transporters play an important role in drug disposition along with known gestational age-dependent changes in physiology and drug-metabolizing enzymes.

Absolute membrane protein abundance of P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein, and multidrug resistance proteins in term human placenta tissue and commonly used cell systems: Application in physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of placental drug disposition.

The placenta acts as a barrier, excluding noxious substances while actively transferring nutrients to the fetus, mediated by various transporters. This study quantified the expression of key placental transporters in term human placenta (n = 5) and BeWo, BeWo b30, and JEG-3 placenta cell lines. Combining these results with pregnancy physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, we demonstrate the utility of proteomic analysis for predicting placental drug disposition and fetal exposure.

[Management of women with abnormal cervical cytology: Update of INCa recommendations after the implementation of HPV screening].

Objective: To update the recommendations issued by the National Cancer Institute (INCa) on the management of women with abnormal cervical cytology.

Methods: INCa recommendations on the management of women with abnormal cervical cytology were published in 2016. In 2019, the High Authority of Health (HAS) recommends HPV test for cervical cancer screening in women over 30.

Prenatal Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Relation to Antibody Titers and Infections in Childhood.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and ubiquitous chemicals posing environmental and health risks. Impact on the human immune system is of particular concern, especially during fetal immune development. Alterations to fetal immune development can impact immunity later in life, e.

Role of fibrinogen-like 2 (FGL2) proteins in implantation: Potential implications and mechanism.

Fibrinogen-like (Fgl2) protein belongs to fibrinogen super family, which catalyzes the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin and is involved in the coagulation process. There are two different forms of functional Fgl2 protein: membrane associated Fgl2 (mFgl2) and soluble Fgl2 (sFgl2). mFgl2, as a type II transmembrane protein with property with prothrombinase activity from its N-terminal fragment, was extensively secreted or expressed by inflammatory macrophages, dendritic cells, Th1 cells and endothelial cells.

Responses of skeletal muscle to mechanical stimuli in female rats following and during muscle disuse atrophy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of mechanotherapy to enhance recovery or prevent loss of muscle size with atrophy, in female rats. Female F344/BN rats were assigned to weight bearing (WB), hindlimb suspended (HS) for 14 days with reambulation for 7 days without (RA) or with (RAM) mechanotherapy (study 1), or to WB, HS for 7 days, with (HSM) or without mechanotherapy (study 2) to gastrocnemius. Muscle fiber cross sectional area (CSA) and type, collagen, satellite cell number, and protein synthesis (K) and degradation (K) were assessed.

Associations between Advanced Paternal Age and Adverse Reproductive Outcomes in the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b).

Objective:  The association between paternal age and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) has not been well studied. We sought to determine whether advanced paternal age (APA) is associated with adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes.

Study Design:  Secondary analysis of 8,863 pregnancies from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b) prospective cohort in which both maternal and paternal age at conception were known.

Association between plasma perfluoroalkyl substances and high-grade serous ovarian cancer overall survival: A nested case-control study.

Background: Although evidence suggests that perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are positively correlated to several disease risks, no studies have proven if plasma PFASs are related to ovarian cancer survival.

Objective: To explore the association between plasma PFASs and high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) overall survival (OS) in the population who did not smoke.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study within the Ovarian Cancer Follow-Up Study, matching 159 dead patients and 159 survival ones based on body mass index, sample date, and age at diagnosis.

Multi-omics analysis of placental metabolomics and transcriptomics datasets reveals comprehensive insights into the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, remains a major global health concern. Understanding the complex molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder is crucial for improving both diagnostics and therapeutic strategies. In this study, a multi-omics approach based on NMR metabolomics and RNA-seq transcriptomics analyses was conducted to analyze placental tissue samples obtained from patients with preeclampsia and healthy controls.

Serial Total Bile Acid Measurements in Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

Although peak serum total bile acid (TBA) levels guide management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), whether ICP progresses in severity and when or how to assess bile acid levels serially remains unclear. We conducted a secondary analysis of a single-institution retrospective cohort study to assess bile acid trends across pregnancy among individuals diagnosed with ICP and to evaluate whether there was progression to higher ICP severity. We defined ICP severity as mild (peak TBA less than 40 micromol/L), moderate (peak TBA between 40 and 100 micromol/L), or severe (peak TBA 100 micromol/L or greater).

Uterine organoids reveal insights into epithelial specification and plasticity in development and disease.

Understanding how epithelial cells in the female reproductive tract (FRT) differentiate is crucial for reproductive health, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. At birth, FRT epithelium is highly malleable, allowing differentiation into various epithelial types, but the regulatory pathways guiding these early cell fate decisions are unclear. Here, we use neonatal mouse endometrial organoids and assembloid coculture models to investigate how innate cellular plasticity and external mesenchymal signals influence epithelial differentiation.

Pilin antigenic variants impact gonococcal lifestyle and antibiotic tolerance by modulating interbacterial forces.

Type 4 pili (T4P) are multifunctional filaments involved in adhesion, surface motility, biofilm formation, and horizontal gene transfer. These extracellular polymers are surface-exposed and, therefore, act as antigens. The human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses pilin antigenic variation to escape immune surveillance, yet it is unclear how antigenic variation impacts most other functions of T4P.

Extended receptor repertoire of an adenovirus associated with human obesity.

Human adenovirus type 36 (HAdV-D36) has been putatively linked to obesity in animals and has been associated with obesity in humans in some but not all studies. Despite extensive epidemiological research there is limited information about its receptor profile. We investigated the receptor portfolio of HAdV-D36 using a combined structural biology and virology approach.

Anemia during pregnancy and adverse maternal outcomes in Georgia-A birth registry-based cohort study.

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is an important public health challenge; however, it has not been thoroughly studied in Georgia. We assessed the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy across Georgia and the association between anemia in the third trimester of pregnancy and adverse maternal outcomes.

Methods: We used data from the Georgian Birth Registry and included pregnant women who delivered between January 1, 2019, and August 31, 2022 (n = 158,668).

Comprehensive analysis of ceRNA Networks in UCEC: Prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Endometrial cancer (UCEC) is the most prevalent gynecological malignancy in high-income countries, and its incidence is rising globally. Although early-stage UCEC can be treated with surgery, advanced cases have a poor prognosis, highlighting the need for effective molecular biomarkers to improve diagnosis and prognosis. In this study, we analyzed mRNA and miRNA sequencing data from UCEC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from the TCGA database.

The assessment of routine health information system performance towards improvement of quality of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services in Ondo and Ekiti States, Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria's reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health indicators have remained unsatisfactory in the face of poor-quality healthcare services. Nigeria initiated the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent, elderly + nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) quality of care (QoC) agenda to address the challenge. The health management information system (HMIS) is integral to the agenda but there is sparse evidence on its performance so far.

The physical activity and sedentary behavior among pregnant women in Macao: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: The current investigation sought to elucidate the prevalence and contributing factors of sedentary behavior among pregnant women in Macao, a densely populated region characterized by a distinctive fusion of Eastern and Western cultures and a thriving global economy.

Methods: Through a cross-sectional study design, a total of 306 expectant mothers were recruited via various social media platforms and completed a sociodemographic questionnaire alongside the Chinese version of the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results: The findings revealed that sedentary activities accounted for a relatively small proportion (7.

Estimating the trend of COVID-19 in Norway by combining multiple surveillance indicators.

Estimating the trend of new infections was crucial for monitoring risk and for evaluating strategies and interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic revealed the utility of new data sources and highlighted challenges in interpreting surveillance indicators when changes in disease severity, testing practices or reporting occur. Our study aims to estimate the underlying trend in new COVID-19 infections by combining estimates of growth rates from all available surveillance indicators in Norway.

Abnormalities in male gametophytes development responsible for low seed set of Peudosasa subsolida.

Pseudosasa subsolida belongs to the Pseudosasa genus within the Poaceae family. Due to its unique flowering cycle and the physiological traits associated with asexual reproduction, acquiring floral material from P. subsolida is particularly challenging.