Tag: pubmed

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21656. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-98985-y.

ABSTRACT

There is no consensus on which diet best for improving male reproductive health and published studies on the effect of diet on sexual function and semen quality are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intervention based diet, namely Persian Medicine Diet (PMD) and Mediterranean Diet (MD), on sexual function and semen quality parameters. In this single blind, randomized controlled clinical trial, 159 male patients with oligoasthenospermia aged between 18 and 45 years were enrolled and divided into three groups of 53 people each. The patients were randomly assigned to either PMD or MD intervention and control groups for two months between July 2022 and February 2023 in Shiraz, Iran. To evaluate the outcomes, we used the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) questionnaires that included five subscales and semen quality parameters. The mean age of the participants was 30.87 ± 6.55. Our analysis showed that total score of IIEF was higher in the PMD intervention (P ≤ 0.001). In addition, the PMD intervention showed a higher average difference in erectile function and intercourse satisfaction subscales, respectively (P ≤ 0.001, P ≤ 0.003). However, MD intervention showed a higher average difference in orgasm function subscale (P = 0.053). Additionally, in semen analysis, the study showed that MD intervention improved statistically. Also, semen count, sperm motility, and morphology difference improved significantly (all P ≤ 0.001). To improve infertility, PMD and MD interventions could positively impact male sexual function and semen quality parameters in infertile mess. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer durations are needed for conclusive results.

PMID:40593139 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-98985-y

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21467. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06428-5.

ABSTRACT

The optimal timing for initiating anticoagulation following an ischemic stroke remains a debated issue. While several professional societies offer guidelines derived from observational studies and randomized clinical trials in patients with atrial fibrillation, these studies often exclude patients with high-risk embolic sources and hemorrhagic transformation. To address this gap, we conducted a nationwide survey to determine current practice patterns among vascular neurologists. We used the REDCap platform at the University of Chicago to distribute a survey to board-certified vascular neurologists identified through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Academy of Neurology databases. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, chi-squared tests, Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, were performed to evaluate continuous and categorical variables as applicable. Out of 1,556 invited participants, 201 (approximately 13%) responded, with 62% identifying as academic neurologists. Early anticoagulation is defined as within 24 h for ischemic stroke < 1.5 cm, 5 days for one third of MCA territory with hemorrhagic transformation type 1, and 7 days with parenchymal hemorrhage type 2. When compared to atrial fibrillation, vascular neurologists are more likely to initiate early anticoagulation in ischemic stroke with hemorrhagic transformation type 1 when it is caused by LV thrombus (69% vs. 21%, p < 0.001), antiphospholipid syndrome (87% v 21%, p < 0.001), and non-occlusive thrombus (83% vs. 21%, p < 0.001). A similar trend of early anticoagulation was noted in cases of ischemic stroke with parenchymal hemorrhage type 2 caused by LV thrombus (63% vs. 13%, p < 0.001), antiphospholipid syndrome (73% vs. 13%, p < 0.001), and non-occlusive thrombus (71% vs. 13%, p < 0.001) when compared to atrial fibrillation as the underlying cause. This study suggests that vascular neurologists prefer early anticoagulation in high-risk stroke mechanisms as compared to atrial fibrillation.

PMID:40593128 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-06428-5

Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):22398. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07630-1.

ABSTRACT

Sleep staging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. Traditional sleep staging requires manual classification by professional technicians based on the characteristic features of each sleep stage. This process is time-consuming, and the accuracy of staging is heavily influenced by subjective factors. Currently, research on automatic sleep staging models based on deep learning has made significant progress. However, the automatic sleep staging models proposed by researchers seldom distinguish between age groups. With increasing age, changes in sleep architecture occur, and older adults experience a reduction in deep sleep duration. This age-related alteration makes older adults more susceptible to sleep disorders. Consequently, the automatic sleep staging problem for older adults is more challenging and warrants greater attention. This study first established a three-dimensional time‒frequency feature fusion map dataset based on continuous wavelet transform and determined the optimal channel signals from the Sleep-EDF expanded dataset. We subsequently proposed an automatic sleep model tailored for older adults, named RICM-SleepNet. This model employs Inception modules to extract features at multiple scales, uses the CBAM attention mechanism to further identify efficient features at different scales, and finally employs the multiscale connection structure to concatenate features from different stages, enhancing the model’s feature utilization capability. RICM-SleepNet was subject to a performance evaluation on the three-dimensional time‒frequency feature fusion map dataset, yielding a sleep staging accuracy and κ value of 87.66% and 0.8492, respectively. Compared with the baseline models GoogLeNet, MobileNetV2, ShuffleNetV2, DenseNet121, RegNet, and ResNet50, RICM-SleepNet exhibited the highest recognition accuracy. To further validate the superiority of the RICM-SleepNet model, this study compared it with recent research methods that have demonstrated good performance in sleep staging. The results indicate that the proposed RICM-SleepNet model is superior to the other models in terms of performance. The Kruskal‒Willis test yielded a p value of 0.0014, indicating statistical significance. RICM-SleepNet attained the highest mean rank, underscoring its superior performance. In summary, the proposed multichannel automatic sleep staging model, RICM-SleepNet, shows promise in enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of sleep staging, especially for older adults. Further validation and refinement of the model are warranted for its application in clinical settings and broader use in addressing sleep-related issues in the ageing population.

PMID:40593120 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-07630-1

Anal Methods. 2025 Jul 1. doi: 10.1039/d5ay00531k. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

This study employed headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) technology combined with multivariate statistical analysis methods to analyze the flavor compounds in flue-cured tobacco from five different regions in China: Henan, Hunan, Yunnan, Chongqing, and Fujian. A total of 98 volatile aroma compounds were identified through HS-GC-IMS analysis, including esters, ketones, aldehydes, acids, alcohols, heterocyclic compounds, sulfur-containing compounds, other types of compounds, and 8 uncharacterized compounds. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were utilized to conduct dimensionality reduction and distinguish the samples, effectively recognizing differences in volatile compounds among tobacco leaves from various origins. A Random Forest (RF) classification model was constructed, and its reliability was validated through ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis, achieving an AUC (Area Under the Curve) value of 0.980, which demonstrates exceptional predictive performance. PCA revealed distinct separations of tobacco leaf samples from different regions on the PCA score plot, and OPLS-DA analysis further validated these differences and confirmed the model’s validity through permutation testing. Twenty key aroma compounds with VIP > 1.0 were screened by integrating OPLS-DA with the Random Forest classification model. These compounds showed significant differences in content among different samples, suggesting their potential as chemical markers for distinguishing the origin of flue-cured tobacco. This study not only provides a new method for identifying volatile compounds in tobacco but also offers novel insights into the geographical identification of flue-cured tobacco.

PMID:40590198 | DOI:10.1039/d5ay00531k

Ren Fail. 2025 Dec;47(1):2515530. doi: 10.1080/0886022X.2025.2515530. Epub 2025 Jul 1.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of rapamycin on DFG (delayed graft function in kidney transplant) recipients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and other databases for studies assessing rapamycin use in kidney transplantation with a focus on DGF. The search was conducted from the time of database construction to December 2024. Literature search and quality evaluation were conducted by two researchers. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.3, with odds ratio (OR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes. The meta-analysis was performed with Q-I²; fixed model for I² < 50%; sensitivity analysis for I² ≥ 50%. p Values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Nine studies (n = 9,219) were included. Rapamycin was associated with an increased risk of DGF (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.04-1.58), with a prolonged DGF duration (MD = 8.86, 95% CI: 3.84-13.89). No significant differences were found in graft survival (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 0.72-2.73); patient survival (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 0.84-4.26), or rejection incidence (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.78-1.90).

CONCLUSIONS: Rapamycin significantly increases the risk and duration of DGF after kidney transplantation. However, it does not appear to affect long-term outcomes such as graft survival or rejection rates. These findings suggest that rapamycin should be used cautiously in transplant recipients at risk for DGF, and further studies are needed to optimize immunosuppressive strategies for this population.

PMID:40590196 | DOI:10.1080/0886022X.2025.2515530

Mol Ecol. 2025 Jul 1:e70010. doi: 10.1111/mec.70010. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Approximately, 40% of earthworm species can reproduce by parthenogenesis. This is the case for the cosmopolitan species, Aporrectodea trapezoides, although sexual forms have been described sporadically. We analyse the genotypes and microbiomes of 30 individuals from four localities where both forms appear in order to understand the evolutionary mechanisms related to parthenogenesis. In all sites, heterozygosity values were approximately 30% higher in parthenogenetic individuals. However, we detected a stronger genomic structuring due to reproduction than to the geographical setting only in the Algerian population, underpinned by 195 loci that were related to gametogenesis, symbiont-like processes, and nitrate reduction. Similarly, statistical differences in the abundance of ZOTUs were only found between the Algerian sexual and parthenogenetic earthworms, with 754 ZOTUs that included the genus Romboutsia, which is involved in the production of nitric oxide, which enhances sperm motility. In summary, significant genomic and microbiome differences were found only between sexual and parthenogenetic lineages in a single locality. We hypothesise that obligate parthenogenesis evolved early, leaving traces at the genomic and microbiome levels in the Algerian parthenogens that were the earliest splitting lineage. Such obligate parthenogenesis was lost secondarily and individuals in the Iberian sites were facultative parthenogens, with the potential to copulate and therefore erase the genomic and microbial traces of obligate parthenogenesis. Our results indicate a hybrid origin of parthenogenesis in A. trapezoides and shed light on the complex interplay between genomic, microbiome, and reproductive mechanisms in A. trapezoides.

PMID:40590190 | DOI:10.1111/mec.70010

Toxicol Mech Methods. 2025 Jul 1:1-28. doi: 10.1080/15376516.2025.2527154. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a serious global environmental threat due to their resistance to degradation and persistence in ecosystems. Given their potential risks to human health, it is essential to thoroughly investigate the mechanisms of toxicity and associated health consequences. This study examined the toxicological and reproductive effects of varying doses of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) in 120 male and female Sprague Dawley rats. A statistically significant, dose-dependent increase in malondialdehyde levels was observed, along with a reduction in catalase activity. Furthermore, alterations were detected in sexual hormone levels and disruptions were noted in both the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE (antioxidant response element) and p38 MAPK-Nrf2 signaling pathways. PE-MP exposure also produced marked histopathological changes in the testes and ovaries. These findings indicate that reproductive toxicity from PE-MPs is associated with impairments in the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE and p38 MAPK-Nrf2 pathways. The results underscore the importance of limiting microplastic exposure to mitigate potential health hazards and provide new data on the potential mechanisms of toxicity of MPs.

PMID:40590170 | DOI:10.1080/15376516.2025.2527154

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2025 Dec;21(1):2521188. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2025.2521188. Epub 2025 Jul 1.

ABSTRACT

This study aims to evaluate the economic burden and associated determinants of varicella cases in Qingyang City, Gansu Province, thereby informing the formulation and effectiveness evaluation of varicella prevention and control strategies. Based on socioeconomic and geographic characteristics, varicella cases reported in 2024 from Xifeng District, Heshui County, and Zhenyuan County were selected for cross-sectional surveys. The direct and indirect economic burdens were analyzed using Excel 2010 and SPSS 20.0 software. Univariate analysis (Wilcoxon/Kruskal-Wallis tests) was conducted to identify factors associated with economic burden, subsequently, binary Logistic regression was employed for multivariate analysis of significant variables. A total of 1,010 varicella cases were analyzed. Clinical characteristics revealed a mean disease duration of 10.33 ± 2.45 days and work loss time of 9.45 ± 4.38 days. Healthcare utilization included an average of 1.80 ± 1.15 medical visits and caregiver duration of 9.37 ± 2.46 days. The overall economic burden amounted to $283,428 (US), resulting in a per capita burden of $256 (IQR: $212-$345). Per capita total economic burdens for mild, moderate-severe, and hospitalized varicella cases were calculated as $172, $257 and $487, respectively (χ² = 205.730, p < .001); for cases with 0-dose, 1-dose and 2-dose varicella vaccination histories was $286, $172 and $180, respectively(χ² = 45.507, p < .001); urban versus rural case burden were identified as $277 and $287, respectively (Z = -2.316, p < .05), indicating statistically significant differences across these data sets. The direct economic burden was $95,590, and the indirect economic burden was $187,837. Factors influencing the economic burden included fever severity, the number of rashes, case type, residence type, presence of complications, and varicella vaccination history. Varicella imposes a considerable economic burden in Qingyang, with significant variations associated with vaccination status. The low coverage of varicella vaccination underscores the urgent necessity to implement targeted vaccination strategies and enhance public health education aimed at reducing disease-related costs.

PMID:40590155 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2025.2521188

J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Jul;24(7):e70329. doi: 10.1111/jocd.70329.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cordyceps is a valuable Chinese herbal medicine known for its various components with antioxidant properties, which may theoretically improve melasma. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a new skin-lightening cosmetic containing Cordyceps extract (referred to as Cordyceps essence) in treating female patients with melasma.

METHODS: Sixty-two women with melasma were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups for 12 weeks of treatment. Group A received oral tranexamic acid (TXA) combined with topical hydroquinone cream, while Group B received oral TXA combined with topical Cordyceps essence. Changes in the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI), melanin index (MI), and erythema index (EI) were monitored and assessed before and after treatment. Patient-reported satisfaction and adverse events were also recorded. Additionally, a metabolomic analysis was conducted on 15 randomly selected patients from Group B.

RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, intra-group comparisons revealed that MASI scores, MI, and EI significantly decreased in both Group A and B compared to baseline (p < 0.05). However, inter-group comparisons showed no statistical differences in MASI scores, MI, or EI between the two groups after treatment (p > 0.05). Adverse reactions occurred in 4 people (13.8%) in Group A and 1 person (3.3%) in Group B. Patient satisfaction with treatment was similar in both groups. The metabolomic analysis identified significant differences in 29 metabolites and 15 metabolic pathways after treatment (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that both oral TXA combined with hydroquinone cream and oral TXA combined with Cordyceps essence significantly improved melasma in women. However, the incidence of adverse reactions was lower with topical Cordyceps essence than that with hydroquinone cream. Cordyceps essence appeared to be a promising alternative for patients intolerant to hydroquinone cream. Metabolomic analysis revealed that modulation of melanogenesis-related metabolites, enhanced antioxidant activity, and improved skin barrier function collectively contributed to the clinical improvement in melasma severity. The improvement of melasma with oral TXA and topical Cordyceps essence may be closely linked to changes in endogenous differential metabolites in the skin and the regulation of amino acid metabolic pathways.

PMID:40590148 | DOI:10.1111/jocd.70329

Quintessence Int. 2025 Jul 1;0(0):1-33. doi: 10.3290/j.qi.b6335983. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Various salivary cytokines are overexpressed in the saliva of Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) patients. In addition, the levels of salivary cytokines can differ according to local and systemic conditions, besides SjS itself.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the associations and correlations of caries experience, sialometry, and systemic co-morbidities with levels of the following salivary cytokines: Interleukin (IL): IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and IL-17A among SjS patients.

METHODS: Upon ethical approval and signed informed consent, 20 women with SjS were recruited. Clinical examinations included Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index measurements, sialometry, and saliva sampling. Levels of salivary cytokines: IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-17A were measured by Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using the Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test for the associations between the categorial parameters, and Spearman’s correlation test to analyze the correlations between continuous variables.

RESULTS: We report that Salivary cytokines are inter-correlated in a statistically significant manner (p<0.05). Age is correlated with IL-17A levels (p<0.05), and decayed teeth were cor-related with IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 (p<0.05). The liquid fraction in the unstimulated salivary flow rate significantly correlates with all salivary cytokines that were measured. Cardiac disease is correlated with IL-10 levels, and Rheumatoid Arthritis is correlated with IL-1β levels (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that local factors such as caries experience and salivary flow rates as well as systemic factors such as co-morbidities should be taken into consideration when testing the levels of salivary cytokines in SjS.

PMID:40590144 | DOI:10.3290/j.qi.b6335983