Journals
2024 EN
Patriota Érika S. O. · Abrantes Lívia C. S. · Figueiredo Ana C. M. G.
+3 more
Household food insecurity (HFI) during childhood is associated with poor dietary diversity and malnutrition, placing children's growth at risk. Children with growth disorders, such as stunting, are more likely to have poor cognition and educational performance, lower economic status, and an increased risk of nutrition‐related chronic diseases in adulthood. Our study aimed to systematically review and conduct a meta‐analysis of cohort studies investigating the association between HFI and stunting in children aged 0−59 months. Peer‐reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in electronic databases with no language or date restrictions. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies for pre‐established eligibility criteria. Data were extracted using a standard protocol. Random‐effects meta‐analysis models were used, and I 2 > 40% indicated high heterogeneity across studies. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system to assess the quality of the evidence. Nine cohort studies comprising 46,300 children were included. Approximately 80% ( n = 7) of the studies found a positive association between HFI and stunting. Pooled odds ratio was 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87−1.14; I 2 : 76.14%). The pooled hazard ratio between moderate and severe HFI and stunting was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.84−1.22; I 2 : 85.96%). Due to high heterogeneity, the quality of evidence was very low. Individual studies showed an association between HFI and stunting in children aged 0–59 months; however, this association was not sustained in the pooled analysis, possibly because of high heterogeneity across studies.
Journals
2024 EN
Sugio Carolina Yoshi Campos · Garcia Amanda Aparecida Maia Neves · Kitamoto Klaryssa Akemi de Araujo
+7 more
Abstract Objectives This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical and mycological effectiveness of mucoadhesives as vehicles for drugs or natural products in the treatment of oral candidiasis. Materials and methods The search for articles was carried out in the Medline/PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SciELO databases before August 2023. We selected the studies, extracted the data, evaluated the study quality, graded the evidence, performed the risk of bias, and carried out meta‐analysis. Results A total of 389 potentially relevant articles were identified, and 11 studies (1869 participants) met the inclusion criteria of the systematic review. The overall risk of bias was considered low. The most common presentation of mucoadhesives was tablets, with miconazole being the most frequently drug used in the delivery system. Mucoadhesives demonstrated comparable efficacy with topical or systemic antifungal agents, with no significant differences between treatments in terms of clinical (RR = 0.907; 95CI = 0.3–1.297; p = 0.591; I 2 = 64.648) or mycological (RR = 0.95; 95CI = 0.667–1.360; p = 0.789; I 2 = 73.271) efficacy. Conclusions Mucoadhesives may be a suitable alternative to conventional treatments, with the advantage of reducing the frequency of application by up to 5 times and the daily dosage by up to 20 times.
Journals
2024 EN
Cozzani Marco · Fallesen Peter · Passaretta Giampiero
+2 more
We examine the joint consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic for fertility and birth outcomes by drawing on full population administrative data from Spain. We find a surprising improvement in birth outcomes in November and to a less extent in December 2020 (eight to nine months after the first wave of the pandemic) compared with monthly trends in the 10 previous years (2010–2019). The improvement in birth outcomes was shortly followed by a decline in fertility, which concentrated on first births, births to women without a tertiary degree, and births to young and old mothers, respectively. These findings are consistent with the idea that the pandemic selectively affected conception, which showed up first as an improvement in birth outcomes due to the missing conceptions of frail‐children‐to‐be (preterm and low birth weight) and then as a lowered fertility rate due to the missing conception of at‐term children.
Journals
2024 EN
Rossi Valentina · Bernardi Massimo · Fornasiero Mariagabriella
+4 more
Tridentinosaurus antiquus represents one of the oldest fossil reptiles and one of the very few skeletal specimens with evidence of soft tissue preservation from the Cisuralian (Early Permian) of the Italian Alps. The preservation and appearance of the fossil have puzzled palaeontologists for decades and its taphonomy and phylogenetic position have remained unresolved. We reanalysed T. antiquus using ultraviolet light (UV), 3D surface modelling, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), micro x‐ray diffraction (μ‐XRD), Raman and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy to determine the origin of the body outline and test whether this represents the remains of organically preserved soft tissues which in turn could reveal important anatomical details about this enigmatic protorosaur. The results reveal, however, that the material forming the body outline is not fossilized soft tissues but a manufactured pigment indicating that the body outline is a forgery. Our discovery poses new questions about the validity of this enigmatic taxon.
Journals
2024 EN
Rampazo Érika P. · RehderSantos Patrícia · Catai Aparecida M.
+1 more
Purpose The aim of this review was to compare the heart rate variability (HRV) responses at rest of adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain against healthy controls. Methods The PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index), and CINAHL databases were searched, with no date restrictions. Two independent reviewers selected observational studies that characterized the HRV responses at rest in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain compared with those of healthy controls. Methodological quality was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist. Results This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement. HRV in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain was evaluated systematically. Of the 4893 studies screened, 20 of poor‐to‐moderate quality met the inclusion criteria. Most studies used electrocardiography and at least one time and/or frequency domain index. Studies were found that investigated HRV in adults with temporomandibular disorders, neck pain, whiplash, low back pain, and fibromyalgia. The heterogeneity of the studies in relation to painful conditions, parameters or position for HRV analysis precluded a meta‐analysis. In general, these studies seem to show increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic modulation in adults with musculoskeletal pain when compared to controls. Conclusions Adults with musculoskeletal pain exhibited a decline in HRV compared to controls. However, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn since the evidence is heterogeneous and of moderate quality. Further high‐quality research with standardized measurements is needed.
Journals
2024 EN
Hirai Takaharu · Umeda Naoko · Harada Taeko
+6 more
Aim Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with abnormal lipid metabolism, such as a high total ratio of omega‐6 to omega‐3 in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). PUFAs are metabolized to epoxy fatty acids by cytochrome P450 (CYP); then, dihydroxy fatty acid is produced by soluble epoxide hydrolase. This study examined the association between PUFA metabolites in the cord blood and ASD symptoms and adaptive functioning in children. Methods This prospective cohort study utilized cord blood to quantify PUFA metabolites of the CYP pathway. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS‐2) and Vineland Adaptive Behaviors Scales, Second Edition (VABS‐II) were used to assess subsequent ASD symptoms and adaptive functioning in children at 6 years. The analysis included 200 children and their mothers. Results Arachidonic acid‐derived diols, 11,12‐diHETrE was found to impact ASD symptom severity on the ADOS‐2‐calibrated severity scores and impairment in the socialization domain as assessed by the VABS‐II ( P = 0.0003; P = 0.004, respectively). High levels of 11,12‐diHETrE impact social affect in ASD symptoms ( P = 0.002), while low levels of 8,9‐diHETrE impact repetitive/restrictive behavior ( P = 0.003). Notably, there was specificity in the association between diHETrE and ASD symptoms, especially in girls. Conclusion These findings suggest that the dynamics of diHETrE during the fetal period is important in the developmental trajectory of children after birth. Given that the role of diol metabolites in neurodevelopment in vivo is completely uncharacterized, the results of this study provide important insight into the role of diHETrE and ASD pathophysiology.
John Wiley & Sons Australia
Journals
2024 EN
Zhu Hongjing · Mishina Kohei · Tagiri Akemi
+9 more
Abstract Various members of the viral genera Furovirus and Bymovirus are damaging pathogens of a range of crop species. Infection of the soil‐borne plasmodiophorid Polymyxa graminis transmits both Japanese soil‐borne wheat mosaic virus ( JSBWMV ) and the barley yellow mosaic virus ( BaYMV ) to barley, but their interaction during an episode of their co‐infection has not been characterized to date. Here, we present an analysis of the titer of JSBWMV and BaYMV in plants of winter barley growing over a five‐month period from late fall until mid‐spring. Although JSBWMV was detectable in the plants' roots four weeks earlier than BaYMV , the translocation of both viruses from the root to the leaves occurred nearly simultaneously. Both viruses were co‐localized in the roots, leaf sheathes, and leaf blades; however, in some stripes of leaf veins where infection by JSBWMV was prominent, BaYMV was not detectable. A substantial titer of both viruses persisted until early spring, after which JSBWMV became more prominent, being in a range of 10 to 100 times abundant of BaYMV . However, JSBWMV was only able to infect a single wheat accession (cv. Norin 61), whereas all of the wheat entries assayed appeared to be immune to BaYMV infection. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of resistance mechanisms against soil‐borne viruses in cereal crops, expanding our understanding of plant‐virus interactions and potentially informing strategies for crop protection against viral pathogens.
Journals
2024 EN
Lima Camila Bruna · Amaral Danilo Trabuco · Ispada Jéssica
+4 more
This study examines the impact of oxygen tension and embryo kinetics on gene transcription dynamics in pathways crucial for embryonic preimplantation development, including lipid metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, mitochondrial function, stress response, apoptosis and transcription regulation. Bovine embryos were generated in vitro and allocated into two groups based on oxygen tension (20% or 5%) at 18 h post insemination (hpi). At 40 hpi, embryos were categorized into Fast (≥4 cells) or Slow (2 cells) groups, resulting in four experimental groups: FCL20, FCL5, SCL20 and SCL5. Embryo collection also occurred at 72 hpi (16‐cell stage; groups FMO20, FMO5, SMO20 and SMO5) and at 168 hpi (expanded blastocyst (BL) stage; groups FBL20, FBL5, SBL20 and SBL5). Pools of three embryos per group were analysed in four replicates using inventoried TaqMan assays specific for Bos taurus, targeting 93 genes. Gene expression patterns were analysed using the K‐means algorithm, revealing three main clusters: genes with low relative abundance at the cleavage (CL) and 16‐cell morula (MO) stages but increased at the BL stage (cluster 1); genes with higher abundances at CL but decreasing at MO and BL (cluster 2); and genes with low levels at CL, higher levels at MO and decreased levels at BL (cluster 3). Within each cluster, genes related to epigenetic mechanisms, cell differentiation events and glucose metabolism were particularly influenced by differences in developmental kinetics and oxygen tension. Fast‐developing embryos, particularly those cultured under low oxygen tension, exhibited transcript dynamics more closely resembling that reported in vivo‐produced embryos.
Journals
2024 EN
Andrade Rafaella Silva · Custódio Dircéia Aparecida da Costa · Silva Fernandes do Vale Leonardo
+3 more
Animal reproduction biotechniques are important tools for the technological advancement of livestock, as they allow the selection of the reproductive potential of superior quality females and males; however, infectious diseases that have a predilection for the reproductive system can be a hindrance for the use of these technologies. Therefore, the present study aimed to detect Brucella spp. in the ovarian follicular fluid of brucellosis‐positive bovine cows. A total of 47 bovine ovarian follicular fluid aspirates from cows, positive in tests for brucellosis and from Brucella ‐positive herd, were submitted to PCR. The primers used in the PCR were specific to the genus Brucella ( bcsp31 gene). All 47 bovine aspirates were negative for Brucella spp. 0.00% (95% CI: 0.00–4.00%). Our results demonstrated that Brucella spp. was absent in the ovarian follicular fluid from seropositive cows, which indicates that Brucella spp.‐infected cows could be used for reproductive biotechnologies carried out with follicular aspirates. Future studies are needed to more precisely evaluate the feasibility and safety of using these oocytes from brucellosis‐seropositive cows to transfer embryos to heifers/cows not infected by Brucella , aiming to produce calves free of the infection.
Journals
2024 EN
Bernardi Ophélie · Fréville Mathias · Ramé Christelle
+2 more
ABSTRACT In the poultry industry, genetic selection for growth performance is associated with poor reproductive efficiency and an increase in embryo mortality. The identification of new biomarkers is essential to improve these parameters. The blastodisc, composed of blastodermal cells, undergoes cellular events to achieve embryo development. Factors such as hen's age, temperature and time of egg storage could influence the number of blastodermal cells and impair embryo development. In this study, we investigated the variability of the number of viable cells of blastodisc (NVCB) that could be dependent on the stage of laying and on the breed and potentially associated with reproductive parameters. In experimental breeds, eggs were collected during the whole cycle of laying. Then, the protocol was repeated on industrial breeds (breeder hens) during five successive days at three stages of laying (before, after laying peak and at the end of laying period) for two generations (mothers and offsprings). For each egg, the blastodisc was dissected in order to count viable cells. For both experiments, the NVCB increased during the laying cycle. The NVCB was higher in broiler blastodisc compared to layer blastodisc for both generations. For layer breed, the NVCB were negatively correlated with laying rate for the first generation while positively associated for offsprings. However, the NVCB was positively correlated with laying rates in both generations for broiler hens and with fertility and hatchability rates. The NVCB from fresh oviposited fertilised eggs could be a potential tool in predicting on reproductive performances in poultry.