Search Results (568)

Background: The pronounced broodiness of Wanxi white geese is associated with rapid ovarian regression and reduced egg production and reproductive efficiency. However, the extent to which circRNAs influence this physiological transition by coordinating ceRNA interactions is not yet well understood. Methods: Here, we generated ovarian microRNA (miRNA) and circRNA expression profiles by RNA sequencing in late-laying (LLG) and nesting (NG) Wanxi white geese and measured serum reproductive hormones. Results: Compared with the late-laying stage, the nesting stage was characterised by pronounced ovarian atrophy. Serum concentrations of oestradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) and luteinising hormone (LH) were lower, whereas the prolactin (PRL) concentration was higher. Transcriptome analysis identified 156 circRNAs and 64 miRNAs that met the nominal differential expressed (DE) criteria. Enrichment analysis associated genes giving rise to DE circRNAs with membrane and junctional structures, cell adhesion, small GTPase regulation, ECM–receptor interaction, adherens junction, focal adhesion and metabolic processes. Conversely, putative targets of DE miRNAs were linked to AMPK, mTOR, TGF-β and Hippo pathways, together with oocyte meiosis. The integration of the RNA datasets and Pearson correlation analysis highlighted several putative ceRNA relationships associated with ovarian functional transition. During the late-laying period, bioinformatic predictions and expression correlations supported the predicted novel_circ_001280-miR-1-y-CPEB1 and novel_circ_005385-miR-187-x-BMP6 relationships involving genes associated with oocyte development and ovarian endocrine function. By contrast, during the nesting period, bioinformatic analyses supported a putative novel_circ_002435/novel_circ_007511-miR-135-x/z-FOXO3 relationship that may be associated with cellular quiescence, stress responses and follicular atresia. The expression profiles of these network components showed stage-associated correlations with circulating reproductive hormone concentrations. Conclusions: Together, these findings suggest an exploratory ceRNA landscape associated with ovarian functional remodelling in Wanxi white geese and identify RNA relationships that warrant further functional validation. Full article

Olive reproductive phenology depends on the balance between winter chilling and subsequent heat accumulation, yet multi-environment Mediterranean observations to assess this dynamic across thermal regimes remain scarce. We monitored Full Budburst (FB) and Full Flowering (FF) during 2021–2024 in 670 cultivars across five germplasm banks in Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Türkiye. Median dates, periods, dispersion, and phenological stage overlap were related to bioclimatic factors and chilling and heat accumulation. The influence of the germplasm-bank environment, year, and their interaction on the timing of both stages was assessed. The Median Full Budburst (FB₅₀) and Median Full Flowering date (FF₅₀) were strongly correlated. Likewise, budburst dispersion (ID_bb) was positively associated with flowering dispersion (ID_ff), serving as descriptive indicators of phenological synchrony under varying thermal regimes. Warmer conditions between FB₅₀ and FF₅₀ were associated with a shorter transition to flowering. Conversely, warmer pre-budburst conditions and lower chilling accumulation were associated with greater budburst and flowering dispersion and reduced synchrony. These findings indicate that budburst provides an important temporal reference for flowering. Integrating budburst and flowering dispersion with transition gap (T_gap) metrics offers a quantitative framework for characterizing population-level phenological responses under contrasting thermal regimes and enhancing future olive breeding programs. Full article

SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors constitute a plant-specific family defined by a conserved SBP DNA-binding domain. They recognize cis-elements containing the core GTAC motif and cooperate with various co-regulators to govern downstream gene expression, thereby participating in leaf morphogenesis, phase transition, fruit development, anthocyanin accumulation and abiotic stress adaptation. Notably, the abbreviation SPL is also used for the unrelated SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE (SPL/NZZ) protein, which belongs to a separate family lacking the SBP-box domain; these two families should not be confused. Flower development, a central reproductive program in angiosperms, encompasses the acquisition of flowering competence, the vegetative-to-reproductive transition, floral meristem specification, organ patterning, and gametophyte formation. This review summarizes structural characteristics and classification of SPL proteins, distinguishes miR156/miR157-targeted paralogs from non-targeted ones, and synthesizes current understanding of their molecular functions across successive floral stages. Acting as signaling hubs, SPLs integrate photoperiod, gibberellin-DELLA, age-dependent miR156/miR157, temperature, sugar and cytokinin signals to fine-tune flowering time. They drive the reproductive transition via direct activation of LFY, FUL and AP1, and later remodel inflorescence architecture and floral organ size by balancing cell proliferation and expansion. In addition, they maintain fertility by modulating gametogenesis. Based largely on findings from Arabidopsis thaliana, we construct an updated regulatory framework for SPL-dependent floral development, compare conserved and lineage-divergent functions across herbaceous and woody species, identify unresolved questions, and discuss potential applications for crop improvement. Full article

Due to global climate change, short periods of unusually warm temperatures occur during winter and early spring with increasing frequency. Although temperature effects on wheat development have been extensively studied during later reproductive stages, the consequences of short-term warming during early development remain poorly understood. We investigated the effect of a short-term period of warm temperature on partially or fully vernalized wheat seedlings, with particular attention to their phenological characteristics and grain-yield formation. A total of 19 wheat varieties of diverse geographic origins were studied with known allele compositions in plant developmental genes of vernalization (VRN) and photoperiodic response (PPD). The experiment consisted of six treatments in factorial combinations of three low-temperature vernalizations (30, 45 and 60 days) followed by two temperature regimes (greenhouse and two-week 25 °C plus greenhouse) under long photoperiod. The effects of transient warming were strongly dependent on the degree of vernalization fulfilment. In fully vernalized winter wheat, warming generally accelerated development across genotypes, whereas after incomplete vernalization, it frequently delayed subsequent developmental transitions, particularly in photoperiod-sensitive cultivars. Variation in responses increased with decreasing vernalization saturation, indicating that allelic differences at flowering-time loci, including VRN and PPD, contribute to the integration of temperature signals during early development. Beyond phenology, transient warming strongly influenced tiller formation and reproductive tiller number. Following complete vernalization, warming increased fertile tiller production and resulted in higher grain yield, whereas responses after partial vernalization were genotype-dependent and less favorable. Comparison with previous controlled-environment experiments further demonstrated that thermal regime, rather than mean temperature alone, strongly influences tiller survival and yield formation. Short-term warming around the completion of vernalization can have long-lasting effects on wheat development and productivity, highlighting the importance of developmental stage, genetic background and environmental context in determining crop responses to increasingly variable winter temperatures. Full article

Donor-supported health programs in resource-limited settings often begin with urgent service delivery priorities, but their lasting value depends on whether service-specific investments also strengthen the public health system delivering care. This essay examines the Bihar Technical Support Program (BTSP) in India as a policy and implementation case of state-embedded diagonal health system strengthening. Drawing on a structured narrative synthesis of scientific and gray literature, it traces BTSP’s evolution from the Integrated Family Health Initiative to a technical support platform embedded across state, district, and block levels. BTSP’s significance lies not in a single intervention or in claims of causal population-level impact, but in an operating architecture that aligned donor resources with state priorities, embedded technical assistance within public-sector structures, linked data to decision-making, and connected reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition priorities with wider system functions. Evidence is strongest for the establishment and operation of this statewide technical support architecture and selected improvements in facility readiness and clinical practice, mixed for maintaining frontline-worker contact during transition, and limited for long-term institutionalization after external support declines. BTSP therefore illustrates both the potential and the tensions of moving from intensive partner-led implementation toward state-embedded technical support for health system strengthening. Full article

Performance monitoring is central to assisted reproductive technology (ART), yet crude in vitro fertilization (IVF) key performance indicators (KPIs) are strongly influenced by denominator selection, patient prognosis, treatment strategy, case mix and sample size. This opinion article examines the methodological limitations of conventional IVF KPIs and proposes a denominator-aware, step-specific and case-mix-adjusted framework for their interpretation. Concepts from international KPI consensus frameworks, outcome-reporting literature, clinic-comparison methods and reproductive prediction models were integrated into a conceptual quality management framework. IVF was treated as a sequence of linked biological and clinical transitions. The framework links five elements: specification of the performance question, validation of the denominator, estimation of expected outcomes from temporally appropriate patient- and cycle-level factors, comparison of observed and expected outcomes, and uncertainty-aware interpretation of step-specific process patterns. A hypothetical worked example demonstrates stage-specific crude rates, expected events and observed/expected (O/E) ratios. The process-pattern labels are conceptual descriptors rather than validated classifications, and signals require multidisciplinary review. The framework has the potential to support more context-aware and biologically coherent performance review. It should complement, not replace, conventional KPIs; whether it improves fairness, transparency or quality management remains to be established in prospective multicentre validation. Full article

Plant chemodiversity is generally evaluated through metabolite richness, relative abundance, compositional dissimilarity, and biosynthetic organization. However, these descriptors characterize chemical states without explicitly identifying which metabolites, chemical classes, or biosynthetic pathways gain or lose relative representation during transitions between states. Here, we introduce Chemical Game Theory as an operational analogy inspired by the relative-performance principle of replicator dynamics. Metabolites are treated as elementary chemical strategies, biosynthetic pathways constitute higher-order strategies, and normalized chromatographic abundances define their frequencies within a mixture. A centered log-ratio quantity, termed realized chemical payoff within this framework, retrospectively quantifies whether a component gained or lost proportional representation relative to the abundance-weighted mean log change in the system. It is not inferred from a payoff matrix and does not represent Darwinian fitness, interaction strength, or absolute biosynthetic production. Shannon diversity describes metabolite-level coexistence, whereas the General Biosynthetic Diversity Index, GBDI, characterizes abundance-weighted pathway organization and intrapathway diversification. The framework was applied to previously published GC-MS and GC-FID profiles of essential oils from leaves and four developmental stages of the reproductive organ of Piper mollicomum Kunth, sampled over five months. Leaves had the highest numerical mean Shannon diversity and GBDI, although the Shannon difference was not statistically significant. The reproductive stages followed temporally variable compositional trajectories. Across the five descriptive monthly blocks, the terpenoid route gained relative representation during the Stage I to II and Stage III to IV transitions, whereas the mixed category declined. Chemical dominance, Shannon diversity, GBDI, and realized payoff captured related but non-equivalent dimensions of relative chemical organization. As a proof of concept, Chemical Game Theory provides a quantitative language for retrospective analysis of compositional redistribution. Its proposed use for prioritizing plant material and its transferability to other chromatographic platforms require validation with independent datasets, biological replication, absolute quantification, and bioactivity-guided experiments. Full article

This field study evaluated the effects of 400 and 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) on oestrus response, fertility, and lambing performance in Ile-de-France ewe lambs and adult ewes under seasonal-transition field conditions. A total of 914 animals were assigned to four groups according to age category and eCG dose: ewe lambs receiving 400 IU (EL400, n = 173) or 500 IU eCG (EL500, n = 169), and adult ewes receiving 400 IU (AE400, n = 301) or 500 IU eCG (AE500, n = 271), following a 7-day intravaginal progesterone-based synchronization protocol. Oestrus rate did not differ among groups (p = 0.861), indicating that both doses were similarly effective in inducing behavioural oestrus, whereas the interval to oestrus onset showed significant main effects of both age category (p < 0.001) and eCG dose (p < 0.001), with no significant age × dose interaction (p = 0.559). Using a 2 × 2 factorial analysis, significant main effects of age category were observed for outcomes including pregnancy rate following oestrus, overall pregnancy rate, and fecundity (p = 0.001, p = 0.009, and p = 0.004, respectively), with higher values in adult ewes than in ewe lambs regardless of eCG dose. In contrast, 500 IU eCG was associated with a greater overall litter size and multiple birth rate than 400 IU eCG (p = 0.039 and p = 0.033, respectively). The age × dose interactions for litter size and multiple birth rate were not statistically significant (p = 0.058 and p = 0.071, respectively). The age × dose interaction for lambing rate was also not statistically significant (p = 0.064). These results indicate that age category and eCG dose were associated with different aspects of reproductive performance. Under the specific seasonal-transition field conditions of this single-breed, single-farm study, selecting the eCG dose according to the reproductive objective may represent a practical management consideration. Full article

Male infertility is a multifactorial condition in which conventional semen analysis provides limited insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying sperm dysfunction. Inflammatory and oxidative processes are major contributors to impaired male reproductive function, acting through interconnected alterations in redox homeostasis, immune activation, and protein integrity. Because mature spermatozoa have minimal transcriptional and translational capacity, oxidative and inflammatory damage to proteins may persist and substantially affect motility, capacitation, fertilization competence, and reproductive outcomes. This review examines how sperm proteomics can characterize the molecular landscape of inflammatory and oxidative injury in male infertility. Particular attention is given to pre-analytical variables, sperm purification, protein extraction, bottom-up LC–MS/MS workflows, data-dependent and data-independent acquisition, quantitative strategies, and targeted or orthogonal validation. Proteomic evidence identifies coordinated remodeling of flagellar and motility proteins, Ca²⁺-signaling networks, mitochondrial bioenergetics, antioxidant defenses, membrane-associated pathways, and proteins involved in sperm–oocyte interaction. These signatures may improve mechanistic patient stratification and support the development of biomarker panels linked to clinically relevant endpoints. Nevertheless, routine implementation remains limited by methodological heterogeneity, inadequate standardization, small study populations, and insufficient prospective validation. Integrating proteomic signatures with redox, inflammatory, clinical, and reproductive outcome data may facilitate the transition from descriptive semen assessment and empirical treatment toward mechanism-based precision andrology. Full article

This article presents the report of the Second International Congress of Preventive Medicine, organized by the Romanian Society of Preventive Medicine (SRMP) between 19–21 March 2026 in Bucharest, Romania. The congress brought together experts from oncology, public health, genetics, neonatology, reproductive medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, nutrition, dentistry, family medicine, and other medical specialties to discuss current advances and future directions in preventive healthcare. The scientific program emphasized the transition from reactive healthcare models toward predictive, personalized, and prevention-oriented medicine. Key topics included implementation of national screening programs, cancer prevention and early diagnosis, vaccination strategies, lifestyle medicine, pediatric nutrition, oral health, reproductive prevention, fertility preservation, mental health promotion, addiction prevention, neonatal screening, and oncogenetics. Particular attention was given to risk stratification, early detection of disease, multidisciplinary collaboration, health literacy, and the integration of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, into preventive healthcare pathways. Across all sessions, speakers highlighted the importance of evidence-based policies, coordinated healthcare infrastructures, and sustainable prevention programs capable of translating scientific advances into measurable population health benefits. The congress reinforced the central role of prevention in addressing contemporary healthcare challenges and improving long-term health outcomes across the lifespan. Full article

In the context of the global transition towards a more sustainable economy, the use of bioplastics (BPs) is rapidly increasing across several sectors, including industry, medicine and cosmetics. Among BPs, polylactic acid (PLA) is the “polymer of the 21st century”. Because of its wide use and slow degradation capacity, it can be found in various aquatic matrices, causing potential health concerns for biota. This work evaluated the influence of environmental concentrations (0.5 µg/mL) of PLA BPs on the reproductive health of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, following a short-term exposure of 7 days. This resulted in an early spawning event from the gonads of both sexes, accompanied by an intense hemocyte recall, suggesting the onset of a pro-inflammatory condition. Alterations in the bioenergetic pathway affecting glycogen reserves as an adaptive strategy were revealed in both sexes by proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR)-based metabolomics, in addition to disorders in the redox balance. This latter was more evident in males, as confirmed by the increased activity of antioxidant (catalase) and detoxifying (glutathione S-transferase) enzymes, while no lipid peroxidation occurred. Overall, this study highlights the threat of PLA BPs on the reproductive system of non-target organisms, raising further questions on the reproductive fitness and survival of a species with high ecological and economic value. Full article

Cordyceps militaris is an edible entomopathogenic fungus with substantial nutritional and medicinal value. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the vegetative mycelia-to-primordia (PR) transition and bioactive metabolite synthesis are still poorly defined. Deletion of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene (ACAD) caused malformed, stunted PR-like structures together with excessive aerial mycelial growth, severely disrupting PR initiation and fruiting-body elongation in C. militaris. Transcriptomic, untargeted metabolomic and multi-omics analyses were performed on wild-type (WT) and ACAD-knockout strains at the mycelial and PR stages to explore gene expression reprogramming and bioactive nucleoside accumulation during the developmental transition and under ACAD deficiency. In total, 2014, 448, and 838 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in WT PR vs. WT mycelia, ΔACAD mycelia vs. WT mycelia, and ΔACAD PR vs. WT PR, demonstrating extensive transcriptional reprogramming during the development switch and upon ACAD deletion. KEGG enrichment and WGCNA analyses showed that ACAD deficiency significantly suppresses multiple reproductive-development pathways, including cell cycle progression, purine biosynthesis, the TCA cycle, MAPK signaling, redox homeostasis, fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. Consistently, ACAD deletion markedly increased intracellular ROS level and substantially reduced cellular ATP levels in mycelia. Several crucial genes modulated by ACAD were identified, including GTP cyclohydrolase I, histone lysine N-methyltransferase ASHR1, adenine phosphoribosyl transferase 1, glutathione-S-transferase F3 and CoA-ligase CCL8. Multi-omics integration demonstrated tightly coordinated transcriptional and metabolic regulation dependent on ACAD function. ACAD deficiency significantly disturbed amino acid, lipid, and nucleotide metabolism and reduced the abundance of amino acid derivatives, lipid compounds and purine nucleoside precursors in mycelia. Particularly, adenosine analogs serve as key precursors of the core bioactive nucleoside cordycepin. Key DEGs, including peroxisomal (S)-2-hydroxyacid oxidase, isocitrate lyase 2 and L-ascorbate peroxidase 5, were linked to these metabolic shifts. Our findings demonstrate that ACAD serves as an essential regulator that interconnects carbon metabolism, redox homeostasis, lipid, amino acid and purine metabolism to promote PR formation and secondary metabolite synthesis in C. militaris. Full article

Despite major advances in cardiovascular medicine, ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women remains underrecognized and undertreated. A substantial proportion of symptomatic women have no flow-limiting epicardial stenosis, and ischemia may arise from coronary microvascular dysfunction, vasospasm, diffuse atherosclerosis, plaque-related mechanisms, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), or combinations of these processes. Female-specific biological factors—including hormonal transitions, vascular aging, inflammation, metabolic changes, and reproductive cardiovascular risk enhancers—modify the coronary substrate across the life course. This review integrates these determinants with contemporary coronary phenotyping and proposes a clinically oriented, mechanism-based framework for IHD in women. Multimodality imaging, invasive coronary functional testing, and intracoronary imaging are considered complementary tools for identifying predominant and coexisting mechanisms. Management should combine guideline-directed cardiovascular prevention with mechanism-targeted antianginal therapy and women-specific considerations, including reproductive planning, pregnancy counseling, medication safety, and psychosocial care. This framework is intended as a practical synthesis rather than a validated classification system and aims to support more precise diagnosis and individualized treatment of women with ischemic symptoms. Full article

Measles virus infection couples nonlinear processes across biological scales, including within-host viral amplification, immune-cell depletion, delayed adaptive control, persistent viral RNA, heterogeneous host severity and vaccination-dependent population spread. A multiscale mathematical framework is developed by coupling a seven-variable within-host ordinary differential equation model to a stochastic cellular automaton. The within-host system extends a four-variable measles immunodynamics core by including IFN-$\gamma$-dominant and IL-17-associated immune responses, persistent viral RNA and neutralizing antibodies. Six host archetypes are represented as structured parameter perturbations of this common dynamical core. The principal novelty is an explicit cross-scale coupling operator that separates genuinely ODE-derived host descriptors from hybrid epidemiological mapping rules and independently specified population-level contact and susceptibility assumptions, allowing within-host heterogeneity to propagate transparently into a spatial stochastic epidemic model. An explicit ODE-to-cellular-automaton map translates within-host trajectories into infectious timing, daily infectivity profiles and an illustrative ODE-informed severity-to-death transition mapping used internally by the cellular automaton. The mortality map depends on viral burden, infectious duration, IFN-$\gamma$ deficit, cumulative infectivity and an immune-deficit–infectivity interaction term. Population simulations show a nonlinear reduction in attack rate with increasing vaccination coverage, reduced modeled death burden under targeted high-risk in silico perturbations and additional suppression under reactive vaccination campaigns. A direct local cellular-automaton secondary-infection estimate is reported instead of interpreting cumulative infectivity burden as a reproduction number. A targeted contact-structure sensitivity further shows that matching the expected local direct-secondary-infection potential does not imply equivalent population-level attack rates, emphasizing that the quantitative CA outcomes are geometry specific. Sobol sensitivity analysis with convergence up to $N_{\mathrm{base}}=4096$ identifies core viral and immune parameters as dominant drivers of within-host and multiscale outputs. The framework provides an explicit dynamical-systems approach for coupling differential-equation immunodynamics to spatial stochastic population models in mathematical biology. Full article

A strong body of evidence is established that links sex-hormone-regulated physiological processes across the female life course with increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA), although the strength and nature of these associations vary by joint site and OA phenotype. Much of the available mechanistic evidence relates to knee OA with comparatively less evidence available for hip and hand OA. These include reproductive milestones (menarche and menopause), major life events such as childbirth (parity), and sex-hormone-regulated physiological functions, including menstruation and breastfeeding. Many of these have also been shown to associate with poorer surgical and non-surgical responses to musculoskeletal (MSK) treatment. A thorough multidisciplinary analysis of sex-associated differences in MSK outcomes and OA risk across the female life course is long overdue. This thematic narrative review has been conducted by a multidisciplinary team comprising experts in fundamental biology, mechanobiology, immunology, orthopaedic surgery, pain medicine and gynaecology. The review will examine in detail early life and puberty (menarche), reproductive years (menstrual cycling and injury risk, contraception, parity and breastfeeding), midlife transition (perimenopause, menopause, and treatments) and clinical interactions (response to surgical and non-surgical interventions). Biological considerations in each life-course phase/transition will focus on the hormonal milieu, biomechanical influences, immune and metabolic functions and pain pathways. Full article