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Copyright of Revista de Gastroenterología del Perú is the property of Sociedad de Gastroenterologia del Peru and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Multiple effects of stress on health have been reported; however, reproductive alterations in oocytes and cumulus cells have not been fully described. In females, chronic stress has been shown to produce alterations in the estrous cycle, to decrease oocyte in vivo maturation, and to increase the percentage of abnormal oocytes. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the oocytes from chronically stressed female rats could recover and mature in vitro by providing them with all the necessary culture conditions, as well as to evaluate the functionality of the GAP junctions, and the viability and DNA integrity of the cumulus cells, which are crucial for the complete maturation and development of the oocyte. For this, rats were stressed daily by cold water immersion (15 °C) during 15 min for 30 consecutive days. Corticosterone serum levels in rats increased as an indicator of stress. Chronic stress decreased the percentage of in vitro matured oocytes because the cumulus cells presented irreparable damage to their DNA that led to their death, being unable to establish bidirectional communication with the oocyte for its meiotic resumption through the GAP junctions, which were also damaged. These findings could partially explain an association between stress and infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression, anxiety and stress are multifactorial affective disorders that could manifest through a set of symptoms, both physical and psychological, that affect the quality of life and performance of people who suffer from them. In this sense, the present research had the objective of evaluating depression, anxiety and stress in students of the Faculty of Engineering of a Peruvian public university when returning to face-to-face classes. The research was developed under a quantitative approach and is of a non-experimental design of the descriptive cross-sectional type. The sample consisted of 244 students who responded to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, an instrument with adequate psychometric properties. According to the results, the students presented low levels of depression and anxiety. However, they showed moderate levels of stress. On the other hand, it was found out that the three variables were directly and significantly related. In the same way, it was found that there were statistically significant differences regarding the levels of depression, anxiety and stress related to gender, age group, family responsibilities and professional career. Finally, it was concluded that there were symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in students of the Faculty of Engineering of a Peruvian public university when returning to face-to-face classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista CIENCIA UNEMI is the property of Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista del Cuerpo Médico del Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo is the property of Cuerpo Medico del Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in various aspects of male reproductive function, for spermatozoa to acquire the ability to fertilize. However, the increase in ROS generation, both due to internal and external factors, can induce oxidative stress, causing alterations in the structure and function of phospholipids and proteins. In the nucleus, ROS attack DNA, causing its fragmentation and activation of apoptosis, thus altering gene and protein expression. Accumulating evidence also reveals that endogenously produced ROS can act as second messengers in regulating cell signalling pathways and in the transduction of signals that are responsible for regulating spermatogonia self‐renewal and proliferation. In the epididymis, they actively participate in the formation of disulphide bridges required for the final condensation of chromatin, as well as in the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins contained in the fibrous sheath of the flagellum, stimulating the activation of progressive motility in epididymal spermatozoa. In this review, the role of small amounts of ROS during spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm maturation was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in humans has been an important tool for the treatment of infertility. The number of treatments performed in Latin America has been increasing, and Mexico is the third country with the most assisted reproduction cycles performed in the region. However, Mexico lacks a national regulation for assisted reproduction. Therefore, it is necessary to implement regulations that allow for a safe clinical practice based on ethics which can be available to any social group. Main body: The aim of this review was to examine the existing legislation that regulates human assisted reproduction practices in Mexico, but also to examine the legal analysis of the policies, laws, and regulations in effect in some countries in Latin America, North America, and Europe. For this, seven databases were consulted, and 34 articles from 2004 to 2021 referring to the practice of ART within the legal framework and the anthropological analysis that this entails were analyzed. Eight documents were also consulted such as the Mexican General Health Law of the Official Journal of the Federation (February 7, 1984) with its last published reform (DOF 01-06-2021). And three official agency websites were also consulted. No specific legislation was found for human assisted reproduction practices in Mexico; however, assisted reproduction clinics are ruled under some agreements implemented by national organizations such as the Mexican Association of Reproductive Medicine and, at the Latin America level, the Latin America Network of Assisted Reproduction (abbreviated REDLARA in Spanish); in addition, the practice of ART is considered, although not explicitly, in the General Health Law. Conclusion: In Mexico, there is no legal regulation in charge of assisted reproduction practices, which is why there is an urgent need to establish human assisted reproduction laws without incurring discriminatory and unconstitutional acts, and at the same time, be in accordance with scientific advances. This will allow a considerable reduction in the violation of human rights. Plain language summary: The emergence of ART in humans has been an important tool for the treatment of infertility. It is reported that one in four couples in developing countries has fertility problems. In 2009, the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART) established ART as "all treatments or procedures involving in vitro manipulation of oocytes, sperm or embryos for the purpose of establishing a pregnancy". The number of treatments performed in Latin America has been increasing, and Mexico is the third country with the most assisted reproduction cycles performed in the region. However, Mexico lacks a national regulation for human assisted reproduction. This has caused Mexico to become a medical tourism paradise, which increases the possibility of abuses, fraud, and clinical risks. In addition, it allows each institution offering assisted reproduction services, whether public or private, to establish arbitrary requirements for inclusion. Thus, the emergence of a regulation that allows a safe clinical practice based on ethics, which will also make this reproductive tool available to any social group, is a social need. Therefore, the aim of this review was to examine the existing legislation that regulates human assisted reproduction practices in Mexico, but also to examine the legal analysis of the policies, laws, and regulations in use in some countries in Latin America, North America, and Europe, as well as highlighting the importance of working on the establishment of regulations that allow for safe and ethically based clinical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista del Cuerpo Médico del Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo is the property of Cuerpo Medico del Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Prenatal stress disrupts reproductive function in females and males. These alterations have primarily been related to maternal corticosteroid fetal programming due to the stress response, affecting the fetus and causing long-lasting effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of prenatal stress on male and female fertility. Dams were exposed to stress by immersion in cold water twice a day for the last week of gestation (days 15–21). In the adulthood, sperm quality, mature follicles, sexual hormones and fertility were assessed in female and male progeny. The results in prenatally stressed females showed lower body weight, longer estrous cycles, lower estradiol and progesterone, and lower number of pups. In prenatally stressed males, lower body weight, increased testicular cell death, as well as decreased testosterone levels, sperm quality, and fertility were observed. Aside from these effects, corticosterone levels in prenatally stressed males and females increased. These results show that prenatal stress can markedly influence infertility in adult female and male progeny. Abbreviations: 3β-HSD: 3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; CRH: corticotropin releasing hormone; DEX: dexamethasone; ERα: estrogen receptor alpha; H-E: hematoxylin-eosine; HPA: hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal; KISS: Kisspeptin; ORW: ovarian relative weight; PBS: phosphates; PS: prenatally stressed; PRW: prostatic relative weight; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SRW: seminal relative weight; TdT: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase; TUNEL: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick-end labelling; TRW: testicular relative weight; URW: uterine relative weight [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MedULA is the property of Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Chronic stress induces decreased sperm motility, viability and concentration in stressed males. Also, stress modifies oxidative status and causes apoptosis in testes, as well as a decrease in the epithelial area of seminiferous tubules. However, there are no studies that analyze the alterations caused by stress in testicular cells. Thus, in this study, alterations in the morphology of testicular germ cells caused by different days of chronic stress were assessed. Adult male rats were exposed to stress by immersion in cold water (ICW) daily for 3, 8, 20 or 50 consecutive days. Plasma testosterone and corticosterone were also assessed. Results showed that chronic stress causes loss of germ cells, and alteration of spermatogenesis. Seminiferous tubules from stressed males showed several degenerative signs, such as vacuoles in the basal epithelium, with picnotic indicia; moderate to severe exfoliation of degenerative germinal cells in the tubule lumen was also observed. These alterations were observed in all days of stress in a gradual way, from day 3–50. Testosterone levels were decreased at all those times, and corticosterone concentrations were increased on the same days. These results show that chronic stress causes severe damage to germ cells, which can account for infertility problems in males. These alterations are related to a decrease in testosterone as well as an increase in corticosterone caused by stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional descriptive correlational field research was conducted in order to determine the nutritional status, consumption of milk and serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase in students of 1st, 3rd and 5th grades of the "Rafael Antonio Gonzalez" school in Mesa Bolívar in 2007. The population consisted of 171 students. We determined the sample with a simple random stratified method, yielding 47% of school enrollment, corresponding to 80 children distributed by grade: 21 children in 1st, 28 in 3rd, 31 in 5th, aged 6 to 12 years old. The amount and frequency of consumption of dairy products, with an "ad hoc" questionnaire designed containing 10 items related to the frequency of consumption, quantity and type of dairy product. Nutritional assessment was carried out by means of the combination of indicators (weight for height and height for age) using the tables of evaluation of the World Health Organization. Values were determined in serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase. The students had 32,6% of malnutrition, both boys (6-10 years and 11-12 years) and girls (8-12 years) had an adequate percentage of low calcium daily intake(77.16%, 28. 57% and 38.96%, respectively) and 60% had hypocalcemia. There is statistical significance between serum calcium and phosphorus with an average daily intake of calcium (p 0.05 and p 0.04). There was no statistically significant relationship between dairy products consumption and nutritional status of schoolchildren. The nutritional status of schoolchildren does not depend on daily consumption of dairy products, however, that consumption does affect serum calcium and phosphorus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fermentum: Revista Venezolana de Sociologia y Antropologia is the property of Universidad de Los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Simple Summary: Recently, a significant relationship between stress and reproductive failure in women was reported; being one of the possible causes of infertility. The World Health Organization recognizes infertility as a global public health issue; therefore, the interest in understanding the main causes of this issue has increased over the last few decades. Thus, many studies have reported that stress can adversely alter the functionality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; as well as being one of the reasons of subfertility in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. Therefore, it can be assumed that stress is closely related to poor in vitro fertilization outcomes. In chronically stressed female rats, irregular estrous cyclicity, increased corticosterone levels, decreased oocyte viability, and increased percentage of abnormal oocytes were obtained in all estrous cycle phases, resulting in reduced oocyte maturation during proestrus. Oocyte maturation disturbed by chronic stress is a crucial factor by which chronic stress disrupts female reproduction. Background: Stress has been considered as one of the causes of decreased reproductive function in women. However, direct evidence of the effect of chronic stress on oocytes depending on estrous cycle phases is limited. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of chronic stress on the viability, integrity, and maturation of rat oocytes depending on estrous cycle phases, specifically proestrus, estrus, and diestrus. Methods: For this purpose, adult female rats were stressed daily by cold water immersion (15 °C) for 30 consecutive days. Results: In chronically stressed female rats, irregular estrous cyclicity, increased corticosterone levels, decreased oocyte viability, and an increased percentage of abnormal oocytes were obtained in all the estrous cycle phases, resulting in reduced oocyte maturation during proestrus. Conclusion: Oocyte maturation disturbed by chronic stress is a crucial factor by which chronic stress disrupts female reproduction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most studies carried out to evaluate recovery and development after porcine oocyte vitrification, reported better rates when cryopreserved in embryonic development stages or zygotes, but not in immature oocytes. For this reason, many studies are performed to improve immature oocyte vitrification protocols testing the use of different cryoprotectant concentrations, cooling devices, incubation times; but only a few of them have evaluated which fertilization procedure enhances blastocyst rates in vitrified oocytes. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate: 1) if the sperm selection with hyaluronic acid (HA) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) before injection could play a key role in increasing fertilization and blastocyst formation and 2) the embryo developmental ability and blastocyst production of porcine immature oocytes retrieved after vitrification-warming and co-cultured with granulosa cells during IVM, using different fertilization techniques: in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and conventional ICSI with hyaluronic acid (HA) sperm selection, known as physiological intracytoplasmic sperm injection (PICSI) and. Results: Sperm selected with HA-PICSI displayed a higher percentage of live/acrosome reacted status compared to those in control and exposed to PVP. Higher dead/acrosome reacted rates were obtained after PVP exposure compared to control and HA. In oocytes, viability significantly decreased after IVM in vitrified oocytes. Besides, IVM rates were not different between control denuded oocytes cultured with granulosa cells (DO-GC) and vitrified oocytes. Regarding fertilization parameters, IVF showed higher percentages of total fertilization rate than those obtained by ICSI and PICSI. However, results demonstrate that PICSI fertilization increased the blastocysts formation rate in control DO-GC and vitrified oocytes compared to IVF and ICSI. Conclusions: To achieve high blastocyst formation rates from vitrified GV oocytes, it is recommended that sperm should be selected with HA instead of PVP before injection since high viability and acrosome reaction rates were obtained. Also, PICSI fertilization was the best method to produce higher blastocyst rates compared to the IVF and ICSI procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Perspectivas en Nutrición Humana is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The prevalence of anemia in pregnant women and his association with foods intake, nutritional state and socio-economic variables has been analyzed. The sample was about 299 women that assist to a prenatal consultation in the health center Libertador Municipality, State of Merida 2009, in ages between 13 and 45 years. The obtained data was: haemoglobin and haematocrit of the three pregnancy quarters, parity, instruction level, occupation, incomes and foods expenditure. It was applyed a survey of "foods intake frequency" and it was determined Alimentary Insecurity Risk (RIA) and the IMC to the knowledge their nutritional state. 25, 75% of the women are anemics with values of HB< of 10.9 mg/dL, predominant in the ages of 13 and 30 years (21,07%), with an statistic significance between the parity and the anemia presence, a high Risk of Alimentari Insecurity (RIA) and a predominance of overweight in all the studied group (IMC: With anemia 27,44 ± 4,57 and with no presence of anemia 28,25 ± 6,25). The anaemic women consumed milk, cheese and chicken, fruits like papaya and orange, corn arepas, coffee, tea and sodas; It wasn't present consume of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and chard. The no-anemic women consumed yogurt, fish, liver, wheat bread; it wasn't consume of coffee, tea and sodas. It was found an statistic significance between the consume of cauliflower and chard in the no-anemic women and orange, milk and tea in the anemic ones (p < 0,05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study, was based on the design and validation of an instrument to determine the managemental profile of the Dietician. The instrument applied was the GERSAL, (Management in Health), with 6 managemental dimensions: personal resources or abilities,leadership, personal performance while working in teams, managemental and organizational culture, professional improvement, and professional performance, to 50 dieticians of 5 public Institutions of the State, from March to May 2007. GERSAL, was tested using factorial analysis of main components and Varimax Rotation. These demonstrated to be high and significant, Cronbach (0.92), two halves (0.75), Guttman (0.85) and Spearman Brown (0.86). The factorial analysis demonstrated the existence of 6 present managemental dimensions. The greater score in the total of the scale, was for the dieticians of the University of the Andes (ULA), presenting the highest scores in the dimensions of personal development, managemental culture and personal development while working in teams. Those of the Instituto Autónomo de Alimentación y el Instituto Nacional de Nutrición (Independent Institute of Feeding and the National Institute of Nutrition), obtained high scores in professional improvement, managemental culture and personal resources, as well as all members of the Ministry of Education in the dimension of leadership. The behavior of GERSAL revealed that men present higher personal scores in resources and abilities than women. It was demonstrated that GERSAL is a useful and reliable measuring instrument of easy application, quantification and interpretation and it is possible to apply to similar samples in the area of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thalamic reticular nucleus controls information processing in thalamocortical neurons. GABAergic neurons present in this nucleus express the α3 subunit of post‑synaptic GABAA receptors, which bind GABA from globus pallidus neurons. Pallidal neurons, in turn, have dopaminergic D4 receptors in their axon terminals. The thalamic reticular nucleus connects reciprocally with the thalamus, and it receives afferents from the brain cortex, as well as from other brain structures that have an important role in the modulation of the thalamic network. Based on the above, the purpose of this study was to assess the electrophysiological and molecular effects of unilateral lesion of the globus pallidus on the electric activity of the thalamic reticular nucleus. Two‑month‑old male rats were used. The right globus pallidus was lesioned with quinolinic acid. Seven days after the lesion, ipsilateral turning was registered, confirming the lesion. Afterward, electrophysiological evaluation of the right thalamic reticular nucleus' electrical activity was performed. Subsequently, mRNA expression for D4 receptors and subunit α3, as well as protein content were assessed in the right reticular nucleus. Pallidum lesion caused an increase in firing frequency and decreased firing bursts of reticular neurons. In addition, dopaminergic D4 mRNA, as well as protein increased. In contrast, GABAergic GABAA subunit α3 expression was suppressed, but protein content increased. These results show that the globus pallidus regulates firing in reticular neurons through D4 receptors and subunit α3 of GABAA receptor in the reticular nucleus of the thalamus.

Dengue is a common infectious disease in tropical areas such as Peru. This virus can cause underreported and potentially fatal complications such as acute liver failure. We report the case of a 7-year-old boy who presented with fever, headache, and abdominal pain. On ultrasound, we found hepatomegaly and labs severe thrombocytopenia and elevated transaminases. During hospitalization he was diagnosed with severe dengue and developed acute liver failure, kidney injury, and encephalopathy. Although intensive care management and assisted ventilation, he developed multiple organ dysfunctions with fluid refractoriness and capillary leak. Acute liver failure secondary to severe dengue is a rare complication with an unfavorable outcome.

Background: Stress has been considered as one of the causes of decreased reproductive function in women. However, direct evidence of the effect of chronic stress on oocytes depending on estrous cycle phases is limited., Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of chronic stress on the viability, integrity, and maturation of rat oocytes depending on estrous cycle phases, specifically proestrus, estrus, and diestrus., Methods: For this purpose, adult female rats were stressed daily by cold water immersion (15 °C) for 30 consecutive days., Results: In chronically stressed female rats, irregular estrous cyclicity, increased corticosterone levels, decreased oocyte viability, and an increased percentage of abnormal oocytes were obtained in all the estrous cycle phases, resulting in reduced oocyte maturation during proestrus., Conclusion: Oocyte maturation disturbed by chronic stress is a crucial factor by which chronic stress disrupts female reproduction.