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Since the 1950s, American sociologists have developed a substantial literature on poverty in urban American communities. This literature review examines some of these sociological theories of poverty and identifies four major explanations of urban poverty: social stratification, (including segregation and racism); lack of access to social capital; cultural and value norms; and social policies. The literature review concludes with a conceptual framework that focuses on multiple relationships that link theory to practice related to the reduction of poverty in inner-city communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We sought to determine:1) whether normal D-dimer enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assays predicted the absence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in the high-volume emergency department (ED) of the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and 2) whether ED physicians accepted normal D-dimer levels as confirmation of no PE without further diagnostic testing such as lung scanning, chest computed tomography (CT) scanning, or pulmonary angiography.Background: Although the plasma D-dimer ELISA is a sensitive screening test for excluding acute PE, this laboratory marker has not been widely integrated into clinical algorithms such as creatine kinase-MB fraction or troponin testing for acute myocardial infarction.Methods: We mandated that ED physicians order D-dimer ELISA tests on all patients suspected of acute PE. We reviewed the clinical record of each ED patient initially evaluated for suspected PE during the year 2000. We determined whether additional imaging tests for PE were obtained and whether the final diagnosis was PE.Results: Of 1,106 D-dimer assays, 559 were elevated and 547 were normal. Only 2 of 547 had PE despite a normal D-dimer. The sensitivity of the D-dimer ELISA for acute PE was 96.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87.5% to 99.6%), and the negative predictive value was 99.6% (95% CI: 98.7% to >99.9%). Nevertheless, 24% of patients with normal D-dimers had additional imaging tests for PE.Conclusions: The D-dimer ELISA has a high negative predictive value for excluding PE. By paying more attention to normal D-dimer results, fewer chest CT scans and lung scans will be required, and improvements may be realized in diagnostic efficiency and cost reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since α6β1 integrin has been shown to function as a sperm adhesion receptor in the mouse, we investigated the potential role of β1 integrin in the gamete fusion process in humans. The expression of β1 integrin was morphologically analysed by indirect immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. A homogeneous and intense staining was detected at the plasma membrane, and in some subcortical vesicles of germinal vesicle stage oocytes (GV). β1 almost disappeared from oolemma and cytoplasm of metaphase I (MI) oocytes, but was re-expressed as asymmetrical patches at the plasma membrane of metaphase II stage oocytes (MII). A functional fusion assay based on Hoechst or calcein-AM dye transfer from one gamete to the other showed that maturing oocytes were able to fuse with an increasing number of spermatozoa (11-22 from GV to MII respectively), and that fused spermatozoa co-localized with β1 integrin patches. Human gamete fusion was only partially inhibited either by RGD-containing peptide (GRGDTP), or by blocking anti-human ν1 integrin monoclonal antibody (DE9), with a maximum of 50% inhibition. Despite the combined addition of GRGDTP and blocking mouse anti-human β1 integrin DE9 in the assay, a complete inhibition of fusion could not be achieved. A mouse polyclonal antibody raised against human oocyte membranes was more potent in inhibiting the fusion. Since β1 integrin expression at the plasma membrane was not correlated to oocyte fusibility, and since it was only partially inhibited by DE9 and/or RGD peptide, we suggest that human gamete fusion can bypass the β1 requirement. β1 integrin certainly participates in human gamete fusion by acting in co-operation with multiple integrin/disintegrin couples or another cofactor, not yet identified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We report one case of a de-novo complex chromosomal rearrangement (CCR), t(1;5;13)ins(14;13), in an abnormal 19-month-old boy. Clinical features associated were a mild facial dysmorphy and a psychomotor retardation. Parental ages were, respectively, 29 years for the mother and 60 years for the father. We point out the usefulness of fluorescence in-situ hybridization in elucidating CCRs, and discuss the possible correlation between the existence of a chromosomal aberration and advanced paternal age. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The recent development of high average, high peak power lasers has revived the effort of using lasers as a potential tool to influence natural lightning. Although impressive, the current progress in laser lightning control technology may only be the beginning of a new area involving a positive feedback between powerful laser development and atmospheric research. In this review paper, we critically evaluate the past, present and future of Laser Lightning Control (LLC), considering both its technological and scientific significance in atmospheric research., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Background: A growing number of centers worldwide are preserving testicular tissue (TT) of young boys at risk of fertility loss to preserve their fertility. Data in this regard are scarce and experience sharing is essential to the optimization of the process., Objectives: This report of our 10-year activity of pediatric fertility preservation (FP) has the objective to (1) improve knowledge regarding the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and potential usefulness of the procedure; (2) analyze the impact of chemotherapy on spermatogonia in the cryopreserved TT., Materials and Methods: For this retrospective study of data prospectively recorded, we included all boys under 18 years of age referred to the FP consultation of our academic network between October 2009 and December 2019. Characteristics of patients and cryopreservation of testicular tissue (CTT) were extracted from the clinical database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess factors associated with the risk of absence of spermatogonia in the TT., Results: Three hundred and sixty-nine patients (7.2 years; 0.5-17.0) were referred to the FP consultation for malignant (70%) or non-malignant (30%) disease, of whom 88% were candidates for CTT, after a previous chemotherapy exposure (78%). The rate of recorded immediate adverse events was 3.5%, with painful episodes dominating. Spermatogonia were detected in the majority of TTs: 91.1% of those exposed to chemotherapy and 92.3% of those not exposed (p = 0.962). In multivariate analysis, the risk of absence of spermatogonia was almost three-fold higher in boys > 10 years of age ([OR] 2.74, 95% CI 1.09-7.26, p = 0.035) and four-fold higher in boys exposed to alkylating agents prior to CTT ([OR] 4.09, 95% CI 1.32-17.94, p = 0.028)., Discussion/conclusion: This large series of pediatric FP shows that this procedure is well accepted, feasible, and safe in the short term, strengthening its place in the clinical care pathway of young patients requiring a highly gonadotoxic treatment. Our results demonstrate that CTT post-chemotherapy does not impair the chance to preserve spermatogonia in the TT except when the treatment includes alkylating agents. More data on post-CTT follow-up are still required to ensure the long-term safety and usefulness of the procedure., (© 2023 The Authors. Andrology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

The stem cell niche plays a crucial role in the decision to either self-renew or differentiate. Recent observations lead to the hypothesis that O 2 supply by blood and local O 2 tension could be key components of the testicular niche of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). In this study, we investigated the impact of different hypoxic conditions (3.5%, 1%, and 0.1% O 2 tension) on murine and human SSCs in culture. We observed a deleterious effect of severe hypoxia (1% O 2 and 0.1% O 2 ) on the capacity of murine SSCs to form germ cell clusters when plated at low density. Severe effects on SSCs proliferation occur at an O 2 tension ≤1% and hypoxia was shown to induce a slight differentiation bias under 1% and 0.1% O 2 conditions. Exposure to hypoxia did not appear to change the mitochondrial mass and the potential of membrane of mitochondria in SSCs, but induced the generation of mitochondrial ROS at 3.5% and 1% O 2 . In 3.5% O 2 conditions, the capacity of SSCs to form colonies was maintained at the level of 21% O 2 at low cell density, but it was impossible to amplify and maintain stem cell number in high cell density culture. In addition, we observed that 3.5% hypoxia did not improve the maintenance and propagation of human SSCs. Finally, our data tend to show that the transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α are not involved in the SSCs cell autonomous response to hypoxia., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Gille, Givelet, Pehlic, Lapoujade, Lassalle, Barroca, Bemelmans, Borderie, Moison, Livera, Gauthier, Boussin, Thiounn, Allemand, Peyssonnaux, Wolf, Barraud-Lange, Riou and Fouchet.)

In the framework of the Laser Lightning Rod project, whose aim is to show that laser-induced filaments can guide lightning discharges over considerable distances, we study over a distance of 140 m the filaments created by a laser system with J-range pulses of 1 ps duration at 1 kHz repetition rate. We investigate the spatial evolution of the multiple filamentation regime using the fundamental beam at 1030 nm or using combination with the second and third harmonics. The measurements were made using both a collimated beam and a loosely focused beam., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Proton transfer is one of the most fundamental events in aqueous-phase chemistry and an emblematic case of coupled ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics 1,2 . Disentangling electronic and nuclear dynamics on the femtosecond timescales remains a formidable challenge, especially in the liquid phase, the natural environment of biochemical processes. Here we exploit the unique features of table-top water-window X-ray absorption spectroscopy 3-6 to reveal femtosecond proton-transfer dynamics in ionized urea dimers in aqueous solution. Harnessing the element specificity and the site selectivity of X-ray absorption spectroscopy with the aid of ab initio quantum-mechanical and molecular-mechanics calculations, we show how, in addition to the proton transfer, the subsequent rearrangement of the urea dimer and the associated change of the electronic structure can be identified with site selectivity. These results establish the considerable potential of flat-jet, table-top X-ray absorption spectroscopy 7,8 in elucidating solution-phase ultrafast dynamics in biomolecular systems., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The exposure to plastic derivatives during human life is deleterious. Infants conceived using ART (IVF or ICSI) have twice as many risks of major birth defects compared to naturally conceived infants. Could plastic ware used during ART trigger defects in the fetal development?, Methods: Three groups of blastocysts were transferred to pseudopregnant mice. One was obtained after IVF and embryo development in plastic ware, the second in glass ware. The third, was obtained in vivo by natural mating. On day 16.5 of pregnancy, females were sacrificed and fetal organs collected for gene expression analysis. Fetal sex was determined by RT-PCR. RNA was extracted from a pool of five placental or brain samples coming from at least two litters from the same group and analyzed by hybridisation onto the mouse Affymetrix 430.2.0 GeneChips, confirmed by RT-qPCR for 22 genes., Findings: This study highlights a major impact of plastic ware on placental gene expression (1121 significantly deregulated genes), while glassware was much closer to in vivo offspring (only 200 significantly deregulated genes). Gene Ontology indicated that the modified placental genes were mostly involved in stress, inflammation and detoxification. A sex specific analysis revealed in addition a more drastic effect on female than male placentas. In the brains, whatever the comparison, less than 50 genes were found deregulated., Interpretation: Embryos incubated in plastic ware resulted in pregnancy with massive alterations of placental gene expression profile in concerted biological functions. There were no obvious effects on the brains. Besides other effects, this suggests that plastic ware in ART could be a cause of the increased level of pregnancy disorders observed recurrently in ART pregnancies., Funding: This study was funded by two grants from the Agence de la Biomedecine in 2017 and 2019., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests None declared., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lightning discharges between charged clouds and the Earth's surface are responsible for considerable damages and casualties. It is therefore important to develop better protection methods in addition to the traditional Franklin rod. Here we present the first demonstration that laser-induced filaments-formed in the sky by short and intense laser pulses-can guide lightning discharges over considerable distances. We believe that this experimental breakthrough will lead to progress in lightning protection and lightning physics. An experimental campaign was conducted on the Säntis mountain in north-eastern Switzerland during the summer of 2021 with a high-repetition-rate terawatt laser. The guiding of an upward negative lightning leader over a distance of 50 m was recorded by two separate high-speed cameras. The guiding of negative lightning leaders by laser filaments was corroborated in three other instances by very-high-frequency interferometric measurements, and the number of X-ray bursts detected during guided lightning events greatly increased. Although this research field has been very active for more than 20 years, this is the first field-result that experimentally demonstrates lightning guided by lasers. This work paves the way for new atmospheric applications of ultrashort lasers and represents an important step forward in the development of a laser based lightning protection for airports, launchpads or large infrastructures., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Child physical abuse is a major public health issue in the United States. Environmental child welfare research has focused on neighborhood characteristics and the influence of alcohol and marijuana establishments. To our knowledge, child welfare studies have singularly examined the outcome in terms of victims, that is, at the level of child population, and have not considered the parent population. Thus, in this exploratory study, we use spatial scan statistics to analyze patterns of child physical abuse at the child and household level, and we use Bayesian hierarchical spatial conditional autoregressive models to determine the relative influence of alcohol availability and other environmental factors. We find that household clusters are nested in child clusters and that controlling for alcohol establishments reduces cluster size. In the Bayesian regression models, alcohol availability increased risk slightly, while neighborhood diversity (measured using Blau's Index) elevated risk considerably. Immediate implications for child welfare agencies are discussed.

We experimentally study entangled two-photon absorption in rhodamine 6G as a function of the spatial properties of a high flux of broadband entangled photon pairs. We first demonstrate a key signature dependence of the entangled two-photon absorption rate on the type of entangled pair flux attenuation: linear, when the laser pump power is attenuated, and quadratic, when the pair flux itself experiences linear loss. We then perform a fluorescence-based Z-scan measurement to study the influence of beam waist size on the entangled two-photon absorption process and compare this to classical single- and two-photon absorption processes. We demonstrate that the entangled two-photon absorption shares a beam waist dependence similar to that of classical two-photon absorption. This result presents an additional argument for the wide range of contrasting values of quoted entangled two-photon absorption cross sections of dyes in literature.

Background: Researchers and clinicians have traditionally relied on elastic caps with markings to reposition the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coil between trains and sessions. Newer neuronavigation technology co-registers the patient's head and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, providing the researcher with real-time feedback about how to adjust the coil to be on-target. However, there has been no head to head comparison of accuracy and precision across treatment sessions., Objective: /Hypothesis: In this two-part study, we compared elastic cap and neuronavigation targeting methodologies on distance, angle, and electric field (E-field) magnitude values., Methods: In 42 participants receiving up to 50 total accelerated rTMS sessions in 5 days, we compared cap and neuronavigation targeting approaches in 3408 distance and 6816 angle measurements. In Experiment 1, TMS administrators saved an on-target neuronavigation location at Beam F3, which served as the landmark for all other measurements. Next, the operators placed the TMS coil based on cap markings or neuronavigation software to measure the distance and angle differences from the on-target sample. In Experiment 2, we saved each XYZ coordinate of the TMS coil from cap and neuronavigation targeting in 12 participants to compare the E-field magnitude differences at the cortical prefrontal target in 1106 cap and neuronavigation models., Results: Cap targeting was significantly off-target for distance, placing the coil an average of 10.66 mm off-target (Standard error of the mean; SEM = 0.19 mm) compared to 0.3 mm (SEM = 0.03 mm) for neuronavigation (p < 0.0001). Cap targeting also significantly deviated for angles off-target, averaging 7.79 roll/pitch degrees (SEM = 1.07°) off-target and 5.99 yaw degrees (SEM = 0.12°) off-target; in comparison, neuronavigation targeting positioned the coil 0.34 roll/pitch degrees (SEM = 0.01°) and 0.22 yaw (SEM = 0.004°) off-target (both p < 0.0001). Further analyses revealed that there were significant inter-operator differences on distance and angle positioning for F3 (all p < 0.05), but not neuronavigation. Lastly, cap targeting resulted in significantly lower E-fields at the intended prefrontal cortical target, with equivalent E-fields as 110.7% motor threshold (MT; range = 58.3-127.4%) stimulation vs. 119.9% MT (range = 115-123.3%) from neuronavigated targeting with 120% MT stimulation applied (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Cap-based targeting is an inherent source of target variability compared to neuronavigation. Additionally, cap-based coil placement is more prone to differences across operators. Off-target coil placement secondary to cap-based measurements results in significantly lower amounts of stimulation reaching the cortical target, with some individuals receiving only 48.6% of the intended on-target E-field. Neuronavigation technology enables more precise and accurate TMS positioning, resulting in the intended stimulation intensities at the targeted cortical level., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there was no financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Meiotic maturation is a crucial step of oocyte formation, allowing its potential fertilization and embryo development. Elucidating this process is important for both fundamental research and assisted reproductive technology. However, few computational tools based on non-invasive measurements are available to characterize oocyte meiotic maturation. Here, we develop a computational framework to phenotype oocytes based on images acquired in transmitted light. We trained neural networks to segment the contour of oocytes and their zona pellucida using oocytes from diverse species. We defined a comprehensive set of morphological features to describe an oocyte. These steps were implemented in an open-source Fiji plugin. We present a feature-based machine learning pipeline to recognize oocyte populations and determine morphological differences between them. We first demonstrate its potential to screen oocytes from different strains and automatically identify their morphological characteristics. Its second application is to predict and characterize the maturation potential of oocytes. We identify the texture of the zona pellucida and cytoplasmic particle size as features to assess mouse oocyte maturation potential and tested whether these features were applicable to the developmental potential of human oocytes. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2022. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Palcewska et al. first demonstrated near infrared (NIR) visual response in human volunteers upon two-photon absorption (TPA), in a seminal work of 2014, and assessed the process in terms of wavelength- and power-dependence on murine ex-vivo retinas. In the present study, ex-vivo electroretinography (ERG) is further developed to perform a complete characterization of the effect of NIR pulse duration, energy, and focal spot size on the response. The same set of measurements is successively tested on living mice. We discuss how the nonlinear intensity dependence of the photon absorption process is transferred to the amplitude of the visual response acquired by ERG. Finally, we show that the manipulation of the spectral phase of NIR pulses can be translated to predictable change in the two-photon induced response under physiological excitation conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright 2022 Geoffrey Gaulier, Quentin Dietschi, Aleksa Djorovic, Luca La Volpe, Tania Rodrigues, Luigi Bonacina, Ivan Rodriguez, Jean-Pierre Wolf. License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Male infertility is responsible for approximately half of all cases of reproductive issues. Spermatogenesis originates in a small pool of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which are of interest for therapy of infertility but remain not well defined in humans. Using multiparametric analysis of the side population (SP) phenotype and the α-6 integrin, THY1, and β-2 microglobulin cell markers, we identified a population of human primitive undifferentiated spermatogonia with the phenotype β-2 microglobulin (β-2M) - SPα-6 + THY1 + , which is highly enriched in stem cells. By analyzing the expression signatures of this SSC-enriched population along with other germinal progenitors, we established an exhaustive transcriptome of human spermatogenesis. Transcriptome profiling of the human β-2M - SPα-6 + THY1 + population and comparison with the profile of mouse undifferentiated spermatogonia provide insights into the molecular networks and key transcriptional regulators regulating human SSCs, including the basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional repressor HES1, which we show to be implicated in maintenance of SSCs in vitro., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with elevated brain response to cues. Recent studies have suggested that theta burst stimulation (TBS) to the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) can decrease reactivity to cues in a transdiagnostic manner. The goal of this clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of continuous TBS as a tool to decrease drinking behavior and brain reactivity to alcohol cues among individuals with AUD., Methods: A total of 50 individuals with AUD were recruited from an intensive outpatient treatment program. Using a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design, participants received 10 sessions of continuous TBS (left frontal pole, 1 session/10 days, 110% resting motor threshold, 3600 pulse/session, cue provocation before and during session). Brain reactivity to alcohol cues was acquired at four time points: at baseline and after all TBS sessions (1 month, 2 months, and 3 months)., Results: Overall, 80% of the participants completed all TBS sessions. Individuals who received real TBS were 2.71 times more likely to remain enrolled in the study after 3 months and 3.09 times more likely to remain sober 3 months after treatment initiation. Real TBS also led to a significantly greater reduction in brain reactivity to alcohol cues, specifically a reduction in MPFC-striatum and MPFC-insula connectivity 2 and 3 months after TBS treatment., Conclusions: Ten days of MPFC TBS is well tolerated, reduces drinking, and decreases brain reactivity to alcohol cues for up to 3 months after treatment initiation. These results pave a critical next step in the path toward developing transcranial magnetic stimulation as an intervention for AUD and disorders associated with elevated cue reactivity., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Sub- μ m thin samples are essential for spectroscopic purposes. The development of flat micro-jets enabled novel spectroscopic and scattering methods for investigating molecular systems in the liquid phase. However, the temperature of these ultra-thin liquid sheets in vacuum has not been systematically investigated. Here, we present a comprehensive temperature characterization using optical Raman spectroscopy of sub-micron flatjets produced by two different methods: colliding of two cylindrical jets and a cylindrical jet compressed by a high pressure gas. Our results reveal the dependence of the cooling rate on the material properties and the source characteristics, i.e., nozzle-orifice size, flow rate, and pressure. We show that materials with higher vapor pressures exhibit faster cooling rates, which is illustrated by comparing the temperature profiles of water and ethanol flatjets. In a sub- μ m liquid sheet, the temperature of the water sample reaches around 268 K and the ethanol around 253 K close to the flatjet's terminus., (© 2022 Author(s).)

Objective: To analyze the effect of a cyclic fertilin-derived peptide (cFEE) on in vitro maturation of human oocytes., Design: Randomized study., Setting: Fertility center in an academic hospital., Patient(s): Not applicable., Intervention(s): Human immature germinal vesicle-stage oocytes (n = 1,629) donated for research according to French bioethics laws were randomly allocated to groups treated with 1 or 100 μM of cFEE or to a control group. They were incubated at 37 °C in 6% CO 2 and 5% O 2 , and their maturation was assessed using time-lapse microscopy over 24 hours. In vitro maturated metaphase II oocytes were analyzed for chromosomal content using microarray comparative genomic hybridization, and their transcriptomes were analyzed using Affymetrix Clariom D microarrays., Main Outcome Measure(s): The percentage of oocytes undergoing maturation in vitro was observed. Aneuploidy and euploidy were assessed for all chromosomes, and differential gene expression was analyzed in oocytes treated with cFEE compared with the control to obtain insights into its mechanism of action., Result(s): cFEE significantly increased the percentage of oocytes that matured in vitro and improved euploidy in meiosis II oocytes by the up-regulation of FMN1 and FLNA genes, both of which encode proteins involved in spindle structure., Conclusion(s): cFEE improves human oocyte maturation in vitro and reduces aneuploidy. It may prove useful for treating oocytes before fertilization in assisted reproductive technology and for in vitro maturation in fertility preservation programs to improve oocyte quality and the chances for infertile couples to conceive., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study the cyclic fertilin peptide effects on preimplantation human embryogenesis. Cyclic fertilin peptide reproduces the structure of the binding site of the sperm Fertilin β (also named A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 2: ADAM2) disintegrin domain. It binds to the oocyte membrane and increases sperm-oocyte fusion index in human and fertilization rate in mouse, providing healthy pups. It also improves human oocyte maturation and chromosome segregation in meiosis I and binds to human embryo blastomeres, suggesting that it has a membrane receptor., Design: Thawed human embryos at the 3 to 4 cells stage were randomly included in a dose-response study with cyclic fertilin peptide. Inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TE), and total cell numbers were evaluated in top- and good-quality blastocysts., Setting: The study was performed in an academic hospital and research laboratory., Patient(s): Human embryos donated for research. This project was approved by the French "Agence de la Biomédecine.", Intervention(s): Immunofluorescence and tissue-specific gene expression analysis, using Clariom D microarrays, were performed to study its mechanism of action., Main Outcome Measure(s): Cyclic fertilin peptide improves blastocyst formation by almost 20%, the concentration of 1 μM being the lowest most efficient concentration. It significantly increases twice the TE cell number, without modifying the ICM. It increases the in vitro hatching rate from 14% to 45%., Result(s): Cyclic fertilin peptide stimulates TE growth. In the ICM, it induces transcriptional activation of intracellular protein and vesicle-mediated transport., Conclusion(s): Cyclic fertilin peptide dramatically improves human embryo development potential. It could be used to supplement culture medium and improve the in vitro human embryo development. Starting supplementation immediately after fertilization, instead of day 2, could significantly upgrade assisted reproductive technology outcome., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The increase in the use of opioids in Ohio is believed to have contributed to a crisis within county child welfare agencies throughout the state. Prior research has found a connection between opioid use and child abuse and neglect, but no previous studies have examined the relationship between opioid overdoses and child maltreatment rates at the neighborhood level., Method: The sample is 9,231 Census block groups in Ohio for 2015. Bayesian conditionally autoregressive models were used to examine the relationship between naloxone administrations (as a proxy for overdose) and child maltreatment. We controlled for variables representing social disorganization characteristics including unemployment, racial/ethnic heterogeneity, and vacant housing rates. We specifically examined child maltreatment referrals per child population and child maltreatment substantiations per child population., Results: Higher rates of naloxone administration by emergency medical services were related to higher rates of referrals for child welfare investigations (relative risk = 1.0026) and substantiations (relative risk = 1.0027) at the block group level. Neighborhoods located in Appalachia with higher rates of overdoses were at greater risk for experiencing more referrals for child welfare investigations (relative risk = 1.0043)., Conclusions: As communities continue to struggle with containing opioid misuse and reducing opioid overdose deaths, they must also contend with addressing problems that may arise from overdoses, including child abuse and neglect. Our findings suggest that the relationship between overdoses and maltreatment occurs at a much smaller spatial scale than has previously been observed. This may allow resources to be targeted more effectively within counties and communities.

Background: Spinal cord injury often results in erectile dysfunction and an ejaculation along with impaired semen parameters. Fertility is a major concern in spinal cord injury adult males and some fear that the delay post-spinal cord injury may negatively affect sperm quality., Objectives: We aimed to (i) assess semen parameters over time in SCI patients according to age at spinal cord injury, time post-spinal cord injury, and the spinal cord injury level and completeness and (ii) measure markers in semen for inflammation and marker of oxidative stress to investigate their impact on sperm parameters., Materials and Methods: The study is a prospective, longitudinal, pilot study over 18 months. Thirty-five men with spinal cord injury from 18 to 60 years of age were enrolled. Their mean age was 29.4 ± 6.4 years. Semen retrieval was scheduled every 6 months, allowing analysis of four ejaculates, in association with measurement of granulocyte and seminal plasma elastase concentrations to assess markers in semen for inflammation and spermatozoa DNA fragmentation to assess oxidative stress., Results: Based on reference limits, a normal total sperm number, decreased motility and vitality of the spermatozoa, and increased morphological abnormalities were found. Mean round cell and granulocyte concentrations were elevated in the semen. Markers in semen for inflammation and marker of oxidative stress were elevated in several semen samples, compared to reference limits. However, neither the presence of markers in semen for inflammation or oxidative stress, the completeness or the level of the spinal cord lesion, the age or the time post-spinal cord injury had a negative impact on the semen quality over time., Discussion: There was no significant decline in semen quality in spinal cord injury patients over time within the limitations of this pilot study. Moreover, a chronic genital inflammatory status was not associated with impairment of semen quality., Conclusion: The present findings are reassuring for men with spinal cord injury and could guide the management of their reproductive ability. According to these preliminary data, not all spinal cord injury patients who are able to ejaculate require systematic freezing of their spermatozoa., (© 2021 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Objective: We examined associations of city-level policies and enforcement operations (i.e., social host laws and party patrol operations) with youth drinking, heavy drinking, and drinking-related problems in private and public drinking contexts. We also examined whether these associations were modified by age., Method: We surveyed 580 youth (ages 16-20 years; 53% male) living in 24 midsized California cities. We used mixed-effects negative binomial and logistic regression to calculate the frequency of youth drinking and heavy drinking and odds of drinking-related problems in each context (own home, friend's home, restaurant, bar, music venue, and outdoors)., Results: There were positive associations between more comprehensive city-level social host policies and frequency of youth drinking and heavy drinking at music venues, and youth heavy drinking and drinking-related problems at restaurants. Younger youth who lived in cities with more comprehensive social host laws drank heavily less frequently in their own home than younger youth living in cities with less comprehensive social host laws. Youth ages 17 or under who lived in cities with more party patrol enforcement had higher odds of problems related to drinking outdoors in the past 12 months than those in cities with fewer party patrol operations., Conclusions: City-level alcohol policies and enforcement targeting underage drinking may have differential effects depending on youth drinking contexts and age. Comprehensive social host policies, which aim to decrease drinking in private contexts, may displace or increase youth drinking in other contexts, such as restaurants and music venues. Comprehensive social host policies and party patrol operations may be more influential for younger youth drinking in their own home or outdoors.

Background: More than half of transgender (TG) men wish to have children. Until recently, TG people in France were rarely offered gamete donation, mainly because the Bioethics Law allows the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) only in infertile couples. The only option currently available for heterosexual couples with a TG man is ART with sperm donation. The Center for Study and Preservation of Eggs and Sperm (CECOS) of the Cochin Hospital is the first French center to propose sperm donation to such couples, and has done so since 1999., Objectives: To determine the main characteristics and intentions of 43 couples, including a TG man and his cisgender female partner awaiting sperm donation., Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out on the records from October 2010 to December 2019, of 43 couples with a TG man who applied for sperm donation at the CECOS of the Cochin Hospital (Paris, France)., Results: The mean age of TG men and cisgender women was 32 ± 6.6 and 29.7 ± 4.6 years, respectively. In 77% of cases, the couple met before the man's transition. Eighty-one percent of the couples were in a stable relationship for at least 3 years, and 94% wished to have a child for no more than 5 years. Almost all of the couples (95%) intended to inform their child of their conception by sperm donation and the father's transidentity (92%)., Discussion: Due to restrictive French legislation, the profile of our couples probably does not reflect that of all couples consisting of a TG man and a cisgender woman. The study took place over a long period of time and the characteristics of the couples could probably change over time., Conclusion: The couples often met before the man's transition, cohabited for several years, intended to inform their child of sperm donation and the father's transidentity., (© 2021 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Cyclic fertilin peptide (cFEE: phenylalanine, glutamic acid; glutamic acid) improves gamete interaction in humans. We investigate whether it could be via improvement of sperm movement parameters and their mitochondrial ATP production. Sperm movement parameters were studied using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) in sperm samples from 38 patients with normal sperm in medium supplemented with cyclic fertilin against a control group. Sperm mitochondrial functions were studied using donor's sperm, incubated or not with cFEE. It was evaluated by the measurement of their ATP production using bioluminescence, their respiration by high resolution oxygraphy, and of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) using potentiometric dyes and flow cytometry. cFEE significantly improved sperm movement parameters and percentage of hyperactivated sperm. Impact of inhibitors showed OXPHOS as the predominant energy source for sperm movement. However, cFEE had no significant impact on any of the analyzed mitochondrial bioenergetic parameters, suggesting that it could act via a more efficient use of its energy resources.

Background: Emerging research suggests that parents are experiencing heightened stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parental stress is a risk factor for harsh or punitive parenting, and this association may be exacerbated by the use of alcohol., Objective: We examine whether parental stress is associated with use of punitive parenting, as well as whether this association is modified by drinking pattern., Participants & Setting: We used advertisements and word-of-mouth to recruit 342 parents living in Central Ohio during the initial stay-at-home order for COVID-19., Methods: We used geographic ecological momentary assessment (gEMA) to measure parental stress and punitive parenting during three time periods (10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9 p.m.) over a period of fourteen days using an app downloaded to their cellular telephone. Participants also completed a longer baseline survey. We used nested multilevel ordinal regression models, where at-the-moment assessments (Level 1) were nested within individuals (Level 2) to analyze data., Results: Higher levels of parental stress [OR = 1.149 (95 % CI = 1.123, 1.176)] and later time of day [OR = 1.255 (95 % CI = 1.146, 1.373)] were positively related to odds of punitive parenting. Drinking pattern was not significantly related to punitive parenting in models with demographic covariates. Parents who drank alcohol both monthly and weekly and had higher levels of stress had greater odds of punitive parenting than parents with high levels of stress who abstain from alcohol., Conclusions: Alcohol may be an accelerant in the use of punitive parenting for parents experiencing stress. As alcohol use increases during COVID-19, children may be at higher risk for punitive parenting., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Child maltreatment and problematic parenting are related to negative outcomes for children. Poor parental health could be a risk factor for problematic parenting through several mechanisms: 1) inadequate emotional regulation and coping; 2) impairment of parental capacity; and, 3) impairment of the parent-child relationship., Objective: This study examines relationships between self-rated parental health, prescription drug use, and a broad array of negative parenting outcomes., Methods: A sample of general population parents of children aged ten and younger was recruited from 30 mid-sized cities in California (n = 681). Weighted mixed-effects negative binomial and logistic regression models were used to examine associations between poor parental health, prescription drug use and child maltreatment (physical abuse, supervisory neglect, and physical neglect), and problematic parenting (psychological aggression and corporal punishment)., Results: Parents in poor health used physical abuse, corporal punishment, and psychological aggression more frequently and had higher odds of supervisory neglect. Parents who were taking more prescription medications had higher odds of physical neglect. Exploratory analyses suggested that prescriptions for certain medical conditions both increased and decreased the risk of problematic parenting., Conclusions: Poor health and prescription drug use are not uncommon and present largely under-recognized risk factors for a spectrum of adverse parenting outcomes. Our study provides additional evidence that parents in poor health are at heightened risk of negative parenting, and need targeted intervention supports to support family well-being., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Vision is usually assumed to be sensitive to the light intensity and spectrum but not to its spectral phase. However, experiments performed on retinal proteins in solution showed that the first step of vision consists in an ultrafast photoisomerization that can be coherently controlled by shaping the phase of femtosecond laser pulses, especially in the multiphoton interaction regime. The link between these experiments in solution and the biological process allowing vision was not demonstrated. Here, we measure the electric signals fired from the retina of living mice upon femtosecond multipulse and single-pulse light stimulation. Our results show that the electrophysiological signaling is sensitive to the manipulation of the light excitation on a femtosecond time scale. The mechanism relies on multiple interactions with the light pulses close to the conical intersection, like pump-dump (photoisomerization interruption) and pump-repump (reverse isomerization) processes. This interpretation is supported both experimentally and by dynamics simulations., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).)

Background: Across Ohio, parental substance abuse has contributed to a marked increase in the number of children in foster care. Children exposed to parental substance use have a higher likelihood of physical abuse and neglect, and consequently a variety of physical, psychological and cognitive problems. The Enhancing Permanency in Children and Families (EPIC) program is a collaborative effort between the Ohio State University College of Social Work, two county offices of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, two juvenile courts and local behavioral health agencies. The goal of EPIC is to use three evidence-based and evidence-informed practices to reduce abusive and neglectful parenting, reduce addiction severity in parents, and improve permanency outcomes for families involved with the child welfare system due to substance abuse., Methods: EPIC is a quasi-experimental study. Under the program, child welfare-involved adults who screen positive for substances are matched with a peer recovery supporter. Participants are also incentivized to participate in family treatment drug court, medications for opioid use disorders and home-based parenting supports. Participating adults (N = 250) are matched with comparison groups from counties participating in a separate intervention (Ohio START) and to those receiving treatment as usual, resulting in a final sample of 750 adults. Primary outcomes including addiction severity, child trauma symptoms, resilience, and attachment are assessed at baseline and at program completion. Additional outcomes include timely access to treatment services, length of placement in out-of-home care and recidivism into the child welfare system., Discussion: This intervention formalizes cross-system collaboration between child welfare, behavioral health and juvenile courts to support families affected by addiction. The use of three evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies presents the opportunity to determine specific strategies that are most effective for reducing addiction severity. Lastly, the intervention combines several sources of funding to bolster sustainability beyond the life of the Regional Partnership Grant (RPG)., Trial Registration: NCT04700696 . Registered January 7, 2021-retrospectively registered.

Prescription drug misuse is increasingly common in the United States. To date, little is known about how prescription drug misuse relates to negative parenting behaviors like child maltreatment, even though use of illicit drugs increases rates of both child neglect and physical abuse. This study used secondary data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS), a clustered national sample of families at high risk for both prescription drug misuse and child maltreatment ( n = 2,917). Data from mothers who participated in the 9-year follow-up of this study were used to create logistic regression models examining prescription drug misuse and physically aggressive and neglectful parenting, while controlling for demographic and psychosocial variables. Black, non-Hispanic mothers and mothers in worse health had higher odds of physically aggressive parenting. Mothers in worse health and those who used other illicit drugs had greater odds of neglectful parenting. There were no relationships between prescription drug misuse and either parenting outcome. The findings do not provide evidence that prescription drug misuse is a risk factor for child maltreatment. Further research examining this issue and potential progression from prescription drug misuse to other illicit drug use could help clarify whether this behavior is related to negative outcomes for children.