ORF8 protein of SARS‐CoV‐2 reduces male fertility in mice

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader ORF8 protein of SARS‐CoV‐2 reduces male fertility in mice via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract As one of the most rapidly evolving proteins of the genus Betacoronavirus, ORF8's function and potential pathological consequence in vivo are still obscure. In this study, we show that the secretion of ORF8 is dependent on its N-terminal signal peptide sequence and can be inhibited by ROS scavenger and ER-Golgi transportation inhibitor in cultured cells. To trace the effect of its possible in vivo secretion，we examined the plasma samples of COVID-19 convalescent patients and found that the patients aged 40 to 60 had higher antibody titers than those under 40. To explore ORF8's in vivo function, we administered the mice with ORF8 via tail-vein injection to simulate the circulating ORF8 in the patient. Although no apparent difference in body weight, food intake, and vitality was detected between vehicle- and ORF8-treated mice, the latter displayed morphological abnormalities of testes and epididymides, as indicated by the loss of the central ductal lumen accompanied by a decreased fertility in five-week-old male mice. Furthermore, the analysis of gene expression in the testes between vehicle- and ORF8-treated mice identified a decreased expression of Col1a1, the loss of which is known to be associated with mice's infertility. Although whether our observation in mice could be translated to humans remains unclear, our study provides a potential mouse model that can be used to investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the human reproductive system. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Sparing submandibular gland to alleviating acute xerostomia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with helical tomotherapy: Evaluation by diffusion kurtosis imaging

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Sparing submandibular gland to alleviating acute xerostomia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with helical tomotherapy: Evaluation by diffusion kurtosis imaging via radiotheraphy Publication date: Available online 15 May 2022 Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology Author(s): Da-wei Zhao, Wen-jun Fan, Xue-mei Fang, Yan-rong Luo, Jian Wei, Nan-xiang Chen, Xin-xin Zhang, Gang Liu, Jin-feng Li, Xiao Zang, Meng Li, Lingling Meng, Lin Ma View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Temporomandibular disorder symptoms in young adults: Three‐dimensional impact on oral health‐related quality of life

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Temporomandibular disorder symptoms in young adults: Three‐dimensional impact on oral health‐related quality of life via Journal of Oral Rehabilitation Abstract Objectives This study examined the three-dimensional impact of pain-related and/or intra-articular Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms and ascertained the inter-relationships between the functional, pain, and psychosocial aspects of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods Young adults were enlisted from a local university and TMD symptoms were assessed with the Diagnostic Criteria for TMDs Symptom Questionnaire (DC/TMD-SQ). Participants were stratified into those with no (NT), pain-related (PT), intra-articular (IT), and mixed (MT) TMD symptoms. OHRQoL was examined using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), and dimensional effects (oral function [OF], orofacial pain [OP], and psychosocial impact [PI]) were established subsequently. Data were evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (α = 0.05). Results The mean age of the participants (n = 1205) was 19.7 ± 1.3 years (71.8% women). While 42.2% reported no TMD symptoms, 22.3%, 16.9%, and 18.5% had PT, IT, and MT accordingly. The MT, PT, and IT groups presented higher total OHIP-14 and dimension scores than the NT group (p <0.01). Scores were also significantly different between the MT and IT groups except for OF. For all TMD groups, the ranking of dimensional impact was OP > PI > OF, and associations between the OP and PI dimensions were the strongest (correlation coefficient [r s ] = 0.57-0.76). Conclusions Young adults with PT and/or IT symptoms have poorer OHRQoL, especially in the OP and PI dimensions, which were moderate to strongly correlated. The use of the three dental Patient-reported Outcome (dPRO) dimensions could provide construct equivalency among OHRQoL measures. View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

In silico analysis of mutations near S1/S2 cleavage site in SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein reveals increased propensity of glycosylation in Omicron strain

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader In silico analysis of mutations near S1/S2 cleavage site in SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein reveals increased propensity of glycosylation in Omicron strain via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Cleavage of the Severe Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus–2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein has been demonstrated to contribute to viral-cell fusion and syncytia formation. Studies have shown that variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI) show differing membrane fusion capacity. Mutations near cleavage motifs, such as the S1/S2 and S2' sites, may alter interactions with host proteases and, thus, the potential for fusion. The biochemical basis for the differences in interactions with host proteases for the VOC/VOI spike proteins has not yet been explored. Using sequence and structure-based bioinformatics, mutations near the VOC/VOI spike protein cleavage sites were inspected for their structural effects. All mutations found at the S1/S2 sites were predicted to increase affinity to the furin protease but not TMPRSS2. Mutations at the spike residue P681 in several strains, such P681R in the Delta strain, resulted in the disruption of a proline-directe d kinase phosphorylation motif at the S1/S2 site, which may lessen the impact of phosphorylation for these variants. However, the unique N679K mutation in the Omicron strain was found to increase the propensity for O-linked glycosylation at the S1/S2 cleavage site, which may prevent recognition by proteases. Such glycosylation in the Omicron strain may hinder entry at the cell surface and, thus, decrease syncytia formation and induce cell entry through the endocytic pathway as has been shown in previous studies. Further experimental work is needed to confirm the effect of mutations and post-translational modifications on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein cleavage sites. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Ergonomics in Otolaryngology: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Ergonomics in Otolaryngology: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis via The Laryngoscope Ergonomic stressors among otolaryngologists contribute to a high rate of WRMD across all subspecialties with notable impact on productivity, longevity, and quality of life. The overall proportion (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of general otolaryngologists reporting WRMD was 0.79 (0.66, 0.88) for any symptoms; 0.54 (0.40, 0.67) for neck symptoms; 0.33 (0.20, 0.49) for shoulder symptoms; and 0.49 (0.40, 0.59) for back symptoms. Objectives To determine the proportion of otolaryngologists with work-related musculoskeletal discomfort (WRMD) and to review objective ergonomic data that contribute to WRMD. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive search of the literature identified 1121 articles for initial review of which 19 (3563 participants) met criteria for qualitative discussion and eight (2192 participants) met criteria for meta-analysis. Random effects meta-analyses were used to estimate the proportion of otolaryngologists reporting WRMD. Results The overall proportion (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of general otolaryngologists reporting WRMD was 0.79 (0.66, 0.88) for any symptoms; 0.54 (0.40, 0.67) for neck symptoms; 0.33 (0.20, 0.49) for shoulder symptoms; and 0.49 (0.40, 0.59) for back symptoms. Surgeons performing primarily subspecialty cases had a lower estimated overall prevalence of WRMD versus those performing general ENT cases, however the odds ratio (OR) was not statistically significant (OR [95% confidence interval] 0.53 [0.22, 1.25]). 23%–84% of otolaryngologists underwent medical treatment for WRMD. 5%–23% took time off work and 1%–6% stopped operating completely as a result of WRMD. 23%–62.5% of otolaryngologists believed WRMD negatively impacted their quality of life. Objective measures of ergonomic posture indicate moderate to severe risk of injury during the routine clinic and surgical procedures with none found to be low risk. Conclusions Ergonomic stressors among otolaryngologists contribute to a high rate of WRMD across all subspecialties with notable impact on productivity, longevity, and quality of life. Laryngoscope, 2022 View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Pembrolizumab und Cetuximab als therapeutische Optionen für adenoidzystische Karzinome des Kopf-Hals-Bereiches

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Pembrolizumab und Cetuximab als therapeutische Optionen für adenoidzystische Karzinome des Kopf-Hals-Bereiches via Laryngo-Rhino-Otologie Laryngorhinootologie DOI: 10.1055/a-1830-8298 Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany Article in Thieme eJournals: Table of contents  |  Full text View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Chromosomal microarray analysis versus noninvasive prenatal testing in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Chromosomal microarray analysis versus noninvasive prenatal testing in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency via Journal of Human Genetics - Issue - nature.com science feeds Journal of Human Genetics, Published online: 17 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s10038-022-01041-0 Chromosomal microarray analysis versus noninvasive prenatal testing in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Radiographic bone volume alteration after jaw cyst enucleation with or without simultaneous bone grafts: A prospective randomized study

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Radiographic bone volume alteration after jaw cyst enucleation with or without simultaneous bone grafts: A prospective randomized study via Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research Abstract Objective This study was aimed to evaluate bone healing after jaw cyst enucleation with or without bone substitutes by cone beam computed tomography, and to analyze potential influence factors for bone formation as well. Materials and Methods Sixty seven jaw cyst patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Thirty three patients in control group accepted cystectomy without any filling material. The rest 34 bone cavities which filled with xenograft (DBBM, Bio-Oss®) and covered by absorbable membrane (Bio-Gide®) were included in the guided bone regeneration (GBR) group. All patients were examined with cone bean computerized tomography before operation, 3 and 6 months after surgery. Linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence factors of bone healing. Results There was no significant difference in bone formation rate at 3 months after enucleation, with shrinkage rate (SR) of cystic lesion in control group and GBR group of 26.43 ± 14.98% and 20.78 ± 10.80%, respectively (p > 0.05). Larger shrinkage area in GBR group was detected on postoperative radiographs after 6 months with SR of 60.11 ± 19.23%, when compared to those in patients without filling (6 months SR: 48.63 ± 19.39%, p = 0.018, <0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that cyst size was negatively correlated with bone formation. Conclusion GBR with bovine xenograft and absorbable membrane showed considerable bone regeneration property in the healing of jaw cystic defects after enucleation of radicular cysts. Cyst size showed a suppressive influence on bone formation. View on Web

Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.