Mobile phone radiation does not induce pro-apoptosis effects in human spermatozoa

Recent reports suggest that mobile phone radiation may diminish male fertility. However, the effects of this radiation on human spermatozoa are largely unknown. The present study examined effects of the radiation on induction of apoptosisrelated properties in human spermatozoa. Ejaculated, densitypurified, highly motile human spermatozoa were exposed to mobile phone radiation at specific absorption rates (SARs) of 2.0 and 5.7 W/kg. At various times after exposure, flow cytometry was used to examine caspase 3 activity, externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), induction of DNA strand breaks, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Mobile phone radiation had no statistically significant effect on any of the parameters studied. This suggests that the impairment of fertility reported in some studies was not caused by the induction of apoptosis in spermatozoa.This research was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa (Grant No: 2054206), NRF mobility fund, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Pretoria, South Africa and the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Helsinki, Finland

Mobile phone radiation does not induce pro-apoptosis effects in human spermatozoa

Recent reports suggest that mobile phone radiation may diminish male fertility. However, the effects of this radiation on human spermatozoa are largely unknown. The present study examined effects of the radiation on induction of apoptosisrelated properties in human spermatozoa. Ejaculated, densitypurified, highly motile human spermatozoa were exposed to mobile phone radiation at specific absorption rates (SARs) of 2.0 and 5.7 W/kg. At various times after exposure, flow cytometry was used to examine caspase 3 activity, externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), induction of DNA strand breaks, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Mobile phone radiation had no statistically significant effect on any of the parameters studied. This suggests that the impairment of fertility reported in some studies was not caused by the induction of apoptosis in spermatozoa.This research was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa (Grant No: 2054206), NRF mobility fund, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Pretoria, South Africa and the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Helsinki, Finland

Accurate calculation of polarization-related quantities in semiconductors

We demonstrate that polarization-related quantities in semiconductors can be predicted accurately from first-principles calculations using the appropriate approach to the problem, the Berry-phase polarization theory. For III-V nitrides, our test case, we find polarizations, polarization differences between nitride pairs, and piezoelectric constants quite close to their previously established values. Refined data are nevertheless provided for all the relevant quantities.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, no figure

First-principles prediction of structure, energetics, formation enthalpy, elastic constants, polarization, and piezoelectric constants of AlN, GaN, and InN: comparison of local and gradient-corrected density-functional theory

A number of diverse bulk properties of the zincblende and wurtzite III-V nitrides AlN, GaN, and InN, are predicted from first principles within density functional theory using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method, within both the LDA (local density) and GGA (generalized gradient) approximations to the exchange-correlation functional. Besides structure and cohesion, we study formation enthalpies (a key ingredient in predicting defect solubilities and surface stability), spontaneous polarizations and piezoelectric constants (central parameters for nanostructure modeling), and elastic constants. Our study bears out the relative merits of the two density functional approaches in describing diverse properties of the III-V nitrides (and of the parent species N$_2$, Al, Ga, and In), and leads us to conclude that the GGA approximation, associated with high-accuracy techniques such as multiprojector ultrasoft pseudopotentials or modern all-electron methods, is to be preferred in the study of III-V nitrides.Comment: RevTeX 6 pages, 12 tables, 0 figure

The effect of pulsed 900-MHz GSM mobile phone radiation on the acrosome reaction, head morphometry and zona binding of human spermatozoa

Several recent studies have indicated that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF) have an adverse effect on human sperm quality, which could translate to an effect on fertilization potential. The present study evaluated the effect of RF-EMF on spermspecific characteristics in order to assess the fertilizing competence of sperm. Highly motile human spermatozoa, were exposed for one hour to 900 MHz mobile phone radiation at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2.0 W/kg and examined at various times after exposure. The acrosome reaction was evaluated using flow cytometry. The radiation did not affect sperm propensity for the acrosome reaction. Morphometric parameters were assessed by computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Significant reduction in sperm head area (9.2 ± 0.7 μm2 vs. 18.8 ± 1.4 μm2) and acrosome percentage of the head area (21.5 ± 4% vs. 35.5 ± 11.4%) were reported among exposed sperm compared with unexposed controls. Sperm–zona binding was assessed directly after exposure using the hemizona assay (HZA). The mean number of zona-bound sperm of the test hemizona and controls was 22.8 ± 12.4 and 31.8 ± 12.8 (p<0.05), respectively. This study concludes that while RF-EMF exposure did not adversely affect the acrosome reaction, it had a significant effect on sperm morphometry. In addition a significant decrease in sperm binding to the hemizona was observed. These results could indicate a significant effect of Several recent studies have indicated that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF) have an adverse effect on human sperm quality, which could translate to an effect on fertilization potential. The present study evaluated the effect of RF-EMF on spermspecific characteristics in order to assess the fertilizing competence of sperm. Highly motile human spermatozoa, were exposed for one hour to 900 MHz mobile phone radiation at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2.0 W/kg and examined at various times after exposure. The acrosome reaction was evaluated using flow cytometry. The radiation did not affect sperm propensity for the acrosome reaction. Morphometric parameters were assessed by computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Significant reduction in sperm head area (9.2 ± 0.7 μm2 vs. 18.8 ± 1.4 μm2) and acrosome percentage of the head area (21.5 ± 4% vs. 35.5 ± 11.4%) were reported among exposed sperm compared with unexposed controls. Sperm–zona binding was assessed directly after exposure using the hemizona assay (HZA). The mean number of zona-bound sperm of the test hemizona and controls was 22.8 ± 12.4 and 31.8 ± 12.8 (p<0.05), respectively. This study concludes that while RF-EMF exposure did not adversely affect the acrosome reaction, it had a significant effect on sperm morphometry. In addition a significant decrease in sperm binding to the hemizona was observed. These results could indicate a significant effect of RF-EMF on sperm fertilisation potential.This Research was funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria, South Africa (Grant No: 2054206), NRF mobility fund and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).http://www.blackwell-synergy.co

To Push or To Pull? In a Post-COVID World, Supporting and Incentivizing Antimicrobial Drug Development Must Become a Governmental Priority

This is the final version. Available on open access from the American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recorddata availability: This study did not generate any new data. The data on COVID-19 deaths used in the publication are publicly available at https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ (access date 15th December 2020).The COVID-19 pandemic has refocused attention worldwide on the dangers of infectious diseases, in terms of both global health and the effects on the world economy. Even in high income countries, health systems have been found wanting in dealing with the new infectious agent. However, the even greater long-term danger of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic bacteria and fungi is still under-appreciated, especially among the general public. Although antimicrobial drug development faces significant scientific challenges, the gravest challenge at the moment appears to be economic, where the lack of a viable market has led to a collapse in drug development pipelines. There is therefore a critical need for governments across the world to further incentivize the development of antimicrobials. Most incentive strategies over the past decade have focused on so-called “push” incentives that bridge the costs of antimicrobial research and development, but these have been insufficient for reviving the pipeline. In this Perspective, we analyze the current incentive strategies in place for antimicrobial drug development, and focus on “pull” incentives, which instead aim to improve revenue generation and thereby resolve the antimicrobial market failure challenge. We further analyze these incentives in a broader “One Health” context and stress the importance of developing and enforcing strict protocols to ensure appropriate manufacturing practices and responsible use. Our analysis reiterates the importance of international cooperation, coordination across antimicrobial research, and sustained funding in tackling this significant global challenge. A failure to invest wisely and continuously to incentivize antimicrobial pipelines will have catastrophic consequences for global health and wellbeing in the years to come.Wellcome TrustGCRF One Health Poultry HubMedical Research Council (MRC

Avaliação à medida no Segundo HAREM

Objectives This study compared the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous (SC) versus intravenous (IV) formulations of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with an inadequate response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). Methods Patients (n=1262) were randomly assigned to receive tocilizumab-SC 162mg weekly+placebo-IV every 4weeks or tocilizumab-IV 8mg/kg every 4weeks+placebo-SC weekly in combination with traditional DMARD. The primary outcome was to demonstrate the non-inferiority of tocilizumab-SC to tocilizumab-IV with regard to the proportion of patients in each group achieving an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response at week 24 using a 12% non-inferiority margin (NIM). Secondary outcomes were disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28), ACR responses, health assessment questionnaire scores and safety assessments. Results At week 24, 69.4% (95% CI 65.5 to 73.2) of tocilizumab-SC-treated patients versus 73.4% (95% CI 69.6 to 77.1) of tocilizumab-IV-treated patients achieved an ACR20 response (weighted difference between groups -4.0%, 95% CI -9.2 to 1.2); the 12% NIM was met. ACR50/70 responses, DAS28 and physical function improvements were comparable between the tocilizumab-SC and tocilizumab-IV groups. The safety profiles of tocilizumab-SC and tocilizumab-IV were similar, and the most common adverse event was infection. Injection-site reactions (ISR) occurred more frequently in the tocilizumab-SC group than in the tocilizumab-IV (placebo-SC) group. No anaphylaxis was reported over the 24weeks. Conclusions Tocilizumab-SC 162mg weekly demonstrated comparable efficacy to tocilizumab-IV 8mg/kg. The safety profile of tocilizumab-SC is consistent with the known and well-established safety profile of tocilizumab-IV, with the exception of a higher incidence of ISR, which were more common with tocilizumab-SC administration