PMID:  J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol. 2023 Mar ;339(2):210-219. Epub 2022 Nov 27. PMID: 36437535 Abstract Title:  Ameliorative effect of Vitis vinifera (Linn.) seed extract on lead acetate induced oxidative damage on testis and sperm quality in Wistar rats. Abstract:  Lead is considered one of the most prevalent environmental and biologically hazardous toxicants among metallic elements. It severely affects human health and especially the male reproductive system by causing reproductive organ dysfunction leading to infertility. Natural dietary antioxidants are studied for their ability to ameliorate the cells' miscellaneous damage. The current study was designed to explore the effect of Vitis vinifera (Linn.) (grape) seed extract (GSE) on lead acetate (LA)-induced oxidative damage on testis and sperm quality in rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were allocated into four equal groups. Group I received distilled water; Group II received LA 50mg/kg body weight (Bw); Group III received LA 50mg/kg+GSE 200mg/kg Bw; and Group IV received LA 50mg/kg+GSE 400mg/kg Bw (orally once a day for 28 days). After 28 days, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and reduced glutathione (GSH) were estimated in the testicular tissue. The cauda of the epididymis was used to study the characteristics of the sperm, such as sperm count, motility, viability, tail-coiled sperm, and morphology. The hematoxylin and eosin staining method was used to study histomorphology. Results revealed that LA induction significantly increased MDA concentration and decreased the levels of SOD, CAT, GPx, and GSH. It also reduced the weight of the testis and testosterone hormone levels, declined the quality of sperm, and increased morphologically abnormal sperm. Moreover, LA severely altered the histomorphology of the testis, such as atrophy of the seminiferous tubule, degeneration of germinal epithelium, and increased interstitial space, compared with the control group. In Groups III and IV, coadministration of LA with GSE reduced the MDA concentration, preserved the antioxidant enzyme system and testosterone hormonal levels, restored the sperm characteristics, reduced the abnormal sperm, and improved histomorphological alterations in the testis compared with the LA-induced group. In conclusion, GSE has a potent natural antioxidant that provides promising protection against LA-induced testicular oxidative damage on testis and sperm quality in rats.

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Last September, a researcher at a university in Bangladesh emailed a journal about a paper he had published in 2019. He made a stark admission: the paper contained plagiarism, said Sorif Hossain, a lecturer in statistics at Noakhali Science and Technology University, who called for the article to be promptly retracted.

But the paper remained in place. Only after Retraction Watch contacted the European Journal of Environment and Public Health (EJEPH) last week did it issue a retraction. 

The retraction notice states that the article, Salinity and Miscarriage: Is There a Link? Impact of Climate Change in Coastal Areas of Bangladesh A Systematic Review, was retracted due to plagiarism, analysis errors, and writing issues. The paper has been cited six times, according to Google Scholar (the journal is not indexed in Clarivates Web of Science). 

Modestum, EJEPHs publisher, told Retraction Watch that, following an extended exchange with Hossain, a retraction note was uploaded to the journal publication system, but final confirmation from the author was not well received and it stayed invisible.

The publisher also promised to investigate this issue further and [to] take necessary measures against those involved.

Retraction Watch became aware of the case earlier this month when Amir Abdoli, an associate professor of medical parasitology at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in Iran, contacted us about the EJEPH article. Abdoli pointed out that it includedd a figure from a 2016 publication of his, Salt and miscarriage: Is there a link?, in the journal Medical Hypotheses, without permission or even citation.

An analysis using the online comparison tool Copyscape reve...

PMID:  Nutrients. 2023 Feb 2 ;15(3). Epub 2023 Feb 2. PMID: 36771459 Abstract Title:  Malvidin-3--Glucoside Ameliorates Cadmium-Mediated Cell Dysfunction in the Estradiol Generation of Human Granulosa Cells. Abstract:  Cadmium (Cd) is a frequent environmental pollutant associated with biological toxicity that can harm female reproduction. Anthocyanins have been reported to reduce the toxicity of Cd. In the present study, the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of malvidin-3--glucoside (M3G) against the toxicity of Cd on female reproduction in KGN cells (human ovarian granulosa-like tumor cells) were investigated. After treating cells with 10mol/L cadmium chloride, the results showed that M3G lessened Cd-induced KGN cell cytotoxicity better than malvidin and malvidin-3,5--diglucoside. Additionally, M3G significantly decreased the Cd-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, inhibited the Cd-induced arrest of the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and increased estradiol (E2) production. According to transcriptomic results, M3G reduced the abnormal expression of genes that responded to estrogen. Additionally, M3G promoted the endogenous synthesis and secretion of E2 by controlling the expression of CYP17A1 and HSD17B7. The current findings indicated that M3G is of great potential to prevent Cd-induced female reproductive impairment as a dietary supplement.

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PMID:  Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Feb 25 ;12(3). Epub 2023 Feb 25. PMID: 36978824 Abstract Title:  Low Levels of Vitamin C during Pregnancy; a Risk Marker of Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 1 Diabetic Women? Abstract:  Pregnancy is a risk factor for the development or aggravation of diabetic retinopathy. Here, we suggest a relationship between plasma vitamin C (vitC) status during pregnancy and into postpartum in type 1 diabetes and the possible progression of diabetic retinopathy based on data of 29 women. VitC was measured in first, second, and third trimesters and three months postpartum. The women had visual acuity testing and fundus photography performed at least twice during pregnancy and onto four months after birth. An overall retinopathy grade was assigned on a scale from 0 (no retinopathy) to four according to the International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy scale. At baseline in 1st trimester, 12 women had no retinopathy; seventeen women had retinopathy in grade 1-3. The retinopathy grade increased in nine women; remained unchanged in 17 women, and improved in three women. No women had or developed proliferative retinopathy (grade 4). The level of vitC in 1st trimester predicted the possible progression of retinopathy-the lower the vitC, the more probable the progression (= 0.03; OR 1.6 (95% CI:1.06-3.2);= 29 (multiple logistic regression))-while the combined levels of 1st and 2nd trimesters and the mean vitC level of the whole pregnancy did not. The diabetes duration, retinopathy grade per se in 1st trimester, 24-h blood pressure measurements, kidney function, urinary protein, HbA1c, or lipid profile were not independent predictors of progression of retinopathy during pregnancy. Retrospectively, the women who experienced progression of their retinopathy during and into postpartum had significantly lower vitC levels in 1st trimester (= 0.02;= 9/20), combined level of vitC in 1st and 2nd trimester (= 0.032;= 7/18), and mean vitC level of the whole pregnancy (= 0.036;= 7/9), respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that low vitC status in pregnancy could be associated with progression of diabetic retinopathy.

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