Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a livestock-amplified, mosquito-borne zoonosis caused by Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). Continental Europe has no established RVFV transmission, but a rare introduction could have major consequences if susceptible ruminants amplify infection before detection. Methodology: This critical narrative review synthesizes 69 scientific and institutional sources identified through structured PubMed/MEDLINE and Europe PMC searches, citation verification, and qualitative appraisal. Findings: European preparedness should distinguish probability from impact and weight evidence by decision value. Direct virological or acute animal evidence has the highest escalation value; serology, vector competence, environmental suitability, and pathway models mainly indicate where investigation should intensify. The main vulnerability is delayed recognition when animal movement or transported vector exposure coincides with seasonal receptivity and uneven surveillance capacity. Conclusions: The review develops a conditional convergence framework linking evidence strength to baseline vigilance, targeted investigation, and emergency response. Preparedness should prioritize differential diagnosis of livestock abortions and neonatal deaths, pathway-specific risk reduction, trigger-based sampling, occupational protection, and predefined vaccination and movement control decisions.

Background: Psoriasis in pregnancy is a highly prevalent inflammatory condition worldwide, with patients asking how the disease itself, as well as the medications that they take, would affect the general health of the fetus and the course of pregnancy. Objectives: This narrative review aims to explore the effects of biologic efficacy and safety on the pregnancy of women with psoriasis and on their fetus. Methods: A literature search based on biologic therapy, plaque psoriasis and pregnancy terms was conducted. Eleven articles were chosen after screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The study recorded 290 pregnancies with psoriasis on biologics across 11 case series, resulting in 211 healthy live births (approximately 72.7% of pregnancies). Ustekinumab is the most extensively studied biologic therapy during pregnancy, with 241 reported pregnancy cases, compared with 42 cases documented for anti-TNF therapies. Most of the biologics were paused early in pregnancy, while 24 pregnancy cases under biologic treatment throughout pregnancy were detected. Most of those cases were under Certolizumab and Adalimumab in a percentage of 33.3% each. Among the 290 biologic-exposed pregnancies included in the analysis, 33 spontaneous abortions, 20 elective terminations, 17 preterm births, four stillbirths, eight low-birth-weight infants, and four congenital anomalies (three unspecified and one case of fetal exencephaly) were reported, but without biologic exposure timing and biologic-specific correlations. Certolizumab was considered to be safe throughout pregnancy with minimal incidence of adverse effects, in accordance with existing guidelines. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that biologic therapy use during pregnancy among women with psoriasis is generally associated with favorable maternal and fetal outcomes. Reported rates of miscarriage, congenital anomalies, and live births appear to be comparable with those observed in the general population and in other inflammatory conditions. Further large-scale, prospective registry studies are needed to clarify whether specific biologic treatment approaches influence pregnancy outcomes and to support more evidence-based clinical decision-making.

Background: Alcohol consumption is common among women and men of reproductive age. The effects of alcohol use in the preconception and early-pregnancy periods on early reproductive outcomes are not well-known. Methods: In a population-based cohort study from preconception onwards among 3225 women and their partners, we examined the associations of preconception and early-pregnancy alcohol consumption, assessed by questionnaires, with fecundability (per-cycle probability of conceiving), infertility (time to pregnancy >12 months or use of assisted reproductive technology), and miscarriage (pregnancy loss before 22 weeks of gestation). Results: As compared to no alcohol consumption, preconception intake of <1 glass/week and ≥1 glass/week among women was associated with lower odds of infertility (odds ratio (OR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39, 0.94 and OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35, 0.84, respectively). As compared to no alcohol consumption, early-pregnancy alcohol consumption among women of <1 glass/week and ≥1 glass/week was associated with increased odds of miscarriage (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.36, 2.92 and OR 2.37, 95%CI 1.58, 3.57). Early-pregnancy binge drinking among women was also associated with increased odds of miscarriage (OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04, 2.24). Alcohol consumption among men was not associated with infertility or miscarriage risk. Conclusions: The associations of low-to-moderate preconception alcohol consumption with lower odds of infertility might reflect healthier lifestyles, socioeconomic factors, and residual confounding by health-related abstinence from alcohol, all of which are associated with greater fertility. Therefore, preconception and early-pregnancy counseling should mainly focus on the risk of miscarriage and fetal health outcomes.

In this study, the rare and endangered tree species Tilia taishanensis S. B. Liang was selected as the research material, and its embryonic developmental characteristics and abortion mechanism were systematically observed using scanning electron microscopy and resin semi-thin sectioning techniques. The results showed that its pollen was bicellular, the anther wall belonged to the dicotyledonous type with a secretory tapetum, and asynchronous meiosis occurred during microsporogenesis. The pistil possessed a pentalocular ovary and anatropous ovules, and the embryo sac exhibited a typical seven-celled, eight-nucleate structure of the Polygonum type. Male gametophyte development initiated 1-2 weeks earlier than female gametophyte development, although both gametophytes matured synchronously in late June, and the embryo and endosperm developed following the Solanad type and nuclear type, respectively. Multiple reproductive barriers existed in this species: the pollen viability was only approximately 10%, and abnormal tapetal degeneration interrupted nutrient supply for microspores; continuous embryo sac degeneration may contribute to a hollow seed rate of 90%; developmental asynchrony between male and female gametophytes further reduced fertilization efficiency. This study explores the embryonic developmental characteristics and abortion mechanism of T. taishanensis, providing cytological evidence for elucidating its endangered causes and germplasm conservation.

This study focuses on Siraitia grosvenorii, an economically important crop endemic to Guangxi Province, China, with significant value in both the pharmaceutical and food industries. However, its dioecious reproductive system results in low natural pollination efficiency, necessitating reliance on costly artificial pollination in commercial production, which severely constrains large-scale cultivation and the breeding of improved varieties. Herein, we systematically investigated the molecular mechanisms of silver nitrate (AgNO3)-induced partial masculinization of female flowers, resulting in the formation of morphologically bisexual flowers with aborted stamens. Morphological observations revealed that untreated female flowers exhibited permanently arrested stamen primordia, whereas spraying treatments with 0-300 mg/L AgNO3 triggered the development of morphologically complete bisexual flowers. Nevertheless, AgNO3-induced stamens exhibited severely disrupted male reproductive development, as indicated by the absence of mature pollen grains at anthesis. Cytological evidence demonstrated that pollen abortion was initiated at the pollen mother cell (PMC) stage, accompanied by abnormal vacuolation and impaired nutrient metabolism in tapetal cells. The dominant abortive phenotype was that PMCs exhibited abnormal development and progressive degeneration during the meiotic developmental window. Methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) assays further revealed markedly elevated CpG-type methylation levels in AgNO3-induced bisexual flowers at early developmental stages. Expression analysis revealed that SgWIP1 exhibited distinct temporal expression patterns among female, male, and AgNO3-induced bisexual flowers, with reduced expression during later stages of stamen development in induced bisexual flowers. Collectively, our findings confirm that AgNO3 only partially activates the stamen developmental cascade in S. grosvenorii. Extensive epigenetic reprogramming triggered by AgNO3, together with the inability to sustain the expression of core male-determining genes, is tightly linked to tapetal dysfunction and subsequent pollen sterility. This study aims to elucidate the unique mechanism by which AgNO3-induced partial masculinization in S. grosvenorii from multiple perspectives-including tissue and cellular structure, DNA methylation epigenetic modifications, and gene transcription regulation-using techniques such as morphoanatomy, histochemistry, epigenetics (MSAP), and gene expression analysis. The findings of this study will contribute to molecular breeding efforts focused on sex regulation and promote industrial development.

Background: Spontaneous abortion is a complex multifactorial disease. Recently, vaginal microbiota has become a research hotspot for understanding the etiology of spontaneous abortion. Here, we aimed to explore associations of first-trimester vaginal microecology with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study included 786 pregnant women receiving prenatal care at Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital between 2023 and 2025. All participants underwent vaginal microecological examinations. Study outcomes included abortion, preterm birth (PTB), prelabor rupture of the membranes (PROM), intrapartum fever, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, etc. The logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between vaginal microecological parameters and these outcomes. Results: Of 786 participants, 160 (20.4%) had spontaneous abortion, and 626 (79.6%) delivered. The mean vaginal Lactobacillus proportion was significantly lower in the spontaneous abortion group (42.5 ± 35.85%) than in the non-abortion group (61.6 ± 26.72%; p < 0.001). After age adjustment, vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.34-3.52, p = 0.001), bacterial vaginosis (BV) (OR = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.89-5.38, p < 0.001), and moderate-to-severe aerobic vaginitis (AV) (OR = 2.71, 95% CI = 1.08-6.82, p = 0.034) were associated with elevated spontaneous abortion risk. Among enzymatic markers, inflammation-related leukocyte esterase was also associated with higher spontaneous abortion risk (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.39-3.61, p < 0.001). In addition, BV was significantly associated with PROM (OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.50-5.79, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Reduced Lactobacillus abundance and pathogenic proliferation linked to BV and VVC constitute a risk factor for spontaneous abortion. These findings suggest the potential clinical value of vaginal microecological monitoring in early-trimester pregnancy.

Background and Objectives: Pregnancy is accompanied by physiological, hormonal, immunological, and metabolic changes that may increase susceptibility to infections and adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate hygiene- and nutrition-related behaviors among pregnant or previously pregnant women and to assess their associations with infections, pregnancy complications, and pregnancy outcomes. Materials and Methods: An observational, descriptive, and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire administered to women aged 18-40 years from Timiș County, Romania, who were currently pregnant or had experienced at least one previous pregnancy. A total of 361 participants were included in the final analysis. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed, followed by multivariable binary logistic regression. Multicollinearity was assessed using variance inflation factors, and Firth's penalized logistic regression was performed as a sensitivity analysis. Results: In multivariable analyses, occasional intimate hygiene, compared with twice-daily intimate hygiene, was associated with higher odds of vaginal candidiasis (aOR = 6.63; 95% CI: 2.29-19.17) and urinary tract infection (aOR = 4.36; 95% CI: 1.73-10.99). An unbalanced diet was associated with higher odds of pregnancy complications compared with a balanced diet (aOR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.26-4.30). Compared with women reporting three or more supplements, women reporting no supplementation had markedly higher odds of an adverse pregnancy outcome (aOR = 46.15; 95% CI: 20.45-104.15), while each additional previous abortion was associated with higher odds of an adverse outcome (aOR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.41-3.59). Firth sensitivity analysis attenuated the estimate for no supplementation (OR = 37.54; 95% CI: 17.89-85.32) but did not materially change the principal findings. Conclusions: Intimate hygiene frequency, nutritional supplementation, perceived diet quality, and reproductive history were associated with pregnancy-related outcomes in this study. These findings support structured prenatal assessment and counselling regarding nutrition, evidence-based supplementation, reproductive history, and appropriate hygiene practices. Because of the cross-sectional observational design and potential residual confounding, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.

Background: High-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HR-PCI) in patients with severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and complex coronary artery disease may be complicated by abrupt intraprocedural hemodynamic deterioration. Temporary mechanical circulatory support may be considered after individualized Heart Team assessment; however, clinical experience with the pulsatile iVAC2L device remains limited. Case Presentation: An 84-year-old man presented with inferior ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, acute decompensated heart failure, pulmonary edema, and an LV ejection fraction of 10-15%. Coronary angiography (CAG) showed a presumed chronic total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) and critical disease of the left main (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCx) arteries. Preparation for coronary artery bypass grafting was initiated, but clinical deterioration prompted PCI. The first attempt was aborted after cardiac arrest during coronary wiring. Following stabilization and repeat Heart Team assessment, iVAC2L-supported HR-PCI was performed. During 60 min of active pump support, five stents were implanted in the LMCA, LAD, and LCx. The patient remained conscious and hemodynamically stable without vasopressors. LV ejection fraction was approximately 20% at discharge after six hospital days, and the patient was transferred to inpatient rehabilitation. Conclusions: In this selected patient, iVAC2L-supported HR-PCI was technically feasible and was associated with maintained intraprocedural hemodynamic stability. A single case cannot establish comparative safety or efficacy; prospective studies are required to define patient selection, procedural protocols, and clinically meaningful outcomes.

Objectives: To characterize the clinical and genetic features of Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) in a Chinese prenatal and postnatal cohort, explore genotype-phenotype correlations, and provide evidence to support prenatal genetic counseling. Methods: G-banded karyotyping, single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays (SNP arrays), copy number variation sequencing, and trio whole-exome sequencing were used for genetic diagnosis. Fifteen patients with PMS (11 prenatal and 4 postnatal) were retrospectively enrolled. Genomic visualization, protein structural prediction, and phenotypic heatmap analyses were conducted to analyze genotype-phenotype associations. Results: The prenatal and postnatal detection rates of PMS were 0.061% and 0.49%, respectively. Only 13.3% of cases were detected by karyotyping, whereas 14 cases were confirmed by SNP array analysis. All 22q13 deletions (69.4 kb-8.5 Mb) involved SHANK3, and all copy number variants were de novo. A novel SHANK3 frameshift variant, c.3513_3514delCC, was identified and predicted to result in protein truncation leading to intellectual disability. Prenatal cases mainly presented non-specific ultrasound anomalies (63.6%, 7/11), with fetal growth restriction, renal malformations, and cardiovascular defects being the most frequent findings. A notable 36.4% (4/11) of prenatal cases were complicated by missed abortion, whereas postnatal patients showed predominant neurodevelopmental impairments. In our cohort, larger deletions were observed in cases presenting with more extensive multisystem involvement, a pattern that mirrors findings from recent large-cohort studies. central nervous system abnormalities were predominantly linked to SHANK3 haploinsufficiency, while multi-system malformations seemed to correlate with the cumulative loss of multiple genes across the 22q13 region, in keeping with current hypotheses on contiguous gene effects. Conclusions: PMS presents obvious prenatal-postnatal phenotypic heterogeneity. SHANK3 is the core pathogenic gene, and deletion may influence the extent of multisystem involvement. Combined genetic testing can improve the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis and counseling for PMS.

The seedless trait in grapes primarily arises from pseudo-parthenocarpy, driven by early seed abortion involving programmed cell death (PCD) and autophagy. However, the specific regulatory networks governing these pathways remain poorly defined. To address this, we systematically characterized the PCD-related (vacuolar processing enzyme [VPE] and metacaspase [MC]) and autophagy-related (ATG) gene families in the seedless cultivar 'Jingkejing' utilizing comprehensive bioinformatic analyses, spatiotemporal transcriptomic profiling, and transient expression assays. We identified three VPE, six MC, and 33 ATG genes, whose promoters were significantly enriched in hormone-responsive and transcription factor (TF)-binding motifs. Transcriptomic profiling across critical seed abortion stages highlighted VvγVPE and VvMC9 as key differentially expressed genes. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction predictions indicated extensive crosstalk among PCD/ATG proteins, kinases, and ubiquitin system components. Notably, transient expression assays confirmed that two core transcription factors, VvWRKY46 and VvERF71, specifically regulate downstream PCD-related targets, supporting a proposed multi-hormonal and TF-mediated regulatory network during seed abortion. These findings elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying pseudo-parthenocarpy, providing essential candidate gene resources for the marker-assisted breeding of seedless grapes.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a clinically heterogeneous reproductive disorder, and in many women the underlying mechanism remains unexplained by standard thrombophilia evaluation. Pregnancy is characterized by a tightly regulated hemostatic balance at the maternal-placental interface. Heparanase, tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI-2), and heparan sulfate (HS) are expressed in placental and hemostatic pathways and may contribute to coagulation-related pregnancy complications. We investigated whether the heparanase/TFPI-2/HS axis is altered in women with RPL. Blood samples were obtained from 69 women with RPL and 47 control women with at least two normal deliveries and no history of pregnancy-related vascular complications. Samples were collected at least three months after pregnancy and in the absence of hormonal therapy. Plasma and white blood cell samples were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction, co-immunoprecipitation, and Sanger sequencing. Mechanistic experiments using heparanase-derived peptide 16 and TFPI-2-derived peptide 6 were performed in MCF-7 and JAR cells. We found that women with RPL had increased plasma heparanase levels, heparanase procoagulant activity, HS levels, and heparanase mRNA expression compared with controls. TFPI-2 protein and mRNA expression were also elevated. The heparanase rs4693608 AA genotype was more frequent in women with RPL and, together with rs4364254 TT, was associated with increased heparanase expression and procoagulant activity. Although TFPI-2 levels were higher in RPL, co-immunoprecipitation showed reduced heparanase/TFPI-2 complex formation, suggesting impaired inhibitory regulation. HS modulated heparanase binding to TF and TFPI-2 in a concentration-dependent, bell-shaped manner. Heparanase-derived peptide 16 increased TFPI-2 expression, supporting a regulatory feedback loop. In conclusion, RPL is associated with dysregulation of the heparanase/TFPI-2/HS axis, including increased heparanase expression and activity, altered heparanase/TFPI-2 interaction, and heparanase-related genetic variation. These findings suggest a coagulation-related reproductive mechanism that may contribute to pregnancy loss and warrants validation in larger prospective studies.

Two people can view the same information but can take different actions. Most importantly, while thinking about moral and political issues, such as abortion, depending on the differences in the psychological systems, a perception of threat can arise. To exploit this aspect of the psychological systems, state and non-state actors make use of propaganda techniques to influence any target audience. Although the spread of disinformation is extensively studied in the information ecosystem, a model that represents the interactions between the schemata of the individuals and schemata of the perceptual stimuli has not been introduced. An interaction model is crucial to fathom the propaganda dynamics because while aiming to undermine the norms, values, and institutions in free societies, propaganda does not target the material objects or networks; it targets the psychological systems. Therefore, this research proposes to use the moral foundation theory (MFT) to define the system states of the interaction model for propaganda; doing so, the proposed model can represent the psychological systems of a target audience and schemata of the information stimuli with the same system states. This paper's primary contribution is introducing an interaction model by capitalizing on a quantum open system model that captures the dynamics of two interacting systems in the information environment. The effects of non-selective measurement were studied by simulating a quantum open system-based cognitive model.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine A (CsA)-containing treatment for recurrent spontaneous abortion/recurrent pregnancy loss (RSA/RPL) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Database, and VIP were searched from inception to 31 December 2025. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled studies evaluating CsA-containing treatment in women with RSA/RPL were included. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model. The main outcomes were live birth/successful delivery, pregnancy success/fetal protection success, miscarriage using the total enrolled population as the denominator, and maternal adverse events. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Results: 13 studies involving 1181 participants were included. CsA-containing treatment was associated with a higher live birth/successful delivery rate than control treatment (RR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.21-1.45). It was also associated with a higher pregnancy success/fetal protection success rate (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.22-1.48) and a lower miscarriage rate (RR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.33-0.54). No statistically significant difference in maternal adverse events was observed between the CsA-containing treatment and control groups (RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.43-1.49). The certainty of evidence was rated as low for efficacy outcomes and very low for maternal adverse events. Conclusions: CsA-containing treatment may be associated with improved pregnancy-related outcomes in women with RSA/RPL, including higher live birth/successful delivery and pregnancy success rates and a lower miscarriage rate. However, the certainty of evidence remains limited because of risk of bias, heterogeneous co-interventions, potential publication bias, and insufficient safety reporting. Further high-quality multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed.

In mammalian systems, translational responses to amino acid limitation are commonly framed as mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibition and activation of the general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2)-eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) arm of the integrated stress response. Suppressing initiation, however, does not immediately relieve aminoacylated transfer RNA shortages for ribosomes already engaged on messenger RNA. Transfer RNA charging and ribosome profiling reveal codon- and isoacceptor-specific elongation constraints. Across mouse NIH3T3 and several human cell systems, leucine deprivation often appears initiation-dominant but can produce UUA-biased pausing and frameshifting in selected cancer cells. Valine deprivation can prolong decoding at all four valine codons, whereas separate isoleucine-deprivation studies report AUU/AUC-selective slowing, a cytoplasmic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase 1 (IARS1)-linked isoleucine-to-valine signal in exogenous reporter peptides, and an isoleucine-to-methionine substitution signal of unresolved mechanism. Ribosome slowing can engage global, transcript-local, and quality-control feedback, but the inputs are stress- and system-dependent. We propose a two-layer kinetic framework separating (i) A-site competition among correct decoding, substitution, and abortive exit from (ii) collision formation set by ribosome influx and dwell time. It keeps protein quantity, sequence fidelity, retained function, and proteostasis cost separate, and defines a matched measurement roadmap from metabolite flux to protein function.

Periparturient diseases are a major cause of economic loss and impaired welfare in dairy cattle. We screened 29 prepartum biochemistry and hematology parameters for association with retained placenta (RP), dystocia, abortion/stillbirth, ketosis, and milk fever in 419 calving events from two Korean dairy farms (DF1, n = 248; DF2, n = 171). Each calving was sampled twice prepartum on alternating biweekly schedules, resolved into an early (week -4/-3) and late (week -2/-1) window. Parameters were compared between affected and unaffected calvings using linear models adjusted for parity, body condition score (BCS), and farm, with Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction, and were then entered into multivariable logistic models. After adjustment and FDR correction, two markers remain associated with disease: lower prepartum calcium for milk fever and elevated direct bilirubin with reduced cholesterol and triglycerides for ketosis, both detectable in both windows three to four weeks before calving. Multivariable models discriminated milk fever (AUC = 0.81) and ketosis (AUC = 0.75), with comparable discrimination when models were applied to the other farm. A prepartum bilirubin signal for RP, consistent with an emerging bilirubin-RP association reported via plasma metabolomics, was detectable but did not survive confounder adjustment and is reported as hypothesis-generating. Using only routine clinical biochemistry and a practical biweekly schedule, these parameters were associated with subsequent milk fever and ketosis weeks before calving, identifying them as candidate markers that require prospective validation.