The present study sought to investigate the common abnormalities and mtDNA mutations in the sperm of Ghanaian men attending the fertility Clinic at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). The study therefore provides a baseline data mtDNA mutations in a cross-section of Ghanaian men on referral to the fertility clinic at the KBTH.
 
  The semen of 55 men attending the fertility clinic were collected from the Urology and the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments of the KBTH. Demographic and clinical data were also collected using questionnaires. Semen analyses were performed and were followed by amplification and purification of mtDNA from total DNA extracted from the semen. Sequencing of the mtDNA amplicons was performed using the next generation sequencer (Illumina-MiSeq).
 
  Asthenozoospermia, oligospermia and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia were observed in 1.79%, 5.36% and 28.57%, respectively, of the study participants. There was no association between drinking and/or smoking and history of gonorrhea infectity in the Ghanaian population.
 The present study has identified various abnormal sperm phenotypes that are prevalent in the study population and provided a baseline data on mtDNA mutations in the spermatozoa of the patients. A wide range of sperm abnormalities were detected in the study population with no association with life style or history of gonorrhea infection. The mtDNA point mutations detected in the selected genes that were analysed were mostly transition mutations. These transition mutations might be critical for the development of abnormal sperm phenotypes underlying male infertility in the Ghanaian population.Success and impact metrics in science are based on a system that perpetuates sexist and racist "rewards" by prioritizing citations and impact factors. These metrics are flawed and biased against already marginalized groups and fail to accurately capture the breadth of individuals' meaningful scientific impacts. We advocate shifting this outdated value system to advance science through principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We outline pathways for a paradigm shift in scientific values based on multidimensional mentorship and promoting mentee well-being. These actions will require collective efforts supported by academic leaders and administrators to drive essential systemic change.Deterrence, a defender's avoidance of a challenger's attack based on the threat of retaliation, is a basic ingredient of social cooperation in several animal species and is ubiquitous in human societies. Deterrence theory has recognized that deterrence can only be based on credible threats, but retaliating being costly for the defender rules this out in one-shot interactions. If interactions are repeated and observable, reputation building has been suggested as a way to sustain credibility and enable the evolution of deterrence. But this explanation ignores both the source and the costs of obtaining information on reputation. Even for small information costs successful deterrence is never evolutionarily stable. Here we use game-theoretic modelling and agent-based simulations to resolve this puzzle and to clarify under which conditions deterrence can nevertheless evolve and when it is bound to fail.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/4sc-202.html  Paradoxically, rich information on defenders' past actions leads to a breakdown of deterrence, while with only minimal information deterrence can be highly successful. We argue that reputation-based deterrence sheds light on phenomena such as costly punishment and fairness, and might serve as a possible explanation for the evolution of informal property rights.
  This study aimed to assess the comparability among assays using freshly frozen human sera and external quality assessment (EQA) data in China.
 
  Twenty-nine serum samples and two commercial EQA materials, obtained from the National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL), were analyzed in triplicate using eight routine TSH assays. The commutability of commercial EQA materials (NCCL materials) was evaluated in accordance with the CLSI EP30-A and IFCC bias analysis. Median values obtained for the NCCL EQA materials were used to determine the systematic and commutability-related biases among immunoassays through back-calculation. The comparability of TSH measurements from a panel of clinical samples and NCCL EQA data was determined on the basis of Passing-Bablok regression. Furthermore, human serum pools were used to perform commutable EQA.
 
  NCCL EQA materials displayed commutability among three or five of seven assay combinations according CLSI or IFCC approach, respectively. The mean of systematic bias ranged from -13.78% to 9.85% for the eight routine TSH assays. After correcting for systematic bias, averaged commutability-related biases ranged between -42.26% and 12.19%. After correction for systematic and commutability -related biases, the slopes indicating interassay relatedness ranged from 0.801 to 1.299 using individual human sera, from 0.735 to 1.254 using NCCL EQA data, and from 0.729 to 1.115 using pooled human serum EQA(the commutable EQA).
 
  The harmonization of TSH measurement is challenging; hence, systematic and commutability-related biases should be determined and corrected for accurate comparisons among assays when using human individual serum and the commercial EQA materials.
 The harmonization of TSH measurement is challenging; hence, systematic and commutability-related biases should be determined and corrected for accurate comparisons among assays when using human individual serum and the commercial EQA materials.
  The end-of-life symptom prevalence of non-cancer patients have been described mostly in hospital and institutional settings. This study aims to describe the average symptom trajectories among non-cancer patients who are community-dwelling and used home care services at the end of life.
 
  This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study of non-cancer patients who used home care services in the last 6 months of life in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2014. We linked the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC) (standardized home care assessment tool) and the Discharge Abstract Databases (for hospital deaths). Patients were grouped into four non-cancer disease groups cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and renal (not mutually exclusive). Our outcomes were the average prevalence of these outcomes, each week, across the last 6 months of life uncontrolled moderate-severe pain as per the Pain Scale, presence of shortness of breath, mild-severe cognitive impairment as per the Cognitive Performance Scale, and presence of caregiver distress.