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Background: Previous research showed that plant-based diets were correlated with male-productive health, but evidence regarding the association of this diet with teratozoospermia remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between plant-based diets and teratozoospermia odds. Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving 146 patients with teratozoospermia and 581 healthy controls in the infertility clinics of the Center for Reproductive Medicine during June and December 2020. To evaluate dietary data for the included participants, a validated food frequency questionnaire was utilized. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the development of teratozoospermia related to the plant-based diets were employed using unconditional logistic regression. Results: Higher adherence to the overall plant-based diet index (PDI) was inversely associated with the odds of teratozoospermia (OR T3 vs. T1 = 0.56; 95 % CI = 0.33–0.94). Additionally, greater adherence to the healthful PDI (hPDI) was correlated with a lower odds of teratozoospermia (OR T3 vs. T1 = 0.56; 95 % CI = 0.34–0.90), whereas the null association of unhealthful PDI (uPDI) with teratozoospermia was observed (OR T3 vs. T1 = 1.15; 95 % CI = 0.70–1.91). Interestingly, uPDI was positively associated with the odds of teratozoospermia among men with age

Bumblebees are among the most abundant and important pollinators for sub-alpine and alpine flowering plant species in the Northern Hemisphere, but little is known about their adaptations to high elevations. In this article, we focused on two bumblebee species, Bombus friseanus and Bombus prshewalskyi , and their respective gut microbiota. The two species, distributed through the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China, show species replacement at different elevations. We performed genome sequencing based on 20 worker bee samples of each species. Applying evolutionary population genetics and metagenomic approaches, we detected genes under selection and analyzed functional pathways between bumblebees and their gut microbes. We found clear genetic differentiation between the two host species and significant differences in their microbiota. Species replacement occurred in both hosts and their bacteria ( Snodgrassella ) with an increase in elevation. These extremely high-elevation bumblebees show evidence of positive selection related to diverse biological processes. Positively selected genes involved in host immune systems probably contributed to gut microbiota changes, while the butyrate generated by gut microbiota may influence both host energy metabolism and immune systems. This suggests a close association between the genomes of the host species and their microbiomes based on some degree of natural selection.IMPORTANCETwo closely related and dominant bumblebee species, distributed at different elevations through the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China, showed a clear genomic signature of adaptation to elevation at the molecular level and significant differences in their respective microbiota. Species replacement occurred in both hosts and their bacteria ( Snodgrassella ) with an increase in elevation. Bumblebees' adaptations to higher elevations are closely associated with their gut microbiota through two biological processes: energy metabolism and immune response. Information allowing us to understand the adaptive mechanisms of species to extreme conditions is implicit if we are to conserve them as their environments change., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.