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STUDY QUESTION Is sperm telomere length (STL) associated with sperm nuclear DNA damage and mitochondrial DNA abnormalities? SUMMARY ANSWER Sperm telomere length is related to sperm nuclear DNA integrity and mitochondrial DNA abnormalities in healthy young college students. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Many studies have revealed the correlations between sperm genetic alterations in both the nucleus and mitochondria and sperm functionality, however, the possible associations between the telomere, an important component of chromosome, and conventional indicators of mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA changes have not been investigated. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A prospective cohort study, Male Reproductive Health in Chongqing College Students (MARHCS), was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015. We pooled data collected from the follow-up study in 2014 and a total of 444 participants were included. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS STL was measured by quantitative (Q)-PCR. Sperm nuclear DNA integrity was determined using sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and comet assay. Mitochondrial DNA damage was assessed by mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) evaluated with Q-PCR, and mtDNA integrity was determined with long PCR. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The univariable-linear regression analysis revealed that STL was significantly positively correlated with markers of sperm nuclear DNA damage including the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and comet parameters (the percentage of DNA in the tail, tail length, comet length, and tail moment). Additionally, STL was also significantly positively correlated with mtDNAcn and significantly negatively correlated with mtDNA integrity. After adjustment for potential confounders, these relationships remained appreciable. Moreover, we investigated potential effects of biometric factors, including age, parental age at conception, and BMI on STL and found that STL was increased with paternal age at conception. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION A mechanistic explanation of the correlation between STL, sperm nuclear DNA integrity, and mtDNA abnormalities cannot be provided with a cross-sectional study design, so well-designed longitudinal studies are still necessary. In addition, a single semen samples were provided and were not all obtained at the same time point, which may increase the intraindividual bias in this study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The findings extend the literature including assessment of mitochondrial dysfunction, sperm nuclear DNA damage, and telomere length and provide new insights into the relevance of STL in male reproduction. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82073590), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81903363), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82130097), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFC2702900). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Positional head deformity (PHD) is defined as a change in the shape of an infant's skull due to an external force. In certain cases, it can lead to cosmetic deformities or even neurological issues due to its impact on the developing nervous system. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate the incidence and characteristics of PHD in term infants in China and preliminarily establish a localized diagnostic reference standard.Methods: Overall, 4456 term infants from three medical institutions in Chongqing were and divided and analyzed according to their age. Cranial vault asymmetry (CVA) and cephalic index (CI) were calculated in all infants. The current international diagnostic criteria were used to understand PHD incidence and analyze the CVA and CI distribution.Results: According to the current international standards, the total detection rate of PHD in Chongqing's term infants was 81.5%, with brachycephaly alone being the most frequent (39.4%), followed by brachycephaly with plagiocephaly (34.8%) and plagiocephaly alone (6.2%). The detection rates of dolichocephaly were low: alone, 0.9% and combined with plagiocephaly, 0.2%. According to age, plagiocephaly (44.5%) and brachycephaly (82.0%) were the most frequent in the 2-3-month group. The 75th/90th/97th and 3rd/10th/25th/75th/90th/97th percentiles of CVA and CIs were 0.4/0.7/1.0 and 76.4/78.8/82.3/91.1/94.6/99.2%, respectively.Conclusions: According to the current international standards, the PHD detection rate among term infants in Chongqing was high. Therefore, a new diagnostic standard for Chinese infants was proposed where CVA ≥ 0.4 cm indicates plagiocephaly, CI ≥ 91% indicates brachycephaly, and CI ≤ 82% indicates dolichocephaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Positional deformities (PD) are common during early infancy. Severe cases may result in facial abnormalities and be associated with delayed neurological development in infants. The earlier the detection of PD, the better the intervention effect and the lower the cost of treatment. Currently, there are many studies on PD in Europe and the United States. However, in China, there is little data on the basic metrics and incidence of PD. Premature infants have a high risk of PD. However, there are few studies on PD in premature infants globally, and none in Asia. This study aimed to investigate PD and its characteristics inpremature infants to help its early detection and intervention and thus improve the quality of life for premature infants.Methods: We analyzed 530 preterm infants who visited the outpatient departments at Xinqiao Hospital of Army Medical University and Maternal and Child Health Care Hospitals of Wanzhou and Yongchuan Districts in Chongqing from September 1, 2016, to August 31, 2017. The head shape data measured by a simple manual method were recorded. The diagonal difference (DD) between the transcranial diagonals and the cranial index (CI) was calculated. PD and its incidences indifferent gestational ages and corrected age groups were analyzed.Results: According to previously defined international diagnostic criteria, the incidence of plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, and dolichocephaly were 51.1, 85.1, and 3.0% respectively, and those of right and left plagiocephalywere69.4 and 30.6%, respectively. The incidence of PD was highest among infants with a gestational age of < 32 weeks and decreased as the gestational age increased. As the corrected age (CA) increased, the incidence of plagiocephaly and dolichocephaly decreased, and the incidence of brachycephaly increased.Conclusions: PD incidence is high among preterm infants. As gestational age decreased, PD incidence and severity increased. Therefore, healthcare providers should implement early PD detection and intervention to prevent the adverse outcomes. The extremely high incidence of brachycephaly and extremely low incidence of dolichocephaly in this study are likely to be due to the variance of cranial metrics caused by cultural differences. The Chinese standards for infant cranial measurements must be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

objectives To understand the health-seeking behaviour of rural-to-urban migrants with chronic cough in Chongqing city, and compare this with the permanent urban population taking into account the socioeconomic factors influencing delays in access to healthcare in urban China. methods Patient survey in 23 health facilities from different levels of two urban districts in Chongqing: 1005 tuberculosis (TB) suspects (229 rural-to-urban migrants and 776 permanent urban residents) were interviewed about socioeconomic status and service-seeking behaviours. results Migrants (67.7%) delayed treatment by more than 2 weeks, as did 54.0% of urban residents ( P < 0.01). The reasons given by migrants for the delay in seeking care were lack of money and lack of perceived need for care. Female TB suspects, people without health insurance, those without sufficient knowledge of TB, without full-time employment and people with low incomes also experienced longer patient delay ( P < 0.01). conclusions To be more effective, TB control efforts need to be better accessible to the economically and socially vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China is facing a significant tuberculosis epidemic among rural-to-urban migrants, which poses a threat to TB control. This study aimed to understand the health seeking behaviour of and health systems responses to migrants and permanent urban residents suffering from chronic cough, in order to identify the factors influencing delays for both groups in receiving a TB diagnosis in urban China. Methods: Combining a prospective cohort study of adult suspect TB patients and a qualitative study, the Piot model was used to analyze the health seeking behaviour of TB suspects among migrants and permanent urban residents, the factors influencing their decision and the responses by general health providers. Methods included a patient survey, focus group discussions with migrants in the general population, qualitative interviews with migrant and permanent resident TB suspects and TB patients as well as key stakeholders related to TB control and the management of migrants. Results: Sixty eight percent of migrants delayed for more than two weeks before seeking care for symptoms suggestive of TB, compared to 54% of residents (p < 0.01). When they first decided to seek professional care, migrants were 1.5 times more likely than residents to use less expensive, community-level health services. Only 5% were ultimately referred to a TB dispensary. Major reasons for both patient and provider delay included lack of knowledge and mistrust of the TB control programme, lack of knowledge about TB (patients), and profit-seeking behaviour (providers). In the follow up survey, 61% of the migrants and 41% of the residents who still had symptoms gave up continuing to seek professional care, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Rural-to-urban migrants are more likely than permanent residents to delay in seeking care for symptoms suggestive of TB in urban Chongqing. 'Patient-' and 'provider-' related factors interact to pose barriers to TB diagnosis for migrants, including: low awareness, and poor knowledge among both the general public and TB suspects about TB as a disease and about the TB control programme; low financial capacity to pay for care and diagnostic tests; and inadequate use of diagnostic tests and referral to TB dispensaries by general health providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]