scholarly journals Research Funding for Male Reproductive Health and Infertility in the UK and USA [2016 to 2019]

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Gumerova ◽  
Christopher J. De Jonge ◽  
Christopher LR Barratt

There is a paucity of data on research funding for male reproductive health. We investigated the research funding for male reproductive health and infertility by examining publicly accessible databases from the UK and US government funding agencies. Information on the funding provided to male–based and 40 female–based research was collected using public accessed web databases from the UKRI–GTR, the NIHR's Open Data Summary, and the US' NIH RePORT. Funded projects that began research activity between January 2016 to December 2019 were recorded, along with their grant and project details. Strict inclusion–exclusion criteria were followed for both UK and US data with a primary research focus on male infertility, reproductive health and disorders, and contraception development. Funding support was divided into three research groups: male–based, female–based, and not–specified research. Between the 4–year period, the UK is divided into 5 funding periods, starting from 2015/16 to 2019/20, and the US is divided into 5 fiscal years, from 2016 to 2020. Between January 2016 to December 2019, UK agencies awarded a total of 11,767,190 GBP to 18 projects for male–based research and 29,850,945 GBP to 40 projects for female–based research. There was no statistically significant difference in funding average between the two research groups. The US NIH funded 76 projects totaling 59,257,746 US dollars for male–based research and 99 projects totaling 83,272,898 US dollars for female–based research. There was no statistically significant difference in funding average between the two groups. The findings of this study cannot be used to generalize and reflect global funding trends towards infertility and reproductive health as the data collected followed a narrow funding timeframe from government agencies and only two countries. Other funding sources such as charities, industry and major philanthropic organizations were not evaluated. This is the first study examining funding granted by main government research agencies from the UK and US for male reproductive health. This study should stimulate further discussion of the challenges of tackling male infertility and reproductive health disorders and formulate appropriate investment strategies.

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Sidnell ◽  
Penelope Nestel

AbstractNutrition in pregnancy is important for the health of the mother and infant. Suboptimal maternal nutrition can result in poor pregnancy outcomes for the infant such as low birth weight, hypovitaminosis D, and neural tube defects. Theinternet is a popular source of dietary advice in pregnancy, but there are no regulations to control the quality of information provided,and poor accuracy and readability can hinder its usefulness.The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy and readability of online pregnancy-related diet and nutrition information regardless of geographical origin when searching from the UK. The accuracy was assessed against UK government advice and the readability using theFlesch Readability Ease (FRE) tool. Three commonly searched themes were examined;foods to avoid, foods to eat, and supplements.130 web pages were rated for accuracy and readability. Descriptive and non-parametric tests were used and Spearman's Correlation used to explore the relationship between accuracy and readability.Eighty-three (64%) web pages contained accurate and inaccurate advice, 23 (18%) were accurate, 21 (16%) were inaccurate, and three (2%) lacked relevant advice. The median percentage accuracy of all advice was 83 (LQ, UQ) (48,100). Eighty-seven pages (67%) scored below the recommended FRE for public web pages. The median FRE was 55 (46, 61) defined as ‘fairly difficult’. There was a weak positive correlation between accuracy and readability of web pages, rho = 0.241, p = 0.006. There was no significant difference in accuracy of web page by theme. Readability of web pages on supplements was more difficult than foods to avoid and foods to eat. Web pages from the UK (58%) were more accurate, difference of median 33 (16, 40) p < 0.001 and more readable, difference of median 9.1 (5.0, 13.1) p < 0.001 than those from outside the UK. Web pages from commercial sources (76%) were significantly less accurate than those from non-for-profit organisations, difference of median -8 (-29, 0.00) p = 0.019. 27% of web pages originated from the US. Dietary advice for pregnancy from the US differs from that in the UK.Despite the popularity of internet searching, much pregnancy-related dietary advice online is inaccurate and difficult to comprehend. Contradictory advice may interrupt the process of making improvements to diet in pregnancy, and result in negative health outcomes for mother and infant. Healthcare professionals can support women by guiding them to accurate advice, which should only be provided by those qualified in nutrition or dietetics.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 1371-1371
Author(s):  
Robert Yamashita ◽  
Amy Sobota ◽  
Felicia Trachtenberg ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
Zahra Pakbaz ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1371 Poster Board I-393 The study examines the quality of life (QOL) of pediatric thalassemia patients and their families enrolled in the Thalassemia Longitudinal Cohort (TLC) study of the NHLBI-sponsored Thalassemia Clinical Research Network, which comprises 17 centers in the US, Canada, and London, UK. The study evaluates 99 baseline responses to the Children's Health Questionnaire (CHQ) PF28, a self-administered survey filled out by the parent or guardian of patients age 5 y and older. The CHQ utilizes 12 scales that can be grouped into parental assessments of the child's physical well-being; mental, emotional and behavioral health; and the familial context. We previously showed that compared to the US population, the thalassemia population is significantly different on 7 of the 12 scales. Here we evaluate these data by patient gender, race, age, and chelator type. The mean age of the population was 9.7 y (range 5.0-13.8 y), with 48% male, and 65% non-white. While parents assessed males to have a lower QOL than females, the only significant difference was in their assessment of the child's emotional role/behavior (school or friends). When comparing white to non-white (predominantly Asian) patients, with the exception of bodily pain, non-white thalassemia patients reported poorer PF28 scores. However, only the reported impact on parental time and emotion are significant. These variances appear to mirror the US population. Figure 1 shows PF28 summary scores by age in thalassemia compared to the general US population. Parents evaluate their child with thalassemia with lower physical health than US norms (p<0.0001), with an apparent decline in scores in adolescents (though p=0.10 for age effect). In contrast, psychosocial scores are close to US norms (p=0.81). Finally, when CHQ PF28 assessments are compared by chelator type (subcutaneous deferoxamine vs. oral deferasirox), parents report that children receiving deferoxamine have generally lower QOL than the rating for those receiving Deferasirox. However, the only significant differences are with perceived physical function, impact on family activities, and the overall physical summary scale. The CHQ PF28 data provides important insight into the impact the child with thalassemia has on the family. Although psychosocial QOL is similar, children, and especially adolescents, with thalassemia have lower physical QOL, especially those on chelation with Deferoxamine. Because PF28 takes the parents' point of view, it can't be determined from these data alone whether the reported difference between parenteral and oral chelator would hold true for direct patient assessments. The gender of the child also appears to affect parental expectation of the child's QOL. These data validate the observational evidence that a child with thalassemia has a significant impact on the family. Figure 1 TLC CHQ PF28 Summary Scales compared to US norms Figure 1. TLC CHQ PF28 Summary Scales compared to US norms Disclosures: Odame: Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Thompson: Novartis: Research Funding. Neufeld: Novartis: Research Funding.


2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Probst ◽  
Rachel Harris

AbstractDo you have an enquiring mind and an enthusiasm or thirst for knowledge? Do you want to get involved in radiotherapy research or develop your research expertise? Research should underpin the clinical and educational activities undertaken by Radiation Therapists. For many, research can seem a daunting process that is beyond their expertise or capabilities. All health care practitioners can use research evidence and some may want to undertake their own research but may feel unsure where to start.This article is aimed at novice researchers (or those with limited research experience) and those wanting to develop their research potential. The discussion should help practitioners identify the necessary skills required to undertake research, where to go for help, the research process (including where research ideas come from), and what to consider when putting together a project team or applying for research funding.The discussion concludes on the importance of research training and support (or mentoring) for novice researchers or those at the start of their research careers. The national professional body for therapists can play an important role in helping researchers to network with likeminded individuals. Some professional bodies (such as the College of radiographers in the UK) may also provide small research grants to help build research activity, and as such can be a useful starting point when considering research funding.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
T. M. Sorokina ◽  
M. V. Andreeva ◽  
V. B. Chernykh ◽  
L. F. Kurilo

Varicocele is one of the most common diseases of the male reproductive system. Despite the high prevalence of this pathology, the effect of varicocele on male fertility is still a controversial issue. Opinions of experts about the possible effects of varicocele on the male reproductive health, the causes and methods of treatment are contradictory, and the experimental data obtained often show directly opposed results. This article presents a review of the literature on the effects of varicocele on the male reproductive system and fertility.


Work Study ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 314-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Moore ◽  
Mei‐I Cheng ◽  
Andrew R.J. Dainty

A number of confusions within the area of performance assessment with regard to the use of terminology, and differing interpretations, regarding competence assessment are discussed. A significant difference between the US and UK approaches to performance assessment is identified as being the issue of behaviours. A hierarchy of terms and their specific meanings is proposed as a first step in addressing the identified confusions. A particular aspect of this hierarchy is its relevance to assessment based on behaviours and attitudes rather than simply on the results of functional analysis concerning a particular job. This has implications for the future direction of performance assessment in the UK, particularly with regard to identifying the differences between average and superior performance.


2018 ◽  
pp. 193371911876597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asghar Beigi Harchegani ◽  
Hossein Shafaghatian ◽  
Eisa Tahmasbpour ◽  
Alireza Shahriary

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (03) ◽  
pp. 632-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasey J Coyne ◽  
Abigail S Baldridge ◽  
Mark D Huffman ◽  
Katharine Jenner ◽  
Dagan Xavier ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Americans consume Na in excess of daily recommendations. Most dietary Na comes from packaged foods, and bread is a major contributor. In the UK, national Na reduction strategies contributed to lower Na levels in packaged foods and lower population Na intake. Similar initiatives are emerging in the USA and require surveillance to assess effectiveness. We aimed to examine Na levels in bread products in the USA and compare levels with similar UK products. Design Na data for bread products were obtained from the US Label Insight Open Data Initiative (n 4466) and the FoodSwitch UK database (n 1651). Mean, median and range of Na content, and proportion of products meeting Na targets established by the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) and the UK Department of Health (DH) were calculated overall, by bread type and by country. Results Mean (sd) Na content in bread was 455 (170) mg/100 g in the USA and 406 (179) mg/100 g in the UK. In both countries, savoury bread had the highest mean Na (USA=584 mg/100 g, UK=543 mg/100 g) and fruit bread the lowest mean Na (USA=345 mg/100 g, UK=277 mg/100 g). Na content of US bread products was 12 % higher than in the UK, with 21 % of US bread products and 31 % of UK bread products meeting the NSRI and DH targets, respectively. Conclusions US bread products have, on average, 12 % more Na than similar products in the UK. Variation in Na content within product categories, and between countries, suggests the feasibility of manufacturing products with lower Na to lower dietary Na intake.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 3145-3145
Author(s):  
Verena S Hoffmann ◽  
Doris Lindoerfer ◽  
Josef Thaler ◽  
Labar Boris ◽  
Frederiki Melanthiou ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction As there are only few data available about the incidence, the stage of disease at diagnosis, the treatment and the outcome of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in Europe the European Treatment and Outcome Study (EUTOS) for CMLcollected such data in 27 European countries. The population-based registry was set up by EUTOS to further explore the epidemiology, characteristics, treatment and outcomes of CML in Europe. The present work focused on the estimation of incidence of CML in Europe, in the single countries participating in the registry and the comparison to existing incidence estimations from the US. Patients and Methods The EUTOS population-based registry aimed to document all newly diagnosed adult patients with Ph+ and/or BCR-ABL+ CML at any stage nationwide or in prespecified regions within countries of Europe. Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden were observed in total while for Austria, the Czech Republic[H1] , France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom specified regions were selected. Population data from the United Nations database were used for calculations in countries that were observed nationwide, while the study groups provided the population numbers of the specified regions for countries that were observed partially only. The registration periodvaried between 12 and 60 months in the different countries, from January 2008 to December 2012, registration area covered over 92.5 million inhabitants overall. Raw and standardized incidenceswere calculated for the countries and regions and adjusted to the registration period. For standardization the Old Europe Standard Population was used (Waterhouse et al IARC 1976). The registry and the standard population were truncated so only patients from 20 years on were included for the calculation of standardized rates. To compare and validate the EUTOS estimations we chose the data of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) which cover about 28% of the US population. The data were collected from 2007 to 2011. Results There were 2,936 patients registered into the EUTOS population-based registry. Raw incidences per 100,000 inhabitants per year ranged from 0.72 in Poland to 1.39 in Italy. The overall raw incidence for all countries was 1.02, with 0.90 in females and 1.14 in males. Estimations of standardized incidences ranged from 0.72 in the UK to 1.29 in Italy. Overall standardized incidence was 0.99, with 0.86 in females and 1.12 in males. Age specific incidences rose with age group. While the incidence in the 18 to 40 years old population was as low as 0.52 (0.61 in males and 0.42 in females) it increased to 1.61 (2.18 in males and 1.26 in females) in the population from 70 years up. Comparing the SEER data to our EUTOS results very similar incidences can be observed up to age group 55-59 years. From that age group up the SEER incidence estimations are considerably higher. The overall standardized SEER incidences ranged around 1.7 per 100,000 for the years observed. The higher rates can be explained by different inclusion criteria of the registries: While EUTOS includes only Ph+ and/or BCR/ABL+ patients, the SEER has more open inclusion criteria. Also patients without information on Ph-status, BCR-ABL1 negative patients and patients diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia are included. Discussion The EUTOS population based registry is the first paneuropean prospective study of incidence of CML in Europe. For the first time data about the incidence of CML are available now for most European countries. Raw and standardized incidences from the EUTOS registry fit in well with earlier findings of study groups from countries like the UK (Bhayat et al., BMC Cancer 2009; 9; 252) (Phekoo et al Haematologica 2006), Sweden (Höglund et al Blood 2013), Germany (Nennecke et al Bundesgesundheitsblatt 2014) and France (Corm et al J Clin Oncol 2008) that range between 0.7 and 1.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Thus the estimation of incidence over all regions participating in the EUTOS project can serve as a robust estimation of the incidence of CML in Europe. [H1]Wurde zwar voll beobachtet, zwei Regionen wurden aber ausgeschlossen, da sie nicht garantieren konnten pop-based gewesen zu sein! Disclosures Hoffmann: Novartis: Research Funding. Lindoerfer:Novartis: Research Funding. Castagnetti:Novartis, BMS,: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy. Griskevicius:NOvartis: Research Funding. Steegmann:Novartis, BMS, Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding. Hehlmann:Novartis, BMS: Research Funding. Hasford:Novartis: Research Funding. Baccarani:Novartis, BMS, Pfizer, Ariad: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau.


2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1259-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Di Nisio ◽  
Iva Sabovic ◽  
Umberto Valente ◽  
Simone Tescari ◽  
Maria Santa Rocca ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Considerable attention has been paid to perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) because of their worldwide presence in humans, wildlife, and environment. A wide variety of toxicological effects is well supported in animals, including testicular toxicity and male infertility. For these reasons, the understanding of epidemiological associations and of the molecular mechanisms involved in the endocrine-disrupting properties of PFCs on human reproductive health is a major concern. Objective To investigate the relationship between PFC exposure and male reproductive health. Design This study was performed within a screening protocol to evaluate male reproductive health in high schools. Patients This is a cross-sectional study on 212 exposed males from the Veneto region, one of the four areas worldwide heavily polluted with PFCs, and 171 nonexposed controls. Main Outcome Measures Anthropometrics, seminal parameters, and sex hormones were measured in young males from exposed areas compared with age-matched controls. We also performed biochemical studies in established experimental models. Results We found that increased levels of PFCs in plasma and seminal fluid positively correlate with circulating testosterone (T) and with a reduction of semen quality, testicular volume, penile length, and anogenital distance. Experimental evidence points toward an antagonistic action of perfluorooctanoic acid on the binding of T to androgen receptor (AR) in a gene reporter assay, a competition assay on an AR-coated surface plasmon resonance chip, and an AR nuclear translocation assay. Discussion This study documents that PFCs have a substantial impact on human health as they interfere with hormonal pathways, potentially leading to male infertility.


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