Once deposited in the female tract, sperm face a series of challenges that must be overcome to ensure the presence of an adequate normal sperm population close to the site of fertilization. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of the uterine milieu on boar sperm morphology. In experiment 1, sperm morphology was evaluated in the backflow (60 min after insemination) and within the uterotubal junction (UTJ) (collected ~24 h after insemination) following intrauterine sperm deposition (n = 6) and compared with the morphology of the sperm in the insemination dose. In experiment 2, the influence of the uterine fluid (UF) on sperm morphological modifications was evaluated. For this purpose, ejaculated (n = 4) and epididymal (n = 4) sperm were in vitro incubated with or without UF for 2 and 24 h. In both experiments, sperm were classified as normal, having a cytoplasmic droplet (proximal or distal) or having tail defects. The results of experiment 1 pointed to an increase in morphologically abnormal sperm collected in the backflow (27.70%) and a reduction of the same in the UTJ (2.12%) compared with the insemination dose (17.75%) (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, incubation of ejaculated sperm with UF did not provoke any morphological modifications; however, when epididymal sperm were incubated with UF, a pronounced increase in the percentage of normal sperm was evident after 24 h compared with the initial dose (from 25.77% to 53.58%, P < 0.05), mainly due to distal cytoplasmatic droplet shedding (53.22 vs. 20.20%). In conclusion, almost all the sperm that colonize the UTJ had a normal morphology, with part of the abnormal sperm having been discarded in the backflow and part selected/modified on their way to the oviduct. UF seems to influence cytoplasmic distal droplet removal, as demonstrated previously in seminal plasma.

Objective: family-centered care during invasive procedures has been endorsed by many professional health care organizations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health professionals’ attitudes towards parental presence during their child’s invasive procedure. Method: pediatric healthcare providers (divided in professional categories and range of ages) from one of the Spain’s largest hospitals were asked to complete a questionnaire and write free-text comments. Results: 227 responded the survey. Most (72%) participants, in their answers, reported that parents are sometimes present during interventions, although there were differences between professional categories in this respect. The procedures in which the parents were present were those considered “less invasive” (96% of cases), while only 4% were present in those considered “more invasive”. The older the professional, the less necessary parental presence was considered. Conclusion: the attitudes towards parental presence during pediatric invasive procedure are influenced by the professional category, the age of the healthcare provider and the invasiveness of the procedure.

Boar ejaculate is released in several well-characterized fractions, differing in terms of sperm concentration, seminal plasma volume, and composition. However, the inclusion of the last part of the ejaculate for artificial insemination (AI) purposes is still under debate due to its controversial effects. Thus, there is a need to study the potential synergistic impact of the different ejaculate fractions. We aimed to evaluate the effect of accumulative ejaculate fractions on sperm conservation, AI performance, and offspring health. Ejaculates (n = 51) were collected and distributed as follows: F1: sperm-rich fraction; F2: sperm-rich + intermediate fractions; F3: sperm-rich + intermediate + poor fractions. Each group was diluted in a commercial extender, packaged in seminal doses (2000 × 10⁶ sperm/60 mL), and stored at ~16 °C. On day 3 of conservation, sperm were analyzed and used for AI (n = 174). High sperm quality was observed after storage without a significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, no differences were obtained for AI performance (pregnancy and farrowing rates, and litter size; p > 0.05) and offspring health (growth and blood analysis; p > 0.05). Conclusively, the presence of all ejaculate fractions within the seminal doses does not impair the reproductive performance, reporting important economic savings according to the economic model included here.

Resumo: Trata-se de uma pesquisa documental, exploratória, descritiva, partindo de um estudo multicêntrico e internacional entre Brasil, Espanha, Itália e Portugal sobre sistemas nacionais de saúde com modelo de atenção baseado na atenção primária à saúde e financiado pelo Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) do Brasil. Tem como objetivo identificar as legislações de base da saúde, o direito à saúde e os princípios doutrinários e organizativos de cada país selecionado com ênfase no impacto dos determinantes sociais de saúde sobre os sistemas nacionais de saúde. Os resultados revelaram países com legislações e princípios doutrinários semelhantes, com direito à saúde constitucional, ancorados na atenção primária à saúde, e com modelo assistencial de acesso do tipo saúde da família. Os desafios encontrados foram a baixa natalidade e elevada expectativa de vida ao nascer em países europeus e critérios para acesso a medicamentos e financiamento assistencial. Com base nos nossos achados, os países que tiveram maior investimento em base estrutural, perpassando por assegurar condições socioeconômicas e sanitárias mais dignas, sólidas e vigilantes, garantiram importante diferenciação na capacidade de resposta e sustentabilidade do sistema nacional de saúde e no impacto direto na qualidade de vida das pessoas.

Background/Objectives: Unhealthy dietary habits are associated with chronic non-communicable diseases and may contribute to increased mortality in all countries of the world. Food environments determine the accessibility, availability, and promotion of food, thus playing an important role in people’s diets, but they are context-dependent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the availability and accessibility of food in food outlets in different neighborhoods of the city of Alicante. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Trained researchers conducted food store audits using the validated Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores for Mediterranean contexts (NEMS-S-MED) tool. Data were collected from food stores within a socioeconomically diverse sample in Alicante (n = 63). We compared the availability and affordability of “healthier–less healthy” food pairs, scores between food store types (supermarkets, specialized, convenience stores, and others), and socioeconomic levels in Alicante in 2022. Results: The present study highlights that the food stores with the greatest availability and accessibility to healthy foods are supermarkets, as opposed to specialized stores and convenience stores. In addition, differences were found in the accessibility and availability of healthy foods by neighborhoods with different income levels, being more accessible in the residential neighborhood with the highest income level. Tourism could explain the differences in the food retail environment, with a high-income neighborhood showing similar results to low-income neighborhoods. Conclusions: The results obtained invite reflection on the development and adoption of policy strategies that promote the availability and accessibility of healthy food in the most disadvantaged areas.

Resumen Objetivo: la atención centrada en la familia durante procedimientos invasivos ha sido respaldada por muchas organizaciones profesionales dedicadas al cuidado de la salud. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las actitudes de los profesionales de la salud con respecto a la presencia de los padres durante los procedimientos invasivos realizados en niños. Método: a los prestadores de atención médica en Pediatría (divididos en categorías profesionales y rangos de edad) de uno de los hospitales más importantes de España se les solicitó que respondieran un cuestionario y redactaran comentarios de texto libre. Resultados: un total de 227 profesionales respondieron la encuesta. En sus respuestas, la mayoría (72%) de los participantes informó que, en ocasiones, los padres están presentes durante las intervenciones, aunque se registraron diferencias entre las distintas categorías profesionales al respecto. Los procedimientos en los que los padres estuvieron presentes se consideraron como “menos invasivos” (96% de los casos), mientras que solamente el 4% estuvo presente en los considerados “más invasivos”. A mayor edad de los profesionales, menos necesaria se consideró la presencia de los padres. Conclusión: las actitudes con respecto a la presencia de los padres durante procedimientos pediátricos invasivos se vieron influenciadas por la categoría profesional, la edad del prestador de salud y la invasividad de los procedimientos.