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Selenium is a well-known essential element with important roles in human reproductive health mainly due to its antioxidant character. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of selenoproteins on gut microbiota and male reproductive health. A new assay for the absolute quantification of selenoproteins in testicular tissue based on two dimensional chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was performed for the first time. The gut microbiota profile was obtained by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Numerous associations were found between testicular selenoproteins and gut microbiota (e.g. Mucispirillum , related with sperm activity and testosterone, was associated with glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoalbumin (SeAlb), while Escherichia/Shigella , related to sex hormones, correlated with GPx, selenoprotein P (SelP) and SeAlb). The effects of Se-supplementation on testicular selenoproteins only occur in conventional mice, suggesting a potential selenoproteins-microbiota interplay that underlies testicular function. The selenoproteins GPx and SelP have been quantified for the first time in the testicles, and the novel identification of SeAlb, a protein with nonspecifically incorporated Se, is also reported. These findings demonstrate the significant impact of Se-supplementation on gut microbiota and male reproductive health. In addition, the analytical methodology applied here in selenoprotein quantification in testicular tissue opens new possibilities to evaluate their role in gut microbiota and reproductive health axis.

Hypertensive ulcer, also known as Martorell ulcer, comprises cutaneous lesions induced by microvascular arteriolitis, which leads to ischaemia and subsequent ulceration in patients with long‐standing hypertension. These lesions predominantly affect women and have traditionally been considered rare; however, recent studies suggest that their prevalence may be significantly higher than previously assumed. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial, as these ulcers are often mistaken for lesions of alternative aetiologies, such as venous ulcers or pyoderma gangrenosum, thereby contributing to their frequent underdiagnosis. Moreover, this pathology is associated with pronounced painful symptomatology and exhibits a suboptimal response to both analgesic regimens and conventional wound care protocols, potentially necessitating alternative management strategies. This diagnostic delay or misdiagnosis consequently escalates the utilisation of healthcare resources. The primary objective of this study was to develop a predictive model for the differential diagnosis of Martorell ulcers. The investigation entailed a systematic case review, during which the most prevalent signs and symptoms, medical histories and demographic characteristics associated with these lesions were scrutinised. A comprehensive descriptive and inferential analysis of the various variables was performed, followed by a binomial logistic regression to construct the predictive model. In this logistic regression analysis, systolic blood pressure (SBP) emerged as the principal predictor among the cases examined. Additionally, pain intensity was incorporated into the predictive model as a clinically relevant variable, thereby confirming its utility in conjunction with SBP for the identification of this pathology. These findings underscore the importance of integrating key variables, such as elevated SBP and severe pain, into diagnostic tools to enhance early detection and clinical management of Martorell ulcers.

Salicornia species are halophyte plants that are an important source for food, pharmacy, and bioenergy. They can be consumed as a leafy vegetable, but they can accumulate heavy metals that carry a health risk when knowledge of how each species behaves in different types of soil is lacking. This present work aimed to determine to what extent S. ramosissima can be cultivated as food in estuaries contaminated by heavy metals and to what extent it can be used in phytoremediation works, by studying its behavior in populations that grow naturally in contaminated soils. We analyzed accumulation and translocation in different parts of the plant for 14 heavy metals and calculated the Health Risk Index value associated with their consumption as a leafy vegetable. The results obtained mean that the S. ramosissima plants that grow in most of the soils of this estuary are unfit for human consumption in some of the populations studied. In conclusion, Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods can accumulate Cd, As, and Pb—among other metals—in its leaves so its consumption should be limited to plants that grow in soils free of these metals.

Cadmium (Cd) has become one of the most important environmental pollutants in the world, derived from natural and industrial sources, which is known to be accumulated in the human body, producing serious health effects. On the other hand, Selenium (Se) is an essential element for mammals, which is well known for its antagonistic interaction against Cd toxicity, such as the prevention of oxidative stress induced by this element. For this reason, the use of complementary analytical methods to study the homeostasis of metals, “traffic” between different organs and massive information about metabolites altered by the exposure, is of great interest. To this end, a metabolomic workflow based on the use of direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was applied in mice serum. On the other hand, metal homeostasis and traffic between different organs and serum of mice exposed to Cd and Se have been evaluated by determining the concentration of metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. This work demonstrates for the first time that Cd exposure causes a decrease of all the elements studied in the lung except itself. On the other hand, Se provokes As trafficking from metabolically less active organs (brain, lung, and testes) to others with greater metabolic activity (kidney), which also facilitates its excretion. Moreover, when mice are only exposed to Se, it provokes the accumulation of almost all the elements in the kidney, except Cd that increases also in the liver and brain. However, when both elements are simultaneously administered, Se increases Cd concentration in all the organs except in the serum and especially in the testis. On the other hand, important metabolic alterations have been detected in the energy and amino acid metabolism, as well as degradation of phospholipidic membranes, and in free fatty acids. In summary, the results show the high potential of the combined use of organic and inorganic mass spectrometry to establish Cd and Se interaction and the biological impairments caused and to provide information about metal traffic and metabolomic changes in exposure experiments.

The influence of different concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn) was analyzed in the Salsola vermiculata germination pattern, seedling development, and accumulation in seedlings. The responses to different metals were dissimilar. Germination was only significantly reduced at Cu and Zn 4000 μM but Zn induced radicle growth at lower concentrations. Without damage, the species acted as a good accumulator and tolerant for Mn, Ni, and Cu. In seedlings, accumulation increased following two patterns: Mn and Ni, induced an arithmetic increase in content in tissue, to the point where the content reached a maximum; with Cu and Ni, the pattern was linear, in which the accumulation in tissue was directly related to the metal concentration in the medium. Compared to other Chenopodiaceae halophyte species, S. vermiculata seems to be more tolerant of metals and is proposed for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals.

The influence of different concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn) was analyzed in the Salsola vermiculata germination pattern, seedling development, and accumulation in seedlings. The responses to different metals were dissimilar. Germination was only significantly reduced at Cu and Zn 4000 M but Zn induced radicle growth at lower concentrations. Without damage, the species acted as a good accumulator and tolerant for Mn, Ni, and Cu. In seedlings, accumulation increased following two patterns: Mn and Ni, induced an arithmetic increase in content in tissue, to the point where the content reached a maximum; with Cu and Ni, the pattern was linear, in which the accumulation in tissue was directly related to the metal concentration in the medium. Compared to other Chenopodiaceae halophyte species, S. vermiculata seems to be more tolerant of metals and is proposed for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals.

The influence of different concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn) was analyzed in the Salsola vermiculata germination pattern, seedling development, and accumulation in seedlings. The responses to different metals were dissimilar. Germination was only significantly reduced at Cu and Zn 4000 M but Zn induced radicle growth at lower concentrations. Without damage, the species acted as a good accumulator and tolerant for Mn, Ni, and Cu. In seedlings, accumulation increased following two patterns: Mn and Ni, induced an arithmetic increase in content in tissue, to the point where the content reached a maximum; with Cu and Ni, the pattern was linear, in which the accumulation in tissue was directly related to the metal concentration in the medium. Compared to other Chenopodiaceae halophyte species, S. vermiculata seems to be more tolerant of metals and is proposed for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals.