Background:Helicobacter pylori related gastritis is a major health ailment in developing nations. There is high morbidity and mortality ranging from chronic gastritis to gastric malignancies. Prevalence of H. pylori infection varies markedly from country to country and in a country, region to region.Aim:To study the prevalence of H. pylori gastritis in patients undergoing endoscopy and its association with the development of gastrointestinal diseases.Subjects and Methods:The study was carried out in a Medical College Hospital in Kerala, India. Patients presenting with dyspeptic symptoms were subjected to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and investigated for H. pylori infection through histopathological examination and rapid urease test of biopsy specimen. Diagnosis of H. pylori infection was made if one or both diagnostic test results were positive. Data analysis was carried out using the statistical package for social sciences, for Windows version 16.0 (SPSS 16; Chicago, IL, USA).Results:H. pylori infection was diagnosed in 62.0% (329/530) of patients screened. There was no statistically significant difference in sex and age related distribution (<50 year age group and >50 year age group) of H. pylori infection. However, a statistically significant association of H. pylori infection with the presence of endoscopic abnormalities, peptic ulcer, and dysplasia/cancer was seen.Conclusion:The prevalence of H. pylori infection is significantly high in rural and suburban population of Ernakulam district, Kerala. Early detection and prompt treatment are essential for prevention of serious complications.
ObjectivesMale infertility is on the rise. Artificial insemination is an option in many cases like oligozoospermia or oligoasthenozoospermia. Homologous insemination is helpful for some couples in whom sperm count is low. This study was aimed to understand the most suitable portion of split ejaculate for insemination and also the level of calcium and magnesium in each split.Materials and methodsA total number of 31 normal and clinically healthy adults participated in this study. They were instructed to maintain abstinence for 2-5 days prior to sample collection in three splits. Each split was evaluated as if it were a whole sample, following WHO criteria. Seminal plasma was separated. Calcium and magnesium levels were measured in seminal plasma and spermatozoa of each split.ResultsThe split ejaculate study revealed that the first portion contained a higher number of spermatozoa with better motility than the 2nd and 3rd splits. Similarly, the level of calcium and magnesium in seminal plasma and spermatozoa was greater in the first split, followed by 2nd and 3rd splits.ConclusionThe presented split ejaculate study has shown the first ejaculate as superior in quality in terms of total sperm count and percentage of active motility. The first split of ejaculation is recommended for homologous artificial insemination in case of oligozoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia. This study has also shown that a major portion of two important elements, calcium and magnesium, is contributed by the prostate gland.
Recently, technological advancement helped to improve our knowledge on trace elements in human male reproductive organs and its secretion, semen. In this study, employing energy dispersive x-ray analysis facilities on electron microscope, presence of different elements in human male reproductive organs--testis, epididymis, caput, corpus and cauda, prostate gland, seminal vesicle, Cowper's gland and vas deferens-seminal plasma and spermatozoa pellet was studied. Several elements were observed. Gold was one among them that was present in seminal plasma and spermatozoa. It was also present in epididymis caput. Authors consider epididymis caput as the source of gold in semen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.