Knowledge, attitude and practice studies have been used to understand the various factors that influence blood donation which is the basis for donor mobilization and retention strategies. Role of youngsters in voluntary blood donation is crucial to meet the demand of safe blood. The present study was aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding voluntary blood donation among the health care students. A validated and pre-tested questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice on blood donation were assessed among 371 medical students from Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Institute, Puducherry, India. Result showed that knowledge on blood donation among respondents was 44.8% (1st year 36.7%, 2nd year 42.8% and 3rd year 54.9%). About 62.6% of non-donors (1st year 51%, 2nd year 61% and 3rd year 77%) showed positive attitude by expressing their willingness to donate blood while 22.8%.of the non-donors had negative attitude (1st year 33%, 2nd year 23% and 3rd year 13%). In practice 13.2% of students had donated blood (1st year 10%, 2nd year 13% and 3rd year 24%), in which 2.7% of male students alone donating blood on regular basis. Over all 3rd year student showed significantly higher knowledge compared with 1st years, in attitude and practice section 3rd year student's showed significantly higher positive attitude and practice than that of 1st and 2nd years. The present study reveals that there is a positive association among knowledge, attitude and practice on blood donation, which suggest that positive attitude and practice can be improved by inculcating knowledge on blood donation among college students to recruit and donate blood regularly, which will help to achieve 100% of blood donation on voluntary basis.

Background: Placenta is a functional unit between the mother and the fetus. It is the discoid, deciduate, haemochorial, chorioallantoic, endocrine gland which connects developing embryo by umbilical cord to the uterus. It develops from two sources. The fetal component which is the principal component develops from chorion frondosum and the maternal component from decidua basalis. If the decidual part of the placenta is healthy, the embryogenesis from germinal period up to the end of fetal period will be healthy. Otherwise it will lead to anomalies of the placenta, umbilical cord and of the fetus including low birth weight. There is a proven direct relationship between placental growth, fetal well-being and finally fetal outcome.

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The proportion of viable, motile spermatozoa retrieved from retrograde ejaculates has been consistently low. Electron microscopic studies of spermatozoa of retrograde ejaculates collected in Baker's buffer and washed in Ham's F10 medium supplemented with 2% human serum albumin revealed considerable ultrastructural lesions to the sperm head and the midpiece. Swelling and/or loss of plasma membrane was observed in most of the sperm. In others, the membrane continuity was disrupted, and tattered remnants of it remained attached to a grossly abnormal acrosome. The acrosomal cap in the majority of the spermatozoa was swollen and irregular in shape. Some of the spermatozoa lacked the acrosome, and the sperm heads of these were lined by the inner acrosomal membrane. Subcellular derangement in the midpiece of retrograde spermatozoa was characterized by mitochondrial swelling and lysis, indicating definite cytotoxic injury to the spermatozoa. These EM observations are consistent with the findings of high sperm wastage in semen from men with retrograde ejaculation.

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1. A comparative study has been made of the abilities of members of a homologous series of aliphatic alcohols to release prostaglandins from the rat isolated perfused lung. 2. Infusions of low concentrations (0.002 mmol--0.2 mmol) of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl and t-butyl alcohol for periods of up to 5 min was accompanied by the continuous output of prostaglandins into the venous effluent, as measured by biological assay. Maximal release occurred with methyl and ethyl alcohols, the releasing abilities of the rest being in the order of n-propyl> i-propyl> n-butyl> >t-butyl. Radiomimmunoassay revealed that both PGE2 and PGF2 alpha were released by ethyl alcohol with the former being in up to 10 times greater quantities than the latter. However, the amounts of these prostaglandins failed to account for the total release of active substances as measured by bioassay. 3. Examination of concentration-response relationship showed that as the concentration of methyl, ethyl and n-propyl alcohol was increased prostaglandin output also increased, but that after reaching a maximum further increase in alcohol concentration resulted in diminished release. In contrast, the lowest concentration of i-propyl, n-butyl and t-butyl alcohol utilized (0.002 mmol) caused highest prostaglandin output and release declined as the concentration was increased. Release by ethyl alcohol (0.02 mmol) was inhibited by t-butyl alcohol (0.2 mmol). 4. Thus aliphatic alcohols can not only release prostaglandins but also depress release. Both properties appear to be possessed by each member of the series, their relative prominence varying in each compound. Release is the predominant action of the low molecular weight, short chain compounds whereas depression of release is the most prominent property of those of higher molecular weight, particularly the secondary and tertiary alcohols. 5. It is suggested that release occurs in response to low alcohol concentrations altering the nature of the water-cell membrane interface, thus producing changes in membrane protein configuration and activation of phospholipase A. Inhibition of release is probably a consequence of non-specific depression of cell function.

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