scholarly journals The impact of the new 2010 World Health Organization criteria for semen analyses on the diagnostics of male infertility

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Larach ◽  
Dayalis González ◽  
Saúl Barrera ◽  
Roberto Epifanio ◽  
Mayka Morgan ◽  
...  
2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIKKI PANG

“I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa.” This is how Dr. Margaret Chan, the current Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), described her leadership mission. The reason behind this mission is evident. Women and girls constitute 70% of the world’s poor and 80% of the world’s refugees. Gender violence against women aged 15–44 is responsible for more deaths and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war. An estimated 350,000 to 500,000 women still die in childbirth every year. The negative health implications of absolute poverty are worst in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Hence, Chan aims to have the biggest impact on the world’s poorest people.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 2101-2108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A Ronald ◽  
Jonathon R Campbell ◽  
Caren Rose ◽  
Robert Balshaw ◽  
Kamila Romanowski ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening and treatment is a key component of the World Health Organization (WHO) EndTB Strategy, but the impact of LTBI screening and treatment at a population level is unclear. We aimed to estimate the impact of LTBI screening and treatment in a population of migrants to British Columbia (BC), Canada. Methods This retrospective cohort included all individuals (N = 1 080 908) who immigrated to Canada as permanent residents between 1985 and 2012 and were residents in BC at any time up to 2013. Multiple administrative databases were linked to identify people with risk factors who met the WHO strong recommendations for screening: people with tuberculosis (TB) contact, with human immunodeficiency virus, on dialysis, with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors, who had an organ/haematological transplant, or with silicosis. Additional TB risk factors included immunosuppressive medications, cancer, diabetes, and migration from a country with a high TB burden. We defined active TB as preventable if diagnosed ≥6 months after a risk factor diagnosis. We estimated the number of preventable TB cases, given optimal LTBI screening and treatment, based on these risk factors. Results There were 16 085 people (1.5%) identified with WHO strong risk factors. Of the 2814 people with active TB, 118 (4.2%) were considered preventable through screening with WHO risk factors. Less than half (49.4%) were considered preventable with expanded screening to include people migrating from countries with high TB burdens, people who had been prescribed immunosuppressive medications, or people with diabetes or cancer. Conclusions The application of WHO LTBI strong recommendations for screening would have minimally impacted the TB incidence in this population. Further high-risk groups must be identified to develop an effective LTBI screening and treatment strategy for low-incidence regions.


It’s been a while since Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), causing major concerns and unfortunately panic in many countries. The on-going outbreak is of international concern and most countries have already announced a series of protective measures to confront this health threat of unknown magnitude. Travel warnings, scientific congress suspensions, cancellations of national holidays and closing of schools, amusement parks, cinemas, theatres and gyms are only some of these measures. The impact in sports is also tremendous. Major sport events like the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Euro 2020 have been postponed. Others like the Miami Open and the Wimbledon tennis tournament have been cancelled and there is an ongoing discussion for forthcoming events. However, few have been said regarding the impact of limiting public exercise.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Parisis ◽  
A Bouletis ◽  
K Chatzidimitriou ◽  
D-D Palla ◽  
P Makri ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The World Health Organization endorsed the ‘Kids Save Lives’ project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality. The first chain of survival concerns the recognition of cardiac arrest with chin lift and head tilt manoeuvre of the victim and the feel- look- listen approach. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, as far the recognition of cardiac arrest is concerned in Greek secondary school students before and after the "Kids Save Lives" program. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly’s region. A total of 4922 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12-point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the "kid saves lives" program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced ERC Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors. The knowledge of the recognition of cardiac arrest is investigated in this subgroup analysis Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding the recognition of cardiac arrest, with the percentage of correct answers being 58,3% and 96,1%,before and after the course respectively (p < 0.001). In the practical part of the program, almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% perform chin lift manoeuvre and recognize cardiac arrest. Conclusions The overall results reveal that the "Kids Save Lives" program can play a important role in improving the theoretical knowledge and  the practical skills of Greek students towards towards the recognition of cardiac arrest and indicate the necessity of implementation in a greater scale nationwide.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (25) ◽  
pp. 01-14
Author(s):  
Siti Aisyah Mohamad Zin ◽  
Raja Nurul Hafizah Raja Ismail ◽  
Wan Nur Ainna Waheda Rozali ◽  
Nor Kalsum Mohd Isa

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major concern to the community around the globe at the moment and the World Health Organization (WHO) records a total of more than 200 million cases worldwide. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the world community, especially in Malaysia, from the socio-economic aspect that leads to mental health issues. The implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to Malaysians is aimed at breaking the chain of pandemics by making social distancing which began on March 18, 2020, has changed the societal life pattern, especially for adolescents. If it is not managed properly, emotional conflicts such as depression, stress, anxiety, and untreated panic attacks can even affect the mental health of adolescents. There are numerous recent studies on the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted by researchers from around the world. The COVID-19 outbreak has also affected the education sector in the country. Face-to-face learning cannot be conducted, hence, requires students to learn from home. The Ministry of Education in Malaysia has introduced a new platform to help students to continue their learning through an online learning system. Online learning has its own pros and cons. In these challenging times, the field of education is not falling behind in undergoing a transformation towards a more advanced and systematic learning process. Therefore, online learning is the best way to ensure that students do not fall behind in their studies even when they are at home. However, the implementation of online learning has the potential to affect the mental health of students such as feelings of stress, fear, anxiety, worry, and depression due to not being able to balance the use of computers during learning and to complete assignments as well as internet data problems. A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that the number of victims of depression worldwide is estimated to reach 300 million people and the average is of adolescents. This is the silent killer of this generation which is the pillar and hope of the country, therefore it should be given attention and proper treatment. A literature review through the content analysis method is used in this paper to look at the challenges and solutions to the recovery of emotional conflict and mental health. Thus, this paper aims to look at the challenges of this pandemic exploring scientifically the impact of COVID-19 especially in terms of emotional and mental health as well as the impact on the national education system. The attitude of "prevent before it gets worse" is very critical and needs to be given serious attention by the community in facing the escalating challenges during this COVID-19. An understanding of the effects of emotions could generate appropriate prevention measures and approaches that can be implemented to ensure that emotional conflicts can be treated to save those adolescents and inevitably to ensure the well-being of individuals affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingvild Lilleheie ◽  
Jonas Debesay ◽  
Asta Bye ◽  
Astrid Bergland

Abstract Background: The number of people aged 80 years and above is projected to triple over the next 30 years. People in this age group normally have at least two chronic conditions. The impact of multimorbidity is often significantly greater than expected from the sum of the effects of each condition. The World Health Organization has indicated that healthcare systems must prepare for a change in the focus of clinical care for older people. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthcare quality as care that is effective, efficient, integrated, patient centered, equitable and safe. The degree to which healthcare quality can be defined as acceptable is determined by services’ ability to meet the needs of users and adapt to patients’ expectations and perceptions.Method: We took a phenomenological perspective to explore older patients’ subjective experiences and conducted semistructured individual interviews. Eighteen patients (aged from 82 to 100 years) were interviewed twice after discharge from hospital. The interview transcriptions were analyzed thematically.Results: The patients found their meetings with the health service to be complex and demanding. They reported attempting to restore a sense of security and meaning in everyday life, balancing their own needs against external requirements. Five overarching themes emerged from the interviews: hospital stay and the person behind the diagnosis, poor communication and coordination, life after discharge, relationship with their next of kin, and organizational and systemic determinants.Conclusion: According to the WHO, to deliver quality healthcare, services must include all six of the dimensions listed above. Our findings show that they do not. Healthcare focused on measurable values and biomedical inquiries. Few opportunities for participation, scant information and suboptimal care coordination left the patients with a feeling of being in limbo, where they struggled to find balance in their everyday life. Further work must be done to ensure that integrated services are provided without a financial burden, centered on the needs and rights of older people.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1546 ◽  
Author(s):  

Taenia solium (TS), responsible for porcine cysticercosis, human taeniasis and (neuro)cysticercosis, was included in the World Health Organization neglected tropical disease (NTD) roadmap published in 2012. Targets set in this roadmap have not been met, but T. solium has been included in the consultation process for the new 2030 goals proposed for priority NTDs. Taenia solium transmission dynamics models can contribute to this process. A recent review has compared existing T. solium transmission models, identifying their similarities and differences in structure, parameterization and modelled intervention approaches. While a formal model comparison to investigate the impact of interventions is yet to be conducted, the models agree on the importance of coverage for intervention effectiveness and on the fact that human- and pig-focused interventions can be optimally combined. One of these models, cystiSim, an individual-based, stochastic model has been used to assess field-applicable interventions, some currently under evaluation in on-going trials in Zambia. The EPICYST, population-based, deterministic model has highlighted, based on simulating a generic sub-Saharan Africa setting, the higher efficacy (measured as the percentage of human cysticercosis cases prevented) of biomedical interventions (human and pig treatment and pig vaccination) compared to improved husbandry, sanitation, and meat inspection. Important questions remain regarding which strategies and combinations thereof provide sustainable solutions for severely resource-constrained endemic settings. Defining realistic timeframes to achieve feasible targets, and establishing suitable measures of effectiveness for these targets that can be quantified with current monitoring and evaluation tools, are current major barriers to identifying validated strategies. Taenia solium transmission models can support setting achievable 2030 goals; however, the refinement of these models is first required. Incorporating socio-economic elements, improved understanding of underlying biological processes, and consideration of spatial dynamics are key knowledge gaps that need addressing to support model development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 990-998
Author(s):  
Shigeko Umezaki ◽  
Yusuke Shinoda ◽  
Akitake Mukasa ◽  
Shota Tanaka ◽  
Shunsaku Takayanagi ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The factors associated with health-related quality of life in patients with glioma remain unclear; particularly, the impact of symptoms on quality of life has not been studied comprehensively. This study aims to document the quality of life of patients with glioma and clarify the impact of symptoms. Methods In this cross-sectional study, participants were recruited from patients at The University of Tokyo Hospital and from patients who were registered at the Japan Brain Tumor Alliance. We included adult patients with World Health Organization grade II–IV glioma and excluded those with disturbances of consciousness or aphasia. We used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and BN20 to evaluate quality of life and the symptoms. Multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate the impact of symptoms on European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer global health status and QLQ-C30 social functioning. In addition, we performed univariate subgroup analyses classified by World Health Organization grade and history of chemotherapy. Results This study included 76 patients. Seven symptoms occurred in more than 50% of the patients: fatigue, future uncertainty, drowsiness, communication deficit, financial difficulties, motor dysfunction and weakness of legs. Multiple regression analyses showed that insomnia affected their global health status, and appetite loss, financial difficulties and motor dysfunction were significantly related to their social functioning. In subgroup analysis, the number of symptom subscales that were significantly related to global health status and social functioning was larger in World Health Organization grade II patients compared with grade III/IV patients. Conclusions In addition to neurological deficits, symptoms were associated with poor quality of life in patients with glioma. This study provided the basis on further investigation of usefulness of symptom evaluation on quality of life improvement.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Susan E. Burger ◽  
Sara D. Newman

The release of the World Health Organization growth curves in 2006 enabled lactation consultants and other healthcare practitioners to compare the growth of infants and young children against normal, healthy breastfed infants for the first time. Prior to that, lactation consultants only had access to reference curves that included the less-healthy growth patterns of formula-fed infants. Systematic reviews suggest that while growth curves are widely used, the impact of their use on children’s health and nutrition remains unclear. Program experience has shown growth curves may be useful for promotion of other health services and for education and motivation, but may not be as useful for screening at-risk infants. In light of this experience, lactation consultants might find the best use of growth curves would be to educate mothers, families and other healthcare practitioners about the healthier growth patterns of breastfed infants and to promote feeding practices accordingly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Rodrigue. Díaz ◽  
L Alcaide-Ruggiero ◽  
R Blane. Zamora ◽  
J Gome. Rodríguez ◽  
S Paz ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question The detection of metals in semen offers a new field in the study of male infertility. Summary answer Normozoospermia is associated with higher amounts of Fe. In males with pathological spermiogram, the percentage of men with Fe in semen was lower than expected. What is known already Increased levels of Fe in human semen appear to have a significant correlation with male fertility, suggesting that Fe in human seminal plasma has an important factor in male reproductive function. Fe acts as an antioxidant being a co-factor of catalasa, which protects sperm. On the other hand, elevated Fe levels are associated with sperm damage and continues to increase the lipid peroxidation that will affect the plasma membrane and the sperm motility. Most authors associate Fe with sperm motility and higher estimated fertility potential, based on standard semen parameters in fertile men, which are associated with lower levels of Fe. Study design, size, duration A prospective study was carried out in 102 men in a Reproduction unit in Tenerife, from February to April 2018 as a part on an epidemiologic study of environmental contaminants and male reproduction. The participant were categorized into two groups, according to the results of semen analysis following the World Health Organization guidelines: the pathological and the normal semen group that constituted the control group. The metal was determined in semen samples. Participants/materials, setting, methods Semen quality and levels of Fe were measured in seminal plasma on a total of 102 men attended successively, for the initial infertility evaluation, The collected samples were used for both semen analysis following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and metal detection and carried out using a Makler® counting chamber (Irvine Scientific, CA) and for metals, were determined by ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry) in semen samples. Main results and the role of chance The percentage of males with the presence of Fe was 97.1% and the average level were 0.6283 mg/Kg. When analyzing the relationship between the spermiogram parameters with the levels of Fe in the semen, significant differences were found. All men with a normal sperm analysis presented Fe in semen, but among men diagnosed with altered spermiogram, the percentage of men with Fe in semen (92.7%) was lower than expected (97%) (χ2 128 1 =4.59; p = 0.032). As for the concentration of Fe in spermiogram in the first quartile (25% lower), measuring 0.33 mg/Kg, more pathological samples were found than expected (X2 133 2 =6.921; p = 0.031) having a higher probability of being more pathological (52% vs 31.4%). On the other hand, men with pathological sperm concentration, have higher levels of Fe, in the fourth quartile (0.61 mg/kg), with more frequency than expected (90.6% vs 97%) (χ2 136 1 =6.48; p = 0.011). The association between BMI and the presence of Fe was statistically significant. In obese males (BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2), the percentage of men with Fe in semen (80%) was lower than expected (97%) (χ2 42 2 =11.302; p = 0.001). Limitations, reasons for caution The limitation of this study was the volume of semen that could be obtained for metal detection, only 0.8 mL. because the collected samples were used for both semen analysis and metal detection. Wider implications of the findings: The determination of metals in semen opens a new field in the study of male infertility and many cases of unknown infertility could be due to metal presence or absence in semen, with the option of performing treatments. Trial registration number Not applicable


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