A STUDY OF BARR BODIES IN CASES OF PRIMARY AMENORRHEA.

BACKGROUND: Barr body (or) X- chromatin is a heterochromatin mass seen in all somatic cells of females species. They account to nearly 80-90% in females and 1-3% of cells of normal males. Primary Amenorrhea a clinical condition is of varied aetiology, however Genetic factors being the major cause. Either a structural or a numerical anomaly like X- monosomy of a female results in failure of commencement of menstruation. Identication of chromatin negative condition in patients of primary amenorrhoea constitutes my study. The study i METHODOLOGY: s conducted on 58 patients who visited Obstetrics Gynaecology clinics Visakhapatnam district with presenting complaint of primary amenorrhea. Buccal smear examination is done to all the patients and observed under the microscope for Barr bodies. Photographs were taken and the observations were tabulated and analysed. Absence of Barr Body was ob RESULTS: served in 28 cases (chromatin negative) and 26 cases were chromatin positive and 4 cases showed mosaicism. Primary CONCLUSION: Amenorrhea due to chromosomal aberrations is a serious condition as it is associated with intense psychological trauma along with physical. In Turner's syndrome single X-chromosome is present (45XO), the subject is female in phenotype, but the ovaries are rudimentary (Streak Gonads) and absence of development of secondary sexual characters. So buccal smear is a simple, rapid test that will enable us to decide which patients are to be referred for further investigations to conrm the diagnosis.

A Study of the Duration of Controlled Speech in Right Hemisphere of the Brain Damaged Male Participants

This is a neuro-linguistic research which compares Bangla speaking right hemisphere damaged (furthermore to be called RHD) male participants to age and gender matched normal males who have been selected from the same family as the right hemisphere damaged participants. RHD or right hemisphere damaged participants are those who have lesions or damages in the right hemisphere of the brain or both. This paper pertains to the understanding how a lesion or a damage in the right hemisphere can cause changes in the pattern of communication of adult males in the age group of 45 to 70. This paper discerns the difference in durations of controlled speech in RHD males compared to age and gender matched normal controls. It will be measured with the help a predetermined passage. A passage will be played to them, using a media player (to make sure everyone listens to the same recording, ruling out chances of error there) and then they will be asked to repeat the same passage, as much as they can remember. In this research, we will be looking at the time they would take to narrate the whole passage without missing out on anything.

URETHRAL DUPLICATION A RARE CAUSE OF EVEN RARER DORSAL CHORDEE

Chordee is a condition in which the penile head has a curvature. It can be towards ventral or dorsal aspect. Dorsal chordee is very rare. In many normal males mild degrees of curvature can exist. Causes of dorsal chordee can be diverse but urethral duplication as its etiology is even rarer. We report a case of six year old boy who presented with severe dorsal chordee with associated double urethra and cleft of the glans dorsally without hypospadia.

Protein Electrophoresis and Haptoglobin Values for Captive Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)

Serum samples collected from 37 clinically normal bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) and 13 abnormal bongo were tested using assays for acute-phase proteins (APPs) and by protein electrophoresis. Abnormal bongo samples (n = 27) had significantly higher levels of fibrinogen (FIB) (p < 0.001) and trending but not significantly increased haptoglobin (HP) (p = 0.07) vs. samples from normal bongo (n = 37). There were no significant differences in values for total white blood cell counts or for any of the fractions determined by protein electrophoresis. Clinically normal female bongo (n = 19) had significantly lower levels of FIB than normal males (n = 18) (p = 0.014), and this observation was also made with samples from the clinically abnormal group (p = 0.004). Many weak to moderate significant correlations were observed with increasing age, including increased globulins, FIB, and HP and decreased albumin-to-globulin (A/G) ratio and albumin. In clinical cases reviewed in this study, mild HP changes categorized this reactant as a minor APP, which contrasts with the major APP classification of HP in the related species of the cow. The preliminary data indicate that the quantitation of these APPs may offer value in assessing inflammation in this species, but additional studies are needed.

A bilateral gynandromorph of Discoelius dufourii (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Zethinae): morphology and mating behaviour

A gynandromorph is an organism combining both female- and male-type tissues. While the vast majority of studies have described the morphology of gynandromorphs, their sexual behaviours remain under-explored. We studied a predominantly bilateral gynandromorph specimen of the predatory wasp Discoelius dufourii (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Zethinae) reared from a trap-nest. In addition to describing the morphology, we explored the gynandromorph’s response to a conspecific female, comparing it with the behavioural interactions between normal males and females of D. dufourii and the phylogenetically related D. zonalis. For most specific behavioural elements, males of both Discoelius species exhibited a greater frequency and a higher probability of occurrences of the behaviour than did females. However, aggression and plopping behaviours were prevalent in females. The gynandromorphic specimen demonstrated behavioural activities similar to those of a male, including a relatively frequent mate body antennation and an attempt to mount a female. However, it approached the female less frequently in comparison to conspecific normal males, and it did not demonstrate substrate antennation and jumping, typical of Discoelius male mating behaviour. Based on the parameters of the nest cell, the probability of the development of the gynandromorphic specimen from an unfertilized (male) egg was higher than the probability of development from a fertilized (female) egg.

Sex steroids skew ACE2 expression in human airway: a contributing factor to sex differences in COVID-19?

The incidence, severity, and mortality of ongoing coronavirus infectious disease 19 (COVID-19) is greater in men compared with women, but the underlying factors contributing to this sex difference are still being explored. In the current study, using primary isolated human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells from normal males versus females as a model, we explored the effect of estrogen versus testosterone in modulating the expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a cell entry point for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Using confocal imaging, we found that ACE2 is expressed in human ASM. Furthermore, Western analysis of ASM cell lysates showed significantly lower ACE2 expression in females compared with males at baseline. In addition, ASM cells exposed to estrogen and testosterone for 24 h showed that testosterone significantly upregulates ACE2 expression in both males and females, whereas estrogen downregulates ACE2, albeit not significant compared with vehicle. These intrinsic and sex steroids induced differences may help explain sex differences in COVID-19.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in the Han Chinese population: molecular characterization and genotype–phenotype association throughout an activity distribution

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a common hereditary disorder in China. The existing prevalence and molecular epidemiology of G6PD deficiency in China were geographically limited. In this study, the spectrum of G6PD gene mutations was well characterized in a large and diverse population all over the country; and the correlation of genotype and enzyme activity phenotype was explored for the first time. The results showed that the overall prevalence of G6PD deficiency in China was 2.10% at the national level. The top six common mutations were c.1388 G>A, c.1376 G>T, c.95 A>G, c.392 G>T, c.871 G>A and c.1024 C>T, accounting for more than 90% of G6PD deficient alleles. Compound mutation patterns were frequently observed in females with severe deficiency. The distribution of G6PD activities depended on the type of mutation patterns and genders. Hemizygote, homozygote, and compound heterozygote were predominantly associated with severe G6PD deficiency, whereas heterozygotes with single mutation mainly presented moderate enzyme deficiency. A significant gap between G6PD activities in hemizygous and normal males was observed, and yet, the overall distribution of that in females carrying missense mutations was a continuum from G6PD severely deficient to normal. This is the first report of discussing the association between G6PD genetic variants in the Chinese and enzyme activity phenotypes.

A Comparative Study on the Sexual Functioning among Men with and without Severe Mental Illness

Objective: The aim of the study is to compare the sexual functioning among men with and without severe mental illness. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Psychiatry Department, Sree Balaji Medical College and hospital, Chromepet, Chennai Tamilnadu, India from the period of August 2016 to February 2018 (18 months). Cross sectional analytical study: 1. Semi structured questionnaire to capture demographic variables, illness variable, type of sexual practice and their expectations from MHPs. 2. General health questionnaire (12) tamil and English, 3. CAGE screening tool for alcohol. 4. The Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSF) for males (70). Results: The study population covered 50% of men with severe mental illness and 50% of men without severe mental illness. Among the study population regarding the educational status it was inferred that 70% were literate and only 30% were illiterate. An attempt to identify the mental illness of the study population was made and it was found that among the total cases, the prevailing mental illness was Schizophrenia (27%). Bipolar affective disorder (17%) was ranked as second highest. Delusional disorder, major depressive disorder covered up to 4% and 1% respectively. The comparisons of quantitative variable between the groups were given in Table 7. The median (range) of the age in case was 40 (29, 58) and in controls was 39 (25, 55), which shows that the median value of age between the groups was not found to be statistically significant (P>0.05). The median value of general health questionnaire among the patients with severe mental illness was 26 (18, 34) and in controls it was 1 (0, 4) which shows that this median difference was highly significant (P<0.0001). The median value of CAGE among the cases was 1 (0, 4) and in normal males was 19 (15, 29) which shows that the median difference between the groups were found to be highly significant (P<0.0001). Similarly, the median difference of variables such as BSFI sexual drive, ejection score, ejaculation score, overall satisfaction score, problem assessment score and total score was found to highly significant (P<0.0001). This implies that the sexual function of men with severe mental illness differs significantly from the normal males. Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction is common among men with severe mental illness than persons without severe mental illness. The male patients with severe mental illness such as Schizophrenia, delusional disorders, BPAD, major depressive disorder have impaired sexual function compared with the persons without severe mental illness study group which is evident from the BFSI score (17 in persons with severe mental illness vs 34 in persons without severe mental illness) which is clinically significant. In our study, sexual dysfunction among the men with severe mental illness is not proportional to the duration of the illness & the age of the patients. Recommendations based on gender identity development, attachment, non-sexual and sexual abuse, puberty/adolescence.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection is Associated With Neurodegeneration in Cognitively Normal Males

Background An association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and dementia was reported in previous studies, however, the evidence is inconsistent. In the present study, the association between H. pylori infection and brain cortical thickness as a biomarker of neurodegeneration was investigated. Methods A cross-sectional study of 1,446 healthy adults who underwent a medical health check-up, including an esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging was performed. H. pylori infection status was assessed based on histology. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori infection and brain cortical thickness. Results Males with H. pylori infection exhibited cortical thinning in the bilateral lateral temporal, lateral frontal, and right occipital areas compared with non-infected males after controlling for age, educational level, alcohol intake, smoking status, and intracranial volume. The association remained significant after further adjusting for inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and metabolic factors (obesity, dyslipidemia, fasting glucose, and blood pressure). However, an association between H. pylori infection and brain cortical thickness was not observed in females. Conclusions The findings indicate H. pylori infection is associated with neurodegenerative changes in cognitive normal males, independent of chronic inflammation or metabolic syndrome.