Hormonal Dysfunction in Male Infertility -Diagnosis and Treatment !

Male Infertility:

Treatment of infertility-related hormonal dysfunction in men requires an understanding of the hormonal basis of spermatogenesis. The best method for accurately determining male androgenization status remains elusive. Treatment of hormonal dysfunction can fall into two categories — empirical and targeted. Empirical therapy refers to experience-based treatment approaches in the absence of an identifiable etiology. Targeted therapy refers to the correction of a specific underlying hormonal abnormality.

Since the first case reports in 1910 of testicular atrophy after canine hypophysectomy, the hormonal basis of human reproduction has been an area of evolving investigation. An array of treatment modalities are available for hormonal dysfunction in the setting of male infertility, but the diagnosis of such dysfunction and its treatment is often empirical, or guided by the clinician's judgement, and can be open to interpretation. Our ability to understand the intra testicular hormonal environment and its effect on spermatogenesis is limited by current methods of routine clinical investigation.

Investigations into female infertility benefit from reliance on objective, verifiable outcomes such as ovulation, biochemical pregnancy, and clinical pregnancy. Meanwhile, the male counterpart has been hampered by the necessary dependence on bulk seminal parameters, which are notoriously poor predictors of fertility potential. Perhaps the only truly reliable semen analysis is one indicating azoospermia and that is where the most exciting clinical outcomes research has focused.

This review article describes and discusses the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of fertility-associated male hormonal dysfunction.

• Oestradiol is the principal mediator of negative feedback on the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, which illustrates the influence of selective oestrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors on male hormonal parameters

• Serum hormonal assays are unreliable indicators of intratesticular androgen levels, and the best approach for determining male androgen status remains elusive

• Follicle-stimulating hormone and inhibin B are markers of spermatogenesis and their relative values in the setting of an intact hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis provide important information about testicular function

• Targeted hormonal therapy corrects specific hormonal dysfunctions, empirical hormonal therapy is employed when no underlying cause is identified and the evidence for empirical therapy is dependent on the type of medication used

• A return of sperm to the ejaculate or successful surgical sperm retrieval among men with azoospermia owing to spermatogenic dysfunction are the most objective indicators of outcomes of hormonal therapy

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Serum Iron Test: High, Low, and Normal Ranges !

Serum Iron Test

Having too much or too little iron in the blood can cause serious health problems.

If a doctor suspects that a person does not have a healthy amount of iron in their blood, they may order a serum iron test.

In this article, learn more about the uses of a serum iron test. We also explain the normal ranges of iron in the blood and the treatment options for people whose iron levels are too high or too low.

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Nipah Virus -Infection, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment !

Viruses

Nipah virus (NiV) is a member of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus. NiV was initially isolated and identified in 1999 during an outbreak of encephalitis and respiratory illness among pig farmers and people with close contact with pigs in Malaysia and Singapore. Its name originated from Sungai Nipah, a village in the Malaysian Peninsula where pig farmers became ill with encephalitis. Given the relatedness of NiV to Hendra virus, bat species were quickly singled out for investigation and flying foxes of the genus Pteropus were subsequently identified as the reservoir for NiV (Distribution Map).

In the 1999 outbreak, Nipah virus caused a relatively mild disease in pigs, but nearly 300 human cases with over 100 deaths were reported. In order to stop the outbreak, more than a million pigs were euthanized, causing tremendous trade loss for Malaysia. Since this outbreak, no subsequent cases (in neither swine nor human) have been reported in either Malaysia or Singapore.

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Simple Blood Test Predicts Aggressive Prostate Cancer !

Cancer

A new diagnostic will allow men to bypass painful biopsies to test for aggressive prostate cancer.

Current tests such as the prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) often lead to unneeded biopsies and more than 50% of men who undergo biopsy do not have prostate cancer, yet suffer the pain and side effects of the procedure such as infection or sepsis.

Less than 20% of men who receive a prostate biopsy are diagnosed with the aggressive form of prostate cancer that could most benefit from treatment. A newly developed diagnostic will allow men to bypass painful biopsies to test for aggressive prostate cancer. The test incorporates a unique nanotechnology platform to make the diagnostic using only a single drop of blood, and is significantly more accurate than current screening methods.

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Some Breast Cancers Fail to Respond to Treatments, Why?

Breast Cancer

Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive, meaning that signals received from estrogen, a hormone, promote the growth of the tumors. To stop these cancers from spreading, estrogen inhibitors are usually prescribed. But what happens when tumors develop treatment resistance?

Studies suggest that "approximately 70 percent" of all the breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive).

These types of cancer are typically treated with drugs — such as tamoxifen and fulvestrant — that either lower the levels of the hormone or inhibit the estrogen receptors to prevent the tumors from spreading. This is known as endocrine therapy.

However, around a third of the people treated with these drugs develop resistance to them, which negatively impacts their chances of survival. The mechanisms that underlie the tumors' resistance to therapy is not well understood and currently poses a major challenge.

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Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Increases Cardiac Risk!

Androgen-deprivation therapy, which is a common treatment for prostate cancer, has been tentatively linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study solidifies these concerns.

Prostate cancer needs testosterone to grow and thrive, so androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is designed to reduce the amount of testosterone in the body to close to zero, thereby helping to slow cancer's growth.

Although the findings are controversial, some studies have shown that ADT combined with radiation therapy is more successful at treating prostate cancer than just radiation alone.

Currently, ADT is recommended for advanced prostate cancer. But it is increasingly being used to treat localized prostate cancer, despite minimal evidence for its efficacy.

At the same time, the number of localized prostate cancer cases has increased dramatically over recent years, due in part to the more widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.

Side effects of ADT — including erectile dysfunction, diabetes, bone loss, and swollen breast tissue, or gynecomastia — can be fairly substantial. Added to this, there is growing evidence to suggest that low testosterone levels might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A common prostate cancer treatment comes under scrutiny in a new study.

Read more: Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Increases Cardiac Risk!

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Source: MedicalNewsToday

Middle-age Women can Choose Pap smear or HPV Test for Cancer Screening !

Middle-aged women can choose which test to undergo for cervical cancer screening, according to a draft recommendation from an influential group backed by the U.S. government.

Women ages 30 to 65 can choose to receive a Pap test every three years or a human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The group did not previously recommend HPV testing without a Pap test.

"Women and providers should continue to recognize that cervical cancer is a serious disease that can be prevented," said Dr. Maureen Phipps, a member of the USPTF.

"Women who can be identified early through screening can have effective treatment for cervical cancer and go on to lead robust lives," said Phipps, who is also chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Cervical cancer was once a leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S., but the death rate has been cut in half thanks mostly to screening, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Read more: Middle-age Women can Choose Pap smear or HPV Test for Cancer Screening !

Video: New Vaccine Expands HPV protection

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Slideshow: 10 signs of cervical cancer you need to know about

Source: MSN Health

Blood Tests for Prion Disease.

Two studies describe methods for detecting these misfolded proteins in human blood samples.

Thousands of Europeans may be asymptomatic carriers of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a fatal prion disease that is the human variant of Mad Cow disease. But now, two studies published December 21 in Science Translational Medicine describe new methods for detecting even latent vCJD, which could make blood transfusions safer and help early detection and treatment of the disease.

The blood tests accurately diagnosed 32 patients between the two studies, distinguishing those with the disease from 391 healthy controls. In both cases, the tests were 100 percent sensitive and 100 percent specific and, in one of the studies, the test managed to identify vCJD prion particles in a blood donation more than a year before the onset of symptoms—a first for prion disease detection.

Read more: Blood Tests for Prion Disease.

Source: TheScientist

Breast Cancer: The Body of Knowledge Grows

Scientists’ understanding of the genetics/genomics of breast cancer continues to grow; a revolution is underway both in terms of categorizing breast cancers and targeting treatment that will be effective in individual cases. New perspectives are being offered on the interpretation of biopsies, too. Here is a round-up of some very recent studies.

Genetic variants alter cells’ response to estrogen

An international study of almost 120,000 women has newly identified five genetic variants affecting risk of breast cancer, all of which are believed to influence how breast cells respond to the female sex hormone estrogen.

Estrogen acts as a trigger, binding to a molecule known as an estrogen receptor in most breast cells and triggering a cascade of signals that cause the cell to behave normally. However, the estrogen receptor is switched off in some cells and these do not respond to the hormone.

Read more: Breast Cancer: The Body of Knowledge Grows

Source: MedicalLaboratoryObserver

If You Are In Danger Of BREAST CANCER, Your Body Will Give You These 5 Signs!

Invasive breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in the US only. It’s the type of cancer with the highest incidence among women. According to the American Cancer Society, by the end of 2016, 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in America, 40,450 of which will be terminal.

Detecting the cancer early significantly increases the chances of successful treatment. Knowing the early signs and symptoms of invasive breast cancer can help you detect it in its early stages.

1. FATIGUE

Fatigue is a common symptom in many types of cancer, including breast cancer. The thing is this type of fatigue cannot be alleviated by sleep or rest. Cancer-related fatigue is not caused by physical strain and is often accompanied by other symptoms such as pain, sleep disturbance and depression. This fatigue is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the body the cancer creates, according to scientists.

Read more: If You Are In Danger Of BREAST CANCER, Your Body Will Give You These 5 Signs!

Source: healthylivingstyle

Watch: Female Breast Exam 

Cure The Strep Throat in One Day Without Taking Antibiotics

Strep throat is a very common problem, driving countless individuals to see a doctor for antibiotic treatment. But as with virtually all other problems, no drugs are required for strep throat treatment. In fact, there are rather simple and natural solutions for staving off and treating a case of strep. 

Unfortunately, the medical establishment can’t have you recognizing these ridiculously simple solutions for the problem, however, as drug sales and subsequent profit would take a nosedive. To avoid pharmaceutical treatment, you must learn how to treat strep throat naturally yourself.

Read more: Cure The Strep Throat in One Day Without Taking Antibiotics

Source: healthylivingstyle

Appendicitis: Warning Signs and Early Symptoms

Appendicitis is a condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed. Its symptoms can become very uncomfortable, painful, and potentially life-threatening if left untreated.

Sudden appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain requiring surgery in the United States. Additionally, more than 5 percent of the population develops appendicitis at some point.

Though it most commonly occurs between the ages of 10 and 30, appendicitis can develop at any age.

Read more: Appendicitis: Warning Signs and Early Symptoms

The appendix is a tube-shaped piece of tissue attached to part of the long intestine and severe pain is
often the first symptom of appendicitis. In most cases, it will begin near the belly button and surgery
may be needed to treat a case of appendicitis.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Throat Cancer: Get the Facts

The throat is often described as having many different parts. This article looks at two of the more common places throat cancer can occur: the pharynx and the larynx.

1. The pharynx is most commonly thought of as the throat. It is a tube around 5 inches long that leads from behind the nose to the food pipe.
2. 
   
3. The larynx is also known as the voicebox. It is a short passage just below the pharynx. The larynx holds the vocal cords and a small piece of tissue called the epiglottis.

The epiglottis moves to cover the top of the larynx so food cannot enter it when people breathe.

Read more: Throat Cancer: Get the Facts

Cancer in the throat is uncommon when compared with other forms of cancer. Early symptoms of
throat cancer include a long-lasting cough and pain when swallowing.

Source: medicalnewstoday

What is an Inguinal Hernia?

The abdominal cavity is the large hollow space in the body that contains many important organs such as the stomach and liver. An inguinal hernia occurs when part of the abdominal cavity pushes into an area of the body called the inguinal canal.

There are two inguinal canals in the body, one on either side of the groin. Different structures of the body pass through the inguinal canal depending on the person's gender.

In men, the spermatic cord passes through the canal and connects to the testicles. In women, round ligaments that support the uterus pass through the canal.

An inguinal hernia usually affects either the small intestine or the fatty tissue in the abdomen.

Read more: What is an Inguinal Hernia?

Around a quarter of men will have an inguinal hernia at some point in their lives.
Incarcerated or strangulated hernias can cause extreme pain, nausea, and vomiting. 
The only available treatment for an inguinal hernia is surgery.

Source: medicalnewstoday