ABSTRACT
Background: Search for an effective, feasible, and safe male contraceptive has been one of the major public health challenges. The present contraceptive methods are either permanent or impractical. Herbal methods are considered safe, and thus, their acceptability is higher than other prospective methods. Aims: In the present study, oral administration of methanolic extract of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub. flower was investigated for its potential role in the modulation of fertility in male albino rats. Materials and methods: Healthy male albino rats were randomly distributed into three groups, i.e., a control and two groups administered with 50 and 500 mg/kg body weight/day of methanolic extract of B. monosperma flower for 30, 90, and 180 days, respectively. Fertility records were maintained throughout the experimental period. At the end of experiment, animals were sacrificed and the weight of reproductive organs, sperm characteristics, and histopathology of testicular and epididymal tissues were evaluated. A 45-day withdrawal period was also investigated for parameters as described above for each group. Results: A 40% decline in fertility rate was evident in rats administered with 500 mg/kg of B. monosperma flower extract for 180 consecutive days. A significant reduction in testicular and epididymal weight was observed in these animals. Sperm count, motility, and viability were also reduced significantly in animals treated for 180 days. Histological evaluation of testicular cells indicated distortions in germ cell arrangements at various stages of spermatogenesis. Following 45 days of withdrawal, the resumption of normal functional and histological characteristics was apparent. Conclusion: Based on the abnormalities present in the sperm characteristics and damages in testicular histology, it was confirmed that methanolic extract of B. monosperma flower contain antifertility potential.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess maternal and perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with congenital heart disease (CHD) in a low-resource country. METHODS: A prospective, observational study was conducted at a teaching hospital in Kolkata, India, between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010. All pregnant women with CHD were followed up from first prenatal visit to discharge. Both maternal and perinatal outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 174 pregnant women with heart disease, 27 (16%) had CHD. Mean age was 23.5±3.6 years. Four (15%) patients were diagnosed with CHD during the index pregnancy. Nine (33%) women had undergone surgical correction before conception. Cesarean delivery was performed in 12 (44%) women. Fifteen (56%) neonates weighed less than 2500 g, and 4 (15%) were born preterm. Mean birth weight was slightly higher in women with corrected heart lesions than in those with uncorrected ones (2593±480 g vs 2294±620 g; P=0.22). Three (11%) neonates died, but no stillbirths occurred. One (4%) woman died after delivery owing to atonic postpartum hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Delayed diagnosis, lack of treatment, and unplanned pregnancy are major challenges for women with CHD, which need to be addressed to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in low-resource countries.
Subject(s)
Birth Weight , Developing Countries , Heart Diseases/complications , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/complications , Pregnancy Complications/etiology , Adult , Cesarean Section , Female , Gestational Age , Heart Diseases/congenital , Heart Diseases/surgery , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/surgery , Humans , India , Infant, Newborn , Intensive Care, Neonatal , Perinatal Death , Pregnancy , Premature Birth/etiology , Prospective Studies , Tetralogy of Fallot/complications , Tetralogy of Fallot/surgery , Young AdultABSTRACT
Isolated cases of astasia or ptosis have each been reported in ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes involving the thalamus. We report a 70-year-old man with a medical history of hypertension who presented with left ptosis and gait disturbance despite intact motor strength in the legs and normal sensory function. MRI of the brain showed an evolving subacute infarction confined to the anteromedial-medial part of the left thalamus with no other areas of recent infarction identified. To our knowledge, combined ptosis and astasia in thalamic infarction has not been reported in the English literature. We identified 11 patients with thalamic ptosis and 21 with thalamic astasia in the literature. Patients who had ptosis, or gait abnormality which would not be related to thalamic stroke, were excluded; for example, evidence of infarction in the hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, cerebellum, or cingulate gyrus.
