Prevalence, Clinical Pattern and Major Causes of Male Infertility in Nnewi, South East Nigeria: A Five YearReview

BACKGROUND: Infertility is a major cause of marital disharmony in Nigeria because of the high premium placed on child bearing. Unfortunately, the blame is on the woman most times. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence, clinical pattern and major causes of infertility based on the clinical and laboratory findings of both partners. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive retrospective study of 268 infertility cases that presented at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi over a five-year period, between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. RESULTS: Of the 1449 patients that presented at the gynaecology clinic, 268 came because of infertility giving a prevalence of 18.5%. The mean age was 39.1±6.0 years .The majority ( 68% )stopped formal education at the secondary level. Seventy-two percent were employed as unskilled workers. 13% admitted the history of alcohol intake while none took tobacco. The mean duration of infertility was 5 years. The more frequent type of infertility was secondary infertility (59%). The leading cause of male infertility was oligospermia. Male factor infertility alone accounted for 52 (25%)of the cases. CONCLUSION: Contribution of male factor to infertility is high. There is a need for public education on the contribution of male factor to infertility. Keywords: Prevalence, clinical pattern, male infertility, Nigeri

A Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Lyase Mutation Associated With Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome and Multiple Endocrinopathy.

Background: Loss of function mutations in SGPL1 are associated with Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase insufficiency syndrome, comprising steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome, and primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) in the majority of cases. SGPL1 encodes sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (SGPL1) which is a major modulator of sphingolipid signaling. Case Presentation: A Pakistani male infant presented at 5 months of age with failure to thrive, nephrotic syndrome, primary adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, and hypogonadism. Other systemic manifestations included persistent lymphopenia, ichthyosis, and motor developmental delay. Aged 9 months, he progressed rapidly into end stage oligo-anuric renal failure and subsequently died. Sanger sequencing of the entire coding region of SGPL1 revealed the novel association of a rare homozygous mutation (chr10:72619152, c.511A>G, p.N171D; MAF-1.701e-05) with the condition. Protein expression of the p.N171D mutant was markedly reduced compared to SGPL1 wild type when overexpressed in an SGPL1 knockout cell line, and associated with a severe clinical phenotype. Conclusions: The case further highlights the emerging phenotype of patients with loss-of-function SGPL1 mutations. Whilst nephrotic syndrome is a recognized feature of other disorders of sphingolipid metabolism, sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase insufficiency syndrome is unique amongst the sphingolipidoses in presenting with multiple endocrinopathies. Given the multi-systemic and progressive nature of this form of PAI/ nephrotic syndrome, a genetic diagnosis is crucial for optimal management and appropriate screening for comorbidities in these patients

Using systemic design for the understanding and evolving of organizational culture: Mapping, framing and characterizing organizations from a systemic perspective

This paper introduces the idea of organizational culture beyond the common indicators used based on quantitative analysis, and through the use of qualitative methods, design research methods and reflective practice seeks to recognize and define a possible model for analysis of organizational culture and action towards transformative and resilient futures for organizations. This tool follows systemic principles and uses a holistic approach to map and recognize the current state and the future possibilities of the organizations, as well as establishes a framework for strategic transformation based on systemically defined goals that seek for a balanced organizational health

Integer and half-integer flux-quantum transitions in a niobium/iron-pnictide loop

The recent discovery of iron-based superconductors challenges the existing paradigm of high-temperature superconductivity. Owing to their unusual multi-orbital band structure, magnetism, and electron correlation, theories propose a unique sign reversed s-wave pairing state, with the order parameter changing sign between the electron and hole Fermi pockets. However, because of the complex Fermi surface topology and material related issues, the predicted sign reversal remains unconfirmed. Here we report a novel phase-sensitive technique for probing unconventional pairing symmetry in the polycrystalline iron-pnictides. Through the observation of both integer and half-integer flux-quantum transitions in composite niobium/iron-pnictide loops, we provide the first phase-sensitive evidence of the sign change of the order parameter in NdFeAsO0.88F0.12, lending strong support for microscopic models predicting unconventional s-wave pairing symmetry. These findings have important implications on the mechanism of pnictide superconductivity, and lay the groundwork for future studies of new physics arising from the exotic order in the FeAs-based superconductors.Comment: 23 pages, including 4 figures and supplementary informatio

Electronic correlations in the iron pnictides

In correlated metals derived from Mott insulators, the motion of an electron is impeded by Coulomb repulsion due to other electrons. This phenomenon causes a substantial reduction in the electron's kinetic energy leading to remarkable experimental manifestations in optical spectroscopy. The high-Tc superconducting cuprates are perhaps the most studied examples of such correlated metals. The occurrence of high-Tc superconductivity in the iron pnictides puts a spotlight on the relevance of correlation effects in these materials. Here we present an infrared and optical study on single crystals of the iron pnictide superconductor LaFePO. We find clear evidence of electronic correlations in metallic LaFePO with the kinetic energy of the electrons reduced to half of that predicted by band theory of nearly free electrons. Hallmarks of strong electronic many-body effects reported here are important because the iron pnictides expose a new pathway towards a correlated electron state that does not explicitly involve the Mott transition.Comment: 10 page

Effects of tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette vapor exposure on the oral and gut microbiota in humans: a pilot study

Background: The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has increased drastically over the past five years, primarily as an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. However, the adverse effects of acute and long-term use of ECs on the microbiota have not been explored. In this pilot study, we sought to determine if ECs or tobacco smoking are associated with differences in the oral and gut microbiota, in comparison to non-smoking controls. Methods: We examined a human cohort consisting of 30 individuals: 10 EC users, 10 tobacco smokers, and 10 controls. We collected cross-sectional fecal, buccal swabs, and saliva samples from each participant. All samples underwent V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: Tobacco smokers had significantly different bacterial profiles in all sample types when compared to controls, and in feces and buccal swabs when compared to EC users. The most significant associations were found in the gut, with a higher relative abundance of Prevotella (P = 0.006) and lowered Bacteroides (P = 0.036) in tobacco smokers. The Shannon diversity was also significantly reduced (P = 0.009) in fecal samples collected from tobacco smokers compared to controls. No significant difference was found in the alpha diversity, beta-diversity or taxonomic relative abundances between EC users and controls. Discussion: The current pilot data demonstrate that tobacco smoking is associated with signicant differences in the oral and gut microbiome in humans. However, validation in larger cohorts and greater understanding of the short and long-term impact of EC use on microbiota composition and function is warranted

Efficiency of inefficient endoreversible thermal machines

We present a study of the performance of endoreversible thermal machines optimized with respect to the thermodynamic force associated with the cold bath in the regime of small thermodynamic forces. These thermal machines can work either as an engine or as a refrigerator. We analyze how the optimal performances are determined by the dependence of the thermodynamic flux on the forces. The results are motivated and illustrated with a quantum model, the three level maser, and explicit analytical expressions of the engine efficiency as a function of the system parameters are given

Annotations for Rule-Based Models

The chapter reviews the syntax to store machine-readable annotations and describes the mapping between rule-based modelling entities (e.g., agents and rules) and these annotations. In particular, we review an annotation framework and the associated guidelines for annotating rule-based models of molecular interactions, encoded in the commonly used Kappa and BioNetGen languages, and present prototypes that can be used to extract and query the annotations. An ontology is used to annotate models and facilitate their description