Anti-endometriotic Effects of the Mixture of Erigeron floribundus (Asteraceae) and Tragia benthamii (Euphorbiaceae) Extracts in Peritoneal Endometriosis in Wistar Rats

Endometriosis is a frequent pathology in gynecology. This study was aimed at investigating the curative effects of the mixture of Erigeron floribundus and Tragia benthamii aqueous extracts on experimental endometriosis in rat. Twenty endometriosic rats were randomly distributed into four groups of five animals each and orally treated during four weeks with either distilled water (10 ml/kg), raloxifene hydrochloride (10 mg/kg) or aqueous extract of plant mixture (130 or 260 mg/kg). Vaginal smear was daily checked throughout the experiments and, blood and sexual organs were collected after sacrifice. Body and sexual organ weights, sexual hormones, prostaglandin E2, oxidative stress markers and uterine histology were measured. Results showed a disrupted estrus cycle, an increase in MDA concentration, implant weight and implantation surface in the untreated endometriosic rats. On the contrary, in the plant extracts-treated endometriosic animals and raloxifene, the estrus stage frequency was increased while the endometriosis lesions were significantly (p<0.001) regressed. Plant extracts also decreased the level of estradiol, progesterone, MDA and catalase, and increased the activities of SOD and peroxidase compared to the untreated rats. Prostaglandin E2 concentration and the uterine architecture remained statistically unchanged after treatments. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of the mixture of E. floribundus and T. benthamii alleviates the endometriosic alterations in rats

Semen quality among men attending urology services in the Dschang Health District, west Cameroon: A retrospective study on 379 cases

Background: Infertility is a common condition affecting at least 15% of couples worldwide, and male factors are involved in about half of this prevalence rate. In Cameroon, about 20%-40% of couples are the victims. However, the sperm characteristics of infertile men are yet to be described in the health districts in Cameroon for better management of male infertility. Objective: The present study was designed to assess the sperm profile and related sociodemographic factors of men attending the urology services at the Dschang Health District. Materials and Methods: It consisted of a 10 yr retrospective study carried out in the Dschang Health District. The results of patients’ semen analysis (SA) were computed using Epi Info software and expressed as qualitative and quantitative spermogram state as described by the clinician and sociodemographic features of those patients. Results: Out of the 379 patients studied, 83.91% had abnormal spermogram. Patients older than 50 yr were the most affected when grouped into age categories. With regard to patient’s profession, 52.51% had specified their profession and from that group, although farmers (9.31%) represented the lowest size category, they were the most affected with 94.74% having abnormal spermogram. Conclusion: This study indicates that the sperm damage is the major cause of male infertility in the Dschang Health District. It also shows that farmers are the most affected category and it could be linked to the long-term exposure to pesticides. These results call for the assessment of the reproductive toxicity of locally used pesticides. Key words: Sperm damage, Male infertility, Semen analysis, Dschang Health District

Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Approaches of Cryptorchidism at the Panzi General Hospital, DR Congo: A 5-year Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Cryptorchidism is a common congenital malformation characterized by unilateral or bilateral undescended testis in the scrotum. It is a common disease in pediatric urology although the prevalence is yet to be determined in the East DR Congo. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence, clinical and therapeutic features of cryptorchidism at the Panzi General Hospital.METHODS: Medical records of patients who underwent pediatric surgery between January 2011 and December 2016 were reviewed. The prevalence of cryptorchidism, associated malformations, sociodemographic features of patients and therapeutic protocols were examined. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS software.RESULTS: A total of 5066 children were received during the study period in the service, of which 76 suffered from cryptorchidism giving a prevalence of 1.50% and an annual incidence of 12.70. Unilateral cases were found in 53(69.74%) patients among which 66.04% and 33.96% had unilateral right and left cryptorchidism respectively. Cryptorchidism was associated with other malformations in 71.1% of patients. The age of patients ranged from 0 to 15 years and 78.9% were older than two years. Surgery was the only therapeutic approach and fixation of cryptorchid testis in dartos through inguinal incision was the preferred therapeutic used method.CONCLUSION: This study indicates that cryptorchidism is a relatively common and neglected disease in the Est-DR Congo, due to late consultation. Therefore, the local population and pediatricians should be sensitized on scrotal palpation techniques in order to shorten the consultation delay and prevent testis damages

Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal: A Community-Based Study in the Menoua Division in Cameroon

COVID-19, which was named in March 2020 as a global pandemic by the WHO, remains a serious public health threat worldwide. Despite the adoption of vaccines as an effective strategy to counter this pandemic, the vaccination rate in Cameroon is far lower than that planned by the Cameroonian government and its partners. The main objective of this study was to determine the factors limiting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the Menoua Division in the West Region of Cameroon. A community-based cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted between March and April 2022 in the Menoua Division. A pre-tested questionnaire was filled out by willing participants of more than 18 years old, and data were further expressed in order to estimate the knowledge of participants on COVID-19, vaccine status, and the factors associated with vaccine refusal. A Pearson test was performed in order to identify the associated factors, with a p-value p < 0.05) with gender and education level. The vaccination rate was 10%, which was six times less than the national target. A lack of information, confidence, and medicinal plant use were all factors significantly associated with vaccine refusal. This pioneer community-based study in Cameroon identified a lack of knowledge, confidence, and medicinal plant use as the leading factors limiting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Cameroon. Health authorities should therefore strengthen sensitization in order to tackle the lack of information and the misinformation among the target groups

Lannea acida improves the emission phase of ejaculation of mature male rat: effects on vas deferens and seminal vesicles

Objective: The barks of Lannea acida (L. acida) are used in traditional medicine as aphrodisiac. This work was undertaken to evaluate the effects of L. acida on vas deferens contractility (in vitro test) and seminal vesicles pressure (ex-copula test) of mature rat.Methods: For the in vitro test, rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the vas deferens removed and mounted in an isolated organ bath containing aerated physiological Krebs solution for the recording of the effects of aqueous extract of L. acida (0.91-14.54 mg/ml) and KCl (13.25-106 mg/ml). For the ex-copula test, the seminal vesicles pressure of urethane-anesthetized rats was measured after urethral and tactile stimulations, intravenous administration of NaCl 0.9% (1 ml/kg), dopamine (5 mg/kg) or plant extract (5-40 mg/kg).Results: Similar to KCl (13.25-106 mg/ml), the aqueous extract of L. acida concentration-dependently contracted the vas deferens. Furthermore, urethral and tactile stimulations as well as intravenous administration of dopamine or plant extract induced contractions of the seminal vesicles characterized by an increase of the pressure. This increase induced by the plant extract was dose-dependent with significant effects obtained at doses 20 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg.Conclusion: These results show that L. acida improves the emissive phase of ejaculation through contraction of vas deferens and seminal vesicle smooth muscles.Keywords: Lannea acida, emission phase of ejaculation, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, ra