Fertilization and reproduction are central to the survival and propagation of a species. Couples who cannot reproduce naturally have to undergo in vitro clinical procedures. An integral part of these clinical procedures includes isolation of healthy sperm from raw semen. Existing sperm sorting methods are not efficient and isolate sperm having high DNA fragmentation and reactive oxygen species ...

The husbands of 68 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier-state wives were tested for the presence of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) and antigen (HBsAg) to assess possible transmission of HBsAg. Eight (11.8%) of the 68 husbands gave negative results for HBsAg and 22 (32.4%) positive results for HBsAb. Furthermore, eight (26.7%) of 30 husbands with presumed HBsAg transmission from the...

Recently, the number of human Q fever cases in the Netherlands increased dramatically. In response to this increase, dairy goats and dairy sheep were vaccinated against Coxiella burnetii. All pregnant dairy goats and dairy sheep in herds positive for Q fever were culled. We identified the effect of vaccination on bacterial shedding by small ruminants. On the day of culling, samples of uterine f...

Animal losses due to abortion and weak offspring during a lambing period amounted up to 25% in a goat flock and up to 18% in a sheep flock kept at an experimental station on the Swabian Alb, Germany. Fifteen out of 23 employees and residents on the farm tested positive for Coxiella burnetii antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Ninety-fou...

Mucus is a critical part of the human body’s immune system that traps and carries away various particulates such as anthropogenic pollutants, pollen, viruses, etc. Various synthetic hydrogels have been developed to mimic mucus, using different polymers their backbones. Common these simulants three-dimensional gel network physically crosslinked capable loosely entrapping water within. Two challe...

OBJECTIVE To describe the effects of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) on the fertility, parity and sexual activity as well as investigating the aetiopathology of dyspareunia in female patients. METHODS Fifty one female patients with primary SS (pSS) and 57 healthy controls were interviewed concerning their past gynaecological, obstetric and sexual history and underwent a complete gynaecological examin...

We investigated the relationship between the persistence of uterine bacterial infections with cytologically determined endometritis and ovarian function in 65 postpartum Holstein cows. Vaginal mucus discharges were collected, and endometrial smear samples (n = 130) were collected for cytological and bacteriological examinations from the cows at weeks 5 and 7 postpartum (pp). Blood samples were ...

hospital Medical Officers and others, they being the result of a careful study of these cases during the nine months that I have been in charge of a Cantonment hospital. As regards the difficulty in diagnosis, I need not discuss here the obvious case with a purulent discharge showing in the vagina ; these, if comparatively rare, are easy of diagnosis; it is the case with a somewhat reddened vul...