International Journal of Medical Reviews
Year:2021 | Volume:8 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

COVID-19 which was at first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 has rapidly spread around the universe, and has caused serious public health issues.

Introduction: There have been several policies backed up by improved national legislations designed to promote exclusive breastfeeding in the country, however the practice is still low and is actually declining. Therefore, there is a need to synthesize the barriers to this practice in order to serve as a resource for reviewing and strengthening the existing policies. The aim of this study was to review and synthesize the barriers to exclusive breastfeeding practice among rural and urban mothers in Nigeria. Methods: Databases such as PubMed and African Journal Online were searched with keywords and synonyms related to the topic. Similar concepts were thereafter organized into themes through reciprocal translations followed by reading and interpretations. Results: The key barriers to exclusive breastfeeding reported in the study include wrong perceptions and practices, low parental socio-economic status and poor spousal support. The identified gaps in the existing knowledge were inadequate support for less reported breastfeeding problems such as sore nipples, inadequate lactation rooms and creches in public and private workplaces, and inadequate enlightenment campaigns about exclusive breastfeeding practice in the country. Conclusion: This study has reviewed and synthesized the barriers to exclusive breastfeeding among rural and urban mothers across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Consequently, it advocates, among other recommendations, for the full implementation of the National Policy on Food and Nutrition and improvement in the quality of services rendered in the antenatal and postnatal clinics across the country through regular training of health workers. Finally, it encourages the funding of studies into complaints of fatigue in the course of adopting exclusive breastfeeding.

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) damages the immune system and interferes with the body’, s ability to fight infections and it is caused by a retrovirus named Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The patients with HIV/AIDS are currently managed with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) or a combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) which includes Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), Protease Inhibitors (PIs), Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs), Fusion Inhibitors (FIs) and Chemokine Receptor antagonists (CCR5 antagonists). The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested systematically testing ethnomedicines against HIV to find more options for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. This review focuses on the potentials of N. sativa in the management of HIV/AIDS. The antiviral potentials of N. sativa have been observed in many in-vivo and in-vitro studies while previous studies have confirmed the immunomodulatory effects of N. sativa. Above all, various pilot studies and case reports have demonstrated that the administration of N. sativa produced complete seroreversion of viral load in many HIV/AIDS patients, miraculously. Hence, N. sativa could be used alone or in combination with HAART therapy to cure the patients with HIV/AIDS.

COVID19 is an infectious disease transmitted by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, whose outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020. To date, on November 17, 2020, 55, 243, 538 confirmed cases had been reported worldwide. Epidemiological studies in different countries have shown higher morbidity and mortality in male than in female patients. The relationship between the COVID-19 disease and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system has also been documented. The SARS-CoV-2 enters cells through a receptor called angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) and a serine protease (TMPRSS2), both widely expressed in the body, including the testes. ACE2 belongs to the RAA system, which is also expressed in the male reproductive system, and its absence causes infertility. Moreover, ADAM17 is a metalloprotease responsible for inflammation and spermatogenesis and is activated by SARS-CoV-ECA2. Knowledge about the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection on male reproduction, as well as the possibility of sexual transmission, is still limited. This review summarizes the available evidence to analyze the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on male reproduction and its possible sexual transmission. The reproductive consequences caused by COVID-19 are currently unknown. Although most studies have shown the absence of SARS-COV-2 in the semen and prostate secretion, there is evidence of testicular tissue alteration accompanied by inflammatory infiltration in viral orchitis. These results suggest that there may be a deterioration in the testicular function that could lead to infertility. Also, more studies are needed to assess the risk of sexual transmission.

In recent months, a sudden pandemic of Covid-19 has led to high mortality throughout the world. The contagiousness and lethality of the disease, as well as the lack of confidence in a vaccine or drug to control or treat it, have necessitated fundamental changes in lifestyle, especially in people's careers. As the severity of this disease is directly related to the rate of loading and exposure to the virus, orthopedic surgeons need to maintain their own health, other staff’, s health and even orthopedic patients while properly managing orthopedic patients, especially emergency patients. The possibility of infection with this virus due to symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers should be considered as a potential risk of conventional orthopedic treatments such as prescribing analgesics and injections and surgeries and their possible effect on the exacerbation of Covid-19.

A variety of Candida spp. as the most common fungus in the human body can normally be found in the vagina competing with other microbotes. Its presence is affected by variable conditions in the vaginal environment. The proliferation of Candida spp. in the vagina under specific conditions can result in a fungal disease known as vaginal candidiasis. More than 17 species of Candida out of 200 members of this genus are capable of causing diseases within the human body. Estrogen, along with other steroidal hormones, has been shown to have direct multifunctional effects on various pathogenic microorganisms by numerous activities. Its production and other factors such as disturbance of microbial balance and immune activity may alter the vaginal physical environment and promote the development of vaginal fungal infection. The vaginal functions can be affected by the level of circulation of estrogens in the blood according to the stage of the menstrual cycle in women. It also has many other functional actions on the vaginal structure. Estrogen and several other factors play an important role in determining the vaginal content of Candida species. Its effect could be a direct action on the cells of Candida or through an indirect effect on the immunity defenses of the vagina.

Introduction: The usage of modeling methods has been proposed to achieve a better understanding of biological systems, so that some ambiguities about their function could be resolved. Accordingly, the present review was performed to model the electromyogram signal of stimulated biceps brachii muscle. Methods: In this review study, a search was performed in databases of Emerald, Cochrane Library, MEEDLINE, EMBASE, Wiley, Scopus, and Magiran on papers published over the past 20 years. Papers that fulfilled all inclusion criteria were critically appraised in order to assess their quality. Out of the 66 papers extracted, eight original papers were included. The findings obtained from the papers were noted, and then underwent content analysis and categorization. Results: Findings indicated that most of the performed studies had been modeled using cybernetic, robotic, regression, and neural network modeling methods. These physiological mathematical models model the physiological structure of the muscle based on a direct description of biomechanical, biological, and physiological characteristics of the system individually, which is difficult for obtaining many parameters. Conclusion: Most of the models presented so far do not match reality and have errors. Thus, studies are required to design a model similar to a biological system with the properties of biological systems in order to reduce the modeling error.