Accept it or not, most of us have a habit of scrolling through our phones or binge-watching serials right before we go to sleep. While we are aware that the blue light from gadgets can disrupt our sleep. A new study has made some shocking revelations.
The study

According to a recent study shared at the Virtual SLEEP 2020 meeting, it was found that there is a significant association between evening and late-night exposure to light from the gadgets and poor sperm quality. For the study, the effect of phone radiation on healthy male sperm and fertility was studied.

As per the World Health Organisation, the prevalence of infertility in the general population is 15 to 20 per cent, where male fertility contributes 20 to 40 per cent of this rate. In India, 23 per cent males suffer from infertility.
The data makes it the need of the hour to understand the causes behind infertility and treating them. And as per the study, the use of electronic and digital media devices can have a huge impact.

The use of smartphones, tablets after evening reduced sperm motility, sperm progressive motility and sperm concentration. It was found that the greater the exposure to the short-wavelength light (SWL) emitted from these devices, the higher was the percentage of the immotile sperm. Further, the study found that longer sleep duration is correlated with total sperm count and overall progressive motility.

In simple words, the light emitted from these gadgets can disrupt sleep and prevent sperms from reaching their destinations, thereby causing a surge in male infertility rates.

The excessive use of smartphones has made us dependent sick. The radiation can cause harm to the DNA of the person, due to which cells start losing their ability to recover on their own. These radiations when reaching to the sperm or egg cell can become a reason for abortions too.

It’s not that one should completely stop using gadgets, but they should not use it before bedtime.

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Kidney stones are mineral deposits that form in the kidneys. They can vary in size, with some being as small as a grain of sand, and others being as large as a pebble. The size of the kidney stone does not always correspond to the severity of the symptoms a person might experience.

Small kidney stones may pass through the urinary tract without causing any symptoms. However, larger stones may become stuck in the urinary tract. This is usually the point at which a person will experience the first signs and symptoms of a kidney stone.

This article outlines the early signs and symptoms of kidney stones. We also discuss the causes of kidney stones, as well as their potential complications.Early signs and symptoms

The post What symptoms do kidney stones cause? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Scientists claim to have discovered the “cause” of endometriosis – raising hopes for a cure for the agonising condition.

Researchers found a type of white blood cell, called macrophages, which has undergone changes could be the prime cause. The team, from Warwick and Edinburgh universities, ran various tests on mice and say that targeting the altered cells could be a novel treatment.

Currently, there is no cure for endometriosis – a lifelong condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, can occur at any age, but it’s most common in women in their 30s and 40s.

It can cause persistent inflammation, pain and infertility as well as agonising periods and ovulation.

Surgery can remove some of the scar tissue and lesions, while hormonal treatments can offer relief from symptoms – but can carry the risk of side effects after prolonged use.

Without a cure for a condition that affects 176 million worldwide, an alternative treatment is much needed.

Previous studies had already shown that macrophages have a central role in the development of endometriosis. The immune cells help the lesions grow and also drive the development of their blood supply.

More recent research has also revealed that macrophages help nerves grow in the lesions.

The aim of the new study, published in a recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal paper, “was to determine the mechanistic role of macrophages in producing pain associated with endometriosis.”

Senior study author Dr Erin Greaves, who holds positions at both universities, explained that conventional treatments that use hormones are “not ideal” because they target ovarian function and can trigger side effects, such as suppressing fertility.

She added: “We are trying to find non-hormonal solutions.”

The team found that “disease-modified” macrophages stimulate nerve cell growth and activity by releasing the growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).They also found that levels of IGF-1 in pelvic cavity tissue from women with endometriosis were higher than in women without the condition and were in line with their pain scores.

Further tests revealed that preventing the hormone’s activity by blocking the cell receptor for IGF-1, “reverses the pain behaviour observed in mice with endometriosis.”

Dr Greaves added: “If we can learn about the role of macrophages in endometriosis then we can distinguish them from healthy macrophages and target treatment to them.”

Symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis is where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body.

Each month, these cells react in the same way to those in the womb – building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.

That can lead to infertility, fatigue, bowel and bladder problems, as well as really heavy, painful periods.

It affects one in 10 women in the UK.

Symptoms include;

• Painful, heavy, or irregular periods
• Pain during or after sex
• Chronic pain
• Infertility
• Painful bowel movements
• Fatigue

The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.According to Endometriosis UK, it takes over seven years on average for women to finally receive a diagnosis.It’s estimated that up to 50 per cent of infertile women have the condition.

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