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ECOSOC's Agenda Should Include Noncommunicable Disease Threat In Developing Countries
"[E]xplicit indicators to measure progress in reducing heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases" are missing from the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) agenda as it meets in Geneva this week "to focus on implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to public health," and the "omission needs to be urgently addressed if the intent is to have a major impact on reducing poverty by 2015," Ala Alwan, WHO"s assistant director-general for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health; George Alleyne, PAHO"s director emeritus; and Martin Silink, president of the International Diabetes Federation write in an opinion piece in the Hindu.

MS Society Commends Federal Government's Research Investment In Neurological Diseases
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada praised the government"s announcement of $15 million to study the impact of a wide variety of neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis.
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New Service Will Relieve Pressure On GPs And NHS, UK
A new self-care service which will give people with pandemic swine flu symptoms fast access to antivirals was launched today by Health Secretary Andy Burnham.
Mental Health

Zinc Levels In Seminal Plasma Are Associated With Sperm Quality In Fertile And Infertile Men

UroToday.com - Insufficient intake of zinc (Zn) can impair antioxidant defenses and may be an important risk factor in oxidant release, compromising the mechanism of DNA repair, and making the sperm cell highly susceptible to oxidative damage. In the absence of Zn, the possibility of increased oxidative damage exists that would contribute to poor sperm quality. Infertile men and men who smoke are very susceptible to oxidative damage induced by free radicals. In the present study, we hypothesized that major changes in the level of seminal Zn levels are related with low quality of sperm and poor fertilizing capacity. Semen samples were collected from fertile (smoker [n = 17], nonsmoker [n = 19]) and infertile men (smoker [n = 15], nonsmoker [n = 21]). After collection, semen specimens were allowed to liquefy at room temperature for 30 minutes and used for parameters analysis. On microscopic examination, sperm count, percentage of motile sperm, and sperm with normal morphology were objectively evaluated. Semen samples were centrifuged at 600g for 10 minutes. After centrifugation, supernatants were diluted 10-fold by deionized water. Levels of Zn were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Fertile groups (smokers or nonsmokers) demonstrated significantly higher Zn levels in their seminal plasma than any infertile groups (pUroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice. To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday, go to: www.urotoday.com Copyright © 2009 - UroToday


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