BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vaginal yeast infections in women are usually caused by Candida albicans and, to a lesser extent, by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Studies on C. albicans have shown that it can cause sperm agglutination which can lead to lowered fertility. This study was conducted to compare the effect of S. cerevisiae and C. albicans on the fertility of ICR mouse (Mus musculus) through sperm agglutination.

METHODOLOGY: Sperm agglutinating activity was examined by mixing different concentrations of S. cerevisiae (10, 10°, and 10 CFU/mL) and C. albicans (10", 10°, and 10 CFU/mL) separately with semen from male mice of ICR strain. Determination of the effect of S. cerevisiae and C. albicans on the fertility outcome of female mice was done by intravaginal inoculation of 20 uL of 104, 106, and 108 CFU/ml of the two yeast organisms and later allowed to mate.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The study showed a statistically significantly higher percent sperm agglutination by S. cerevisiae than C. albicans at 10* CFU/ml but no difference was observed at 10° and 10 CFU/ml. No significant difference was observed in the number of sperm per agglutinate between the two yeast species at a=0.05. The concentration that exhibited the highest percentage of agglutinated sperm is 10° CFU/mL for both yeast. The most frequent type of agglutination observed in S. cerevisiae is the mixed type, while head-to-head type is most frequent in C. albicans. Both yeasts were able to cause a decline in the number of births in mice starting at 10 CFU/ml. While sperm agglutination could be one of the reasons for the infertility observed in mice, there may be other processes, mechanisms, and/or activities that could contribute to such an outcome.

Sperm Agglutination ; Candida Albicans ; Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

The increase in demand for a more comprehensive care for the elderly in the Philippines raises the importance of sufficient number of adequately trained medical professionals in geriatric care. This study aimed to determine and compare the knowledge, attitude, and willingness to consider a career in geriatric medicine of fourth year medical students and postgraduate interns in a tertiary hospital in Manila.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 105 fourth year medical students and 81 postgraduate interns using a self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Facts on Aging Quiz 2015, UCLA Geriatric Attitude Scale, and a section exploring the willingness of students to consider a career in geriatric medicine and their reasons. Knowledge scores, attitude scores and prevalence of those willing to consider geriatric medicine as a career were analyzed using Student T-test, Mann Whitney U test, and Chi-square test, respectively.

RESULTS

The mean knowledge scores of fourth year medical students and postgraduate interns were 31.15 (60.30%) and 30.98 (61.95%), respectively. Median attitude score of both groups was 3.79. Among students, 58.10% are willing to consider geriatric medicine as a career, while 50.62% among interns. Both groups had adequate level of knowledge and positive attitude. However, no statistical significance was found between their knowledge scores (p=0.72), attitude scores (p=0.61) and prevalence of willingness (p=0.31). The main reason of participants in having interest in geriatric medicine was their social and personal responsibilities towards the elderly, while difficulty in handling patients was the top reason for not considering the field.

CONCLUSION

Continuously developing the Philippine geriatric medicine education and curriculum will assist in enhancing the knowledge and improving the positive attitudes of trainees. This will later translate in better care for the elderly.

Human ; Knowledge ; Attitude