Culture and Sensitivity - Anal Swab Tips

Sex education in Indian schools has always been a subject of controversy. In India, sex education is only a part of the curriculum and the implementation is still a distant thought. Not many schools in India understand the importance of sex education and still consider it as a taboo. It is important that people break this mental block and talk about the importance of sex education in today’s world.

Why is sex education important?
The kids in their teens can be highly unpredictable, they love to experiment and take the risk which makes them more vulnerable to making mistakes. Sex education can help them in developing a sense of responsibility and also expose the youngsters to their body images, intimacy, sexual expression, gender identity, marriage relationship and family responsibility. This, in turn, will help them make an informed decision later in life.

Why is sex education in India considered a sensitive problem?
Our nation is a coalesce of different cultures, languages, religions, food and several such factors. The sheer diversity of Indian culture that is spread across the geographical extent of the nation is itself a threat of its own. And as the topic is quite sensitive, every single geographical boundary should take sincere steps for improving the value system.

Contrary to popular misconception, sex education is not really limited to sex or birth control. In fact, it is the most crucial education to be imparted to an individual who is entering into his or her teens. It is important to address the potential confusion that is bound to be related to the psychological and physiological alterations which start setting in during the adolescent years.

Tips to impart sex education to youngsters:

1. It should be made mandatory in both Government and Private schools and cover all aspects of sex education.
2. The study material should deal with risky behaviors among teens that includes physical abuse, sexual abuse leading to early and unwanted pregnancies, forced sex and indulgence in pornography.
3. The curriculum should cover unethical aspects of such risky behavior.
4. The education will provide necessary knowledge of methods of contraception and how they are important.
5. A huge section of the population in India fall below the poverty line and do not have access to schools. In such cases, alternative methods of education such as health camps and film screenings can help.
6. Proper sex education can help them understand the importance of personal hygiene which is a great cause of concern in India.
7. Teachers and parents should take the responsibility of educating the youngsters about the different aspects of sex as proper information is the best way to put their inquisitive thoughts to rest.
8. Prejudice and biases prevent one from understanding the importance of sex education. Every youth must undertake this venture as a responsibility and not just as curriculum.

Sex education is a critical but sensitive aspect of education where the content of this type of curriculum requires to take into account the various cultural, regional and religious sentiment within the framework of the law and constitution. Sex education is taken as a serious subject in many countries and it is important for our country as well to take steps in improving the perception of this taboo subject. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

UTI, as urinary tract infections are often referred to, is one of the most common infections. In women, especially, every 1 in 2 women is affected by a UTI. The urinary tract starts from the kidneys to the urethra where urine is passed out. Given the rich concentration of minerals and toxic wastes, it is highly prone to multiple infections. Whichever part of the tract is affected, the symptoms and treatment are mostly the same.

Read on to know some of the most common symptoms and treatment options for these.

Symptoms-

1. A burning sensation with urination
2. Pain with urination
3. Burning sensation or pain in the urethra or vagina
4. Frequent urge to urinate, though not much urine is passed out
5. The sense of incomplete emptying of the bladder
6. Pain in the lower back on the sides of the spine
7. Change in the urine characteristics color, smell, or appearance

Causes-

Most urinary tract infections are bacterial in nature, and these could find their way into the body in multiple ways. The most common is through the urethra, which could happen due to unclean toilet habits.
Women especially are advised to wipe the urethra after each toilet visit. The bacteria from the feces can also enter the urethra due to close proximity. Use of unclean public toilets is another reason for UTIs

Treatment:-

UTIs are very common infections and though there is nothing to worry, it should be cleared completely.

1. Antibiotic course to get rid of the infection. Though you begin to feel better, the complete course should be completed to clear the infection.
2. Following culture, testing to ensure the infection is cleared
3. Improve water intake to get rid of the toxins
4. Fever and pain to be controlled with medications
5. Healthy hygiene habits to ensure clearing of infection

Follow up is needed with the Physician or the Nephrologist while having medication or there are chances of recurrent UTI.  The treatment for recurrent UTI can go for more than 3-8 weeks.

Prevention:-

Recurrent UTIs is a common problem, and the following can help prevent.

1. Ensure complete emptying of the bladder
2. Drink adequate water
3. Safe toilet habits, including before and after sex
4. Comfortable and clean underwear to prevent infection 

Colitis is characterized by an inflammation of the large intestine (colon). It is generally caused due to the reduced blood supply, autoimmune reactions (wherein the immune system erroneously starts attacking the body’s healthy tissues) and infections in the large intestine.

Symptoms of colitis

1. Presence of blood traces in the stool.
2. Tenesmus (constant urge to empty the bowels) is also quite common
3. Occurrence of abdominal pain in regular intervals, thus resulting in diarrhea
4. Constant abdominal pain
5. Fever and sudden chills throughout the day

Types of colitis

1. Inflammatory bowel disease: This condition is characterized by inflammation of the intestines or all the parts of one’s digestive tract
2. Microscopic colitis: This involves inflammation of the large intestine (colon), resulting in a cramping sensation that can be painful
3. Chemical colitis:  This condition is caused due to prolonged exposure to certain harsh chemicals which results in intestinal swelling and inflammation
4. Ischemic colitis: The most common form of colitis, this occurs mainly due to an insufficient blood supply to the large intestine

Diagnosis of colitis

1. Stool - Routine and microscopy 
2. Stools - Culture & sensitivity 
3. Sigmodoscopy or Colonoscopy 
4. CT scan - Abdomen

Treatment for colitis

1. Medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be recommended to ease the pain
2. The drug ‘Loperamide’ can control diarrhea. However, this should not be consumed if there is presence of blood in the stool
3. Colitis reduces your appetite. Thus, it is important to maintain a healthy diet in this regard. Avoid consuming dairy products or high fiber foods because they further inflame the large intestine.
4. Colectomy (surgically removing a part of the whole of the colon) is recommended in the most severe of cases.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

UTI, as urinary tract infections are often referred to, is one of the most common infections. In women, especially, every 1 in 2 women is affected by an UTI. The urinary tract starts from the kidneys to the urethra where urine is passed out. Given the rich concentration of minerals and toxic wastes, it is highly prone to multiple infections. Whichever part of the tract is affected, the symptoms and treatment are mostly the same.

Read on to know some of the most common symptoms and treatment options for these.

Symptoms

1. A burning sensation with urination
2. Pain with urination
3. Burning sensation or pain in the urethra or vagina
4. Frequent urge to urinate, though not much urine is passed out
5. Sense of incomplete emptying of the bladder
6. Pain in the lower back on the sides of the spine
7. Change in the urine characteristics color, smell, or appearance

Causes

Most urinary tract infections are bacterial in nature, and these could find their way into the body through multiple ways. The most common is through the urethra, which could happen due to unclean toilet habits.
Women especially are advised to wipe the urethra after each toilet visit. The bacteria from the feces can also enter the urethra due to close proximity. Use of unclean public toilets is another reason for UTIs

Treatment:

UTIs are very common infections and though there is nothing to worry, it should be cleared completely.

1. Antibiotic course to get rid of the infection. Though you begin to feel better, the complete course should be completed to clear the infection.
2. Following culture testing to ensure the infection is cleared
3. Improve water intake to get rid of the toxins
4. Fever and pain to be controlled with medications
5. Healthy hygiene habits to ensure clearing of infection

Follow up is needed with the Physician or the Nephrologist while having medication or there are chances of recurrent UTI.  The treatment for recurrent UTI can go for more than 3-8 weeks.

Prevention:

Recurrent UTIs is a common problem, and the following can help prevent.

1. Ensure complete emptying of the bladder
2. Drink adequate water
3. Safe toilet habits, including before and after sex
4. Comfortable and clean underwear to prevent infection. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can ask a free question.

Acute pyelonephritis is a suppurative inflammation of the renal parenchyma and the renal pelvis. It is a potentially life threatening condition caused by bacterial infection. It can occur suddenly and causes the kidneys to swell, which may damage them permanently too. If the condition occurs repeatedly, it is termed as chronic pyelonephritis.

The most common bacteria involved in causing pyelonephritis is Escherichia coli. Other causative bacteria are Klebsiella and Pseudomonas. Infection starts in the lower urinary tract as a urinary tract infection. Urethra provides an entry for the bacteria, which enter the tract and begin to multiply and spread up to the bladder. They further travel through the ureters to the kidneys. Any septic infection in the bloodstream can also spread to the kidneys and cause acute pyelonephritis.

How it spreads - Pyelonephritis spreads through two routes, homogenous or from the lower ascending tract (ascending infection).
Risk factors -  Urinary obstruction, vesicoureteral reflex, catheterization, pregnancy, Diabetes Mellitus, age over 65.

Symptoms - The symptoms are observed within two days of infection. Common symptoms include:

• High fever of a temperature greater than 102 degree F
• Pain in the pelvic region
• Burning sensation during urination
• Flank pain
• Malaise
• Presence of pus discharge or blood in the urine, fishy odor in urine and vomiting.

The symptoms observed can vary in children and older adults than they are in other people. Mental confusion is common in older adults and it often is their only symptom. In chronic pyelonephritis, people experience only mild symptoms or may even lack noticeable symptoms altogether, which is the major reason of negligence by the patient towards treatment. Flank pain in the abdomen and signs of infection can be observed.

Diagnosis - Uncentrifused urine is analyzed for the presence of pus cells. The leucocyte esterase dipstick method is used to check for Pyuria. However, it is less sensitive than microscopy. In the urine culture, significant bacteriuria is detected on presence of more than 105 colonies/ml of the sample. Imaging studies can be done to check for the presence of kidney stones. Amongst the inflammatory markers, the values of C-reactive protein (CRP), ESR, and plasma viscosity may be raised. An elevated white cell count with neutrophilia is seen on blood culture.

Complications - Abscess formation in either the kidney parenchyma or the surrounding retroperitoneal spaces is a common complication. Other complications include the development of a xantho-granulomatous or emphysematous pyelonephritis. In severe cases, there can be chronic renal failure too.

Treatment - The duration of treatment depends on spread of infection. Empirical antibiotic treatment can be started until the confirmatory tests reports of culture and sensitivity are observed. Antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin, Amoxicillin, Cefixime can be given. Medications for acute pyelonephritis are continued for up to 3 weeks, whereas for chronic conditions medicines should be given for 6 months.

Chronic pyelonephritis - It is a morphologic entity which is associated with a predominant interstitial inflammation and scarring of the renal parenchyma. There is a grossly visible scarring and deformation of the pelvic-calyceal system. Chronic pyelonephritis further leads to chronic renal failure.

The two forms of chronic pyelo-nephritis are

• Chronic obstructive pyelonephritis, where obstructive lesions lead to recurrent bouts of renal inflammation
• Reflux nephropathy.

Management includes controlling blood pressure to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, long term antibiotic coverage for urinary tract infection, removal of calculi and antibiotic prophylaxis for vesico-ureteral reflex.

Antrior most transparent layer of the eye is called cornea. It is an extremely useful layer for refraction and protection of eye.

Any trauma, foreign body or chemical etc can invade the integrity of this layer and can be invaded by bacteria, fungus or virus, resulting in the corneal ulcer. Sometimes, due to hypoxia induced by contact lenses too can result in a corneal ulcer.

Depending on clinical presentation, a doctor diagnoses the cause of the ulcer and start the therapy. Since the transparency of cornea is very important, a doctor starts very intensive therapy. With repeated frequent checkups if a proper and intensive therapy is not given, the ulcer can progress and can cause collection of pus in the anterior chamber which if not attended properly, can cause the infection to travel into the interior of the eyeball (vitreous chamber) resulting in total blindness. The ulcer can become deeper and lead to perforation of the cornea, causing severe damage to the eye and may require removal of pus (evisceration) or total removal of the eye ball.

• Generally, fungal ulcers are more dangerous and occur mostly in rainy season.
• It is imperative that a case of corneal ulcer is diagnosed promptly and very intensive treatment proper treatment is given to save the disfigurement of the eye and total irreparable blindness.
• At times we have not only to give topical drops but oral therapy has to be given. Injections in the eye have to be given. Culture sensitivity has to be done in severe cases to identify the causative organism.
• In extremely severe cases, we have to perform, therapeutic keratoplasty.

Conclusion: Corneal Ulcer is a serious challenging problem with the potentiality to cause total and irreparable blindness and must be attended promptly by a very expert ophthalmologist to save the eye.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Antrior most transparent layer of the eye is called cornea. It is an extremely useful layer for refraction and protection of eye. Any trauma, foreign body or chemical etc can invade the integrity of this layer and can be invaded by bacteria, fungus or virus, resulting in the corneal ulcer. Sometimes, due to hypoxia induced by contact lenses too can result in a corneal ulcer.

Depending on clinical presentation, a doctor diagnoses the cause of the ulcer and start the therapy. Since the transparency of cornea is very important, a doctor starts very intensive therapy. With repeated frequent checkups if a proper and intensive therapy is not given, the ulcer can progress and can cause collection of pus in the anterior chamber which if not attended properly, can cause the infection to travel into the interior of the eyeball (vitreous chamber) resulting in total blindness. The ulcer can become deeper and lead to perforation of the cornea, causing severe damage to the eye and may require removal of pus (evisceration) or total removal of the eye ball.

• It is imperative that a case of corneal ulcer is diagnosed promptly and very intensive treatment proper treatment is given to save the disfigurement of the eye and total irreparable blindness.
• At times we have not only to give topical drops but oral therapy has to be given. Injections in the eye have to be given. Culture sensitivity has to be done in severe cases to identify the causative organism.
• In extremely severe cases, we have to perform, therapeutic keratoplasty.

Conclusion: Corneal Ulcer is a serious challenging problem with the potentiality to cause total and irreparable blindness and must be attended promptly by a very expert ophthalmologist to save the eye. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Anterior most transparent layer of the eye is called cornea. It is an extremely useful layer for refraction and protection of the eye.

Any trauma, foreign body or chemical etc can invade the integrity of this layer and can be invaded by bacteria, fungus or virus, resulting in the corneal ulcer. Sometimes, due to hypoxia induced by contact lenses too can result in a corneal ulcer.

Depending on the clinical presentation, a doctor diagnoses the cause of the ulcer and start the therapy. Since the transparency of the cornea is very important, a doctor starts very intensive therapy. With repeated frequent checkups if proper and intensive therapy is not given, the ulcer can progress and can cause collection of pus in the anterior chamber which if not attended properly, can cause the infection to travel into the interior of the eyeball (vitreous chamber) resulting in total blindness. The ulcer can become deeper and lead to perforation of the cornea, causing severe damage to the eye and may require removal of pus (evisceration) or total removal of the eye ball.

Generally, fungal ulcers are more dangerous and occur mostly in the rainy season.

It is imperative that a case of a corneal ulcer is diagnosed promptly and very intensive proper treatment is given to save the disfigurement of the eye and total irreparable blindness.

At times we have not only to give topical drops but oral therapy has to be given. Injections in the eye have to be given. Culture sensitivity has to be done in severe cases to identify the causative organism.

In extremely severe cases, we have to perform, therapeutic keratoplasty.

Conclusion: Corneal Ulcer is a serious challenging problem with the potentiality to cause total and irreparable blindness and must be attended promptly by a very expert ophthalmologist to save the eye.

Antrior most transparent layer of the eye is called cornea. It is an extremely useful layer for refraction and protection of eye.

Any trauma, foreign body or chemical etc can invade the integrity of this layer and can be invaded by bacteria, fungus or virus, resulting in the corneal ulcer. Sometimes, due to hypoxia induced by contact lenses too can result in a corneal ulcer.

Depending on clinical presentation, a doctor diagnoses the cause of the ulcer and start the therapy. Since the transparency of cornea is very important, a doctor starts very intensive therapy. With repeated frequent checkups if a proper and intensive therapy is not given, the ulcer can progress and can cause collection of pus in the anterior chamber which if not attended properly, can cause the infection to travel into the interior of the eyeball (vitreous chamber) resulting in total blindness. The ulcer can become deeper and lead to perforation of the cornea, causing severe damage to the eye and may require removal of pus (evisceration) or total removal of the eye ball.

Generally, fungal ulcers are more dangerous and occur mostly in rainy season.