bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Management of carcinoma‐in‐situ of the testis
Authors: MAASE H. VON DER , GIWERCMAN A. , MÜLLER J. , SKAKKEBÆK N. E. 
Published: May 2008

Carcinoma‐in‐situ (CIS) of the testis progresses to invasive cancer within 5 years in 50% of cases, and therefore requires therapeutic intervention. CIS is probably eradicated by intensive cancer chemotherapy but this is too toxic for the management of non‐invasive disease. Eight patients with unilateral testicular cancer and contralateral CIS received localized irradiation (20 Gy in ten fractions of 2 Gy) to the remaining testis: after 3 months the CIS cells had disappeared and ‘Sertoli‐cell‐only’ tubules were found. LH and FSH levels were elevated but testosterone levels remained fairly constant. Localized irradiation should be considered as the treatment of CIS in the contralateral testis of testicular tumour patients unless chemotherapy is indicated for the primary tumour.Unilateral orchidectomy is recommended for unilateral CIS associated with infertility or testicular maldescent. Localized testicular irradiation should now be considered for bilateral disease. Patients with the androgen insensitivity syndrome should normally be treated with bilateral orchidectomy, but irradiation may be useful in selected cases.
Concentrations of calmodulin in sperm in relation to their motility in fertile euspermic and infertile asthenozoospermic men
Authors: REYES A. , MARTÍNEZ R. , LUNA MARICELA , CHAVARRÍA MARÍA EUGENIA 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe relationship between calmodulin and sperm motility was assessed in euspermic and asthenozoospermic men using radioimmunoassay and time‐lapse photography, respectively. There was a significant decrease in the% sperm motility, mean sperm velocity, motility index and% of progressively motile sperm in the asthenozoospermic group when compared with euspermic men. The former also exhibited a higher% of sperm with erratic or circular motility. Calmodulin concentration in sperm from the asthenozoospermic men was 4.8 ± 1.4 μg/mg protein compared with 12.6 ±2.3 in euspermic men (P < 0.0005). The differences observed in sperm motility characteristics between the two groups may, thus, be due to the observed differences in the concentration of calmodulin.
TEST‐egg yolk buffer storage increases the capacity of human sperm to penetrate hamster eggs in vitro
Authors: CHAN S. Y. W. , LI S. Q. , WANG C. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryA total of 85 semen samples from infertility clinic patients were examined to study the effect of storage at 4°C in TES‐Tris (TEST)‐egg yolk buffer for 24 h on the penetrating capacity of sperm in the zona‐free hamster egg penetration assay (HEPA). The mean sperm penetration rate and the fertilization index increased significantly after storage in TEST‐egg yolk buffer. Only five out of the 85 samples (5.9%) failed to show any improvement in sperm penetration rate after cold storage. The sperm penetration rate before cold storage showed no significant correlations with routine semen characteristics, semen ATP concentration or the functional integrity of sperm membranes as measured by the hypo‐osmotic swelling technique. Significant but low correlations were observed between sperm penetration rate after cold storage and the following semen parameters: sperm count,% motility, total number of motile sperm,% normal sperm morphology, total number of normal sperm, semen ATP concentration, and sperm penetration rate before cold storage. Partial correlation analysis revealed that the positive correlation between semen ATP concentration and sperm penetration rate after cold storage was not a direct relationship but was due to the correlation with sperm count. The combination of sperm penetration rate before cold storage, sperm count and% normal sperm morphology accounted for 26.2% of the variation in sperm penetration rate after cold storage by stepwise multiple regression analysis, while sperm penetration rate before cold storage alone explained 13.5% of the variation.The results indicate that TEST‐egg yolk buffer treatment can enhance sperm penetration rate in vitro and may be useful in the treatment of impaired sperm fertility. Neither routine semen parameters, semen ATP concentration nor the degree of sperm swelling after hypo‐osmotic treatment appeared to be a useful predictor of the sperm penetration rate after storage in TEST‐egg yolk buffer at 4°C.
Effects of repeated injections of human chorionic gonadotrophin on vascular permeability, extracellular fluid volume and the flow of lymph in the testes of rats
Authors: MADDOCKS S. , SOWERBUTTS S. F. , SETCHELL B. P. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryTesticular lymph flow, interstitial fluid volume and vascular permeability have been measured in adult male rats injected subcutaneously with hCG daily for up to 4 consecutive days. Albumin clearance was also measured in rats given two or three hCG injections at 2‐ or 3‐day intervals, or every 2 days for 22 days. While a single dose of hCG increased vascular permeability and lymph flow within 24 h, subsequent daily injections did not produce any additional response and, in fact, values returned towards control levels. A second hCG dose 2 days after an initial dose did produce another similar increase in the clearance of albumin injected directly into the testis and, with continued injections every second day, a response was still evident after 22 days. The response to the second dose of hCG occurred at a time when down‐regulation of hCG receptors on Leydig cells is reported to be maximal. These results suggest that in the testis, the vascular response to hCG does not require the normal number of luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors, although other evidence suggests that Leydig cells must somehow be involved.
Orchidectomy or oestrogen treatment in prostatic cancer: effects on serum levels of adrenal androgens and related steroids
Authors: STEGE R. , ERIKSSON A. , HENRIKSSON P. , CARLSTRÖM K. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryPeripheral serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and its sulphate (DHAS), 4‐androstene‐3, 17‐dione (A‐4), 17α‐hydroxyprogesterone (17‐OHP), cortisol and albumin were measured in patients with prostatic cancer before treatment and after orchidectomy or during combined oral and intramuscular oestrogen treatment. Orchidectomy caused a pronounced decrease in 17‐OHP levels and minor but significant decreases in the levels of A‐4 and DHAS. Dehydroepiandrosterone, cortisol and albumin were unaffected by treatment. Oestrogen treatment caused a pronounced decrease in the serum levels of DHA, DHAS, 17‐OHP and A‐4 and a small but significant decrease in serum albumin. Cortisol levels increased, probably due to elevated transcortin levels. The ratio of DHA to DHAS was unaffected by either orchidectomy or by oestrogen treatment. These results confirm that the testis contributes to circulating DHAS. The mechanism behind the more pronounced decrease in adrenal androgens during oestrogen treatment is not known but, for DHAS, increased metabolic clearance due to the decrease in albumin levels may contribute in this respect. The unchanged values for the ratio of DHA to DHAS indicate that this sex‐specific sulphatase/sulphotransferase balance is insensitive to endocrine manipulations in adult men. The results further invalidate the hypothesis that there is a ‘compensatory’ increase in adrenal androgen output following orchidectomy.
Enhancement of Leydig cell testosterone secretion by isolated seminiferous tubules during co‐perifusion in vitro: comparison with static co‐culture systems
Authors: BARTLETT J. M. S. , WU F. C. W. , SHARPE R. M. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe aim of this study was to identify an in‐vitro test system for the reproducible demonstration of a modulatory effect of isolated seminiferous tubules (s‐tubules) on testosterone production by purified rat Leydig cells. Co‐incubation of s‐tubules with various numbers of Leydig cells had no significant effect on basal and hCG‐stimulated testosterone production over 4–24 h incubation. In contrast, addition of s‐tubule conditioned medium (STCM) to Leydig cells enhanced both basal and hCG‐stimulated testosterone production over 5 h, but this effect was variable in magnitude and was not completely reproducible. Co‐perifusion of isolated s‐tubules with Percoll‐purified Leydig cells for 6 h produced significant and consistent increases in Leydig cell testosterone secretion compared with Leydig cells perifused on their own. In six experiments, s‐tubules enhanced Leydig cell testosterone secretion by 26 ± 5% (P<0.001) in the absence of LH stimulation and by 48 ± 11% following pulsatile stimulation with 1 ng/ml ovine LH (oLH). The presence of s‐tubules enhanced (P<0.01–0.001) testosterone secretion by Leydig cells in response to pulses of oLH at doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 ng/ml, but the magnitude of enhancement was greatest with 0.1 and 1 ng/ml doses. These stimulatory effects were not explained by Leydig cell contamination or by testosterone leakage from the isolated s‐tubules. Co‐perifusion of Leydig cells with isolated epididymal tubules as a control tissue had no significant effect on LH‐stimulated Leydig cell testosterone production. Stimulatory effects of s‐tubules on Leydig cell testosterone secretion were observed at a ‘physiological’ ratio of s‐tubules to Leydig cells (200 cm tubules/3 million cells) and was mediated by a humoural agent(s), since perifusion of s‐tubules and Leydig cells in series gave similar results to co‐perifusion of these tissues. This system proved to be robust and, in contrast to static culture systems, gave highly reproducible results, which should allow detailed investigation of the dynamic interactions between s‐tubules and Leydig cells and the hormonal control of these events.
Evidence suggesting that germ cells influence the bidirectional secretion of androgen binding protein by the seminiferous epithelium demonstrated by selective impairment of spermatogenesis with busulphan
Authors: MORRIS I. D. , BARDIN C. W. , MUSTO N. A. , THAU ROSEMARIE B. , GUNSALUS G. L. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryAndrogen binding protein (ABP) was measured in the serum, testes and epididymides of adult rats up to 105 days after the induction of reversible impairment of spermatogenesis by a single injection of busulphan. This treatment decreased testicular and epididymal weights within 7–21 days after treatment, reaching a minimum at 63 days with partial recovery by 105 days. The testicular and epididymal content of sperm was unchanged up to 42 days after busulphan administration, was reduced considerably at 63 days and thereafter increased towards control values. The serum and testicular concentrations of testosterone were normal at all times after treatment, even though serum LH levels were increased at 42 and 63 days. Serum levels of FSH were also increased at 43 and 63 days after treatment. A biphasic pattern in the serum levels of ABP was observed. Concentrations were low up to 43 days post treatment when only the early germ cell types were depleted from the seminiferous epithelium and when the testicular and epididymal contents of ABP were normal. Serum levels of ABP increased as the more mature germ cells were depleted in numbers and the testicular and epididymal contents of ABP declined. It is concluded that bidirectional secretion of ABP into the interstitium (serum) and into the seminiferous tubular lumen by Sertoli cells is influenced considerably by the population of germ cells that are present in the seminiferous epithelium.
Cytochemical and ultracytochemical demonstration of cytochrome c oxidase in spermatozoa and dynamics of its changes accompanying ageing or induced by stress
Authors: HRUDKA F. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryCytochrome c oxidase (CcO) plays a key role in cellular respiration and energetic metabolism. The latter is a prerequisite for osmotic and synthetic function, motility and the maintenance of cell structure. The objective of this study was to develop and assess a facile microscopic technique that would demonstrate CcO activity in‐situ, both at the microscopic and sub‐microscopic levels. The cytochemical technique proposed is based on oxidation of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine (DAB) by the cytochrome c complex (including CcO), in a chain reaction in which the reagent is polymerized and deposited at the reaction sites. The deposit can be identified by its colour under the light microscope and by osmiophilia under the electron microscope. The reaction is restricted to mitochondria at the light microscope level, and to the outer face of the inner mitochondrial membrane at the ultrastructural level. The activity is inhibited promptly by ≥0.5 mM KCN, a specific inhibitor of CcO, and by sodium azide or heat (70°C/5 min). The technique was validated on a number of domestic and laboratory animals, using sperm that were ejaculated or epididymal in origin, cryopreserved or treated. The data obtained displayed activity profiles of individual cells, ejaculates or donors and emphasized differences among species. This technique depicts spontaneous CcO decline during ageing and changes induced by various physical or chemical treatments.
Glutathione, L‐glutamic acid and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase in the bull reproductive tissues
Authors: AGRAWAL Y. P. , VANHA‐PERTTULA T. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe distribution of glutathione (GSH), L‐glutamic acid (Glu) and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (γ‐GT) was studied in bull reproductive organs and fluids. Glutathione, the physiological substrate of γ‐GT, was localized specifically by a fluorescence method in the testis, epididymis and spermatozoa. Of the reproductive tissues, the testis, caput epididymis and ampulla had the highest levels of GSH, but it was also present in seminal fluid. Washed caput epididymal sperm had three times the GSH content of cauda epididymal or ejaculated sperm. In spermatozoa, GSH displayed maximal staining in the midpiece and tail regions. The highest levels of γ‐GT were encountered in the epididymis. The concentration of Glu was also high in the epididymis. Its formation may be due to the hydrolytic activity of γ‐GT, which, in addition, may have an important role in the transfer of Glu residues to reactive groups on the sperm surface.
Androgen binding protein in serum, testis and epididymis following treatment with the Leydig cell cytotoxic agent, ethylene dimethanesulphonate
Authors: MORRIS I. D. , BARDIN C. W. , MUSTO N. A. , THAU ROSEMARIE , GUNSALUS G. L. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryAndrogen binding protein (ABP) was measured in the serum, testes and epididy‐mides of adult male rats after treatment with ethylene dimethanesulphonate (EDS), which has direct cytotoxic effects on Leydig cells and secondarily affects sperm production. Serum ABP increased to a maximum 7 days after treatment and remained elevated for most of the 63 days of observation. The ABP content of both the epididymides and testes declined and were low between 14 days and 21 days following treatment. By contrast, the concentration of ABP in these tissues was maintained after EDS treatment and was sometimes elevated. This divergence between ABP content and concentration was due to atrophy of the testes and epididymides after the decline in androgen secretion. The changes in serum and tissue ABP levels after EDS occurred earlier than those observed in adult hypophy‐sectomized animals, possibly due to local paracrine influences that are lost secondarily to destruction of the Leydig cells. Testicular testosterone did not parallel ABP content as it fell dramatically 2 days after EDS and remained low for about 21 days before returning to near control values after 63 days. Testicular and epididymal sperm heads decreased in number after EDS, but were not clearly associated with the changes in ABP. The results confirm that androgens are important for the production of ABP and for the partitioning of this protein between the blood and the lumen of the reproductive tract.
Development of the blood‐testis barrier and changes in vascular permeability at puberty in rats
Authors: SETCHELL B. P. , PÖLLÄNEN P. , ZUPP J. L. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe effectiveness of the blood‐testis barrier to water‐soluble substances was assessed in rats of various ages by measuring the volumes of distribution of Cr‐EDTA and albumin, and estimating the proportion of the testis made up by interstitial tissue and tubular lumen by morphometric techniques on cryostat sections of frozen tissue. The interstitial tissue volume fell from 15 days to reach adult values at about 30 days of age. A lumen was present in some animals at 15 days, and it enlarged progressively to reach adult levels at about 45 days of age. The 1‐h Cr‐EDTA space began to fall after 25 days, and reached adult values by 33 days; in rats aged 25 and 30 days, the Cr‐EDTA space was almost twice the measured interstitial tissue volume, but even in the older rats, the Cr‐EDTA space remained appreciably greater than the interstitial tissue volume. The 20‐h albumin space did not begin to fall until after 33 days, and had still not reached adult values in rats aged 44 days. Thus, the functional barrier to water‐soluble markers develops later and more gradually than the barrier to electron‐opaque markers as used by previous authors, and its appearance correlates more closely with enlargement of the tubular lumen than with formation of the inter‐Sertoli cell junctions. The rate at which the albumin space approached its final value was used to calculate the vascular permeability to albumin. This rose to a maximum between 25 days and 33 days of age, and then fell again, although adult values had still not been reached by 44 days of age.
Spermatogenic onset. II. FSH modulates mitotic activity of germ and Sertoli cells in immature rats
Authors: ALMIRON ISABEL , CHEMES H. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryBy using high doses of testosterone propionate (TP) endogenous FSH was lowered to non‐detectable levels in immature rats of different ages. Combined administration of TP and human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG) or purified human FSH (hFSH) restored circulating FSH to normal or supranormal levels. This experimental model was used to investigate the influences of hormones on the proliferation of Sertoli and germ cells. Mitoses in seminiferous tubules were counted after being blocked by administration of colchicine. The mitotic index so determined showed a reduction with FSH withdrawal and a significant increase when the hormone levels were restored. Testicular DNA content was determined in testicular homogenates and showed similar changes. Autoradiographs were prepared and 3H‐thymidine incorporation into germ and Sertoli cells was quantified. It was found that hFSH induced a significant increase in the labelling indices of gonocytes, type A‐spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. All of these changes were effective in rats younger than 10 days but no modifications in any of the parameters under study were observed after 20 days. It is concluded that FSH exerts a stimulatory effect on the proliferation of spermatogonia, Sertoli cells and testicular DNA content during the first 10 days of life.
Detection of microfilaments in rat Sertoli cell ectoplasmic specializations with NBD‐phallicidin
Authors: SUÁREZ‐QUIAN C. A. , DYM M. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe identification of microfilaments contained within Sertoli cell ectoplasmic specializations (ES) in intact rat testes is reported. In order to determine the presence and configuration of ES during the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium, frozen sections of testes were prepared and stained with NBD‐phallicidin (NBDP). Results revealed that Sertoli cell ES become most prominent immediately adjacent to acrosomal caps of spermatids, once these begin their elongation phase of maturation. Significant association of ES with spermatogenic cells earlier than round spermatids was not detected with NBDP. Intense staining of the ES con tinued up to the final stages preceding sperm release, and was followed by dissipa tion of the fluorescence. These results indicate that the disappearance of ES, as detected with NBDP, does not correlate precisely with sperm release.
Effects of differentiation state and post‐castration time lapse on the epididymal response of the lizard to testosterone in vitro: changes in specific protein and mRNA levels
Authors: MOREL F. , COURTY Y. , DUFAURE J. P. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe epididymis of the viviparous lizard secretes large amounts of proteins among which L‐proteins are prominent components. It undergoes great morphological and physiological modifications during its testosterone‐controlled annual cycle. The effects of testosterone on L‐proteins synthesis and L‐mRNA concentrations were studied in cultures of organs regressed after castration. Of three tested serum supplements (2% Ultroser, 10% fetal calf serum, 10% calf serum) calf serum was shown to be essential for androgen‐specific control of L‐proteins synthesis. The duration of castration governed the in‐vitro response to testosterone principally at the level of L‐proteins synthesis. The onset of synthesis was delayed in 2‐month post‐castration explants, compared with l‐month post‐castration explants, and was dissociated from appearance of the mRNA. This suggests that there is translational control of secretory proteins in the regressed epididymis. Conversely, the response to testosterone at the mRNA level was delayed in explants from animals castrated during a non‐secretory state, compared with explants from animals castrated at the onset of secretion. These results, together with other data, suggest that expression of the L‐proteins is under multifactorial control and that the influence of multiple controlling elements varies with the stage of differentiation.
Selenium, rubidium and zinc in human semen and semen fractions
Authors: BEHNE D. , GEBNER HILDEGARD , WOLTERS GABRIELE , BROTHERTON JANET 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe levels of selenium, rubidium and zinc were determined in samples of semen, seminal plasma and spermatozoa from men with suspected infertility, together with several parameters of semen quality. The proportion of whole semen selenium present in sperm increased with increasing sperm count from 0 to 40%. For rubidium 98 ± 4% and for zinc 95 ± 8% of the total amount in semen was contained in seminal plasma. In seminal plasma a positive correlation was found between the levels of zinc and selenium, and between the levels of zinc and rubidium, indicating that, like zinc, selenium and rubidium in seminal plasma also derive mainly from the prostate gland. Semen quality parameters, such as sperm motility, vitality, speed and morphology, were not correlated with the contents of the three elements in either whole semen or seminal plasma. As the seminal content of selenium is dependent on the proportion of prostatic secretion in seminal plasma and on the sperm count, and both factors can vary considerably, the selenium level of whole semen does not appear to be a suitable parameter for investigation of the relationship between selenium and semen quality. Provisional measurements suggest lower sperm selenium levels at abnormally low or high sperm counts.