Testicular-Epididymal Dissociation: Vas and Vessels May "Lead up the Garden Path".
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Papageorgiou E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6923713 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Testicular-Epididymal Dissociation: Vas and Vessels May "Lead up the Garden Path".
Papageorgiou Eleni E Mantovani Alberto A Monti Elena E Brain Caroline C Smeulders Naima N Cherian Abraham A
European journal of pediatric surgery reports 20190101 1
The vas deferens and spermatic vessels entering the inguinal canal through the internal inguinal ring is thought to exclude an intra-abdominal testis. We present a case of high bilateral intra-abdominal testes on a 46,XY boy despite the vas deferens and good-sized vessels passing through the deep rings. Data were collected from clinical records, radiology (ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), and endocrine blood tests. This case underlines the importance of following the pathway of emb ...[more]
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Project description:BACKGROUND: Mammalians gamete production takes place in the testis but when they exit this organ, although spermatozoa have acquired a specialized and distinct morphology, they are immotile and infertile. It is only after their travel in the epididymis that sperm gain their motility and fertility. Epididymis is a crescent shaped organ adjacent to the testis that can be divided in three gross morphological regions, head (caput), body (corpus) and tail (cauda). It contains a long and unique convoluted tubule connected to the testis via the efferent ducts and finished by joining the vas deferens in its caudal part. RESULTS: In this study, the testis, the efferent ducts (vas efferens, VE), nine distinct successive epididymal segments and the deferent duct (vas deferens, VD) of four adult boars of known fertility were isolated and their mRNA extracted. The gene expression of each of these samples was analyzed using a pig generic 9 K nylon microarray (AGENAE program; GEO accession number: GPL3729) spotted with 8931 clones derived from normalized cDNA banks from different pig tissues including testis and epididymis. Differentially expressed transcripts were obtained with moderated t-tests and F-tests and two data clustering algorithms based either on partitioning around medoid (top down PAM) or hierarchical clustering (bottom up HCL) were combined for class discovery and gene expression analysis. Tissue clustering defined seven transcriptomic units: testis, vas efferens and five epididymal transcriptomic units. Meanwhile transcripts formed only four clusters related to the tissues. We have then used a specific statistical method to sort out genes specifically over-expressed (markers) in testis, VE or in each of the five transcriptomic units of the epididymis (including VD). The specific regional expression of some of these genes was further validated by PCR and Q-PCR. We also searched for specific pathways and functions using available gene ontology information. CONCLUSION: This study described for the first time the complete transcriptomes of the testis, the epididymis, the vas efferens and the vas deferens on the same species. It described new genes or genes not yet reported over-expressed in these boar tissues, as well as new control mechanisms. It emphasizes and fulfilled the gap between studies done in rodents and human, and provides tools that will be useful for further studies on the biochemical processes responsible for the formation and maintain of the epididymal regionalization and the development of a fertile spermatozoa.
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Project description:Histopathologic examination of the testis is the most sensitive means to detect effects on spermatogenesis; however, the complexity of testicular histology, interrelatedness of cell types within the testis, and long duration of spermatogenesis can make assessment of a testicular toxicant challenging. A thorough understanding of the histology and morphologic manifestations of response to injury is critical to successfully identify a testicular effect and to begin to understand the underlying mechanism of action. The basic patterns of response to xenobiotic-induced injury to the testis and epididymis are detailed and discussed.
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Project description:BackgroundCisplatin (CP) is an extremely effective anticancer agent widely used to treat various cancer types, however, the potential side effects include testicular dysfunction. This study was to investigate, using a rat model of CP-induced testicular dysfunction, the protective effects of relaxin (RLN) against oxidative stress, testicular function, histological damage, spermatogenesis, germ-cell apoptosis, and sperm output, and to explore the usefulness of RLN as a potential protective drug for use with CP in chemotherapeutic treatments.MethodsSprague-Dawley male rats were used, which were divided into three groups: sham control, CP, and CP + RLN. Porcine RLN (500 ng/h) or saline was infused for 5 days using an implanted osmotic mini-pump following intraperitoneal injection of CP (6 mg/kg). RLN dose was chosen based on previous studies showing that it resulted in serum relaxin levels comparable to those in rats at the middle of pregnancy. At 5 days after CP administration, samples were collected and assessment of testicular histopathology, germ-cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and sperm quality was performed as main measures.ResultsThe testicular CP model showed reduced testis weight and significantly decreased spermatogenesis scores. Additionally, CP administration induced a 4.6-fold increase in the apoptotic index associated with a significant increase in oxidative stress and upregulation of pro-apoptotic Casp3 and downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl2 levels, resulting in a marked reduction in sperm concentration. However, RLN administration caused a significant reduction in CP-mediated damage by attenuating oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. RLN administration efficiently scavenged ROS via the activation of SOD, CAT, and GPx and upregulation of GSH to prevent lipid peroxidation and decreased apoptosis by altering Bcl2 and Casp3 expression, thereby reducing histopathological damage and restoring spermatogenesis. Furthermore, RLN ameliorated attenuated sperm motility in the cauda epididymis resulting from CP treatment.ConclusionsThis study clearly indicates that RLN exerts a protective effect against CP-induced testicular damage through attenuation of oxidative stress and suppression of apoptosis. Our findings suggest RLN as a potentially efficacious drug for use with cisplatin chemotherapy in order to ameliorate CP-induced side effects and testicular injury adversely affecting spermatogenesis, sperm quality, and oxidative-stress parameters.
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Project description:In so-called garden-path jokes, an initial semantic representation is violated, and semantic revision reestablishes a coherent representation. 48 jokes were manipulated in three conditions: (i) a coherent ending, (ii) a joke ending, and (iii) a discourse-incoherent ending. A reading times study (N = 24) and three studies with recordings of ERP and pupil changes (N = 21, 24, and 24, respectively) supported the hypothesized cognitive processes. Jokes showed increased reading times of the final word compared to coherent endings. ERP data mainly indicated semantic integration difficulties (N400). Larger pupil diameters to joke endings presumably reflect emotional responses. ERP evidence for increased discourse processing efforts and emotional responses, as assumed to be reflected in modulations of the late left anterior negativity (LLAN) and in an enhanced late frontal positivity (fP600), respectively, remains however incomplete. Processing of incoherent endings was also accompanied by increased reading times, a stronger and sustained N400, and context-sensitive P600 effects. Together, these findings provide evidence for a sequential, non-monotonic, and incremental discourse comprehension of garden-path jokes.
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Project description:Background - Mammalians gamete production takes place in the testis but when they exit this organ, although spermatozoa have a specialized and distinct morphology, they are immotile and infertile. It is only after their travel in the epididymis that sperm acquire their motility and fertility. Epididymis can be divided in three gross morphological regions, head (caput), body (corpus) and tail (cauda), containing a long and unique convoluted tubule connecting the testis to the vas deferens. Results - In this study, the testis, the efferent ducts (vas efferens, VE), nine distinct successive epididymal segments and the deferent duct (vas deferens, VD) of four adult boars of known fertility were isolated and their mRNA extracted. The gene expression of each of these samples was analyzed using a pig generic 9K nylon microarray (AGENAE program; GEO accession number: GPL3729) spotted with 8931 clones derived from normalized cDNA banks from different pig tissues including testis and epididymis. Differentially expressed transcripts were obtained with moderated t-tests and F-tests and two data clustering algorithms based either on partitioning around medoïds (top down PAM) or hierarchical clustering (bottom up HCL) were combined for class discovery and gene expression analysis. Tissue samples analysis defined seven transcriptomic units: testis, vas efferens and five epididymal transcriptomic units. Meanwhile transcripts formed only four clusters related to the tissues. We have then used a specific statistical method to sort out genes specifically overexpressed (markers) in testis, VE or in each of the five transcriptomic units of the epididymis (including VD). Among these markers some well-known epididymal genes were retrieved while some were new genes or genes not yet reported in these boar tissues. The specific regional expression of some of these genes was further validated by PCR and Q-PCR. We also searched for specific pathways and functions using available gene ontology information. Conclusions - This study fulfilled the gap between those done in rodents and human, and provides tools that will be useful for further studies on the biochemical processes responsible for the formation and maintain of the epididymal regionalization and the development of a fertile spermatozoa. Keywords: tissue type comparaison 96 samples - 12 tissue samples from 4 boars
2010-06-24 | E-GEOD-15614 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The epididymal function and gene expression in mammals are under the control of the testis. Sex steroids are secreted from the testis and act on the epididymis in an endocrine manner. There is another, non-sex steroidal secreted signaling, named lumicrine signaling, in which testis-derived secreted proteins go through the male reproductive tract and act on the epididymis. The effects of such multiple regulations on the epididymis by the testis have been investigated for many genes. The recent development of high-throughput next-generation sequencing now enables us a further comparative survey of endocrine and lumicrine action-dependent gene expression. In the present study, testis-derived endocrine and lumicrine actions on epididymal gene expression were comparatively investigated by RNA-seq transcriptomic analyses. This investigation utilized experimental animal models in which testis-derived endocrine and/or lumicrine actions were interfered with, such as unilateral or bilateral orchidectomy. By bilateral orchidectomy, which interferes with both endocrine and lumicrine actions, 431 genes were downregulated. By unilateral orchidectomy, which also interferes with endocrine and lumicrine actions by the unilateral testis, but the endocrine action was compensated by the contralateral testis, 283 genes were downregulated. The content of such genes downregulated by unilateral orchidectomy was like those of lumicrine action-interfered efferent duct-ligation, W/Wv, and Nell2-/- mice. When genes affected by unilateral and bilateral orchidectomy were compared, 154 genes were commonly downregulated, whereas 217 genes were specifically downregulated only by bilateral orchidectomy, indicating the distinction between endocrine and lumicrine actions on the proximal epididymal transcriptome. Comparative transcriptome analyses also showed that the expressions of genes emerging since Amniota were notably impacted by bilateral orchidectomy, unilateral orchidectomy, and lumicrine action-interfering treatments; the degree of influence from these treatments varied based on the evolutionary stage beyond Amniota. These findings unveil an evolutional transition of regulated gene expression in the proximal epididymis by two different testis-derived signaling mechanisms.
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Project description:Background - Mammalians gamete production takes place in the testis but when they exit this organ, although spermatozoa have a specialized and distinct morphology, they are immotile and infertile. It is only after their travel in the epididymis that sperm acquire their motility and fertility. Epididymis can be divided in three gross morphological regions, head (caput), body (corpus) and tail (cauda), containing a long and unique convoluted tubule connecting the testis to the vas deferens. Results - In this study, the testis, the efferent ducts (vas efferens, VE), nine distinct successive epididymal segments and the deferent duct (vas deferens, VD) of four adult boars of known fertility were isolated and their mRNA extracted. The gene expression of each of these samples was analyzed using a pig generic 9K nylon microarray (AGENAE program; GEO accession number: GPL3729) spotted with 8931 clones derived from normalized cDNA banks from different pig tissues including testis and epididymis. Differentially expressed transcripts were obtained with moderated t-tests and F-tests and two data clustering algorithms based either on partitioning around medoïds (top down PAM) or hierarchical clustering (bottom up HCL) were combined for class discovery and gene expression analysis. Tissue samples analysis defined seven transcriptomic units: testis, vas efferens and five epididymal transcriptomic units. Meanwhile transcripts formed only four clusters related to the tissues. We have then used a specific statistical method to sort out genes specifically overexpressed (markers) in testis, VE or in each of the five transcriptomic units of the epididymis (including VD). Among these markers some well-known epididymal genes were retrieved while some were new genes or genes not yet reported in these boar tissues. The specific regional expression of some of these genes was further validated by PCR and Q-PCR. We also searched for specific pathways and functions using available gene ontology information. Conclusions - This study fulfilled the gap between those done in rodents and human, and provides tools that will be useful for further studies on the biochemical processes responsible for the formation and maintain of the epididymal regionalization and the development of a fertile spermatozoa. Keywords: tissue type comparaison
2009-09-01 | GSE15614 | GEO
Project description:PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the L2 Arabic learners' reading process is affected by the incomplete representation of speech (the absence of short vowels and diacritics) while reading ambiguous sentences (garden path sentences).MethodWith a self-paced reading software program, 41 non-native male students, aged from 22 to 26, enrolled in King Saud University, participated in reading 44 sentences (followed by reading comprehension questions) representing three reading conditions, plain, vowelized-discretized, and wrongly-vowelized.ResultsFor the reading times data, the analysis revealed that the GP structure had a significant effect on the reading processes of L2 Arabic learners; it took them longer to read the GP sentences than their non-GP counterparts. For the reading comprehension, the analysis did not reveal any significant differences between the means for the percentages of correct responses. For the comparison between the three reading conditions, a significant difference was found: it took the participants on average less time to read the GP sentences when presented plain, and more time with the incorrect representation. However, their reading comprehension was not affected.ConclusionIn addition to the good-enough model and the nature of Arabic morphology, the reading experience, is a good candidate to start with as an important factor in the interpretation of the ineffectiveness of the GP structure on the reading comprehension process of Arabic readers, in which the segregability of Arabic writing system prepare the readers to emphasize some sensory inputs and ignore others based on their past reading experience.
| S-EPMC10957760 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The mammalian testis and epididymis are responsible for spermatozoa production and maturation, which contributes to male fertility. Predominantly expressed proteins in the testis and epididymis were suggested to be involved in the key functions or pathways in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. To further investigate these proteins and their associations with sperm, large protein profiles of human testis and epididymis were mapped. Predominantly‑expressed testicular (173) and epididymal (244) secreted proteins were further screened and functionally characterized. Differential expression levels of solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 3, solute carrier family 25 (carnitine/acylcarnitine translocase), member 20, WAP‑type four‑disulfide core domain protein 8 and prostate and testis expressed 1 were validated using western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. The results may provide novel insight into the understanding of testicular and epididymal physiology and function, and facilitate sperm maturation research.
| S-EPMC4438928 | biostudies-literature