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In an attempt to ascertain whether prostaglandins alter the in vitro contractile activity of the human seminiferous tubule, the effects of prostaglandins on the isolated human seminiferous tubule were examined by recording the intratubular pressure with a servonull pressure with a servonull pressure measuring device. We describe here the first response of the human seminiferous tubule to prostaglandins. Prostaglandin F2 alpha (10(-9) M to 10(-6) M) produced contractions of the seminiferous tubules in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, prostaglandins F1 alpha (10(-8) M to 10(-6) M), E1 (10(-9) M to 10(-6) M) and E2 (10(-8) M to 10(-6) M) produced relaxations of the seminiferous tubules which were dose dependent. The results from these experiments suggest that prostaglandins modulate the in vitro contractility of the human seminiferous tubules and thus may regulate the transport of spermatozoa and tubular fluid to the rete testis.

One hundred female patients with stress incontinence have been operated on by means of modified stamey's endoscopic bladder neck suspension procedure, i.e. quantifying the thread tension for bladder neck suspension. Twelve patients had 1,000 grams in the nylon loop, 5,800 grams, 9,700 grams, 25,600 grams and 49,400 grams. A follow-up period varied from 10 to 32 months (mean: 20.5 months). A 60-min pad-weighing test revealed urinary loss of 1.0 to 196.0 grams/hour (mean: 36.0) prior to operation. 1. The modified Stamey's procedure was successful in 95 patients (95%). The appropriate thread tension for bladder neck suspension was 400 grams. 2. Various complications were encountered: removal of unilateral nylon suture was necessitated in 2 patients, bleeding from operative wound in 2, bladder tamponade in 2, and clean intermittent catheterization for more than one month in 4. 3. Micturition parameters, i.e. maximum and average flow rates, temporarily got worse post-operatively. Maximum urethral closure pressure decreased and functional profile length elongated which were significantly different from those of pre-operative values. 4. Questionnaire sent to the patients revealed that 89 percent of them were satisfied with the operative results but 11 percent were not. 5. The modified Stamey's procedure is simple to perform and prevents over-tightness of nylon loops. We conclude that this operative method is the treatment of choice for correction of stress incontinence.

During the course of electron microscopic studies on testes from cryptorchid patients, we have observed an inclusion body in the cytoplasm of Leydig cells. Such inclusion bodies were detected in Leydig cells of post-pubertal patients (16 to 30 years), but were not evident in the cells of pubertal and pre-pubertal patients (3 to 12 years), or in cells from the contralateral descended scrotal testes of cryptorchid patients or in cells from normal controls. These inclusion bodies are therefore believed to result from specific cytological changes which occur in cryptorchid testes during puberty.

The experiments reported here demonstrate for the first time that the isolated human seminiferous tubule is capable of undergoing contraction after exposure to noradrenaline and acetylcholine. Isoproterenol produces a relaxation of the seminiferous tubule. It is indicated that there are the adrenergic alpha and beta receptors and muscarinic receptors in the myoid cells of human seminiferous tubules.

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Although the existence of the seminiferous tubule contractions attributed to myoid cells is established, the control of the contractions is poorly understood. Recently, we have suggested the possible neural control mechanism for contractility of the human seminiferous tubule. In an effort to identify the nerve supply to the myoid cells in the human seminiferous tubules, we studied the paraffin sections of biopsied testicular specimens using a protein silver impregnation technique (Bodian's method). Here we demonstrate evidence for the presence of nerve fibers close to the myoid cells. It is highly suggested that contraction of the human seminiferous tubule may play an important role in the transport of spermatozoa, and neurohumoral regulatory mechanism may partly exist in this connection.

Scanning electron microscopic observation of the basal surface of the basement membrane of the rat seminiferous tubule has revealed that the basement membrane appears to be like a tiled floor, and formation of meshwork structure of collagen fibrils is evident in some exfoliated areas of basement membrane. This meshwork structure is considered to ensure fluid regulation from the intertubular medium toward the lumen of the seminiferous tubules.

We report a case of giant scrotal hemangioma with azoospermia, which was 37 cm in maximum circumference and 20 cm in length along the raphe. The biopsy specimens of the testes were examined histologically and cytologically. The testicular damage was believed to be due to the heat generated by hemangioma.

In the course of our histological studies on the testes of idiopathically infertile men, we found an increased number of mast cells in the limiting membrane of the seminiferous tubule. In 16 patients with idiopathic infertility, quantification of mast cells within the limiting membrane of the seminiferous tubule was performed. There apparently was a tendency to increased numbers of mast cells in the seminiferous tubule wall with decreased sperm count and an average Johnsen score for each tubule. These findings suggest that quantification of mast cells in the seminiferous tubule wall may be a useful marker in the histopathological evaluation of testis biopsies in patients with idiopathic infertility.

To clarify the structural base of immune response occurring in the kidney, we investigated the antigenic and functional properties of vascular endothelial cells. Peritubular capillary endothelial cells exhibited the same immuno-histochemical characteristics (OKM5-positive, HLA-DR-positive, Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor antigen-negative, Interleukin 1-positive) as a peripheral blood macrophage subset capable of presenting soluble antigens and triggering the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction. On the other hand, endothelial cells of glomerular capillary loops, considered to be involved in blood coagulation, were OKM5-negative, HLA-DR-positive, Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor antigen-positive, Interleukin 1-positive. Thus the results of this study suggest that vascular endothelial cells in different anatomic compartments of the kidney express surface antigens heterogenously and may play different roles in the immune reaction.

We studied the effect of oral administration of alpha 1-blocker and beta-stimulator on 20 idiopathically infertile men. Bunazosin (alpha 1-blocker, 2 mg/day) and procaterol (beta-stimulator, 100 micrograms/day) were given orally twice daily for 5 months. The administration of alpha 1-blocker and beta-stimulator elicited an increase in sperm output and seminal volume in 16 patients (80%). The increase in sperm output seems to be associated with relaxations of myoid cells, which lead to dilatation of stenotic areas of seminiferous tubules, occurring discontinuously, and subsequent maintenance of good tubular fluid flow. No adverse effects were observed in this series.

DNA contents of nearly 1000 individual human spermatozoa were calibrated microspectrophotometrically. No considerable correlation was found between DNA contents and fertile capacity of spermatozoa. Mostly, DNA contents were well proportional to the head sizes of spermatozoa, but in oligozoospermia no correlation was seen between head sizes and DNA contents. Though spermatozoal DNA contents decreased during travel from the seminiferous tubules to the seminal tracts, they did never change after emission to the distal male tracts or after ejaculation.

The frictional properties of alkyl-substituted phthalocyanines physisorbed on the graphite substrate are investigated by atomic force microscopy in liquid condition. the frictional process of alkyl-substituted phthalocyanines physisorbed on the graphite substrate consists of two regions of “shear” and “wear”. In the “shear” process, friction force varies approximately as power law with exponent of 0.6–0.7 (Region I). On the other hand, friction force is maintained substantially constant in the “wear” process (Region II). The experimental data are qualitatively explained by the simplified model, which assumes that the alkyl-substrate and alkyl-alkyl interactions are approximated by Lennard-Jones interactions.Copyright © 2005 by ASME

A case of intrascrotal, extratesticular neurofibroma in an eight-year-old boy is reported. These tumors, which arise from perineural and Schwann cells, commonly occur throughout the body but have not been reported previously to originate from the subcutaneous tissue of the scrotum. No stigmas of von Recklinghausen disease are identified. Histopathology of neurofibroma is discussed.

The photolysis of HFe(CO)4– results in the evolution of a 1 : 1 mixture of H2 and CO under Ar and assists the water gas shift reaction under 1 atm pressure of CO; a suggested mechanism involves the dinuclear reductive elimination of H2 following the photolytic extrusion of CO from HFe(CO)4–.