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We describe four cases of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) that were diagnosed and treated at our hospital.Case 1: A 26-year-old woman with a large multicystic ovarian tumor and massive ascites was diagnosed with PMP originating from a borderline mucinous ovarian tumor. She underwent fertility-preserving staging laparotomy and was treated with three courses of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. There has been no recurrence in the 15 years since her first operation. Case 2: A 72-year-old woman with a giant ovarian tumor and massive ascites was diagnosed with PMP originating from low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN). After laparotomy, the patient was managed conservatively because she did not want aggressive treatment. She has remained asymptomatic with a small amount of ascites for 3 years. Case 3: A 82-year-old woman with ovarian tumors, massive ascites, and suspected PMP underwent emergency laparotomy due to appendiceal perforation and pan-peritonitis. She was diagnosed with PMP originating from LAMN. She has remained asymptomatic with a small amount of ascites for 2 years. Case 4: A 42-year-old woman with multicystic ovarian tumors and massive ascites underwent laparotomy. She was diagnosed with PMP originating from LAMN. Since multidisciplinary treatment was indicated and desired, the patient was referred to a specialized facility where cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was performed. The patient has done well since the treatment.Although most cases of PMP originate from mucinous tumors of the appendix, female patients with PMP often present with ovarian tumors and are commonly referred to gynecology clinics. It is therefore important for gynecologists to be familiar with PMP and to be able to diagnose it accurately and select the most suitable management including multidisciplinary treatments.

Polypoid endometriosis is a rare form of endometriosis characterized by polypoid masses that histologically often resemble endometrial polyps. We report a case of rapidly progressing polypoid endometriosis that was preoperatively assumed to be advanced ovarian cancer. A 46-year-old woman, para 0, underwent laparoscopic myomectomy and left adnexectomy for uterine fibroids and a left ovarian endometrial cyst after administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for 4 months. Eleven months postoperatively, rapid right ovarian enlargement occurred. CT and MRI (both contrast-enhanced) showed masses in the right adnexa, cecum, sigmoid colon, and omentum, and PET-CT demonstrated increased uptake, suggesting ovarian cancer and peritoneal dissemination. The patient later developed intestinal obstruction, and colonoscopy revealed multiple polypoid lesions in the sigmoid colon. The omental tumor and right adnexa were biopsied during exploratory laparotomy, and diagnosed as polypoid endometriosis with no malignancy by permanent pathology. The right adnexal tumor shrunk markedly after 4 months of GnRH antagonist treatment. Second laparotomy was then performed for right adnexal tumor resection and ileocecectomy. Pathological examination revealed polypoid endometriosis extending from the ovary to the cecal mucosa. The patient has been asymptomatic for over 1 year postoperatively. The sigmoid colon tumor shrunk but is still present.Polypoid endometriosis predominantly affects the ovaries, colon, peritoneum, and omentum of patients in their 40s and 50s. It is a benign disease but is often difficult to distinguish from malignancy preoperatively because it rapidly forms numerous solid lesions. Although polypoid endometriosis is rare, with no specific imaging findings, including it in a differential diagnosis may facilitate preoperative identification.

We describe two cases of spontaneously perforated pyometra (SPP) in elderly women treated with two different surgical approaches. An 88-year-old woman underwent emergency laparotomy for presumed diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) tract perforation. During surgery, SPP and a tumor of the sigmoid colon were identified. Total hysterectomy and sigmoid colon resection were performed. Despite exhaustive postoperative treatments, the patient died on postoperative day (POD) 189 due to peritonitis and pneumonia. A 93-year-old woman with acute abdomen was diagnosed with severe pyometra and primarily treated with transcervical drainage. Due to progression of generalized peritonitis, laparoscopic surgery was performed. Intraoperatively, scar from a uterine body perforation was identified, leading to the diagnosis of SPP. Only peritoneal irrigation and drainage were performed, in consideration of her advanced age. She improved and was discharged from the hospital on POD 35. The prognosis for SPP is sometimes poor, especially in older women. Minimally invasive surgical intervention might be considered for primary treatment in such cases.

We describe an extremely rare case of a borderline tumor arising from an extragonadal giant endometrial cyst. A 41-year-old woman complaining of abdominal pain was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of large ovarian tumor. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large cystic tumor approximately 27 cm × 9 cm in area. The cyst contents were largely removed by suction, and then the tumor was resected laparoscopically. Both adnexa were normal in size and location. The tumor did not originate from the ovaries, and it was adherent only to the bilateral uterosacral ligaments and uterine body. The postoperative histopathological evaluation confirmed the presence of endometrioid borderline tumor with transition from endometriosis. Staging laparotomy was performed, and no remnant tumor was detected. This case is extremely unusual because such a large cystic tumor originating from extragonadal endometriosis is very rare, as is endometrioid borderline tumor arising from endometriosis.

A wide-range neutron flux measurement instrument is developed herein for monitoring the total neutron emission rate and yield of the Large Helical Device (LHD) during deuterium experiments implemented from March 2017 in the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Japan. The instrument is designed for and installed on the Neutron Flux Monitoring (NFM) system, which measures the counting rate using a 235U Fission Chamber. By combining the pulse counting and Campbell methods, the Digital Signal Processing Unit (DSPU) realized a wide dynamic range of over six orders of magnitude from 1 × 103 counts/s (cps) to 5 × 109 cps. This study explains and discusses how the instrument is developed, including topics from the predevelopment activities to the verification test at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). Experimental results in the LHD using the finished products suggest that the NFM system works well during deuterium experiments.

Three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic surgical systems have been developed to account for the lack of depth perception, a known disadvantage of conventional 2-dimensional (2D) laparoscopy. In this study, we retrospectively compared the outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) with 3D versus conventional 2D laparoscopy. From November 2014, when we began using a 3D laparoscopic system at our hospital, to December 2015, 47 TLH procedures were performed using a 3D laparoscopic system (3D-TLH). The outcomes of 3D-TLH were compared with the outcomes of TLH using the conventional 2D laparoscopic system (2D-TLH) performed just before the introduction of the 3D system. The 3D-TLH group had a statistically significantly shorter mean operative time than the 2D-TLH group (119±20 vs. 137±20 min), whereas the mean weight of the resected uterus and mean intraoperative blood loss were not statistically different. When we compared the outcomes for 20 cases in each group, using the same energy sealing device in a short period of time, only mean operative time was statistically different between the 3D-TLH and 2D-TLH groups (113±19 vs. 133±21 min). During the observation period, there was one occurrence of postoperative peritonitis in the 2D-TLH group and one occurrence of vaginal cuff dehiscence in each group, which was not statistically different. The surgeon and assistant surgeons did not report any symptoms attributable to the 3D imaging system such as dizziness, eyestrain, nausea, and headache. Therefore, we conclude that the 3D laparoscopic system could be used safely and efficiently for TLH.

Study Objective To describe the incidence of uterine vascular malformations (UVMs) including uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in patients after abortion or delivery and in outpatients. Design Prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). Setting Fukushima Red Cross Hospital. Patients Six patients with a UVM including 1 with an AVM. Interventions Clinical screening of patients using transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography between April 2010 and March 2012. Measurements and Main Results The incidence of UVM developing after abortion or delivery or in outpatients was prospectively evaluated using transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography. From 959 patients, we identified 6 (0.63%) with UVMs, including 1 (0.10%) with a uterine AVM. Specifically, we detected UVMs in 4 of 77 patients (5.2%) after abortion, 1 of 458 patients (0.22%) after delivery, and 1 of 424 outpatients (0.24%). Four patients after abortion and 1 after delivery reported mild symptoms, which were treated conservatively; however, the outpatient had a severe uterine AVM, which was confirmed via 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography. Conclusion The incidence of UVMs was relatively higher, in particular in the patients after abortion, and was significantly higher than that in postpartum or outpatient groups. Therefore, it is important to consider the possibility of UVMs in any patient with episodes of unexplained uterine bleeding and to perform follow-up analysis using color Doppler ultrasonography. Such an approach will facilitate accurate diagnosis and lead to appropriate clinical management to prevent unnecessary dangerous repeat curettage, which might induce profuse uterine bleeding.

Although a uterine leiomyomectomy or adenomyomectomy is an accepted procedure to treat symptoms such as dysmenorrhea or hypermenorrhea to enhance fertility, the risk of future uterine rupture is a major concern for patients who become pregnant following these surgery. Although uterine rupture very rarely occurs, this is the most feared complication in pregnancy and is associated with a high rate of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. A 37-year-old nulliparous woman had a 2-year history of infertility. A transvaginal ultrasound revealed multiple uterine tumors that resembled leiomyomas on the posterior and fundal walls of the uterine body. After the patient had three failed in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer treatments, the uterine tumor was enucleated, and pathologically diagnosed as an adenomatoid tumor. Five months after the operation, the patient became pregnant as a result of a fourth in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. At the 33rd week of gestation, she complained of a sudden onset of abdominal pain. The patient was diagnosed with a ruptured uterus based on an ultrasound, and an emergency cesarean section was performed. The rupture occurred at the site of the operation scar on the posterior wall of the uterine body. The fetal legs extruded into the abdominal cavity from the uterine cavity but were enclosed within the unruptured chorioamniotic membrane. A male neonate (1956 g) was delivered without asphyxia and had Apgar scores of 8 and 9. The ruptured uterine wall could be repaired by suturing. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of uterine rupture during pregnancy after resection of an adenomatoid tumor in the uterine body.

We describe an extremely rare case of advanced pure primary ovarian squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), treated by adjuvant chemotherapy with dose-dense paclitaxel combined with carboplatin (dd-TC) plus the combination chemotherapy with irinotecan and cisplatin (CPT-P), with long-term recurrence-free survival. A 71-year-old woman complaining of lower abdominal pain was referred to our hospital and a 7-cm-diameter solid tumor was identified. She was diagnosed with a left ovarian tumor that was highly suspicious for malignancy based on ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, low-anterior colon resection, and colostomy were performed. Intra- and post-operative histopathological diagnosis revealed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIIc well-differentiated pure ovarian SCC. As adjuvant chemotherapy, 2 courses of dd-TC were administered, followed by 3 courses of CPT-P; the patient then underwent 4 additional courses of dd-TC. Both regimens were effective and there has been no recurrence or metastasis thus far in the 5 years since the operation.

Sperm immobilization prior to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is thought to be necessary for efficient fertilization. A variety of methods of sperm immobilization (pipetting, squeezing and piezo application) are currently employed in ICSI. The effect of differences in immobilization method on the timing of initial Ca(2+) oscillations of oocytes in ICSI was investigated. Motile spermatozoa were immobilized in eosin Y solution using pipetting, squeezing and piezo application. Complete staining of the sperm head was achieved after 220.7, 42.2 and 5.0 s respectively. Oscillations after ICSI were measured fluorometrically for each method. The onset of Ca(2+) oscillations was observed at 4.8 to 80.4 min after ICSI. Ca(2+) oscillations developed earlier with the piezo method (14.4 +/- 6.4 min) than other methods (pipetting, 43.1 +/- 20.2 min, P < 0.01; squeezing, 18.4 +/- 3.8 min, P = NS). The piezo method produced the earliest staining of the sperm head and may have caused the most damage to the sperm membrane. A more rapid onset of Ca(2+) oscillations was also observed with the piezo method. The method of sperm immobilization may be important for the rapid release of sperm factors that initiate oocyte activation. This study also showed that Ca(2+) oscillations develop earlier in human oocytes treated by ICSI than indicated in previous reports.

More than half of unfertilized oocytes after ICSI failed to activate in human subjects. We investigated whether the fertilization rate after ICSI can be increased by electrical stimulation. At first, the effects of electrical stimulation on the parthenogenesis of hamster oocytes were investigated. Delivering a single 375 V/cm DC pulse for 100 μsec was effective in inducing parthenogenesis. The pattern of Ca2+ transient increase in hamster oocytes induced by electrical stimulation was recorded with Indo-1/AM. It seemed that a single sharp increase in Ca2+ initiated parthenogenetic activation. Secondly, a 375 V/cm pulse was applied to human oocytes after ICSI. In the case of immotile sperm, the fertilization rate and cleavage rate were increased significantly by electrical stimulation. On the other hand, in the case of motile sperm, no increase in the fertilization rate was observed. This study demonstrated that electrical stimulation combined with ICSI may be expected to contribute to increasing the fertilization rate in the case of immotile sperm.

[Purpose] Different six types of assisted hatching (AHA) were applied to mouse embryo and their effect on hatching was investigated. [Methods] The zona pellucida was treated as follows. (a) Piercingness (PIC): Pierce the zona with a very fine needle. (b) Partial zona dissection-small (PZD-small): Proceed the same as with PZD in microinsemination and make an incision about 1/8 the circumference in the zona. (c) Partial zona dissection-large (PZD-large): Enlarge the incision about 1/4 the circumference. (d) Zona drilling (ZD): Spray acid solution to the zona, which dissolves the zona to create a hole about 30 μm in diameter. (e) Zona thinning-partial (ZT-partial): Thin down a part of the outer area of the zona to about half the thickness by the same procedure as in ZD. (f) Zona thinning-total (ZT-total): Thin down the total outer area of the zona. [Results] When these AHA were each administered to 4-cell-stage embryos, the effects of PZD-large, ZD, ZT-partial and ZT-total on the hatching were observed, but the effects of PIC and PZD-small were not recognized. Furthermore the effects of AHA on 8-cell-stage embryo, morula and frozen-thawed embryo were recognized. With PZD-partial in which the opening of incision is small, the embryo in the halfway through hatching was trapped in the thick zona pellucida. With PZD-large or ZD in which an incision or a hole is large, hatching started at the earlier stage than normal (premature hatching). [Conclusion] With the role of the zona and the time to start hatching taken into consideration, zona thinning (ZT-partial or ZT-total) appears to become the most reasonable AHA.

SummaryThe outer surface of hamster zona pellucida has a strong ability to induce the sperm acrosome reaction, whereas neither the inner surface of the zona nor the oolemma has this ability. Therefore, the spermatozoa that fertilise oocytes after subzonal insemination of spermatozoa (SUZI) must have been either acrosome-reacted prior to injection or acrosome-reacted spontaneously while swimming within the perivitelline space. The outer surface of fresh mouse zona is not capable of inducing the acrosome reaction of hamster spermatozoa. When fixed with glutaraldehyde, however, it became capable of inducing the hamster sperm acrosome reaction rather efficiently. The reason for this is not clear.

Objectives To investigate the efficacy of the treatments for oocyte activation on the results of intracytoplasmic sperm injection using immobilized or motile human spermatozoa. Design The protocol of intracytoplasmic sperm injection was divided into four groups according to the states of sperm used for microinjection and the treatment for oocyte activation. In group A, immobilized sperm is used. The oocyte is activated merely by aspiration of the cytoplasm into the pipette. In group B, immobilized sperm is used. Microinjected oocyte is treated with A23187. In group C, immobilized sperm is used. Electroporation is performed on the microinjected oocyte. In group D, motile sperm is used. The oocyte is activated merely by aspiration of the cytoplasm into the pipette. Setting The Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fukushima Medical College. Patients The subjects are the cases that had failed fertilization in standard IVF, cases of severe oligozoospermia, and cases of severe asthenozoospermia. Results No difference was found between the groups as to the survival rate and fertilizing rates of oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The cleavage rate of oocytes was high in order of group D, C, B, A. The cleavage rate for groups D, C, and B was significantly higher than group A. Cases of pregnancy were found in groups D and B. Conclusion Using motile sperm rather than immobilized sperm can be expected to produce better results in human ICSI. Activating oocytes positively is needed when immobilized sperm is used.

SummaryA study was conducted to evaluate the ability of mammalian oocytes to develop to the pronuclear stage and beyond if injected with freeze-dried sperm nuclei. The rate of development of hamster eggs to the pronuclear stage after microinjection of freeze-dried hamster sperm nuclei was 90%. The pronuclear formation rate of hamster eggs injected with freeze-dried human sperm nuclei was 85%. On the other hand, the rates for eggs injected with untreated sperm nuclei were 84% and 89% respectively. The survival rate of rabbit eggs microinjected with freeze-dried rabbit sperm nuclei was 64%, the fertilisation rate 56% and the cleavage rate 38%. The survival, fertilisation and cleavage rates of eggs injected with non-freeze-dried sperm nuclei were 78%, 45% and 34%, respectively. There was no difference between eggs injected with freeze-dried sperm nuclei and those injected with sperm nuclei that had not been freeze-dried. Of the viable rabbit eggs injected with freeze-dried rabbit sperm nuclei, 6% developed to the 6- to 8-cell stage 62 h after injection.

Congenital partial absence of a fallopian tube has rarely been reported in the lit- erature. A 29-year-old nulligravida woman presented with a two-year history of infertility. Hysterosalpingography revealed an obstructed left fallopian tube with a normal uterine cavity and right fallopian tube. After several AIH treatments, diagnostic laparoscopy was per- formed, revealing segmental absence of the mid portion of the left fallopian tube. Only a 1-cm stump of the left fallopian tube remained, the majority of the isthmic portion was absent. A 3-cm distal ampullary portion with normal-appearing fimbria was attached to the left pelvic sidewall near the pelvic brim. No other abnormal findings were observed for the uterus, right fallopian tube, and ligaments surrounding the uterus. There are two possible etiologies of partial absence of the fallopian tube:congenital absence associated with developmental alterations of the Mullerian ducts or asymptomatic torsion followed by autoamputation and reabsorption.

Although a uterine leiomyomectomy or adenomyomectomy is an accepted procedure to treat symptoms such as dysmenorrhea or hypermenorrhea to enhance fertility, the risk of future uterine rupture is a major concern for patients who become pregnant following these surgery. Although uterine rupture very rarely occurs, this is the most feared complication in pregnancy and is associated with a high rate of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. A 37-year-old nulliparous woman had a 2-year history of infertility. A transvaginal ultrasound revealed multiple uterine tumors that resembled leiomyomas on the posterior and fundal walls of the uterine body. After the patient had three failed in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer treatments, the uterine tumor was enucleated, and pathologically diagnosed as an adenomatoid tumor. Five months after the operation, the patient became pregnant as a result of a fourth in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. At the 33rd week of gestation, she complained of a sudden onset of abdominal pain. The patient was diagnosed with a ruptured uterus based on an ultrasound, and an emergency cesarean section was performed. The rupture occurred at the site of the operation scar on the posterior wall of the uterine body. The fetal legs extruded into the abdominal cavity from the uterine cavity but were enclosed within the unruptured chorioamniotic membrane. A male neonate (1956 g) was delivered without asphyxia and had Apgar scores of 8 and 9. The ruptured uterine wall could be repaired by suturing. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of uterine rupture during pregnancy after resection of an adenomatoid tumor in the uterine body.

SummaryIn ICSI procedures, it is well known that the selection of viable (live) spermatozoa and certain types of immobilization prior to injection is very important for obtaining successful results, but unfortunately there are rare situations when only immotile spermatozoa are available (such as in severe asthenozoospermia or necrozoospermia). In such cases, failure of oocyte activation after ICSI often occurs and may be due to the lack of SOAF (sperm-borne oocyte activating factor) activity. In order to investigate the SOAF activities of dead spermatozoa, mouse and human spermatozoa were immobilized (killed by sonication), maintained in THF medium for varying time intervals (up to 72 h) and then injected into mature unfertilized mouse oocytes. Injected mouse oocytes were examined for their activation, development into blastocysts and Ca2+responses by imaging and confocal laser scanning microscope. The rates of oocyte activation, blastocyst development and normal patterns of Ca2+oscillation from the killed-sperm-injected oocytes decreased gradually in accordance with the maintenance interval between sonication and injection. For injection with mouse sonicated spermatozoa, the rate of normal Ca2+oscillations declined first (after a 3 h maintenance interval) and then blastocyst development was gradually obstructed (after approx. 10 h). The oocyte activation-inducing ability of dead spermatozoa was maintained for a relatively long period, but began to decline after 20 h. The activation rates and Ca2+response of the oocytes that were injected with human sonicated spermatozoa decreased earlier than those injected with mouse spermatozoa. Although the oocyte activation-inducing ability was maintained for a relatively long time after the death of the spermatozoa, embryo development into blastocysts and the rate of normal Ca2+oscillations declined after a short maintenance interval between sonication and injection. The Ca2+response seemed to be the most sensitive indicator for the evaluating the SOAF activity of dead (killed) spermatozoa.

Oocyte activation and Ca 2+ oscillation-inducing abilities of round spermatid (ROS) and elongated spermatid (ELS) of some rodents and human were assessed by their injection into mouse (B 6 D 2 F 1 ) oocytes (mouse test). With mice (B 6 D 2 F 1 , ICR) and rat, ROS displayed no oocyte activation or Ca 2+ oscillation-inducing abilities. Although ELS could induce activation at 87, 86 and 31% of injected oocytes respectively, most of the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) responses of ELS-injected oocytes did not show oscillation patterns; only several transient [Ca 2+ ] i rises (transient pattern) were seen. Similarly, with hamster, rabbit and human, while ROS could induce oocyte activation efficiently (70, 71 and 52% respectively), most of the [Ca 2+ ] i patterns of injected oocytes were transient patterns, and not oscillation patterns. When ROS nuclei only from these latter species were injected into mouse oocytes, most of the oocytes could not be activated. [Ca 2+ ] i patterns of oocytes injected with immature sperm cells changed from transient pattern to oscillation pattern while the cells were maturing into spermatozoa. With hamster ROS, oocyte-activating factor was found to be distributed mainly in the cytoplasm. It was interesting that there is a dissociation between the timings of appearance of oocyte activation and that of Ca 2+ oscillation of oocytes injected with developing immature sperm cells.

In a total of 1048 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles, motile spermatozoa from four out of 424 patients (0.9%) failed to fertilize oocytes, despite an apparently successful ICSI procedure. No activation was observed in these injected oocytes. The spermatozoa from three of the four patients were injected into unfertilized mouse oocytes by ICSI (mouse test) to evaluate their oocyte activating ability. The oocyte activation rate of the spermatozoa of patients A, B, and C in the mouse test was 46, 100, and 86% respectively (control: 100%). Simultaneous injection of two spermatozoa from patient A into the mouse oocytes increased the oocyte activating rate to 89% (sham control: 29%). 100% fertilization rates were obtained for patients A and B by combining ICSI and electrical stimulation, and this resulted in pregnancy and the birth of healthy twins for the partner of patient A. Thus, it is considered that the spermatozoa of these patients are not lacking sperm factors but that the activity of these factors is depressed. The combination of ICSI and electrical stimulation is effective in these cases.

During the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure, the collected oocytes are incubated until just before ICSI. The ideal preincubation time of oocytes was investigated in 544 treatment cycles. Oocyte retrieval was carried out 35 h after human chorionic gonadotrophin administration. Oocytes were cultured for between 1 and 11 h before ICSI. Embryo transfer was performed 48 h after oocyte collection. The survival, fertilization and cleavage rates of injected oocytes indicated no statistically significant differences between oocytes preincubated for different lengths of time. The proportion of good-quality embryos (grades 1 and 2) was lower at 9-11 h of preincubation time than for all the other preincubation times (P < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were detected in the pregnancy rate between each group (mean: 15.9%), although the pregnancy rate at 9-11 h of preincubation time appeared to be low (7.7%). These results suggest that the oocyte retained sufficient potential for fertilization between 1 and 9 h after oocyte collection in ICSI. For the researchers who practise more complex ICSI procedures than IVF, it would be convenient to be able to perform ICSI at any time between 1 and 9 h after oocyte collection.

A study was conducted to evaluate the ability of rabbit oocyte to develop to the pronuclear stage and subsequent development if injected with heat-treated sperm. The rate of fertilization of eggs after microinjection of cauda epididymal spermatozoa heated at 60 degrees C for 30 min was 36%; the rate of cleavage was 24%. The rate of fertilization after microinjection of heat-treated sperm nuclei was 43%; the rate of cleavage was 26%. On the other hand, the rate of fertilization of eggs injected with sperm without heat treatment was 43%, the rate of cleavage was 29%, and there was no difference between eggs microinjected with heat-treated spermatozoa or sperm nuclei and those not heat treated. Of the viable eggs injected with heat-treated sperm, 16% developed to the 6- to 8-cell stage 72 h after injection.

Measurements of the densities of the molecular and atomic ions (n H +, n H2 +, n H3 +) were carried out in hydrogen plasma with a hydrogen gas puff at discharge current of 50 A. The molecular and atomic ion currents were detected using an “omegatron” mass analyzer. The electron density and temperature were measured using a Langmuir probe and a double probe. From the measured parameters, a zero-dimensional model using the relevant rate balance equations was found to predict the observed dominant ion density.