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In postoperative radiotherapy for seminoma, control of the testicular absorbed dose is important, since exposure of the testis can lead to temporary or permanent infertility. In this case, instead of using a dog-leg-shaped field, treatment using a field focused near the aorta was provided in several disease stages of seminoma. However, the precise need for testicular shielding during treatment and dose of testis exposure was not clear. We examined these questions by measuring the testicular absorbed dose with and without a testicular shield using two clinical treatment plans and a phantom. The distance from the testis phantom and the lower end of the irradiation field was varied. Where the total dose for the tumor was 20 Gy, the testicular absorbed dose was below 0.1 Gy, the threshold dose for temporary infertility. At this dosage, the distance between the testis phantom and the edge of the irradiation field was 14.6 cm without the shield and 9.99 cm with the shield. Using a testes shield, it was thus possible to reduce the dose by 58.5%.

In case of the treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer with radioiodine (131I), 3.7 GBq (100 mCi) or more is often repeatedly administered to the patient. Therefore, we must be aware of avoiding unnecessary exposure to the radioiodine except for the lesions to be treated. The administered radioiodine is excreted mainly through urinary system, resulting in an accumulation of the urine in the bladder for a certain period, which is highly concentrated with it. Based on this fact, we set one case having a particular pattern of the whole body retention curve. Then, two different modes of urination were considered; mode A indicates every 2 hour-urination x 6 times followed by every 6 hour-urination x 2 times, and mode B indicates every 6 hour-urination x 4 times. Focusing on the different amounts of urine in the bladder upon the different modes of urination, the radiation exposures from the urine to the neighboring organs, such as bladder wall, uterus, ovary and testis, and also to the whole body were calculated. As the results, it was found that the urination mode B would cause radiation exposure from the urine in the bladder twice as much as the urination mode A to the neighboring organs as well as to the whole body. This study will supply arguments for the necessity of frequent urination in the cases receiving radioiodine treatment for metastatic thyroid cancer.

To evaluate the efficacy of 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) as a diagnostic method for abnormal testicular function, we examined three conditions using rat testes, ischemia, irradiation, and hormone manipulation. 1) Ischemia: Immediately after clamping of the feeding vessels, ATP signals began to fall and disappeared within 60 minutes. With the release of blood supply after 3 hours of ischemia, ATP appeared within 2 hours. However, after more than 4 hours of ischemia, ATP did not recover within 2 hours and the testis became necrotic after 1 week. 2) Irradiation: 31P MRS of the testis 2 weeks after irradiation with 10 Gy., 9 MeV showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the PME/beta-ATP ratio from 1.30 +/- 0.11 (control level) to 1.11 +/- 0.12 and a decrease in PME/PDE ratio from 1.43 +/- 0.17 to 1.13 +/- 0.20. However 3 weeks later, the PME/beta-ATP ratio recovered to a control level. 3) Hormone manipulation: In the testes 5 weeks after weekly intramuscular injections of estradiol benzoate and testosterone enanthate, PDE/beta-ATP ratio significantly increased (P < 0.01) from 0.83 +/- 0.09 (control level) to 1.03 +/- 0.19. 31P MRS is a non-invasive method for evaluation of various testicular abnormalities, and ATP signals may be useful to evaluate an acute ischemic change for example testicular torstion and the changes of PME, PDE signals may be useful parameters in the assessment of the status of spermatogenesis.

The present study is concerned with the effect of radiation to the testis on fertilizing ability in vitro using golden hamster spermatozoa. Male hamsters at 6 and 8 weeks of age were given acute testicular X-irradiation (200 kVp, 20 mA, 0.47-0.48 Gy/min). Spermatozoa were collected from the cauda epididymides at different times after irradiation and then they were suspended in fertilization medium. After preincubation for 4-5 hr, the spermatozoa were cultured with the eggs collected from mature hamsters treated with PMSG-hCG. Fertilized eggs were examined for incidence of sperm penetration and formation of pronuclei at 4-5 hr after insemination. The fertilization rate (47.7%) at the 6th week after irradiation with a dose of 2 Gy was much lower in comparison with the control value (92.6%). However, the fertilization rates at the 3rd and 9th weeks after irradiation were 97.7 and 90.6%, respectively. In these period, no difference was found between the irradiated groups and the control groups. From the changes in sperm concentration after irradiation with a dose of 2 Gy, it was found that the fertilization rate was the lowest at the 6th week. The sensitive stage to radiation during spermatogenesis with reference to the reduction of fertilizing ability after irradiation coincides with that of decrease in the sperm concentration and sperm motility. The results of fertilization rate at the 6th week after different doses of X-irradiation (0.25-6 Gy) indicated that the reduction of fertilization rate is nearly expressed as a dose-response relationship.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Experimental testicular dysfunction were produced by X-ray irradiation to the testes in mice. Mecobalamin (CH3-B12) was orally administered at a daily dose of 0.01, 0.1 or 1 mg/kg six times a week for 8 weeks from the next day after the irradiation. The control mice received physiological saline in the same manner. On 4th- and 6th-week after the irradiation, the weights of testes and epididymides were decreased, although those of the body and accessory sex glands (seminal vesicle, coagulating gland and prostate) were nearly equal to those of non-irradiated mice. At the same time, the diameter of seminiferous tubules decreased and sperm parameters (sperm count, sperm motility and sperm abnormality) deteriorated. When CH3-B12 (1 mg/kg) was administered, the diameter of seminiferous tubules increased and sperm parameters improved as compared to those of the control. The results indicate that CH3-B12 improved the experimental testicular dysfunction in mice induced by the irradiation. These results suggest that CH3-B12 might accelerate testicular function.