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In this report, we have examined the effects of lithium on testicular morphology in a male subtropical wild avian species, the roseringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri). Adult male birds were collected during the months of February-March, a time when the testicular gametogenic activity in these seasonally breeding birds is at its peak. They were injected, intramuscularly, twice daily (07:00 and 19:00 h) with lithium chloride (Sigma Chemical Company) at a dosage of 0.5 mEq/Kg body weight either for 5 or 10 days. A significant decrease in both the absolute and relative testicular weights was evident in the lithium-treated birds as compared to those of the saline-injected control animals. Light microscopic studies of the testis in the lithium-treated animals showed a wide range of degenerative changes. These included a) a significant reduction in the diameter of seminiferous tubules; b) necrosis and exfoliation of most of the germ cells in the seminiferous tubular lumen with the exception of the spermatogonia; and c) a significant reduction in the number of mature spermatozoa in the tubular lumen. These degenerative changes were dependent on the duration of lithium treatment and were evident when the plasma lithium concentrations were well below the human therapeutic range. Leydig cell morphology was not affected by lithium however. Our results provide the first experimental evidence of lithium's adverse reproductive function in an avian species. These data provide further support to the view that lithium adversely affects the male reproductive system and that these effects extend beyond mammalian species.

This study evaluated the effect of dietary gossypol from whole cottonseed (WCS) and cottonseed cake (CSC) on testicular morphology of Yankasa rams. Fifteen (15) Yankasa rams weighing an average of 20 2 Kg were randomly distributed into three groups (A, B and C) of five rams each and were fed diets containing 48 % WCS, 48 % CSC and control diet (gossypol-free), respectively for 14 weeks. . An ultrasonographic examination of the testes of each ram was done every month for 3 months. At the end of the feeding period, the rams were castrated and histopathogical examination of the testicular tissues (n = 6). Histopathological changes observed in the testes of the rams in the experimental group were depletion of spermatogenic cell layers and arrest of spermatogenesis at the spermatocyte and spermatids levels and an exfoliation of the spermatogonia. There was vacuolation of the germ layers in the seminiferous tubules. These changes were more severe in group B (CSC) than A (WCS) and were indicative of testicular degeneration. Ultrasonograms of the testis of rams from experimental groups showed loss of homogeneity and an increased hyperechoic appearance which were also indicative of testicular degeneration. It was concluded that gossypol from whole cottonseed and cottonseed cake has detrimental effects on testicular histology and the effect on testicular histology was more severe in rams that were fed cottonseed cake.

The testis of a greater Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) was examined by naked eyes and light microscopy. The animal sampled was estimated to be 42 years old. Testis was ellipse-shaped and weighed 1, 300 g. Although a number of elongated spermatids were distinguishable in some seminiferous tubules, the lumen of seminiferous tubules was closed and connective tissues conspicuously increased in amount in the intertubular space. These findings in testicular morphology of the animal may be due to ageing.

The chromosome numbers of 54 Lebanese Rhopalocera are given. 11 of them represent species not previously studied, while 26 of the remainder are endemic subspecies (often very characteristic) of species studied elsewhere. The findings are compared to the existing body of knowledge. The karyology is found to be very stable over wide geographical areas and, therefore, chromosome counts are a useful taxonomical tool for many groups of Rhopalocera. The chromosome counts of species not previously studied generally fall within the expected range for the respective genera and families. A simplified technique for karyological studies through non-permanent squash preparations is outlined.

Littermate pairs of crossbred boars were fed 40 ppm zearalenone from 14 to 18 weeks of age, and the effects on reproductive development were examined. Compared to controls, boars fed zearalenone subsequently had reduced libido scores (P greater than.05), and fewer treated animals exhibited mating behavior. Plasma concentrations of testosterone were depressed (P greater than .05) during consumption of zearalenone. Zearalenone did not significantly affect age at which sperm were first voided in the urine (P greater than .25). Body weight and testicular size were not affected by zearalenone. At 36 weeks of age, testicular weight, epididymal weight, spermatid numbers, motility of cauda epididymal sperm and testicular morphology did not differ between control boars and those that had consumed zearalenone.

Rats dosed dermally with 39 or 130 mg/kg/day hexafluoroacetone sesquihydrate (HFA) for 14 days developed moderate or severe testicular atrophy, respectively; rats dosed with 13 mg/kg/day HFA for 14 days did not. Histologic evaluation of the testes revealed that spermatids, followed by spermatocytes, were the germ cells most affected by HFA; spermatogonia and Sertoli cells appeared to be less vulnerable. Lipogenesis from [3H]acetate and [14C]glucose was investigated in vitro in testes from HFA-treated and pair-fed control rats. Triacylglycerol and phospholipid synthesis was increased whereas sterol synthesis was decreased in testes from HFA-treated rats. Vitamin A and zinc were measured in the testes of control and HFA-treated rats; no differences in the levels of these nutrients were observed between the two groups. The data support the hypothesis that altered lipid metabolism, in particular sterol metabolism, is associated with the development of HFA-induced testicular atrophy.

Rhesus monkeys were randomly assigned to undergo various surgical procedures. The animals were followed from one to sixty-six weeks postvasectomy, at which time they were sacrificed and their tissues prepared for light and electron microscopy. Vasectomy in the rhesus monkey, as in certain other species, appears to be a procedure not attended with widespread testicular atrophy or histologic evidence of impaired spermatogenic potential utilizing the procedures and postoperative periods studied. Why certain animals exhibited focal degenerative changes is unclear; perhaps a certain population, yet to be defined, is more sensitive to such procedures, resulting in testicular alterations. It is important that such a population and such changes be defined to predict more accurately the possibility of successful vasovasostomy and reestablishment of fertility.

HIGNIFICANT studies upon testicular degeneration have been recorded by Simmonds (1), Stieve (2), Rossle (3), Sand and Okkels (4), Engle (5), Charny and Merance (6) and Warren and Olshausen (7). These reports have dealt with changes in the interstitial cells of Leydig as well as the seminiferous tubules and some attention has been given to the relation of testicular morphology to the condition and function of the accessory reproductive organs. However, much information is left to be desired as to the relation between testicular morphology and the production of androgenic hormone. In this study an opportunity was presented to survey the structure of testes obtained at biopsy from a group of patients whom we regard as presenting evidence of some degree of failing function of the Leydig cells. Inasmuch as the survey of these patients (Heller and Nelson, 8) has included a wide variety of clinical and hormonal studies the opportunity to compare structure and function was provided. In addition, we have studied t...

Summary. Chronic hypothyroidism induced in adult male rats by 131I did not modify the testicular function. This was revealed by the unchanged weight of testes, ventral prostate and seminal vesicles and normal testicular morphology. On the other hand, the anterior pituitary weight was higher in the hypothyroid rats. The pituitary gonadotrophin levels were lower in the 131I-treated rats, but this decrease was not apparently sufficient to induce any change in the testicular function. Existing reports on the influence of the thyroid gland on the male gonads are controversial. Some authors have reported that, in several species, thyroidectomy induced a decrease of gonadal weight (Magssod & Reineke, 1950) and Karkun & Mukherjee (1965, 1967) reported a decrease in the weight of the seminal vesicles, ventral prostates and epididymides though no histological alterations in the testes were seen. Hammett (1922) and Petersen, Spielman, Pomeroy & Boyd (1941), however, reported no gonadal alteration after thyroidectomy. In this paper, the influence of the thyroid gland on the male gonads and pituitary gonadotrophin levels has been reinvestigated by inducing hypothyroidism in male rats and studying the repercussions on the gonadal system. Nineteen, 60-day-old, male rats of the Wistar strain were used. They were allocated to two groups : the rats in one group were injected intraperitoneally with a solution of 131I at a dosage of 1 mCi/rat; those in the other group were treated with a similar volume of normal saline, also injected intraperitoneally. Both groups of rats were kept under similar environmental conditions (14-hr light/10-hr dark cycles), and allowed free access to the standard laboratory diet and water. The animals were killed 180 days later by decapitation, and the anterior pituitaries, testes, ventral prostates and seminal vesicles were removed and quickly weighed. The organ weights of the experimental and control groups were compared and the significance of the differences was investigated by means of Student's t test. The thyroid glands were removed, fixed in Bouin's solution, processed for

THE administration of androgenic substances to intact males of several species is known to produce alterations in testicular morphology during the treatment or shortly thereafter. Moore and Morgan (1942) have reviewed the literature on this subject and for the present purpose it is sufficient to summarize some of the results pertaining to the rat. Treatment before puberty suppresses testis growth and damages the seminiferous epithelium to a variable extent (Moore and Price, 1932, 1937, 1938; Biddulph, 1939; Greene and Burrill, 1940; Rubinstein and Kurland, 1941; Selye and Friedman, 1941; and Shay et al., 1941). Treatment with androgens after sexual maturity also causes reduction in testis size if small doses are used (Moore and Price, 1938; Selye and Friedman, 1941), although larger doses are reported to have no appreciable effect (Moore and Price, 1932, 1937, 1938; Korenchevsky, Dennison and Hall, 1937; Selye and Friedman, 1941).

O presente estudo descreve a estrutura, fases de maturação testicular e espermatogênese de Devario aequipinnatus, uma espécie com grande potencial de utilização como modelo biológico em experimentação animal. D. aequipinnatus possui o testí­­culo tubular anastomosado com distribuição espermatogonial irrestrita. Foram observadas quatro fases de maturação testicular, com base nas alterações do epitélio germinativo testicular associado aos estágios das células germinativas presentes: Maturação Inicial, Maturação Intermediária, Maturação Final e Regressão. Devido í­Â proximidade filogenética, a morfologia testicular do D aequipinnatus é semelhante aos demais Cypriní­­deos, a exemplo, zebrafish (Danio rerio), o que corrobora com a hipótese da utilização do D aequipinnatus como modelo biológico em experimentação animal.

The purpose of this study was to study the microscopic morphology of the testicular parenchyma of Rhea americana birds. Fifty-four 2.5±0.5 year-old male adults bred in captivity. were used. During commercial slaughter, samples of testis were collected in November/2005, December/2006 and May/2007, in order to compare possible differences. The samples underwent optical microscopy analysis and measurements of seminiferous tubule (ST) total diameters, lumen, epithelium thickness and the relative volume of parenchyma. The ST had circular form in transverse cross sections. November/2005 and December/2006 samples had many types of germinative cells and spermatozoa in lumen, but in May/2007 the samples of epithelium were poor regarding meiotic and mitotic pictures, and it was difficult to find any spermatozoon; in many tubules the lumen was inexistent or diminished. In December/2006 and May/2007 the averages were: tubule diameter 110.3 and 5.3mμ, lumen 52.4 and 4.5mμ, epithelium thickness 57.8 and 0.7mμ respectively. The volumetric proportions were: seminiferous epithelium 75.6 and 75.9, cysts in epithelium 2.1 and 1.0, ST 93.3 and 84.0, interstitium 6.2 and 15.6 respectively. The sperm reserves were: 19.7±2 and 0±0 x109 sperm cells in December 2006 and May 2007 respectively. Microscopic measures of seminiferous tubules, spermatic cells and diameter of the nuclei were presented. These data confirm reproductive seasonality, with breeding season in spring-summer with sperm production. A great variation n parenchyma, when compared breeding was noticeable.

The testis from two 47XXY fetuses (20 weeks) revealed histologic features not dissimilar from that observed in a normal 46XY fetus of similar gestational age. These findings support the observation that the loss of germ cells in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome is an event which begins in infancy and not in utero and progresses through early childhood and the prepubertal period. At puberty germinal aplasia may be complete with clinical evidence of testicular atrophy.

The spermiogram of 10 mature bulls, ranging in age between three and 10 years and comprising five indigenous (Bos indicus) and five exotic (Bos taurus) bulls, was studied for 12 months. There were no significant seasonal variations in sperm cell concentration, percentage live sperm cells and sperm cell abnormalities in the indigenous bulls but the exotic breed showed significant seasonal fluctuations with higher sperm cell abnormalities, lower percentage live-sperm cells and lower sperm cell concentration during the hot periods. In both groups the sperm cell concentration was significantly higher in the relatively younger, mature bulls (three to seven years) than in the older bulls (seven-and-a-half to 10 years) Histological study of the testes of 240 indigenous bulls over the same period showed that percentage spermatogenesis was lower in the older than in the younger bulls. This lower sperm output was associated with degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules. It is suggested that thermal stress in the tropics has significant adverse effects on spermatogenesis only in bulls of non-indigenous breeds. Senile testicular degeneration could be a significant factor in the low reproductive performance of the local bulls.

5-Thio-D-glucose given orally to mice at 50 mg/kg/day for up to 49 days inhibited spermatogenesis and fertility, confirming an earlier report. Contrary to the earlier report, the antispermatogenic activity and the drug-induced infertility were only partially reversible as judged by mating trials and testicular morphology. A second experiment, designed to determine if the thiosugar had intrinsic antifertility activity under conditions in which the diabetogenic response was suppressed, showed that the antispermatogenic effect continued to be manifested when insulin (0.5 U/day)-treated rats were given 50 mg/kg/day 5-thio-D-glucose. We conclude that 5-thio-D-glucose is a partially reversible antifertility agent with some apparently intrinsic antispermatogenic activity independent of its effect on serum glucose concentrations.

Diethylstilbestrol was continuously infused into pregnant mice through the tail vein. In male fetus exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) from days 15 to 19 of gestation, Leydig cells of the testis were found to be increased in number when examined at 3-60 days of age. Mitotic rate in the interstitial tissue was elevated in 0- to 3-day-old mice exposed prenatally to DES. The ratio of the intertubular space to testis size was greater at 3 days of age than at 1 day in prenatally DES-exposed mice, while in the controls, the rate was lower at 3 days than at 1 day. Spermatogenic activity was lower in DES-exposed adult mice than in the controls, as shown by the spermatogenic index.

Testicular biopsies from 10 individuals with histories of exposure to 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) were studied by light and electron microscopy. In seven subjects, spermatogenic activity was either significantly decreased or absent. There appeared to be a correlation between the diminution in spermatogenesis and the duration of industrial exposure to the agent.

Summary— In 26 patients with varicocele, measurements of plasma follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), testosterone (T) and oestradiol2 (E2) were made; pre-operative and post-operative sperm counts, dynamic stimulation tests with HCG and clomiphene, and testicular biopsies including light microscopy, morphometry, and ultrastructural study in 4 cases, were also performed. A correlation was found between the hormonal pattern and testicular morphology.

Testicular morphology and plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol-17beta were compared in paired (n = 8) and unpaired (n = 7) racing pigeons killed in December. The birds were housed mixed together under natural lighting conditions in two unheated lofts which contained no nesting facilities, in Kiel (54 degrees N), Germany. The paired birds had been paired for at least two months. Testicular weights and diameters of tubules were significantly higher (p less than 0.05) in paired (1.64 +/- 0.25 gm; 218 +/- 12 mum) than in unpaired birds (0.79 +/- 0.25 gm; 165 +/- 20 mum). The testes of paired birds were spermatogenetically more active than those of unpaired birds. Plasma concentrations of some hormones concerned with reproduction were, in paired and unpaired birds respectively: LH, 2.28 +/- 0.43 ng/ml and 0.98 +/- 0.36 ng/ml (significantly different, p less than 0.1); testosterone, 1.24 +/- 0.51 ng/ml and 0.59 +/- 0.12 ng/ml (not significantly different); progesterone, 0.58 +/- 0.08 ng/ml and 0.90 +/- 0.12 ng/ml (sifnificantly different, p less than 0.05); and estradiol-17beta, 16.3 +/- 0.95 pg/ml and 18.7 +/- 2.25 pg/ml (not significantly different). Thus, the stimulatory effects of a mate on gonadotropin secretion and gonadal activity which have often been reported for female ring doves and domestic pigeons are also demonstrable in males during the late fall. Seasonal testicular regression in the unpaired males at this time of year was not prevented by the presence of paired females.

Zusammenfassung Prolaktin bei Azoospermie-Patienten und seine Beziehung zur Hodenmorphologie, zum Serum-Testosteron und zu den Gonadotropin-Werten Bei 15 Mannern mit Azoospermie im Ejakulat wurde die Hodenhistologie sowie der jeweilige Wert fur Testosteron, Gonadotropine und Prolaktin untersucht. Nach der Hodenhistologie wurden vier Gruppen eingeteilt: a) normale oder masige Hypospermatogenese (n=5), b) schwere Hypospermatogenese oder spermatogenetischer Stillstand (n=3), c) Sertoli-Zell-Syndrom (n=3) und d) totale Tubulusatrophie (n=5). In den Gruppen a und b ergaben sich niedrigere Werte fur FSH und LH gegenuber den Gruppen c und d. Fur Prolaktin ergab sich keinerlei Korrelation, so das der Schlus gezogen wird, es wurde kein feedback-Mechanismus zwischen der Spermatogenese und der Prolaktin-Sekretion bestehen. Lediglich in 4 Fallen ergaben sich erhohte Werte fur Prolaktin. Es wird die Schlusfolgerung gezogen, das zwischen der Hodenhistologie und den Serum-Prolaktinwerten keine Beziehungen bestehen, woraus etwa die Konsequenz abzuleiten ware, das erhohte Prolaktinwerte allgemein mit herabgesetzten Testosteronwerten gekoppelt sind; daruberhinaus besteht keine Beziehung zwischen den Serum-Gonadotropinen und den Prolaktin-Werten.

Vasectomy was performed on 63 rats at age 81 to 105 days. Examination 28 to 58 days later disclosed no significant reductions in testis size with respect to preoperative testis length and to testis length and weight in unoperated controls. The fact that the minimal atrophy observed was primarily left-sided sugested that these effects were artifacts of the procedure or systemic left-right differences in the animals.

To test the hypothesis that seasonal variations in testicular morphology and function differ in Corriedale rams subject to different feeding levels, 24 spring-born Corriedale rams, aged 14-15 months at the beginning of the trial and raised under extensive grazing conditions in Uruguay, were allotted at random to two groups: Group H, that grazed on improved (sown) pastures, and Group L, the control, that grazed on natural pastures (range). Clinical data (live weight, scrotal circumference), semen, blood and tissue samples (testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle) were collected during each of four seasons (for one month/season) of the year. According to data measured, testicular form and function had its peak in autumn followed by a decline in winter and a subsequent recovery in spring and summer. Live weight loss during winter was significantly decreased in Group L but not in Group H. Scrotal circumference, seminiferous tubules diameter and seminal vesicle epithelial height decreased significantly during winter in both groups. Group H scrotal circumference returned earlier (spring) than Group L (summer) to autumn values. By summer, seminiferous tubules and seminal vesicle epithelial height had returned to autumn values in Group H, but not in Group L. Decrements of scrotal circumference in winter and spring were milder in Group H than in Group L animals. Group H testosterone values in autumn were higher than those from Group L in spring. In summary: 1) differences existed in seasonal variations in testicular morphology and function between Corriedale rams subjected to different feeding levels and, 2) the findings suggest that nutritional factors contributed, at least partly, to the differences in variations observed throughout the experiment.

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