A COMPARISON OF OPEN VERSUS NEEDLE BIOPSY (TRU-CUT R) OF THE TESTIS

Testicular biopsy is an important investigation in the management of an infertile patient with azoospermia. The study is aimed at defining the role of needle biopsy (Tru-cut R) of the testes as an alternative to conventional open testicular biopsy in a prospective controlled trial of 45 consecutive patients. Our study shows that needle biospy of the testis is safe and effective, making it a reliable alternative to open biopsy of the testes.     

Acute exposure of rhesus monkeys to dieldrin: Effect on lipid metabolism

Rhesus monkeys have been administered a single oral dose of dieldrin (20 mg/kg body wt.) and their lipid metabolism has been investigated 24 hr after the treatment. There was an increased accumulation of lipids, particularly triacylglycerols in adipose tissue, liver, and kidney, while the lipid profile of plasma did not change. An increased conversion of [U-¹⁴C]glucose into hepatic total lipids and triacylglycerols was observed. Lipolytic activity in tissues and postheparin plasma was, however, elevated. No change was found in the endogenous lipid secretion from the liver and in the removal rate of lipids from the circulation. Thus accumulation of triacylglycerols in the tissues on dieldrin administration seems to be due to increased lipid synthesis.     

Effect of pyridoxine deficiency on Litomosoides carinii infection in albino rats

Pyridoxine deficiency has been induced in albino rats at the weanling or neonatal stages. Exposure of the vitamin-deficient rats to the infective larvae of Litomosoides carinii resulted in no development or establishment of the parasite in the host. Although the food consumption of the pair-fed group was necessarily restricted to that of the deficient group, the susceptibility of the animais of the pair-fed group receiving the normal vitamin intake resembled that of the control group. The humoral immune response to the infection in the pair-fed controls as measured by indirect haemagglutination, was inhibited compared to that in the controls. This inhibition was more severe in the vitamin-deficient animais.     

Pregnancy specific proteins: suppression of in vitro blastogenic response to mitogen by these proteins

Immunosuppressive properties of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), pregnancy specific B1-glycoprotein (SP-1), human alpha foetoprotein (AFP), and human placental lactogen (HPL) in mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte transformation were studied. A pregnancy serum containing high serum levels of these specific proteins was prepared from a number of pregnancy sera. The inhibitory effect of pregnancy sera on lymphocyte response to mitogen was examined after sequential removal of each of the proteins from the pregnancy serum by affinity chromatography. Greatest decrease in the suppression was observed when human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) alone or human chorionic gonadotropin in combination with all other three specific proteins was removed from the pregnancy serum. Pregnancy specific B1-glycoprotein (SP-1) also significantly decreased the inhibitory effect of pregnancy serum. But the other two specific proteins (AFP and HPL) had minimal effect on the decrease an immunosuppression by pregnancy serum. However, even after removal of all the four pregnancy specific proteins from the pregnancy serum, complete return to normal values for lymphocyte transformation by mitogen was not observed, which indicates the presence of some other suppressive factor(s) in the pregnancy serum.