The hormonal regulation of premeiotic steps of spermatogenesis in the newborn rat

.he effect of high doses of testosterone propionate (TP) on the development of the first spermatogenic wave was systematically analyzed to determine the period of maximal susceptibility to testosterone. Two mg of TP were administered daily to groups of immature male rats, starting from birth, or days 5, 10, 15, and 20 until day 35 of life. Animals injected from birth or day 5 showed severe testicular atrophy, with reductions of more than 70% of testicular weight, diminished tubular diameters, and spermatogenic arrest during the meiotic prophase. Groups treated from days 10 or 15 showed increasing testicular weights with qualitatively normal spermatogenesis. When treatment started at 20 days, completely normal testicular development was achieved. To test the responsiveness of the neonatal hypothalamo-pituitary axis to TP administration, groups of 5-day-old male rats received daily injections of TP, and plasma FSH was determined at ten, 20, and 35 days. FSH levels were not detectable at ten and 20 days, and extremely depressed at 35. A group of 5-day-old male rats was injected simultaneously with 2 mg of TP and 14 IU of FSH (human menopausal gonadotropin: 71 IU of FSH and 80 IU of LH/ml) until day 35. Testicular weights and tubular diameters were increased compared to controls, and spermatid differentiation had proceeded to more mature steps than those seen in control animals. Inhibition of testicular development by neonatal TP administration was paralleled by a sharp decrease in circulating FSH levels and reversed by FSH replacement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Absorbed dose in water. Comparison of several methods using a liquid ionization chamber

In the present investigation a liquid ionization chamber has been used as a transfer instrument for the quantity absorbed dose in water in a cobalt-60 gamma-ray beam. The characteristics of the liquid ionization chamber are described. The transferred dosimetric information has been compared with absorbed-dose determination using air-ionization-chamber dosimetry, water calorimetry and ferrous-sulphate dosimetry. The agreement between the different measured absorbed-dose values is very good, i.e. within 0.2%. This is an indication that the consistency in the methods used to determine absorbed dose in water is good. The impact of the new standard for air kerma in air, introduced in 1986 by the BIPM, on the air-ionization-chamber dosimetry is investigated. It is shown that any differences in the dosimetry when using the old or the new set of data cancel out for the cobalt-60 beam. The investigation also shows that the value of epsilon mG for the ferrous-sulphate dosimeter recommended in ICRU 35 for electrons can be used also in cobalt-60 beams.     

Therapeutic Apheresis: Applications and Future Directions

Abstract. The past 10–15 years have been witness to major technological achievements in the field of therapeutic apheresis. Concurrently, a large number of diseases, primarily with an immunological basis, have been treated with apheresis. In this paper, we review the various applications of therapeutic apheresis, adverse reactions associated with the mode of therapy, and future research directions. Several representative diseases are also discussed in detail.     

Granular cell myoblastoma of the esophagus after irradiation for carcinoma.

Granular cell myoblastoma is an uncommon, usually benign tumor. Only 20 cases are reported in the esophagus. We describe a 65-year-old woman who developed a granular cell myoblastoma of the postericoid esophagus in the area of a squamous cell carcinoma successfully treated with irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the 21st reported case, and the only case occurring in the esophagus after irradiation for primary squamous cell carcinoma.     

Vancomycin-induced neutropenia associated with anti-granulocyte antibodies

Neutropenia is a rare complication associated with vancomycin, and the cause of this adverse reaction is not well understood. We report a case of vancomycin-induced neutropenia in which we were able to demonstrate anti-granulocyte antibodies. We also report the results of a hone marrow examination along with a brief review of the literature.     

Acid-labile subunit (ALS) deficiency

The acid-labile subunit (ALS) protein is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the circulating IGF/IGFBP system. In humans, complete ALS deficiency is characterized by severely reduced serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations that is incongruent with the associated mild growth retardation (height SDS -2 to -3 SDS before and during puberty). Twenty-one patients have been described with ALS deficiency, representing 16 unique homozygous or compound heterozygous inactivating mutations of the IGFALS gene. Pubertal delay in boys and insulin insensitivity are common findings. In the assessment of a child with short stature ALS deficiency should be consider in those patients presenting: 1) a normal response to GH?stimulation test, 2) low IGF-I levels associated with more profoundly reduced IGFBP-3 levels, 3) a mild growth retardation, apparently out of proportion to the degree of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 deficits, 4) lack of response to an IGF generation test and 5) insulin insensitivity.     

Impaired physiological function and health-related QOL in patients before hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation

Purpose  

Patients' physiological functions and health-related quality of life (QOL) are useful for planning physical therapy after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), but have not been extensively examined prior to transplantation. We investigated whether physiological functions and health-related QOL were reduced in patients before undergoing allo-HSCT.     

Growth in Turner's syndrome: long term treatment with low dose ethinyl estradiol

The growth response to 100 ng/kg BW X day ethinyl estradiol (2-4 micrograms/day) given for 18 months was studied in a group of nine patients with Turner's syndrome, aged 8.6-13.3 yr. All patients were prepubertal and had elevated gonadotropin levels. Growth velocity increased from 3.09 +/- 1.05 (+/-SD) to 7.09 +/- 1.47 cm/yr in the first 6 months, 6.08 +/- 1.78 cm/yr in the second 6 months, and 4.03 +/- 1.65 cm/yr in the third 6 months. Bone age increased a mean of 0.82 +/- 0.34, 0.89 +/- 0.79, and 0.74 +/- 0.59 yr, respectively, in the three 6-month periods. Predicted height prognosis did not change after any period. All patients had pubertal changes, limited in most to slight breast development. Mean diurnal spontaneous GH secretion did not change during treatment. Plasma somatomedin-C levels were low before treatment, and ethinyl estradiol did not significantly increase somatomedin-C values. Our data confirm the ability of a low dose of ethinyl estradiol to increase growth velocity in girls with Turner's syndrome, although the effect diminished with time, and the excess bone age advancement precluded improvement of predicted height.