Unilateral torsion of the testis was experimentally induced in Sprague-Dowley rats by an incision in the scrotum and manual rotation of the testis. The testes remained torted for 3 or 24 hours and then were released by detorsion or orchiectomy. Histologic changes were evaluated 2 weeks and 4 weeks post torsion episode in order to answer the following questions:(1) Does the duration of testicular torsion affect the degree of histologic change in the contralateral testis? (2) Does the treatment of the torted testis influence the contralateral testis histologically? (3) Are there any histologic differences according to the duration of the follow-up in each group? The results indicate that when a torted testis was kept in place for at least 24 hrs, then was a marked decrease in spermatogenesis, but even this histologic change disappeared 4 weeks later. In conclusion a torted testis may present a liability to the patient's contralateral testis, but this phenomena is temporal.
Animal ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains ; Spermatic Cord Torsion/complications ; Spermatic Cord Torsion/pathology*

With the recent advancement in the field of microvascular surgery, the demand for a microvascular prosthesis of 1-2 mm diameter has been increasing. The authors attempted to insert a Gore-tex graft of 1 mm inner diameter to the rat aorta and renal artery with different techniques and different suture materials. The telescoped technique was utilized for the anastomosis of the proximal part of the artery. They showed 80% patency of grafts up to 116 days with 10-0 ethilon and 83% patency up to 96 days with 7-0 silk in the rat aorta. In the rat renal artery, they showed 53.3% patency with 10-0 ethilon. These results showed that Gore-tex grafts of a 1 mm inner diameter could be used for microvascular reconstructions but further laboratory experimentation is needed before clinical application.
Angiography ; Animal ; Arteries/surgery* ; Polytetrafluoroethylene* ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains

In a previous report, it was felt that the rat tumor cell line, T-333, was a mixture of heterogeneous cells with different characteristics with respect to karyotype, tumorigenicity, and response to Rolls Sarcoma virus (RSV) infection. These characteristics of hetero-geneous cell subpopulations could be selected by use of different culture substrates. In this experiment, diversity of the cells in response to complement mediated cytolysis employing syngeneic rat anti-sera was studied. More than 50% of the glass grown cells were lysed while only 19% of the plastic grown cells were lysed by the specific immune sera of syngeneic rats. This finding suggests that growth in plastic culture wares selects cells with resistance to complement mediated cytolysis. It seems likely that the previously reported enhanced tumorigenicity of plastic grown T-333 cells is due to clonal selection of cell subpopulations which can better tolerate at least one arm of the in vivo immune surveillance system.
Animal ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology* ; Plastics ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disease, which is caused by excessive brain neuron discharge. The epileptic seizure has the characteristic of abruptness and reiteration. Prediction of seizures has great significance for patients to take timely and effective clinical measures. The symbolic dynamics method was introduced to analyze absence epilepsy EEG. The key parameters affecting the symbolic statistical quantities were discussed. The symbolic entropy and time irreversebility were calculated in different epilepsy stages. It was found that the symbolic entropy and the time irreversebility were rather big in interictal stage. The two parameters declined significantly during the transformation process from interictal stage to ictal stage and maintained lower value during ictal stage. The results showed that the symbolic dynamics method could reflect the changes of epilepsy EEG. The symbolic entropy and time irreversebility are sensitive features indicating different stages of seizures and have potential important clinical applications.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; physiopathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Animals ; Immune Tolerance ; Liver Transplantation ; immunology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets

OBJECTIVETo realize the oxidative damage of kidney mitochondrial complex in obese rats induced by high-fat diet and investigate the protective effects of sulforaphane against the damage.

METHODSEighty-eight adult male SD rats were used, after 1 week adaptability feeding, 8 rats were selected as control group and given low-fat diet. The other 80 rats were given high-fat diet. After 2 weeks, the 32 diet-induced obesity models were choosen whose weight gain was higher than 40%. The 32 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, i.e. high fat group, high fat+sulforaphane low dose group, high fat+sulforaphane middle dose group and high fat+sulforaphane high dose group. The rats in the sulforaphane low, middle and high dose groups were orally administered with sulforaphane 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, all the 4 groups were kept feeding high-fat diet for 5 weeks. All rats were sacrificed and their kidneys were removed to assay the index of oxidative damages.

RESULTSThe content of ROS (0.26 ± 0.04) and MDA((0.87 ± 0.05) U/mg) in the hight-fat group were significantly higher than those in the control group((0.20 ± 0.02),(0.57 ± 0.08) U/mg)(t values were -3.02 and -4.72, P < 0.05). The activity of T-AOC((0.43 ± 0.04) U/mg) and MMP (12.09 ± 1.56) were lower than the control group ((0.48 ± 0.04 U/mg, (16.08 ± 3.12) )(t values were 2.06 and 2.28, P < 0.05). Gavage intervention with sulforaphane, the MDA amount ((0.67 ± 0.05), (0.55 ± 0.05), (0.56 ± 0.07) U/mg) in the sulforaphane low, middle and high dose groups were lower than the hight-fat group ((0.87 ± 0.05) U/mg (t values were 3.65, 5.71 and 5.60. P < 0.05). The activity of T-AOC ((0.49 ± 0.05), (0.55 ± 0.05), (0.54 ± 0.04) U/mg), T-SOD ((61.07 ± 2.79), (55.95 ± 2.39), (60.26 ± 6.02) U/mg) and the level of MMP ((17.17 ± 2.52), (18.24 ± 2.54), (18.21 ± 3.65)) were higher than in the high-fat group ((0.43 ± 0.04) U/mg,(47.22 ± 2.43) U/mg,(12.09 ± 1.56)) (tT-AOC values were -2.36, -4.83 and -4.30; tT-SOD values were -6.37, -4.71 and -5.99; tMMP values were -2.90, -3.52 and -3.50, P < 0.05). The activity of GSH-Px in the sulforaphane low and middle dose groups ((69.12 ± 8.63), (64.43 ± 6.58) U/mg) were higher than those in the high-fat group((53.03 ± 5.70) U/mg)(t values were -3.82 and -2.71, P < 0.05). But there were no significant difference between the high dose group ((60.02 ± 7.05) U/mg) and the high-fat group (t = -1.66, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHigh-fat diet can induce the mitochondrial oxidative dysfunction in kidney, and sulforaphane shows protective effect on the kidney mitochondrial complex from oxidative damage in obese rats induced by high-fat diet.

Animals ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat ; Isothiocyanates ; Kidney ; Male ; Mitochondria ; Obesity ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains

The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy has not been fully explained. The earliest histological lesion is the loss of intramural pericytes and thickening of the basement membrane. Increased activity of the polyol pathway is a probable mechanism for these two abnormalities. Investigations have suffered from the lack of an exact animal model simulating the human condition. Examination of the retina in the spontaneously diabetic SHR/N:Mcc-cp rat demonstrated degeneration and loss of intramural pericytes, a progressive increase in basement membrane thickness, and microinfarctions with an area of non-perfusion. Therefore, this model may be used to clarify the biochemical mechanisms linking the metabolic abnormalities of diabetes and retinopathy.
Animal ; Diabetic Retinopathy/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Hybridization ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR/genetics ; Rats, Inbred Strains/genetics ; Retina/pathology* ; Retinal Degeneration/pathology

Calcium and phosphorus balance studies were carried out in subtotally nephrectomized rats (NX), with or without parathyroidectomy (NX-PTX; NX sham-PTX) in order to determine the ability of the remnant kidney to regulate excretion of these elements in the absence of parathyroid hormone. The rats were fed three different phosphorus diets, and calcium intake was also varied. We found that the NX-PTX rats adapted to the three different phosphorus diets in a manner indistinguishable from the NX sham-PTX rats. The per cent of ingested phosphorus excreted in the urine increased as dietary phosphorus increased. When supplementary calcium was added to the diet urinary phosphorus excretion fell and fecal phosphorus increased, in an identical fashion in the NX-PTX and NX sham-PTX animals. Urinary calcium excretion decreased as dietary phosphorus increased, and UCaV increased when supplementary calcium was provided in the diet. Total body calcium and phosphorus balance (intake-(urine+feces)) varied with intake, but was not significantly different between the NX-PTX and NX sham-PTX rats. These experiments demonstrate that subtotally nephrectomized rat have a parathyroid-independent mechanism(s) for regulating both urinary and fecal calcium and phosphorus excretion. The mechanism is not revealed by the present study, but may relate to changes in serum calcium and/or phosphorus which occur following parathyroidectomy.
Animal ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Homeostasis* ; Kidney/physiology ; Male ; Nephrectomy* ; Parathyroid Glands/surgery* ; Parathyroid Hormones/physiology ; Phosphorus/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains

The morphdogical changes in mast cells, induced by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and distilled water were studied, using light and electron microscopy. The mesenteries of rats sacrificed at 30 minutes; at 1, 2, 4 and 18 hours; and at 1, 2, 3 and 6 weeks after an intraperitoneal injection of 250 microgram or 500 microgram of HRP or 10 ml of distilled water were used for observation of degranulation rates and morphological changes in cell organelles during specified time intervals. The results were as follows: 1) A distinct increase in the mast cell degranulation was observed in the mesenteries after injection of HRP. In particular, all mast cells were disrupted or degranulated significantly 18 hours after injection of distilled water. 2) The degranulating mast cells of the group injected with HRP showed a progressive decrease in electron density of the granules, formation of perigranular cavities, and extrusion of the granules after partial loss of the plasma membrane. 3) At 2 weeks after injection of HRP, some indicators of the early stage of regeneration, that is, peripherally placed nucleus, the expanded Golgi area containing numerous vesicles, and progranules in these vesicles, were observed. 4) After 6 weeks, the morphological characteristics of most mast cells in the group injected with HRP were nearly the same as those of the control group. 5) In degranulating mast cells of the group injected with distilled water, partial rupture of the plasma and cytoplasm with wide dispersion of the granules.
Animal ; Cytoplasmic Granules/ultrastructure* ; Female ; Horseradish Peroxidase ; Male ; Mast Cells/ultrastructure* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains

The purpose of this study is to delineate the histopathologic findings of the spleen after Hantaan viral inoculation, which is the largest lymphoid organ in rats, and to identify the viral location by anti-Hantaan virus (HTNV) monoclonal antibody. All the sixty one suckling rats of less than twenty four hours of age were used. Except twenty one rats of control group, twenty-five rats inoculated intracerebrally for the early change and fifteen suckling rats inoculated intramuscularly for the late change were uniformly susceptible to lethal infection with the ROK 84-105-1 strain of seed HTNV. The characteristic histopathologic findings were; appearance of macrophages below the splenic capsule on the 3rd day, small lymphocytes around the periarteriolar sheath on the 5th day increasing in numbers on the 7th day, and a markedly expanded marginal zone with some immunoblasts and plasma cells as well as decreased extramedullary hematopoiesis on the 9th and 14th days. Time of onset of histopathologic changes in spleen thickness, appearance of medium and large lymphocytes and degree of extramedullary hematopoiesis were influenced by inoculation route, whereas expansion of the marginal zone was affected by postnatal age.
Animals ; Animals, Suckling ; Antigens, Viral/analysis ; Hantavirus/immunology ; Hematopoiesis ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome/*pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains ; Spleen/*pathology