OBJECTIVESTo study the effect of testicular local heating on spermatogenic cell apoptosis in rat.

METHODSSeventy male SD rats were divided into heat treatment group (43 degrees C) and control group (22 degrees C). Each group was further divided into seven sub-groups respectively according to the time of 12 hours and 1 days, 3 days, 6 days, 10 days, 50 days and 80 days after testicular local treatment. The spermatogenic cell apoptosis in all sub-groups was examined by means of electron microscopy, flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUDP-nick end labeling(TUNEL) method.

RESULTSIn the groups of heat treatment, spermatogenic cell apoptosis was detected by electron microscopy; flow cytometry showed that the percentage of cells with sub-haploid increased(P < 0.01); the percentage of positive TUNEL cells in the heat treatment groups was higher than that in the control group(P < 0.01). Initiation of spermatogenic cell apoptosis after testicular heating was not random but was highly selective.

CONCLUSIONSLocal testicular heating could increase the spermatogenic cell apoptosis. The most sensitive cell is spermatocyte. Spermatid and sperm also display apparent changes. Heating can increase the apoptosis of spermatogonia in a long period.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Flow Cytometry ; Hot Temperature ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatogonia ; cytology ; ultrastructure ; Testis ; pathology ; ultrastructure

Aim To investigate the effects of the phos-phodiesterase 8(PDE8)inhibitor PF-04957325 on learning and memory,anxiety and depression in Alzhe-imer's disease(AD)mice induced by Okadaic acid(OA),and to explore its mechanism.Methods Twenty-one 2-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were se-lected for the experiment and randomly divided into the control group,AD model group,and PDE8 inhibitor group(0.1 mg·kg-1).AD model was induced by bi-lateral hippocampal localization injection of OA(50 ng on each side)in the model and PDE8 inhibitor groups of mice.Two days after the injection of OA,PDE8 in-hibitor group was given 0.1 mg·kg-1 drug,while the AD model groups and control group were given with the same volume of vehicle for 21 consecutive days.On day 13 of inhibitor administration,behavioral tests re-lated to learning and memory abilities,anxiety and de-pressive behaviors were performed in mice.HE stai-ning was used to observe the morphology of neuronal cells in the DG,CA1,and CA3 regions of the hippo-campus of mice,and Western blot was used to detect the levels of phosphorylated Tau proteins at different sites within the hippocampus of mice as well as the ex-pression of proteins related to the PDE8/cAMP/CREB pathway.Results Compared with the control group,the Y-maze Spontaneous alternation,Recognition index of NOR and Latency of PAT were significantly shorter(P＜0.01),and Entries times、Time in the target quadrant of MWM were reduced(P＜0.05)in the AD model group,which showed a decrease in the ability of learning and memory,whereas the administration of PF-04957325 significantly improved the ability of learning and memory in the AD mice;mice in the AD model group showed a significant decrease in the num-ber of entries into the central area of the OFT and the time spent in the central area(P＜0.05),and a sig-nificant increase in the Immobility time of TST(P＜0.01),suggesting that the mice had anxiety and de-pression,and the administration of PF-04957325 did not improve the anxious behavior of the mice,but im-proved the depressed behavior to a certain extent;the hippocampus of the AD model group mice showed ker-nel solidification in the DG,CA1 and CA3 regions,and neurons were not neatly arranged,and the admin-istration of PF-04957325 could alleviate the damage of hippocampal nerve cells in mice.Compared with the control group,the phosphorylation levels of Tau protein Ser1 99,Ser396 and Ser202 sites in the hippocampus of mice in the AD model group were significantly in-creased(P＜0.01),the expression of PDE8A and PDE8B proteins was significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the expression of p-PKA/PKA and BDNF proteins was decreased(P＜0.05),after administra-tion of PF-04957325,the phosphorylation levels of Tau protein Ser396 and Ser202 sites were significantly re-duced(P＜0.01),PDE8A and PDE8B protein ex-pression was significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and p-PKA/PKA,p-CREB/CREB and BDNF protein ex-pression was significantly increased(P＜0.01).Con-clusion PDE8 inhibitor PF-04957325 can improve learning memory ability,reduce cognitive dysfunction,restore Tau protein function,and attenuate neuronal cell damage in the hippocampus of AD mice with amel-iorative effects.The mechanism of action may be relat-ed to the activation of PDE8/cAMP/CREB pathway and inhibition of Tau protein phosphorylation.

BACKGROUNDGlobally, the proportion of child deaths that occur in the neonatal period remains a high level of 37-41%. Differences of cause in neonate death exist in different regions as well as in different economic development countries. The specific aim of this study was to investigate the causes, characteristics, and differences of death in neonates during hospitalization in the tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of China.

METHODSAll the dead neonates admitted to 26 NICUs were included between January l, 2011, and December 31, 2011. All the data were collected retrospectively from clinical records by a designed questionnaire. Data collected from each NICU were delivered to the leading institution where the results were analyzed.

RESULTSA total of 744 newborns died during the 1-year survey, accounting for 1.2% of all the neonates admitted to 26 NICUs and 37.6% of all the deaths in children under 5 years of age in these hospitals. Preterm neonate death accounted for 59.3% of all the death. The leading causes of death in preterm and term infants were pulmonary disease and infection, respectively. In early neonate period, pulmonary diseases (56.5%) occupied the largest proportion of preterm deaths while infection (27%) and neurologic diseases (22%) were the two main causes of term deaths. In late neonate period, infection was the leading cause of both preterm and term neonate deaths. About two-thirds of neonate death occurred after medical care withdrawal. Of the cases who might survive if receiving continuing treatment, parents' concern about the long-term outcomes was the main reason of medical care withdrawal.

CONCLUSIONSNeonate death still accounts for a high proportion of all the deaths in children under 5 years of age. Our study showed the majority of neonate death occurred in preterm infants. Cause of death varied with the age of death and gestational age. Accurate and prompt evaluation of the long-term outcomes should be carried out to guide the critical decision.

Cause of Death ; China ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; mortality ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Perinatal Death ; Retrospective Studies