Fragments of testis tissue from immature animals grow and develop spermatogenesis when grafted onto subcutaneous areas of immunodeficient mice. The same results are obtained when dissociated cells from immature testes of rodents are injected into the subcutis of nude mice. Those cells reconstitute seminiferous tubules and facilitate spermatogenesis. We compared these two methods, tissue grafting and cell-injection methods, in terms of the efficiency of spermatogenesis in the backs of three strains of immunodeficient mice, using neonatal porcine testicular tissues and cells as donor material. Nude, severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) and NOD/Shi-SCID, IL-2Rgammacnull (NOG) mice were used as recipients. At 10 months after surgery, the transplants were examined histologically. Both grafting and cell-injection methods resulted in porcine spermatogenesis on the backs of recipient mice; the percentage of spermatids present in the transplants was 67% and 22%, respectively. Using the grafting method, all three strains of mice supported the same extent of spermatogenesis. As for the cell-injection method, although SCID mice were the best host for supporting reconstitution and spermatogenesis, any difference from the other strains was not significant. As NOG mice did not show any better results, the severity of immunodeficiency seemed to be irrelevant for supporting xeno-ectopic spermatogenesis. Our results confirmed that tubular reconstitution is applicable to porcine testicular cells. This method as well as the grafting method would be useful for studying spermatogenesis in different kinds of animals.
Animals ; Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Injections ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Mice, Nude ; Mice, SCID ; Organ Size ; Seminiferous Tubules ; cytology ; physiology ; transplantation ; Spermatids ; cytology ; transplantation ; Spermatogenesis ; physiology ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; surgery ; Swine ; Tissue Transplantation ; methods ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; methods

Impalement injury of the urinary bladder, especially secondary to rectal impalement, is extremely rare. In this case, a 31-year-old man sustained a steel pipe impalement injury through his perirectal region. He presented with gross hematuria, abdominal defense, and a penetrating wound. On the basis of the computed tomography findings and abdominal defense, we suspected a through-and-through bladder perforation from the rectal space to the intraperitoneum. Laparotomy revealed a through-and-through bladder perforation as well as damage to the right ureter, 3 distinct ileal injuries, and rectal anterior, anal, and right seminal vesicle injuries. Surgical repair of each damaged site was undertaken. The prompt diagnosis and surgical repair ensured good postoperative recovery.
Adult ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Rupture ; Seminal Vesicles ; Steel ; Ureter ; Urinary Bladder ; Wounds, Penetrating

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of long-term voluntary running exercise and caloric restriction during development on the skeletal muscle mass and intracellular signaling in female rats. Four-week-old female Wistar rats (n = 23) were randomly divided into the sedentary (SED) and voluntary running exercise (EX) groups, and then acclimated to a new environment. At 5 weeks of age, the rats in both groups were further divided into the ad libitum (AD+SED or AD+EX, n = 6) and calorie-restricted (CR+SED or CR+EX, n = 5-6) groups. EX group underwent 12 weeks of voluntary running exercise. CR group was only fed 70% of the food fed to the AD + SED group. After 12 weeks of intervention, soleus and plantaris muscles were removed, and the levels of intracellular signal transduction proteins involved in protein synthesis and degradation were measured by Western blotting. Significant diet × condition interactions were observed in the body, soleus muscle, and plantaris muscle weights. Specifically, plantaris muscle weight in the CR + EX group was significantly lower than that in the other groups; however, their soleus muscle weight was similar to that in the CR + SED group. In the plantaris muscles, significant diet × condition interactions were observed in the phosphorylation levels of 4E-binding protein 1, UNC-51-like autophagy-activating kinase-1, and light chain 3-II/I. Moreover, these factors were significantly altered in the CR + EX group than in the other groups. Notably, no significant interactions were observed in the soleus muscles. Our data suggest that long-term voluntary running exercise and caloric restriction exacerbate skeletal muscle loss, possibly mediated by muscle type-specific intracellular signaling mechanisms involved in protein synthesis and degradation.

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of long-term high-fat diet (HFD) consumption and cage restriction-induced physical inactivity (IN) during youth on skeletal muscle autophagy in rats. Three-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to two dietary groups: the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. Each group was further subdivided into control (CON) and IN conditions, resulting in four experimental groups (n = 7-8). The HFD group was provided with a diet containing approximately 60% of total calories from crude fat for 16 weeks, from 4 to 20 weeks of age. The ND group received a standard diet for the same duration. The physical inactivity intervention during youth involved restricting the rats’ range of activity by housing them in smaller cages for eight weeks. After 12 weeks of age, the behavioral restrictions were lifted, and all groups of rats were housed in normal-sized cages for eight weeks. The ‘diet group’ and ‘condition’ factors exerted significant effects on the relative muscle weight of the gastrocnemius muscle. The HFD groups exhibited a notable decline in relative muscle weight compared to their ND counterparts. While no significant alterations were observed in LC3-II or p62 expression levels, the ‘diet group’ factor significantly influenced LC3-II/I levels in the white gastrocnemius muscle. These levels were markedly reduced in the HFD group. Our findings suggest that 16 weeks of HFD consumption leads to a reduction in autophagy flux, specifically within the white portion of the gastrocnemius muscle, but this effect is not influenced by cage restriction-induced physical inactivity during youth.