The G protein-coupled receptor GPR162 is widely distributed in the CNS and highly expressed in the hypothalamus and in hedonic feeding areas

The Rhodopsin family is a class of integral membrane proteins belonging to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). To date, several orphan GPCRs are still uncharacterized and in this study we present an anatomical characterization of the GPR162 protein and an attempt to describe its functional role. Our results show that GPR162 is widely expressed in GABAergic as well as other neurons within the mouse hippocampus, whereas extensive expression is observed in areas related to energy homeostasis and hedonic feeding such as hypothalamus, amygdala and ventral tegmental area, regions known to be involved in the regulation of palatable food consumption.     

Evaluation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) PGCs viability and DNA damage using different cryopreservation protocols

Cryopreservation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) is a better alternative for the conservation of the diploid genome in fish until embryo cryopreservation is achieved. A good cryopreservation protocol must guarantee high survival rates but also absence of genetic damage. In this study, a cell toxicity test using several internal and external cryoprotectants was carried out. The best combination of cryoprotectants (DMSO 5 mol/L, ethylene glicol (EG) 1 mol/L, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) 4%) was used with and without antifreeze proteins (AFPs) at two different concentrations (10 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL) for cryopreservation trials. Different cryopreservation methods were used with single PGCs, genital ridges, and whole zebrafish embryos using cryovials, 0.5 mL straws, microcapsules, and microdrops. All embryos were obtained from the vasa EGFP zf45 transgenic line and viability was evaluated using trypan blue. High cell viability rates after cryopreservation in 0.5 mL straws were obtained (around 90%) and a decrease in viability was only observed when cells were cryopreserved in microcapsules and when AFP at 20 mg/mL was added to the freezing media. Genetic damage was determined by comet assay and was compared in cells cryopreserved in 0.5 mL straws and microcapsules (lowest viability rate). There were significantly more DNA strand breaks after cryopreservation in the cells cryopreserved without cryoprotectants and in those cryopreserved in microcapsules. Genetic damage in the cells cryopreserved with cryoprotectants in 0.5 mL straws was similar to fresh control samples, regardless of the concentration of AFP used. The decrease in PGC viability with the addition of AFP 20 mg/mL did not correlate with an increase in DNA damage. This study reported a successful method for zebrafish PGC cryopreservation that not only guarantees high cell survival but also the absence of DNA damage.     

Structure of the testis and genital duct of freshwater stingray, Himantura signifer (Elasmobranchii: Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae)

The light microscopic structure of the testis and genital duct system of the freshwater stingray Himantura signifer was observed. The testis is composed of lobes having numerous spermatocysts in a dorsoventral zonated arrangement. The germinal papilla at the middorsal surface of the testicular lobe is the origin site of spermatocyst development, where mesenchymal-like cells are predominantly found. The association of a Sertoli cell precursor with a spermatogonium marks the onset of spermatocyst formation and development. The newly formed spermatocysts at the dorsal end of the germinal zone replace the older ones, which are sequentially moved to the ventral side and are termed spermatogonial, spermatocyte, spermatid, spermatozoal, and degenerate zones. In the degenerate zone, the spermatocysts deteriorate after releasing the spermatozoa into the intratesticular duct, where they are further transported through the extratesticular duct system and finally stored at the seminal vesicle. The epithelial lining of the genital duct is a pseudostratified ciliated columnar with no muscular layer underneath; thus, sperm are conveyed through ciliary activity. The interesting features of the present study are the finding of mesenchymal-like cells in the germinal papilla and the nonaggregated formation of sperm in the seminal vesicle.     

STD门诊生殖器溃疡性疾病的病原学研究

目的 了解生殖器溃疡性疾病（GUD）的发病率、病因及其与HIV感染的关系。方法 用暗视野显微镜检查（D-F）、梅毒血清学试验（STS）、酶免疫法（EIA）检测HSV抗原和HD培养等方法检测322例生殖器溃疡标本中TP、HSV和HD,并进行血清HIV抗体检测。结果 在8 999例STD门诊患者中,GUD患者322例（3.58%,322/8 999）;在322例GUD患者中,梅毒85例（26.4%,85/322）,生殖器疱疹74例（26.09%,84/322）,软下疳0例（0,0/322）,病因不明的GUD为153例（47.52%,153/322）;其中GUD患者的HIV感染率为1.86%（6/322）,梅毒患者的HIV感染率为4.70%（4/85）,生殖器疱疹患者的HIV感染率为1.19%（1/84）,其他GUD的HIV感染率为0.65%（1/153）。比较三者的HIV感染率发现,梅毒的HIV感染率高于生殖器疱疹和其他GUD患者（4.70%vs1.19%,χ^2=0.24,P＞0.05,OR=3.04,95%CI=0.31-29.93;4.70% vs 0.65%,χ^2=1.29,P＞0.05,OR=5.63,95%CI=0.58-55.06）,但两者差异无显著性;GH患者的HIV感染率与其他GUD患者的HIV感染率相比,差异无显著性（1.19% vs 0.65%,χ^2=0.00,P＞0.05,OR=1.85,95% CI=0.11-30.00）。结论 在性病门诊中,GUD的主要病因为梅毒和生殖器疱疹,且存在混合性感染;梅毒与HIV的感染有一定关系.     

Cell lineage restrictions in the genital disc ofDrosophila revealed byMinute gynandromorphs

Summary The genital imaginal disc ofDrosophila differentiates the terminalia, i.e. the genitalia and analia, of both sexes. It represents a composite anlage, containing a female genital primordium, a male genital primordium and an anal primordium. In normal males and females, only one of the two genital primordia differentiates; the other is developmentally repressed. Therefore, cell-lineage relationships between the male and female genital primordia can only be studied in sexual mosaics which differentiate female and male cells. We producedMinute (M)non-Minute(M⁺) gynandromorphs and selected those with sexually mosaic terminalia for a cell-lineage analysis. In these mosaics, either the male (XO) or female (XX) cells wereM ⁺ and thus had a growth advantage. The differential growth rates served as a tool to detect clonal restrictions. In control gynandromorphs (M ⁺M ⁺), the amount of female genitalia differentiated was largely independent of the amount of male genitalia present. In contrast, male and female anal structures, as a rule, added up to one full set. The same was true for the experimentalMM ⁺ gynandromorphs, but the contribution ofXX andXO cells to mosaic terminalia changed drastically due toM ⁺ cells competing successfully against the more slowly growingM cells. Specific subsamples ofMM ⁺ gynandromorphs showed thatM cells in a non-mosaic primordium are shielded from cell competition taking place in the neighbouring mosaic primordium. We conclude that the three primordia of the genital disc represent developmental compartments. In the genital primordia, even developmentally repressedM ⁺ cells compete successfully against developmentally activeM cells.     

女性生殖道支原体感染与不孕症的关系及药敏分析

目的探讨女性生殖道支原体感染与不孕症之间的关系及对11种抗生素的敏感率,指导临床明确诊断,合理用药。方法随机选择2007年至2009年来长治市妇幼保健院就诊的女性不孕症患者360例,进行宫颈分泌物支原体培养和药敏试验。结果 360例宫颈分泌物标本中检出解脲支原体(Uu)阳性者161例、人型支原体(Mh)阳性者3例、解脲支原体(Uu)+人型支原体(Mh)混合阳性者29例;对阳性标本都做了11种抗生素的药敏试验,其中交沙霉素敏感率为93.47%、美满霉素敏感率为92.00%、强力霉素敏感率为90.21%、克拉霉素敏感率为83.69%、甲砜霉素敏感率为73.91%、环脂红霉素敏感率为61.95%和阿奇霉素敏感率为53.26%等。结论女性不孕症伴随高发的生殖道支原体感染,支原体感染与不孕症可能有关;长治地区生殖道支原体对交沙霉素、美满霉素、强力霉素、克拉霉素、甲砜霉素敏感性较高,环脂红霉素、阿奇霉素次之,对红霉素、罗红霉素敏感性较低,对环丙沙星、左氧氟沙星敏感性很低。     

妊娠期生殖道B族链球菌感染患者阴道微生态、 血清炎性因子变化及母婴结局调查

目的探讨妊娠期生殖道B族链球菌(GBS)感染患者阴道微生态、血清炎性因子变化及其对母婴结局的影响。方法对482例妊娠妇女的临床资料展开回顾,统计妊娠期生殖道GBS感染情况,并将其分为感染组(GBS细菌培养阳性)和非感染组(GBS细菌培养阴性),其中感染组患者给予抗生素药物治疗。统计妊娠期生殖道GBS感染检出情况;分析并比较感染组与非感染组阴道微生态分布情况;检测感染组与非感染组及感染组治疗前后血清炎性因子的变化情况;统计感染组的治疗效果;分析并比较感染组与非感染组母婴结局情况;分析影响母婴结局的危险因素。结果医院收治的482例妊娠期患者中检出生殖道GBS细菌培养阳性68例,阳性率为14.11%。感染组的阴道微生态环境中GBS、白细胞酯酶、唾液酸酶、乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶、脯氨酸氨基肽酶、过氧化氢酶检出率均高于非感染组(均P0.05),阴道菌群密集度II～III度、乳杆菌、清洁度I～II级检出率低于非感染组(均P0.05)。感染组hs-CRP、PCT、IL-6含量均显著高于非感染组(均P0.05),感染组治疗后的C-反应蛋白(hs-CRP)、血清降钙素原(PCT)、白细胞介素-6(IL-6)含量显著低于治疗前(均P0.05)。统计感染组患者的治疗效果及不良事件,其中痊愈57例,好转11例,复发2例。感染组产后出血、宫内感染发生率与与非感染组比,差异无统计学意义(均P0.05),感染组早产、胎膜早破、羊水污染发生率均高于非感染组(均P0.05)。感染组围产儿肺炎、窒息发生率与非感染组比,差异无统计学意义(均P0.05),感染组围产儿宫内窘迫、生理性黄疸发生率均显著高于非感染组(均P0.05);母婴结局发生者高龄产妇、早产、胎膜早破、羊水污染、围产儿宫内窘迫、生理性黄疸、阴道微生态失衡、未抗感染治疗、GBS感染、hs-CRP升高、PCT升高、IL-6升高均高于未发生者(均P0.05),经Logistic回归分析证实均为危险因素(OR=5.540、3.347、6.495、7.036、7.199、5.275、3.093、5.436、5.942、4.683、5.013、5.703,均P0.05)。结论妊娠期生殖道GBS感染患者的阴道微生态菌群改变,血清炎性因子升高,可增加母婴不良结局的发生风险。     

Female sexual arousal: genital anatomy and orgasm in intercourse

In men and women sexual arousal culminates in orgasm, with female orgasm solely from sexual intercourse often regarded as a unique feature of human sexuality. However, orgasm from sexual intercourse occurs more reliably in men than in women, likely reflecting the different types of physical stimulation men and women require for orgasm. In men, orgasms are under strong selective pressure as orgasms are coupled with ejaculation and thus contribute to male reproductive success. By contrast, women's orgasms in intercourse are highly variable and are under little selective pressure as they are not a reproductive necessity. The proximal mechanisms producing variability in women's orgasms are little understood. In 1924 Marie Bonaparte proposed that a shorter distance between a woman's clitoris and her urethral meatus (CUMD) increased her likelihood of experiencing orgasm in intercourse. She based this on her published data that were never statistically analyzed. In 1940 Landis and colleagues published similar data suggesting the same relationship, but these data too were never fully analyzed. We analyzed raw data from these two studies and found that both demonstrate a strong inverse relationship between CUMD and orgasm during intercourse. Unresolved is whether this increased likelihood of orgasm with shorter CUMD reflects increased penile–clitoral contact during sexual intercourse or increased penile stimulation of internal aspects of the clitoris. CUMD likely reflects prenatal androgen exposure, with higher androgen levels producing larger distances. Thus these results suggest that women exposed to lower levels of prenatal androgens are more likely to experience orgasm during sexual intercourse.     

Sexual desire, sexual arousal and hormonal differences in premenopausal US and Dutch women with and without low sexual desire

The interaction between women's hormonal condition and subjective, physiological, and behavioral indices of desire or arousal remains only partially explored, in spite of frequent reports from women about problems with a lack of sexual desire. The present study recruited premenopausal women at two sites, one in the United States and the other in the Netherlands, and incorporated various measures of acute changes in sexual desire and arousal. A sample of 46 women who met criteria for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) was compared to 47 women who experienced no sexual problems (SF). Half of each group used oral contraceptives (OCs). The specific goal was to investigate whether there is a relationship between women's hormone levels and their genital and subjective sexual responsiveness. Background demographics and health variables, including oral contraceptive (OC) use, were recorded and hormones (total testosterone (T), free testosterone (FT), SHBG, and estradiol) were analyzed along with vaginal pulse amplitude and self-report measures of desire and arousal in response to sexual fantasy, visual sexual stimuli, and photos of men's faces. Self-reported arousal and desire were lower in the HSDD than the SF group, but only for women who were not using oral contraceptives. Relationships between hormones and sexual function differed depending on whether a woman was HSDD or not. In line with prior literature, FT was positively associated with physiological and subjective sexual arousal in the SF group. The HSDD women demonstrated the opposite pattern, in that FT was negatively associated with subjective sexual responsiveness. The findings suggest a possible alternative relationship between hormones and sexual responsiveness in women with HSDD who have characteristics similar to those in the present study.     

NK cells require type I IFN receptor for antiviral responses during genital HSV-2 infection

Type I interferon (IFN) signalling, NK cells and NK cell-derived IFN-γ are critical in the early control of genital HSV-2 infection. We have recently reported that NK cells are the source of early IFN-γ in the genital tract in response to HSV-2. However, the response of NK cells to genital HSV-2 infection is not well defined in the context of type I IFN signalling. Here we show that HSV-2 replication was significantly higher in mice deficient in the type I IFN receptor or NK cells compared to wild type controls. There was no detectable IFN-γ production in the genital washes from IFN-α/βR^−/− mice or NK cell depleted mice in response to HSV-2 infection compared to control mice. Absence of the type I IFN receptor does not alter homing of NK cells to the genital mucosa. Moreover, the absence of IL-12 had no significant effect on NK cell-derived IFN-γ. Surprisingly, IFN-α/βR^−/− mice had more IL-15 positive cells in the genital mucosa in response to HSV-2 infection compared to control mice. We then examined the expression of IL-15 receptors on NK cells. There was no significant differences in the levels of IL-15 receptor expression on NK cells from IFN-α/βR^−/− or control mice. Our data clearly suggest that type I IFN receptor signalling is essential for NK cell activation in response to genital HSV-2 infection, and propose that NK cell activation by IL-15 may involve type I IFNs.