A histological study of seasonal ovarian development in freshwater drum in the Red Lakes, Minnesota

Female freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, from the Red Lakes of north central Minnesota, U.S.A. were sampled periodically over a 13-month period. Red Lakes drum mature at approximately age 9 and can live to be over 60 years old. The ovarian development of drum from its northern limit of distribution is described histologically. The stages of oocyte growth and the seasonal change in the proportion of oocyte stages within the ovaries are presented. Drum ovaries contained a continuum of oocyte sizes and at spawning, only the largest oocytes are ovulated. A large percentage of the oocytes became atretic mid-way through the spawning season, while gonadosomatic indexes were still high. This may have reduced the spawning potential of Red Lakes drum.     

Female genital cutting and reproductive experience in Minya, Egypt

In African populations practicing female genital cutting (FGC), beliefs exist that these procedures enhance reproduction and that their medicalization may diminish adverse effects, yet available findings are mixed in part for methodological reasons. We use data from a representative sample of ever-married women aged 17-55 years in Minya, Egypt, to examine the effects of type of FGC and type of circumciser on a woman's risks of primary infertility and pregnancy loss. Contrary to previous studies in Egypt, neither type of circumcision nor type of circumciser is associated with adverse fertility outcomes among circumcised women in Minya.     

Sperm Competition in the Acari

Literature on sperm competition in the Acari is reviewed and supplemented with the author's unpublished observations. As in other animals, morphology and physiology of the female reproductive tract are key factors establishing the sperm competition pattern. First-male sperm priority was found in Gamasida and Actinedida, whereas in Acaridida the last males to mate had the highest reproductive success. However, this general pattern may be modified by behavioural factors, and another aspect needs scrutiny: in many groups of mites sperm cells follow routes other than the lumen of the reproductive tract to meet and fertilize the oocyte. The Acari are a very promising group for future research because of the wide range of sperm competition patterns, accompanied by great diversity in reproductive morphology, physiology and mating.     

From Health to Human Rights: Female Genital Cutting and the Politics of Intervention

ABSTRACT  The international campaign to eliminate female genital cutting (FGC) has, since the early 1990s, actively attempted to divorce itself from a health framework, adopting instead a human rights framework to justify intervention. Several key questions emerge regarding the prominent placement of FGC in the international human rights movement: What are the ramifications of framing FGC as a human rights violation? What actions are mandated by a human rights approach? What perils and pitfalls potentially arise from the adoption of a rights-based framework, and how might they be avoided? In exploring these questions it becomes clear that, although a human rights approach is promising, careful deliberation is required to develop action strategies that offer both protection and respect for the culture and autonomy of those women and families concerned.     

Genital cutting and western discourses on sexuality

This article explores dominant discourses surrounding male and female genital cutting. Over a similar period of time, these genital operations have separately been subjected to scrutiny and criticism. However, although critiques of female circumcision have been widely taken up, general public opinion toward male circumcision remains indifferent. This difference cannot merely be explained by the natural attributes and effects of these practices. Rather, attitudes toward genital cutting reflect historically and culturally specific understandings of the human body. In particular, I suggest that certain problematic understandings of male and female sexuality are deeply implicated in the dominant Western discourses on genital surgery.     

"Taming tradition": medicalized female genital practices in western Kenya

This article considers the question of female genital practices at the hands of health workers in western Kenya. Recent articles in Medical Anthropology Quarterly have critically engaged with the biomedical arguments condemning such practices. This article studies the case of medicalized circumcision in which biomedical concerns over health risks have become incorporated in their vernacular practice. Although some suggest that medicalization may provide a harm-reduction strategy to the abandonment of the practice, research in one region challenges this suggestion. It argues that changing and conflicting ideologies of gender and sexuality have led young women to seek their own meaning through medicalized practice. Moreover, attributing this practice to financial motivations of health workers overlooks the way in which these "moral agents" must be situated within their social and cultural universe. Together, these insights challenge the view that medicine can remain neutral in the mediation of tradition.     

Folate Receptors in Malignant and Benign Tissues of Human Female Genital Tract

We have characterized the folate receptor in malignant and benign tissues of human female genital tract (Fallopian tube and benign and malignant tissues of uterus). Radioligand binding displayed characteristics similar to those of other folate binding proteins. Those include a high-affinity type of binding (K=10¹⁰M^–1), apparent positive cooperativity, a slow dissociation at pH 7.4 becoming rapid at pH 3.5, and inhibition of binding by folate analogues. The gel filtration profile of Triton X-100 solubilized tissue contained two large peaks of ³H-folate labelled protein (>=130 and 100kDa) as well as a 25 kDa peak. Only a single band of 70 kDa was seen on SDS-PAGE immunoblotting. The large molecular size forms on gel filtration appear to represent folate receptors having a hydrophobic membrane anchor inserted into Triton X-100 micelles. The folate receptor of female genital tract showed cross-reactivity in ELISA and positive immunostaining with rabbit antibodies against human milk folate binding protein. Variations in the ratio of immunoresponse to total high affinity folic acid binding suggests the presence of multiple isoforms of the receptor in different types of malignant and benign tissues.     

柄天牛属八种(亚种)雌性生殖器的比较研究(鞘翅目,天牛科,天牛亚科)

记述了柄天牛属8个种(亚种)的雌性生殖器,比较研究了该属雌性生殖器的结构特点.结果表明:柄天牛属雌性生殖器在骨杆形状、受精囊管长短等方面存在不同程度的差异;通过雌性生殖器特征对比,黄颈柄天牛、暗胸柄天牛、红腹柄天牛三者虽然存在一定差异,是否应作为同一种依据不足,故仍保留亚种地位.