Quantification of human spermatogenesis: germ cell degeneration during spermatocytogenesis and meiosis in testes from younger and older adult men

Germ cell degeneration during spermatocytogenesis and meiosis was investigated to explain the age-related decline in daily sperm production (DSP). Numbers of Types A-dark, A-pale, and B-spermatogonia, potential daily sperm production per g parenchyma (PDSP) based on type B-spermatogonia, early primary spermatocytes, and late primary spermatocytes, and DSP per g based on early spermatids were determined in 15 men aged 20 to 48 yr (mean +/- SEM, 33 +/- 2 yr) and 15 men aged 52 to 90 yr (65 +/- 3 yr). Testes obtained within 15 h of death (largely due to trauma or heart failure) were perfused vascularly with glutaraldehyde. The number of each cell type per g parenchyma was calculated as the product of the percentage of nuclei in the parenchyma times a correction factor for section thickness and nuclear diameter divided by the volume of a single nucleus of that cell type. Paired testicular weight was lower (p less than 0.01) in older men (33 +/- 3 g) than in the younger men (49 +/- 3 g). Younger and older men had similar numbers of A-dark, A-pale, and B-spermatogonia per g parenchyma. PDSP based on late primary spermatocytes and DSP based on early spermatids were lower (p less than 0.01) in older men than in younger men. In younger men, PDSP was similar (p greater than 0.05) between B-spermatogonia and late primary spermatocytes, whereas DSP measured at the spermatid level was abruptly lower than that estimated from younger cell types. Older men showed reduction in PDSP between early and late primary spermatocytes, with further reduction occurring in DSP at the spermatid level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Comparative study of aflatoxins M1 and B1 production in solid-state and shaking liquid cultures

Production of aflatoxins M1 (AFM) and B1 (AFB) by Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3251 in solid-state and shaking liquid cultures using rice as the carbon source was compared. In general, solid-state cultures produced more aflatoxins than shaking liquid cultures on an equal rice weight basis. Solid-state cultures with continuous shaking yielded higher levels of toxins than those with intermittent shaking. However, intermittent shaking is a feasible replacement for the continuous shaking method for AFM production. A typical solid rice culture supplemented with yeast extract produced 30 and 2600 mg per kg rice of AFM and AFB, respectively, in 8 days at 29 degrees C. The optimal culture conditions for toxin production in a shaking liquid culture were also studied. Parameters under consideration included the amount of carbon (rice) and nitrogen source, initial medium pH, and aeration rate. At optimum conditions, a representative shaking liquid culture produced 18 and 1680 mg per kg rice of AFM and AFB, respectively, in 5 days at 29 degrees C. This shaking liquid culture appears feasible for scaling up and routine production of AFM and AFB for toxicological investigations.     

Rural health care looks to the future. Issues in the institutionalization and management of rural health care: making technology appropriate

Experimental projects have demonstrated the technical feasibility of systems of accessible, affordable health care. These projects have relied extensively on non-professional community health workers. However, large-scale implementation of these schemes will require new management procedures that are both responsive to rural health needs and congruent with national institutions. This paper identifies the need to establish institutional mechanisms to mobilize essential inputs, promote acceptance by beneficiaries, maintain quality standards, recruit and retain field staff, and achieve accountability for resources. It then outlines methods for developing these institutions. It stresses the need for both formal, bureaucratic organizations and informal organizations of clients. It also identifies the need to consider administrative and institutional resources in determining the appropriateness of a health care technology.     

An optical method for the determination of the isotopic composition of 1H2O/2H2O mixtures: Eu3+ luminescence lifetimes

A spectroscopic method employing pulsed dye laser instrumentation is described for the determination of the 1H2O/2H2O composition of aqueous solutions by the measurement of reciprocal excited state lifetimes of EuEDTA-. The reciprocal lifetimes, gamma-1, of the 1H2O/2H2O mixtures increase linearly with the mole fraction of 1H2O. For EuEDTA- the relationship between gamma-1 and the mole fraction, chi H, of 1H2O in 1H2O/2H2O mixtures is expressed by the equation chi H = 0.37 gamma-1-0.152, with a sensitivity in chi H of +/- 0.02. The reciprocal lifetimes are independent of pH in the range 5.1 to 10.5, changes in ionic strength, and the type of buffer used in EuEDTA- containing solutions.