Purpose
Vasovasostomy is used to correct vas deferens (VD) transections encountered during surgery or to reverse sterilization vasectomies. Achieving vasal patency is the primary goal and the success ...is assessed on various factors including VD patency, flow rates, and pregnancy rates. While preserving vas motility is not a major concern in surgical practice, it is worth noting that VD has peristaltic activity which plays crucial role during ejaculation. Any disruption in its motility could potentially lead to negative outcomes in the future. We conducted an experimental study to assess vas motility changes following vasovasostomy.
Methods
The study was approved by Gazi University, Animals Ethic Committee. Twenty-four rats were allocated to four groups. Left-sided VD was harvested in control group (Gr1). The rest of the animals were subjected to transection of VD. Gr2 and 3 underwent microscopic and macroscopic anastomosis, respectively, while Gr4 underwent vasal approximation. After 12 weeks, all left-sided VD were resected, electrical field stimulation (EFS) and exogenous drugs were applied to induce contractions. Statistical analyses were performed and
p
value < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.
Results
The first and second phases of EFS-induced contractile responses(CR) increased for Gr3 and decreased for Gr4 at submaximal and maximal frequencies. An increase only at maximal frequency for second phase EFS-induced CR was encountered for Gr2. α-β-methylene-ATP-induced CR decreased for Gr3 and 4. Noradrenaline-induced CR increased for Gr2, and 3 and decreased for Gr4.
Conclusion
The results suggest that vasovasostomy performed using a surgical technique that minimizes disruption or damage to VD may have a favorable impact on motility.
The endocannabinoid system and prostaglandins are important modulators in the genitourinary system. This study aimed to investigate the possible interactions between the endocannabinoid system and ...the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway on rat vas deferens. For this purpose, the concentration responses of the endocannabinoid anandamide, prostaglandin F
2α
analog latanoprost, and prostaglandin E
1
analog misoprostol on the electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced contractile responses were obtained. The concentration responses to anandamide were obtained again in the presence of nonselective COX inhibitor flurbiprofen and prostaglandin analogs, while the concentration responses of latanoprost and misoprostol were obtained in the presence of cannabinoid receptor antagonists and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme inhibitor URB597. FAAH, COX-1, and COX-2 enzyme levels in vas deferens tissue samples were also determined. The cumulative addition of anandamide was not different from the vehicle; however, the EFS-induced contractile responses were significantly increased with the incubation of latanoprost or flurbiprofen in the prostatic portion. Flurbiprofen and misoprostol decreased FAAH enzyme levels in both portions of the vas deferens, while latanoprost induced the inhibition in the prostatic portion. The cumulative administration of latanoprost and misoprostol significantly enhanced the contractile responses in the prostatic portion. This effect of latanoprost was significantly antagonized by URB597 and AM251. The enhancing effect of misoprostol was antagonized by anandamide, URB597, AM251, and AM630. Anandamide, AM251, AM630, and URB597 decreased enzyme levels of COX-1 and COX-2 in both portions of the vas deferens. These results demonstrate an intricate crosstalk between endocannabinoids and prostaglandins in modulation of the vas deferens contractility.
It is well-established that testicular spermatozoa are immature and acquire motility and fertilization capabilities during transit throughout the epididymis. The epididymis is a duct-like organ that ...connects the testis to the vas deferens and is comprised of four anatomical regions: the initial segment, caput, corpus, and cauda. Sperm maturation occurs during epididymal transit by the interaction of sperm cells with the unique luminal environment of each epididymal region. In this review we discuss the epididymis as an essential reproductive organ responsible for sperm concentration, maturation (including sperm motility acquisition and fertilizing ability), protection and storage. Importantly, we also discuss specific characteristics and roles of epididymal-derived exosomes (epididymosomes) in establishing sperm competency within the intricate process of reproduction. This review suggests that an increasing body of evidence is working to develop a complete picture of the role of the epididymis in male reproduction, offspring health, and disease susceptibility.
Congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD) is a rare genetic condition first discovered in the mid-18th century related to mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulatory genes. The ...condition is typically found during work-up of male infertility, and the majority of cases can be diagnosed with complete history and physical examination and pertinent investigations. The condition can be separated into three subcategories, and genetic advances have led to a much better understanding behind the disease, its pathogenesis, and options for treatment. In this review, we discuss the genetics, pathogenesis, embryology, and diagnosis of treatment of CAVD. Future work in this area likely will aim to better understand the epigenetic factors that influence the development of the condition in order to identify potential upstream therapeutic targets.
A 21‐year‐old male rhesus macaque presented with abdominal enlargement. The clinical, magnetic resonance imaging, and computerized tomography findings confirmed a large mass occupying the entire ...abdomen. The mass was surgically removed, and histopathology confirmed a vas deferens cyst. The macaque recovered uneventfully. The veterinarians should be aware of the possibility of an intra‐abdominal vas deferens cyst and that, as our case shows, could be treated with surgical removal.
Chronic stress is associated with male sexual problems including ejaculatory dysfunctions. The aim of this study was to determine whether resveratrol (RS) or quercetin (QE) has protective effects on ...vas deferens (VD) contractility in the unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) rat model of depression. Animals were separated into six groups: control, control + RS and control + QE, stress, stress + RS, and stress + QE. Stress groups were subjected to UCMS procedure for 5 weeks. Animals in treatment groups were injected intraperitoneally with RS (20 mg/kg) or QE (30 mg/kg) for 5 weeks during UCMS period. UCMS caused depressive-like behaviors and enhanced systemic levels of corticosterone. The nerve-evoked contractile responses of VD significantly impaired and, noradrenaline- and ATP-induced contractile responses of VD significantly increased in stressed rats. UCMS exposure also markedly enhanced oxidative stress and inflammation in VD tissues. Treatment with RS or QE significantly ameliorated all the aforementioned parameters. The current study demonstrated that RS or QE protected against chronic stress-induced VD dysfunction by their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on VD, suggesting that oxidative stress and inflammation may be synergistic parts in the development of VD dysfunction associated with chronic stress-induced depression.
Traditionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of ordinal measures from Likert-type scales. However, the function of VASs to overcome the limitations of ...response styles to Likert-type scales has not yet been addressed. Previous research using ranking and paired comparisons to compensate for the response styles of Likert-type scales has suffered from limitations, such as that the total score of ipsative measures is a constant that cannot be analyzed by means of many common statistical techniques. In this study we propose a new scale, called the Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking, and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP), which can be used to collect rating, ranking, and paired-comparison data simultaneously, while avoiding the limitations of each of these data collection methods. The characteristics, use, and analytic method of VAS-RRPs, as well as how they overcome the disadvantages of Likert-type scales, ranking, and VASs, are discussed. On the basis of analyses of simulated and empirical data, this study showed that VAS-RRPs improved reliability, response style bias, and parameter recovery. Finally, we have also designed a VAS-RRP Generator for researchers’ construction and administration of their own VAS-RRPs.
Patients with congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens (CUAVD) manifest diverse symptoms from normospermia to azoospermia. Treatment for CUAVD patients with obstructive azoospermia (OA) is ...complicated, and there is a lack of relevant reports. In this study, we describe the clinical features and evaluate the treatments and outcomes of CUAVD patients with OA. From December 2015 to December 2020, 33 patients were diagnosed as CUAVD with OA in Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai, China). Patient information, ultrasound findings, semen analysis, hormone profiles, and treatment information were collected, and the clinical outcomes were evaluated. Of 33 patients, 29 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Vasoepididymostomy (VE) or cross VE was performed in 12 patients, the patency rate was 41.7% (5/12), and natural pregnancy was achieved in one of the patients. The other 17 patients underwent testicular sperm extraction as the distal vas deferens (contralateral side) was obstructed. These findings showed that VE or cross VE remains an alternative treatment for CUAVD patients with OA, even with a relatively low rate of patency and natural pregnancy.
Improved and efficient management of pain can certainly aid enhanced recovery after spinal surgery. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of ESPB in thoracic and lumbar surgeries where we have evaluated ...VAS for pain, cumulative analgesics consumptions, length of hospital stay and post-operative complications.
A cross-sectional comparative study done in HAMS among the erector spinae block group and control group. The analysis of different variable was done according to standard statistical analysis. For quantitative data, univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to determine statistically significant differences using student's t-test for continuous variables.
60 patients were analyzed, 30 got spinae block and 30 in control group.The mean pain score for spinae block group were 1.90 ± 0.712 and 3.27 ± 1.230 for control group (p < 0.001). Cumulative mean analgesic consumption values for spinae block vs. control groups were 0.030 ± 0.042 mg vs. 0.091 ± 0.891 mg (p = 0.001) for fentanyl; 1.06E4 ± 2833.300 mg vs. 1.53E4 ± 2848.349 mg (p < 0.001) for paracetamol; 213 ± 64.656 mg vs. 494 ± 58.816 mg (p < 0.001) for ketorol; 5440.00 ± 2060.064 mg vs. 8667.50 ± 2275.006 mg (p < 0.001) for ibuprofen and 121.67 ± 31.303 mg vs. 185.00 ± 51.108 mg (p < 0.001) for tramadol.
The ESPB technique shows early discharge from hospital and lower cumulative analgesics consumption which indicates enhanced recovery after spine surgery than control group. Improvement of pain using VAS shows immediate post-operative period recovery in those who receives spinae block.
The naturally occurring and synthetic butylinenephthalide (Bdph) has two geometric isomers. Z- and E-Bdph were reported to have geometric stereoselectivity for voltage-dependent calcium channels ...(VDCCs) in guinea-pig ileum. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the binding of Z- and E-Bdph on prejunctional VDCCs of rat vas deferens (RVD) is stereoselective. The twitch responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS, supramaximal voltage, 1 ms, 0.2Hz) were recorded on a polygraph. Z- and E-Bdph concentration-dependently inhibited the twitch responses to EFS in full tissue, prostatic portion and epididymal portion of RVD. The pIC50 value of Z-Bdph was greater than that of E-Bdph in the electrically stimulated prostatic portion of RVD, suggesting that the binding of Bdph on the non-adrenergic prejunctional VDCCs of cell membrane is stereoselective. In the prostatic portion, exogenous Ca(2+) only partially reversed the twitch inhibition by Z-Bdph, but effectively reversed those by Ca(2+) channel blockers, such as verapamil, diltiazem and aspaminol, suggesting that the action mechanisms may be different from those of Ca(2+) channel blockers. K(+) channel blockers, such as tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), may prolong duration of action potential to allow greater Ca(2+) entry and induced more release of transmitters. Therefore both blockers via their prejunctional actions reversed the twitch inhibition induced by Z-Bdph in all preparations of RVD by a non-specific antagonism.