Dynamics of HSD17B3 expression in human fetal testis: implications for the role of Sertoli cells in fetal testosterone biosynthesis.

Androgens play a pivotal role in shaping male sexual characteristics, with testosterone being an essential hormone in orchestrating various developmental processes. Testosterone biosynthesis involves a series of enzymatic reactions, among which the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (HSD17B3) holds significance. While its role in adult Leydig cells is well established, its localization and importance during the fetal period remain less known, especially in humans.

Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Tissue Biomarker Analysis: A Comparison of Human Protein Atlas and Individual Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Component Immunohistochemistry.

The accurate management of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) depends on identifying the individual histological tumor components. Currently available data on protein expression in TGCTs are limited. The human protein atlas (HPA) is a comprehensive resource presenting the expression and localization of proteins across tissue types and diseases.

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Adhesion Molecules E-Selectin, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1, and Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 in Inflammatory Lesions of Atopic Dermatitis.

E-selectin, ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1), and VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) play a role in atopic dermatitis (AD). This study aimed to evaluate their expression in skin biopsy specimens of patients diagnosed with AD using an optimized computer program. A descriptive analysis and comparison of digitally measured surface area and cell number were performed.

Development of the human ovary: Fetal through pubertal ovarian morphology, folliculogenesis and expression of cellular differentiation markers.

A definition of normal human fetal and early postnatal ovarian development is critical to the ability to accurately diagnose the presence or absence of functional ovarian tissue in clinical specimens. Through assembling an extensive histologic and immunohistochemical developmental ontogeny of human ovarian specimens from 8 weeks of gestation through 16 years of postnatal, we present a comprehensive immunohistochemical mapping of normal protein expression patterns in the early fetal through post-pubertal human ovary and detail a specific expression-based definition of the early stages of follicular development. Normal fetal and postnatal ovarian tissue is defined by the presence of follicular structures and characteristic immunohistochemical staining patterns, including granulosa cells expressing Forkhead Box Protein L2 (FOXL2).

Valproate Targets Mammalian Gastrulation Impairing Neural Tissue Differentiation and Development of the Placental Source In Vitro.

The teratogenic activity of valproate (VPA), an antiepileptic and an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDACi), is dose-dependent in humans. Previous results showed that VPA impairs in vitro development and neural differentiation of the gastrulating embryo proper. We aimed to investigate the impact of a lower VPA dose in vitro and whether this effect is retained in transplants in vivo.

Early development of the human embryonic testis.

Human gonadal development culminating in testicular differentiation is described through analysis of histologic sections derived from 33-day to 20-week human embryos/fetuses, focusing on early development (4-8 weeks of gestation). Our study updates the comprehensive studies of Felix (1912), van Wagenen and Simpson (1965), and Juric-Lekic et al. (2013), which were published in books and thus are unsearchable via PubMed.

Transmembranous and enchondral osteogenesis in transplants of rat limb buds cultivated in serum- and protein-free culture medium.

Cartilage differentiates in rat limb buds cultivated in a chemically defined protein-free medium in the same manner as in the richer serum-supplemented medium. We aimed to investigate the remaining differentiation potential of pre-cultivated limb buds by subsequent transplantation in vivo. Rat front (FLBs) and hind-limb buds (HLBs) were isolated from Fischer rat dams at the 14th gestation day (GD 14) and cultivated at the air-liquid interface in Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) alone; with 5 μM of 5-azacytidine (5azaC) or with rat serum (1:1).

Mast Cells in the Mammalian Testis and Epididymis-Animal Models and Detection Methods.

Mast cells (MCs) are an evolutionary well-conserved type of cells, mediating and modulating allergic responses in innate immunity and tissue remodeling after chronic inflammation. Among other tissues, they inhabit both the testis and epididymis. In the testis, MCs usually appear in the interstitial compartment in humans, but not in other standard experimental models, like rats and mice.

Astaxanthin Relieves Testicular Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury-Immunohistochemical and Biochemical Analyses.

Testicular torsion potentially leads to acute scrotum and testicle loss, and requires prompt surgical intervention to restore testicular blood flow, despite the paradoxical negative effect of reperfusion. While no drug is yet approved for this condition, antioxidants are promising candidates. This study aimed to determine astaxanthin's (ASX), a potent antioxidant, effect on rat testicular torsion-detorsion injury.

Global DNA methylation and chondrogenesis of rat limb buds in a three-dimensional organ culture system.

Although DNA methylation epigenetically regulates development, data on global DNA methylation during development of limb buds (LBs) are scarce. We aimed to investigate the global DNA methylation developmental dynamics in rat LBs cultivated in a serum-supplemented (SS) and in chemically defined serum- and protein-free (SF) three-dimensional organ culture. Fischer rat front- and hind-LBs at 13th and 14th gestation days (GD) were cultivated at the air-liquid interface in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) or MEM with 50% rat serum for 14 days, as SF and SS conditions, respectively.

Extended Prophylactic Effect of N-tert-Butyl-α-phenylnitron against Oxidative/Nitrosative Damage Caused by the DNA-Hypomethylating Drug 5-Azacytidine in the Rat Placenta.

Antioxidant N-tert-Butyl-α-phenylnitron (PBN) partly protected embryos from the negative effects of a DNA demethylating drug 5-azacytidine during pregnancy. Our aim was to investigate PBN's impact on the placenta. Fischer rat dams were treated on gestation days (GD) 12 and 13 by PBN (40 mg/kg), followed by 5azaC (5 mg/kg) after one hour.

Leydig Cells in Patients with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia: Do They Really Proliferate?

Background: Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is a form of male infertility caused by disorders of the testicular parenchyma and impaired spermatogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the nature of Leydig cell changes in patients with NOA, especially whether their actual proliferation occurred.

Methods: 48 testicular biopsies from infertile patients with NOA and 24 testicular biopsies originating from azoospermic patients suffering from obstructive azoospermia (OA) were included in the study.

The effect of astaxanthin on testicular torsion-detorsion injury in rats - Detailed morphometric evaluation of histological sections.

Introduction: Testicular torsion is one of the conditions of the acute scrotum that requires immediate surgical intervention. If not recognized at time, it can result of ischemic injuries and testicular loss. Restoration of blood flow is essential to save ischemic tissue, but reperfusion itself paradoxically causes further damage.

A Free Radical Scavenger Ameliorates Teratogenic Activity of a DNA Hypomethylating Hematological Therapeutic.

The spin-trap free radical scavenger -tert-butyl-α-phenylnitron (PBN) ameliorated effects of several teratogens involving reactive oxygen species (ROS). We investigated for the first time whether PBN could ameliorate teratogenesis induced by a DNA hypomethylating hematological therapeutic 5-azacytidine (5azaC). At days 12 and 13 of gestation, Fisher rat dams were pretreated by an i.