[Sex, gender and stature: From biology to culture - and back].

The origin of sexual dimorphism of stature (SSD) in the human species is a subject of debate, likely to have a sociocultural impact. Stature is optimally expressed in good environmental conditions, notably good food, with a strong hereditary determinism. The common academic interpretation, already proposed by Darwin, is that SSD results from sexual selection of stronger males, in most species of mammals, including humans.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients with moderate coronary artery disease detected by coronary computed tomography angiography could reduce the rate of unnecessary coronary angiography.

Aims: To test the hypothesis that dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) reduces the rate of unnecessary invasive coronary angiography (CA) in patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and moderate to severe stenosis detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

Methods: This study included 49 consecutive, symptomatic CAD patients with coronary lesions greater than 50% detected by CCTA who underwent all DSE and a CA with pressure wire evaluation and FFR measurement. The DSE operators was aware of the CCTA results, but invasive physicians were blinded to DSE results.

Feasibility of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for pulmonary malignancies in the hands of the surgeon.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of percutaneous pulmonary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) executed by a single surgeon.

Materials And Methods: Between 2007 and 2010, 15 procedures were performed in 11 patients during 13 sessions. Sex, age, pulmonary localisation and tumor diameter are discussed.

Paruresis or shy bladder syndrome: an unknown urologic malady?

To date, shy bladder syndrome, or "paruresis," chiefly has been seen as a psychological problem; consequently, little attention has been focused on this debilitating condition. The best estimate is that 7% of the general population, or approximately 17 million people in the United States, suffer from paruresis. While much has been written about urologic topics, such as incontinence and the neurogenic bladder, urologic literature does not contain any articles that specifically refer to paruresis.

Immunocytochemical analysis of rat vagus nerve by antibodies against glycogen phosphorylase isozymes.

Glycogen is an endogenous store of glucose equivalents for energy metabolism in many tissues. The brain contains a significant amount of glycogen the role of which as an energy reserve is currently under debate. Apparently little is known concerning a possible role of glycogen in peripheral nerves.

Ca increase in secretory granules of stimulated mast cells.

The elemental content of rat peritoneal mast-cell secretory granules has been measured by X-ray micro-analysis. Two distinct categories of granules were analyzed: intact granules, seen in control samples, and spumous granules, corresponding to exocytosed granule matrices. The average Ca content of intact granules was found to be approximately equal to cytosolic concentration, and to increase up to 40-fold in spumous granules.

Stimulus-secretion coupling in neurohypophysial nerve endings: a role for intravesicular sodium?

It is generally accepted that Ca is essentially involved in regulated secretion, but the role of this cation, as well as others such as Na, is not well understood. An illustrative example occurs in neurohypophysial secretion, where an experimentally induced increase in the cytosolic concentration of Na+ can induce continuous neuropeptide release. In contrast, an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ will have only a transient stimulatory effect.

Calcium-induced calcium increase in secretory vesicles of permeabilized rat neurohypophysial nerve terminals.

Digitonin-permeabilized isolated neurohypophysial nerve terminals are known to release their secretory vesicle content under calcium challenge. On this preparation, we monitored intra-organelle Ca2+ concentration using digital fluorescence microscopy of Fura-2. The superfusion of artificial intracellular solution containing 10 to 50 microM Ca2+ induced an intra-organelle [Ca2+] increase.

ATP-evoked increases in [Ca2+]i and peptide release from rat isolated neurohypophysial terminals via a P2X2 purinoceptor.

1. The effect of externally applied ATP on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was tested in single isolated rat neurohypophysial nerve terminals by fura-2 imaging. The release of vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) upon ATP stimulation was also studied from a population of terminals using specific radioimmunoassays.

Calcium in secretory vesicles of neurohypophysial nerve endings: quantitative comparison by X-ray microanalysis of cryosectioned and freeze-substituted specimens.

The calcium content of individual secretory vesicles in rat neurohypophysial nerve endings was measured by quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Directly frozen control and potassium-depolarized isolated endings were analysed using two presumably equivalent preparative techniques: (1) freeze-substitution in presence of oxalic acid followed by sectioning of resin-embedded pellets; or (2) direct cryosectioning of the frozen pellets followed by freeze-drying in the column of the microscope. In the pellets of stimulated endings, both approaches revealed an increase in the calcium content of neurosecretory vesicles.

Cytochemical localization of Ca(2+)-ATPases and demonstration of ATP-dependent calcium sequestration in giant smooth muscle fibres of Beroe.

A cytochemical analysis of the mechanisms underlying cytosolic calcium regulation was undertaken in the giant smooth muscle fibres of the marine invertebrate Beroe. The ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum to accumulate Ca2+ was demonstrated on living skinned single cells. In the presence of oxalate, and physiological concentrations of Ca2+, calcium oxalate crystals were formed in the lumen of tubules and cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Cytochemical localization of ecto-ATPases in rat neurohypophysis.

We studied the distribution of Ca(2+)- or Mg(2+)-dependent ATPase activity in rat neurohypophysis using the lead cytochemical method of Ando et al. In electron microscopy, precipitates were found lining the outer surface of the plasma membrane surrounding nerve endings and pituicytes. These precipitates were believed to represent the activity of ecto-ATPases (as opposed to Ca pump ATPases) for the following reasons: there was equal activation by Ca2+ in the absence of Mg2+ or Mg2+ in the absence of Ca2+; the effects of the two ions were not additive; there was activation by ATP or GTP; and there was resistance to glutaraldehyde fixation, to high (10 mM) Ca2+ concentrations, and to various inhibitors such as NEM, vanadate, oligomycin, quercetin, p-chloromercuribenzoate, ouabain, and levamisole.

Calcium loading of secretory granules in stimulated neurohypophysial nerve endings.

The total calcium content of secretory granules, Cag, was evaluated in isolated neurohypophysial nerve endings. The Cag in the resting state, as measured by X-ray microanalysis, is relatively high with an average of 7.4 +/- 0.

The abundance of Aplysia gliagrana depends on Ca2+ and/or Na+ concentrations in sea water.

The glial cells surrounding the identified giant nerve cell bodies R2 or LP1 of Aplysia punctata were studied by quantitative electron microscopy. They contain specific, electron-dense but non-osmiophilic membrane-bound granules, approximately 0.3 microns in diameter, called gliagrana.

The calcium loading of secretory granules. A possible key event in stimulus-secretion coupling.

The review focuses on calcium accumulation by secretory organelles. The observation that secretory granules contain variable and often important quantities of calcium (1-200 mM of total calcium) can be interpreted as a maturation index. A progressive loading with calcium would be permitted by a Ca2(+)-transport mechanism on the granular membrane and calcium-binding molecules in the granular core.

Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase in Aplysia glial and interstitial cells: an EM cytochemical study.

The localization of Ca(2+)- and Mg(2+)-ATPases was determined in Aplysia central and peripheral nervous system, using an electron microscopic cytochemical method. The enzyme activity appeared localized to the membrane of glial granules (gliagrana), particularly in the peripheral nervous system of the esophagus, and on the plasma membrane of central glial cells adjacent to neuronal cell bodies. No calcium- and/or magnesium-ATPase activity was detectable on the plasma membrane of glial cells surrounding nerve axons in the pleuro-visceral connectives.

The Desheathed Periphery of Aplysia Giant Neuron. Fine Structure and Measurement of [Ca2+]o Fluctuations with Calcium-selective Microelectrodes.

The visceral ganglion of Aplysia was mechanically desheathed after protease softening of the connective tissue to permit the positioning of ion-selective electrodes in the vicinity of the neuronal membrane. The effects of this treatment on satellite glia and neuronal cytology were observed by electron microscopy. The intracellular alterations were not suggestive of serious membrane damage but the cohesion between glial and neuronal membranes was affected-the glial processes appeared to retract from the trophospongium and in some cases the neuronal membrane was completely naked.

Biological applications of electron probe microanalysis in France.

The contribution of French science to the field of biological X-ray microanalysis is reviewed. The main analytical microscopy centers are listed, and their methods and main results are summarized.

The lacunar glial zone at the periphery of Aplysia giant neuron: volume of extracellular space and total calcium content of gliagrana.

The relative volume of perineuronal extracellular space, the number of gliagrana and their total calcium content have been measured in Aplysia punctata and A. californica, at the periphery of giant neurons R2 and LP1. After chemical fixation, the extracellular space amounts to 26% of the periganglionic glial zone, but this increases to 36% after quick freezing and freeze-substitution.

X-ray microanalysis of calcium containing organelles in resin embedded tissue.

The localization of calcium in cell organelles at the electron microscope level is often achieved through cytochemical techniques, and verified by X-ray microanalysis. Various methods have been used to cytochemically detect calcium or calcium-binding sites: calcium loading, calcium substitution by strontium, barium, or even lead, and calcium precipitation by oxalate, phosphate, fluoride, or pyroantimonate. Their results may have heuristic value, particularly in preliminary studies of poorly known cell types.

Quantitative X-ray microanalysis of calcium in sea urchin eggs after quick-freezing and freeze-substitution. Validity of the method.

Freeze-substitution was used to study the distribution of calcium in sea urchin eggs, and the validity of the technique was assessed. We followed the fate of both total and exchangeable calcium of sea urchin eggs in two species (Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula) after the various treatments needed for freeze-substitution and embedding. We compared the calcium content either by X-ray microanalysis of Epon-embedded sections of freeze-substituted eggs (6.