Autocrine androgen action is essential for Leydig cell maturation and function, and protects against late-onset Leydig cell apoptosis in both mice and men.

Leydig cell number and function decline as men age, and low testosterone is associated with all "Western" cardio-metabolic disorders. However, whether perturbed androgen action within the adult Leydig cell lineage predisposes individuals to this late-onset degeneration remains unknown. To address this, we generated a novel mouse model in which androgen receptor (AR) is ablated from ∼75% of adult Leydig stem cell/cell progenitors, from fetal life onward (Leydig cell AR knockout mice), permitting interrogation of the specific roles of autocrine Leydig cell AR signaling through comparison to adjacent AR-retaining Leydig cells, testes from littermate controls, and to human testes, including from patients with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS).

Three palmar dermatoglyphic traits and their asymmetry in Bulgarian right-, mixed- and left-handers.

In a sample, comprising 264 right-, 246 mixed- and 360 left-handers (RH, MH and LH, correspondingly), the atd-angle, the a-b ridge count and the hypothenar radial arch were investigated, the asymmetry of both quantitative traits differentiated into directional (DA) and fluctuating (FA) one. Except for the FA of the a-b ridge count in females, which decreased significantly from RH to LH, the trends observed in the relations between the investigated dermatoglyphic values and handedness were not significant. In both quantitative traits the most important finding was the categorical left-palm excess over the right palm, since it was significantly related to sex and handedness, being much more expressed in females than in males and in the non-right-handers than in the right-handers.

Quantitatively assessed familial sinistrality in right-, mixed-, and left-handers.

Numerous manifestations of cerebral asymmetry in man depend on the presence of non-right-handers (NRHs) among the subject's biological relatives--familial sinistrality, FS. This study proposes a method for a quantitative assessment of FS, based on the coefficient of relatedness of the subject with every single one of his/her relatives with known handedness. Such an approach conforms much better with the genetic principles than the methods ignoring the degrees of genetic relationship.

Limbal explants from cryopreserved cadaver human corneas. Immunofluorescence and light microscopy of epithelial cells growing in culture.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether human cadaver corneas, that were subject to cryopreservation, would be a source of migrating epithelial cells in vitro and what kind of morphological features these cells possess. Limbal explant culture was used for expanding the epithelial cells. Non-quantitative light microscopical examinations of the cultures within a period of 28 days were carried out.

Comparative assessment of 13 of the widely used hand preference items in a Bulgarian sample.

The hand preference items included into Chapman and Chapman's (1987) inventory were comparatively assessed concerning the frequencies of the answers given by Bulgarian right, mixed, and left handers, concerning the correlation of each item with the remaining 12, with eyedness and footedness scores. Relationships between writing hand, throwing hand, eyedness, and footedness were studied. Application of a cumulative index of familial sinistrality evidenced the biological significance of the main findings.

Expression of testicular angiotensin-converting enzyme in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Recent studies demonstrated that one isoform of angiotensin-converting enzyme named testicular or germinal (tACE) is localized in postmeiotic male germ cells and is essential for fertilizing ability of spermatozoa. Hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is androgen-dependent and reduction in male gametes is reported in this experimental conditions. Expression of tACE was not studied under conditions of spontaneous hypertension.

Quantitative characterization of finger and palm dermatoglyphics in Bulgarians.

In the present paper data on finger and palm ridge counts of both hands are reported from representative samples of healthy Bulgarian males and females. Dermatoglyphic prints from both hands of 2431 Bulgarians (1161 males and 1270 females) have been taken in 116 settlements all over the country. The investigated males and females were healthy, not related persons of Bulgarian origin.

Finger dermatoglyphics and their asymmetry in Bulgarian right-, mixed- and left-handers.

Since Bulgarians have never been investigated concerning the relationship between handedness and dermatoglyphics, the present study was aimed to investigate the aforementioned relationship in a Bulgarian sample. Digital dermatoglyphics and their asymmetries have been studied in 870 apparently healthy students from randomly selected Bulgarian secondary schools: 264 right-handers (RH), 246 mixed-handers (MH) and 360 left-handers (LH). The whorls were significantly less frequent and the ulnar loops more frequent in RH than in the other two handedness categories.

Congenital anomalies of the mesonephric duct and fertility.

Unlabelled: Agenesia of deferential duct and the others congenital malformations of mesonephronical duct are often encountering condition in andrological practice. This study presents the possibilities of reproductive medicine to restore the male fertility and concentrates on biological and clinical aspects of malformations of mesonephronic duct like factors for excretory male infertility. The investigations including 104 patients (mean age 30.

Ultrastructural study of cat zona pellucida during oocyte maturation and fertilization.

The mammalian zona pellucida (ZP) is an extracellular glycoprotein structure formed around growing oocytes, ovulated eggs and preimplantation embryos. The specific functions of ZP are highly determined by its morphological structure. Studies on cat oocytes during maturation and after fertilization were undertaken, using routine transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Use of neopterin as a bone marrow hematopoietic and stromal cell growth factor in tissue-engineered devices.

The in vitro response of early haematopoietic progenitors or stem cells (CD34+)--common for myeloid (granulocyte, eosinophil, megakaryocyte) and marrow stromal cell lineages, to neopterin, exogenously added to the liquid mouse bone marrow cultures, at doses 12.5-25 microg/ml culture medium, has been studied. The results obtained show a significant stimulation of common--myeloid and stromal/ mesenchymal progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation, as early as 24h to the 96h after the in vitro treatment with neopterin.

Whole blood viscosity and erythrocyte hematometric indices in chronic heroin addicts.

Whole blood viscosity (WBV) and hematometric indices of erythrocytes as red blood cell count (RBC), mean erythrocyte volume (MCV), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean hemoglobin content of erythrocytes (MCH), HGB/HCT values (MCHC) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) have been studied in a group of 15 chronic opioid addicts under methadone maintenance therapy with mean age 26.53 +/- 7.34 years.