Aromatase that irreversibly transforms androgens into estrogens is present in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of nearly all cell types in the mammalian testis. In rodents, all testicular cells except for myoid cells express aromatase activity. We have demonstrated the presence of the functional aromatase (transcript or protein, and biological activity) in adult rat germ cells including pachyte...

AIMS To analyse the histo-morphology of cases of medullomyoblastoma and identifying its divergent differentiation. METHODS A retrospective review of all cases reported as medulloblastoma between the period of Jan 2000 to Dec 2006 was carried out on Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stained slides. The cases were screened on light microscopy for primitive neuroectodermal component of a medulloblas...

Interstitial retinol binding protein (IRBP) is a soluble glycoprotein found in the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM) and implicated in shuttling retinol between retina and pigment epithelium (PE) cells. The authors have studied the distribution of IRBP by EM immunocytochemistry. Thin sections of Lowicryl K4M embedded R. pipiens, X. laevis, bovine and human retinas were labeled sequentially with a...

The testes of the monkey, Macaca fascicularis, from birth to adulthood and of rats from puberty to adulthood were examined by both light and electron microscopy to estimate the mitotic activity of the Leydig cells. In monkeys, mitotic activity was measurable only in neonates: 2.3% in Leydig cells and 0.4% in fibroblast-like cells. From measurements of 3H-thymidine incorporation, mature Leydig c...

Retinal rod photoreceptors of teleost fish elongate in the light and shorten in the dark. Rod cell elongation and shortening are both mediated by actin-dependent mechanisms that occur in the inner segment myoid and ellipsoid. The intracellular signaling pathways by which light and dark regulate the actin cytoskeleton in the inner segment are unknown. To investigate the intracellular signals tha...

Background: Androgens are critical steroid hormones in progression of spermatogenesis process and determine the male phenotype that their actions are mediated by the androgen receptor (AR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. In the Androgen receptor, transactivation domain encoded by exon 1, DNA binding domain encoded by exons 2 and 3, hinge region encoded by part of exon 4, and C-te...

The renewal of protein in retinal rods and cones has been analyzed by quantitative electron microscope radioautography in adult frogs injected with a mixture of radioactive amino acids. Protein synthesis occurs predominantly in the ergastoplasm, localized in the myoid region of the photoreceptor cells. Much of the newly formed protein next flows through the Golgi complex. In rods, a large propo...

Pseudomyogenic (epithelioid sarcoma-like) hemangioendothelioma is a rare, low grade vascular (endothelial) neoplasm typically presenting as multicentric, superficial to deep nodules in extremities with a slight tendency of affecting young adult males. We report a case of pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma in a 15-year-old boy presenting initially with a 1 cm right thigh painless cutaneous lump...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect ethanol extract neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves on number spermatids and androgen receptor expression in testicular tissue New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. Twelve adults male NZW rabbits with body weight (BW) 2-2.5 kg were divided into three treatment groups (n = 4), namely P1 (control group) given 0 mg/kg BW, P2 P3 200 BW 300 respectivel...