BACKGROUND Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a form of male infertility in which mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene have been identified. The molecular basis of CBAVD is not completely understood. Although patients with cystic fibrosis have mutations in both copies of the CFTR gene, most patients with CBAVD have mutations i...

Iatrogenic obstruction of the vas deferens within the inguinal canal can be managed by direct on-site vasovasostomy. However, in cases with large defect of the vas, the anastomosis may be under tension. Dissecting through the site of a previous hernia repair is tedious, and may lead to recurrence of the hernia. The present work reports an, first of a kind, alternative technique that avoids the ...

A transgenic mouse approach was used to examine the mechanism of principal cell-specific expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) within the renal collecting duct. RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry revealed that murine AQP2 was expressed in principal cells in the renal collecting duct, epithelial cells of the vas deferens, and seminiferous tubules within testis. The vas deferens expression was confirmed i...

OBJECTIVES Evaluation of the presence of spermatozoa in vas deferens fluid after a long interval of unilateral and homolateral percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) in vasectomized men. When found, the spermatozoa were evaluated including concentration and motility, in order to verify the patency of the epididymal tubules. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four patients, numbered in a progressi...

Hamster vas deferens responds to nerve stimulation with a biphasic contraction which is completely blocked by guanethidine and tetrodotoxin. The second component of the contraction is inhibited by phentolamine, whereas the initial component is slightly potentiated by phentolamine. When hamsters are subjected to short photoperiods or castration, the vas deferens becomes supersensitive to nerve s...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In addition to local anesthetic action, ropivacaine has clinically significant vasoconstrictor effects, which may be observed at infiltrative anesthesia, making it an important anesthetic for field blockade. This study aimed at characterizing the constrictor mechanism of ropivacaine on smooth muscles. METHODS Norepinephrine concentration-effect curves in the absence ...

The present study was designed to further characterize the presynaptic muscarinic M1-receptor responsible for the inhibition of neurogenic contractions in the isolated rabbit vas deferens. Electrically induced twitch contractions of this preparation were inhibited by the M1-agonist, McN-A-343, and by some of its analogs: 4-chloro-phenyl derivative greater than McN-A-343 greater than trans-olefi...

Smooth muscle from newborn guinea-pig vas deferens was enzymically dispersed into single cells or small clumps and grown in culture in the presence or absence of sympathetic ganglion expiants. Most single smooth muscle cells gradually lost their typical ultrastructural features and contractile properties during the first few days in culture. At 7 days of culture these dedifferentiated smooth mu...