Alterations in developing testis of albino rats induced by flunitrazepam

The use of flunitrazepam [Rohypnol], which is known in Egyptian street as Abou-Saliba, is markedly increased. So, the present study was designed to investigate its effect on the developing testes. The male off-springs of 16 pregnant rats were used. The pregnant rats were divided equally into 4 groups. The off-springs of the 1st group were used as a control. The 2nd group was the group of treated off-springs of treated mothers. The pregnant rats of this group received a single oral daily therapeutic dose 0.036 mg of flunitrazepam for the whole period of gestation up to the first ten days after delivery. Then their off-springs received a single oral daily therapeutic dose 0.0036 mg of flunitrazepam from the 10th day of postnatal life up to the 30th day. The 3rd group was the group of treated off-springs of non treated mothers. The pregnant females of this group did not receive any treatment, while their off-springs were treated similar to those of the 2nd group. The 4th group was the group of non-treated offsprings of treated mothers. The pregnant rats of this group were treated similar to those of the 2nd group, while their offsprings of this group did not receive any treatment. The testes were collected from the offsprings of all groups at day 30 of postnatal life. The specimens of all groups were prepared for light microscopic examination and the specimens of the 1st and the 2nd groups were also prepared for electron microscopic examination. Flunitrazepam induced delay spermatogenesis in all treated groups as evidenced by the small size of the seminiferous tubules which did not develop central lumena, the seminiferous cells were arranged in 3-4 rows only, the nearly absence of early spermatids and the delay differentiation of supporting cells into Sertoli cells. Flunitrazepam also induced prominent histopathological effects. These effects were severe in the testis of the 2nd group where the seminiferous cells of many tubules were deeply stained, could not be recognized and many of them were degenerated. However, the seminiferous cells of the 3rd group were moderately affected, while those of the 4th group were slightly affected. The interstitial cells of Leydig were markedly affected in all treated groups. They became singly scattered between the seminiferous tubules of the 2nd and 3rd groups or appeared as small collections in the 4th group. The ultrastructural examination of the testis of the 2nd group confirmed the previous effects and revealed that A and B spermatogonia were slightly affected, supporting cells were numerous and moderately affected, while the primary spermatocytes and the interstitial cells of Leydig were the most affected cells

Structural changes induced by ketamine on the development of testes and lumber region of the spinal cord of the chick embryo

In this work, ketamine was used to study its effect on the development of spinal cord and testes of chick embryos using 70 fertile Dokky-4 eggs. The embryos were extracted on 10, 14 and 17 days of incubation and examination of the spinal cord and testes was done. The spinal cord showed retardation of its growth with degenerative changes which persisted till the age of 17 days in the form of a decrease in the density of the cells in the four layers of the dorsal horn and in the internuncial region, few widely separated cells in the ventro-medial and ventrolateral motor column and a reduction in the fibers of the white marginal layer. The degenerative changes were marked at the age of ten-day and moderate at the age of 14 and 17 day-old treated embryos in the form of a presence of variable sized cavities throughout the spinal cord. The testes of ten-day-treated male embryos showed thick germinal epithelium and thin tunica albuginea with undeveloped seminiferous tubules. In 14 and 17 days treated embryos, the seminiferous tubules lost their pattern and shape and the stroma became swollen with few interstitial cells. The spermatogonia could not be observed

Distribution of the motor nerve supply of the thenar and hypothenar muscles of the hand

The distribution of the muscular branch of the median nerve to the thenar muscles and the deep branch of the ulnar nerve to the hypothenar muscles was studied in 30 palmar regions from adult cadavers of both sexes ranging from 40 to 70 years. The patterns of the distribution of the motor branch of the median nerve were classified into three groups according to the site, direction and number of individual branches. In ten of the 30 hands, a correlation was found between the ulnar and median nerves. The deep branch of the ulnar nerve gave three motor branches to the hypothenar muscles and its end usually supplied the deep head of the flexor pollicis brevis