The embryology of persistent cloaca and urogenital sinus malformations / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Cloacal malformations are characterized by the confluence of the lower urinary tract, the female reproductive tract, and the rectum to create a common channel with a single opening on the perineum. The presence of a cloaca is a normal phase of early human embryological development. Between the 4th and 7th weeks of gestation, the cloaca undergoes subdivision to form the hindgut and urogenital sinus. Failure of this process results in the congenital anomaly termed persistent cloaca (PC). The term urorectal septum malformation sequence (URSMS) is also used to describe this anomaly. The classic description of this process which is still cited in many standard textbooks dates from the 19th century. However, this has been increasingly called into question by the findings of studies using modern scientific methodology. Urogenital sinus anomalies are defined by the confluence of the urethra and vagina to form a common channel of varying length with a single perineal opening. In this condition, the anorectal canal opens separately on the perineum. The presence of a urogenital sinus represents a transient phase of the normal development of the lower genital tract in the female fetus. However, the form of urogenital sinus most commonly encountered in the developed world is a feature of disordered sexual differentiation and does not arise simply from the persistence of the anatomical structure which is a feature of normal fetal development.

Combination of musk and olibanum promotes proliferation of prostate stem cells in mice: An experimental study / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To study the effects of muskolibanum combination on the proliferation and differentiation of prostate stem cells.@*METHODS@#We cultured prostate epithelial cells and urogenital sinus mesenchymal (UGSM) cells from 7－10 d old C57BL/6 mice and 16－18 d old pregnant C57BL/6 mice, transplanted the mixed suspension of the two types of cells under the kidney envelope of SCIDCB.17 male mice, and harvested the transplants 30 days later. We randomly divided the SCIDCB.17 mice into four groups to be treated intragastrically with musk (n = 8), olibanum (n = 8), musk+olibanum (n = 7), and normal saline (blank control, n = 8)) respectively, all for 14 days. Then we collected the kidney tissue for observation of the morphology of the glandular tubes and differentiation of different subsets of stem cells by HE staining and determination of the expressions and distribution of P63, CD133, CD117 and Sca1 by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.@*RESULTS@#A system was successfully established for the isolation and mixed culture of Sca1 Lin+ CD49f+ (LSC) cells of prostate stem cells and UGSM cells of the mouse embryonic prostate. Immunohistochemistry showed positive expressions of P63, CD133, Sca1, and CD117 in the prostatic acinar epithelia and proved the presence of prostatic acinar epithelial structure in the transplants. Compared with the blank control group, the expressions of CD133, Sca1 and CD117 were significantly increased in the musk, olibanum, and musk+olibanum groups (P< 0.05), higher in the musk+olibanum than in the musk or olibanum group (P< 0.05), and their protein expressions were even more elevated in the musk+olibanum group (P< 0.01), with statistically significant difference from the olibanum group (P< 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The combination of musk and olibanum can improve the proliferation and differentiation of prostate stem cells.

Descent of mesonephric duct to the final position of the vas deferens in human embryo and fetus / 대한해부학회지

Because the ureter arises from the mesonephric or Wolffian duct (WD), the WD opening should migrate inferiorly along the urogenital sinus or future urethra. However, this process of descent has not been evaluated morphometrically in previous studies and we know little about intermediate morphologies for the descent. In the present work, serial sagittal sections of 15 specimens at gestational age 6–12 weeks and serial horizontal sections of 20 specimens at 6–10 weeks were analyzed. Monitoring of horizontal sections showed that, until 9 weeks, a heart-, lozenge- or oval-shape of the initial urogenital sinus remained in the bladder and urethra. Thus, the future bladder and urethra could not be distinguished by the transverse section or plane. The maximum width of the urogenital sinus or bladder at 6–10 weeks was 0.8 mm, although its supero-inferior length reached 5 mm at 10 weeks. During earlier stages, however, the medial shift of the WD was rather evident. Depending on the extent of upward growth of the bladder smooth muscle, the descent of the vas deferens became evident at 10–12 weeks. Development of the urethral rhabdosphincter likely resulted in the differentiation of urogenital sinus into the urethra and bladder before formation of the bladder neck with 3-layered smooth muscles. Development of the prostate followed these morphological changes, later accelerating the further descent of the WD opening. Because of their close topographical relationships, slight anomalies or accidents of the umbilical cord at 10–12 weeks may have a significant effect on normal anatomy.

Reappraisal of intergender differences in the urethral striated sphincter explains why a completely circular arrangement is difficult in females: a histological study using human fetuses / 대한해부학회지

To investigate why the development of a completely circular striated sphincter is so rare, we examined histological sections of 11 female and 11 male mid-term human fetuses. In male fetuses, the striated muscle initially extended in the frontal, rather than in the horizontal plane. However, a knee-like portion was absent in the female fetal urethra because, on the inferior side of the vaginal end, a wide groove for the future vestibule opened inferiorly. Accordingly, it was difficult for the developing striated muscle to surround the groove, even though there was not a great difference in width or thickness between the female vestibule and the male urethra. The development of a completely circular striated sphincter seems to be impossible in females because of interruption of the frontal plane by the groove-like vestibule. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that before descent of the vagina, the urethral striated muscle extends posteriorly.

Reappraisal of intergender differences in the urethral striated sphincter explains why a completely circular arrangement is difficult in females: a histological study using human fetuses / 대한해부학회지

To investigate why the development of a completely circular striated sphincter is so rare, we examined histological sections of 11 female and 11 male mid-term human fetuses. In male fetuses, the striated muscle initially extended in the frontal, rather than in the horizontal plane. However, a knee-like portion was absent in the female fetal urethra because, on the inferior side of the vaginal end, a wide groove for the future vestibule opened inferiorly. Accordingly, it was difficult for the developing striated muscle to surround the groove, even though there was not a great difference in width or thickness between the female vestibule and the male urethra. The development of a completely circular striated sphincter seems to be impossible in females because of interruption of the frontal plane by the groove-like vestibule. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that before descent of the vagina, the urethral striated muscle extends posteriorly.

Two Cases of Hydrometrocolpos in Neonate

Imperforated hymen, vaginal atresia or high transverse vaginal septum are caused by incomplete vaginal canalization. The infant may be present with distention of the vagina and the uterus with glandular secretions stimulated by maternal estrogens, known as hydrometrocolpos. We report two cases of hydrometrocolpos. In the first case, distal vaginal atresia with cystovaginal fistula was revealed by a contrast fluoroscope through the percutaneous catheterization. In the second case, urogenital sinus was detected by a fistulogram through a single orifice in the genital area. We decompressed the cystic mass by ultrasonogram guided aspiration, promptly at birth, then achieved the transient drainage of cystic fluids by percutaneous catheterization.

Prenatal Sonographic Finding of A Case of Hydrometrocolpos / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Cloacal anomalies are very rare congenital malformations with the incidence of 1/50,000-250,000 births. Hydrocolpos involves the dilatation of the vagina due to obstruction of the genital tract, leading to accumulation of secretions. Because of wide spectrum of abnormal anatomy involving urogenital and gastrointestinal systems, prenatal diagnosis is difficult. As ultrasound becomes more and more reliable, prenatal diagnosis is possible as early as in the second trimester. The presence of prenatally detected hydro (metro) colpos warrants a systematic evaluation of fetal and neonatal anatomy to rule out a large variety of possibly associated malformations or syndromes. We present a case of urogenital sinus maldevelopment which was initially presented as a fetal ascites.

Establishment and charaterization of normal and transformed fetal rat urogenital sinus mesenchymal cells: a comparative study / 대한비뇨기과학회지

Experiment on fetal urogenital sinus mesenchyme is invaluable to investigate the role of which stromal-epithelial interaction plays in the proliferation, differentiation and hormonal dependence of normal epithelial tissue as well as epithelial tumors. Normal and transformed embryonic fibroblast may have different effect on epithelial tumors. We have recently established normal (NUGM) and spontaneously transformed fetal rat urogenital sinus mesenchymal cell (TUGM) lines and herein present comparative characteristics of these cell lines including cytokinetic study, chromosomal study, effect of sex hormones on the growth, immunohistochemical study for intermediate filaments and in vivo tumorigenicity. TUGM has cellular characteristics of transformed fibroblast and shows increased expression of cell surface fibronectin. Addition of different concentration of serum and various sex hormones did not affect the growth of TUGM significantly, whereas in TUGM, The growth was significantly enhanced by increase of serum concentration in medium and dihyrotestosterone at the concentration of 100 ng/ml of medium. NUGM does not show any tumorigenicity in vivo. TUGM shows strong tumorigenicity (19/21) and forms fibrosarcoma when inoculated into nude mouse. The size of tumor was significantly smaller when inoculated into castrated male and female mice compared to non castrated males. In conclusion, NUGM and TUGM have different cellular characteristics and hormonal dependence. NUGM and TUGM may be help to elucidate the relative role of normal and transformed embryonic fibroblast in the mechanism of evolution, invasion and metastasis of epithelial cancer.

A case of neonatal hydrometrocolpos causing urinary obstruction

No abstract available.