Morphological studies on the reproductive system of the male fowl, Gallus domesticus

The genital tract of the mule fowl was investigated by dissection, micro¬ injection, microradiography, and conventional histological methods. i'ho distribution in the tissues of lipids, glycogen, some oxidative enzymes and cholinesterases was investigated histochastically. fhe intrinsic cholinergic and adrenergic innervation was also examined. A fine structural study of the epithelial lining of the efferent ducts was made and the ductus deferens was ligated with the object of studying tho resorption of testicular fluids and the fate of unejaculated spermatozoa.The fowl testis has no mediastinum ortubuli recti. The seminiferous tubules therefore lead directly into the rete testis which is drained by the ductuli efferentes. The iatter are continued into the connecting ductules which open into the ductus epididymidis, The ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens are considered to be merely different segno.its of the snme duct which increases in diameter from its beginningt , at the cranial end of the epididyraal region, to its caudal end in the pelvis. Thus, the avian epididyraal region might be regarded &3 equivalent to the caput epididyraidis of scrotal mammals; tho main part of the ductus deferens and its dilated regions are considered analagous to the corpus and cauda respectively.Lipids in the form of neutral, phospholipids and free fatty acids were detected in the seminiferous tubules and epithelial cells and lumina of the excurrent ducts. Small amounts of mucopolysa hariden were also detected but glycogen was absent. All oxidative enzymes studied were present; their highest activity was in the ductuli efferentes, rue cholinesterase was confined to the neural structures and the basal part3 of the epithelial linin,_, of the large connecting ductules, ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens, Pseudocholinesterase was found throughout the cells of the same regions,A rich supply of cholinergic and adrenergic nerves was found particularly in tho lateral aspect of the epididyraal region and along the du ,tua deferens.A rich supply of cholinergic and adrenergic nerves was found particularly in tho lateral aspect of the epididyraal region and along the du ,tua deferens.Ultrastructurally, at least five different cell types were identified in the duct system, namely (1) low cuboidal cells lining the rete testis, (2) and (3) ciliated and non-ciliated, type I cells lining the ductuli efferentes and narrow connecting ductules, (4) non-ciliated, type II, ells lining the wide connecting ductules, ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens, and (5) basal cells found mainly with type II cells. The rete cells have an imbricated arrangement and their fine structure indicates a secretory function. The ciliated cells possess motile cilia and microvilli; they are nonsecretory but they may play a role in the resorption of fluids. Type I cells carry microvilli and have electron-dense worm-like structures in the apical cytoplasm; the structure and possible function of these structures were discussed, .'he main structural features of type II ceils were similar to those of a protein secreting cell, fhey possess an abundance of distended roU;,h aid transitional endoplasmic reticulum, a well developed Golgi complex and dense secretory granules souse of which were seen at the luminal margin. The basal cells have a large dense irregular nucleus and scanty cytoplasm containing a few organelles and fibrils; they are closely related to nerve endings in the subepithelial tissue.Spermatozoa are taken up by the surface lining cells of the male tract in normal maleo. fter ligation of the ductus deferens, its lumen contained many disintegrating spermatozoa and other cell debris; all the lining cells, except the basal, appear to phagocytose intact spermatozoa and cellular debris. Macrophages containing spermatozoa were found in the lumina of the ducts, in the subepithelial tissue and wedged between the basal lamina and the surface epithelia.The functional implications of these findings in relation to secretion into the seminal plasma, storage of semen, resorption of testicular fluids, movement of spermatozoa along the duct system, disposal of unejnculnted spermatozoa, and emission have been discussed

Histomorphometric parameters of normal full term placenta of Sudanese women

The aim of the study was to provide values for morphometric parameters of histological components of normally delivered full term placentas of Sudanese women and compare them with reported parameters for other ethnic groups. A total of 200 histological sections, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and trichrome stains were used to give a final sample of 1000 fields saved as PowerPoint images for histomorphometry. A systematic random sampling procedure was adopted to ensure the optimum sample size that keeps the percentage error below 5% for the volume estimates. Standard stereological methods of point-counting and intersection-counting were applied to the microscopic fields to determine the volumes of placental components and surface area of fetal-maternal interface. The morphometric parameters showed no variations either between the placentas or between central and peripheral regions. The placental villi and the intervillus space occupied 65% and 35% of placental volume respectively with mean absolute values of 318 cm3 and 169 cm3. The mean absolute volume of the intervillus space was less than that of other ethnic groups by 8.67% but was significantly larger than that of the fetal capillaries which measured 41.2 cm3. The ratio of the absolute volume of the intervillus space to the volume of the fetal blood capillaries was 4:1 in both Sudanese and other ethnic groups. In the placental villi the fetal connective tissue together with the contained blood vessels larger than capillaries occupied 88% of the villus volume. The mean surface area of the fetal-maternal interface of the placental villi (syncytiotrophoblast) was 12.59 M2