To present a case of cauda equina syndrome (CES) caused by chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) which seemed clinically similar to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type1 (CMT1). CIDP is an immune-mediated polyneuropathy, either progressive or relapsing-remitting. It is a non-hereditary disorder characterized by symmetrical motor and sensory deficits. Rarely, spinal nerve roots ca...

The cryopreservation of epididymal sperm is important to preserve genetic material from valuable deceased males. This study evaluated the viability of sperm samples from eight stallions under three conditions: (1) collected using an artificial vagina (EJ-0h), (2) recovered from the epididymal cauda immediately after orchiectomy (EP-0h), and (3) recovered from the epididymal cauda after 24h of s...

Mouse cauda epididymis were in-vivo transfected using the lipid FuGENE 6 as gene vector. Two gene constructions were employed: the p-GeneGRIP which codifies for the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and the pSEAP-control that expresses an alkaline phosphatase as a secretion. Transfection was detected by fluorescence and appeared in the nucleus and cytoplasm of epithelial cells. Transfection was o...

AIM Cauda equina syndrome is a rare but highly impairing syndrome involving lower limbs as well as urinary, defecatory and sexual function. In the literature the most investigated sphincter dysfunction is the urinary. Bowel and sexual function are often overlooked since they become more relevant after the acute phase. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eight consecutive male patients affected by cauda equi...

Passage of spermatozoa through the epididymis and emission of sperm during ejaculation are based on spontaneous and induced contractions of epididymal peritubular muscle layers. This study deals with the ejaculation-relevant factors noradrenaline (NA) and oxytocin (OT) and their contractile effects in the course of the bovine epididymal duct. Muscle tension recording revealed excitatory effects...

Sperm maturation in the epididymis may involve differences between mature and immature spermatozoa in their volume regulatory osmolyte response. Spermatozoa obtained from the rat caput and cauda epididymidis were examined for their ability to regulate volume after transfer from in situ epididymal osmolality (measured to be 343 +/- 13 and 365 +/- 19 mmol kg(-1), respectively) to that of the fema...

The epididymis was reflected unilaterally or bilaterally to the abdomen in adult hamsters, leaving normally functioning testes in the scrotum. In unilateral cases, spermatozoa taken from the abdominal cauda, 1 month or more post-operatively, underwent a reversal of head agglutination and dispersed earlier, and underwent hyperactivation and fertilized cumulus-free eggs about 30-45 min sooner tha...

Hamster spermatozoa were isolated from the caput, corpus and cauda epididymidis. They were observed in culture medium at 37 degrees C with a phase-contrast microscope and their motility recorded cinematographically. About 20 p. 100 of the caput epididymidis spermatozoa were motile and moved in a confined space with no forward progression. 30 p. 100 of the corpus epididymidis spermatozoa were mo...

Mass spectrometric analysis of a prion protein (PrP)-containing complex isolated from ram cauda epididymal fluid revealed a protein that showed homology to a carboxylesterase-like protein previously identified in cat urine (cauxin). Using anti-cauxin antibodies, immunoreactive bands were detected in corpus and cauda epididymal fluid from all mammals tested (ram, boar, mouse, and cat). In the ra...

To define the anatomy of the cauda equina nerve roots by MR imaging, the lower spine of 14 normal volunteers was imaged using a high-field surface-coil technique. A total of 56 sagittal and 56 axial MR sections (eight selected slices from each case) were correlated with undistorted anatomic sections from cadaver spine specimens, and the visualization of the nerve roots was assessed. In addition...