Testicular sperm extraction is a common procedure used to find spermatogenic cells in men with nonobstructive azoospermia. The laboratory processing of biopsied testicular tissues needs to be performed meticulously to acquire a high yield of cells. In this study, the effectiveness of mincing the tissues after testicular biopsy was assessed using histological evaluation, as was the possible adverse effect of residual tissue on the migration of spermatogenic cells during density gradient centrifugation. Our results indicate that testicular residual tissue, when laid on the density gradient medium along with the sperm wash, hinders the spermatogenic cells’ forming a pellet during centrifugation, and therefore impairs the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure. Whereas the mean number of recovered cells from the sperm wash medium (SWM) with residual tissue is 39.435 ± 24.849, it was notably higher (60.189 ± 28.214 cells) in the SWM without minced tissues. The remaining tissue contained no functional seminiferous tubules or spermatogenic cells in histological sections. In conclusion, the remaining residual tissue after mincing biopsied testicular tissue does not add any functional or cellular contribution to spermatogenic cell retrieval; in fact, it may block the cellular elements in the accompanying cell suspension from migrating through the gradient layers to form a pellet during centrifugation and cause loss of spermatogenic cells.

BACKGROUND: A high-carbohydrate diet leads to the metabolic syndrome (MetS), which leads to an increased risk for cardiovascular dysfunction; however, the effect of high-carbohydrate diets on systemic metabolism has not yet been fully determined. It has been observed that abnormal fatty acid metabolism and increased oxidative stress play a role in the pathogenesis of MetS-related cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of high sucrose intake on left ventricular contractility and structure of heart tissue. METHODS: MetS was induced in male rats with drinking water supplemented with 32% sucrose for 16 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance test results and parameters related to insulin resistance were used to validate MetS. RESULTS: Body weight and blood glucose levels were higher in the MetS group compared with age-matched controls. The increased serum leptin and triglyceride levels and decreased ghrelin levels further supported the existence of MetS in the MetS group. The ratio of total oxidant status to total antioxidant status measured in serum was also higher in the MetS group compared with the control group. The hemodynamic parameters of the MetS group, such as heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, were markedly higher in the MetS group, while left ventricular developed pressure was significantly diminished with prolonged time course. Moreover, these functional alterations in cardiac preparations were further supported with structural changes such as significant increases in myofibril undulation and increased lipid droplets. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the link between high carbohydrate intake, MetS and cardiac dysfunction, in part due to increased systemic oxidative stress and lipid deposition in the heart tissue.

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Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening respiratory condition. Diabetes (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycaemia. There is an ongoing debate concerning whether there is a protective effect of diabetes in ALI. Exercise is a special type of physical activity that has numerous beneficial effects. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of diabetes and exercise on the prognosis of ALI. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups (sedentary and exercise). Both groups were divided into four subgroups: Control, ALI, DM, DM+ALI (n = 6 each). Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg i.p.). The maximal exercise capacity was determined with the incremental load test. Animals were exercised on a treadmill for 45 min at 70% of maximal exercise capacity, 5 days a week for 12 weeks. Acute lung injury was induced by intratracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide (100 μg/100 g body weight) 24 h before the end of the experiment. We performed arterial blood gas analysis. Redox status was measured in both plasma and lung tissue. Malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine levels were measured in lung tissue. Lung tissue was evaluated histologically. Acute lung injury caused significant damage in the lung tissue, which was verified histologically, with an increase in oxidative stress parameters.Exercise prevented the lung damage induced by ALI and reduced oxidative stress in the lung tissue. Diabetes did not alter the magnitude of damage done by ALI.Exercise showed a protective effect against DM and ALI in rats. The effect of DM was insignificant for the prognosis of ALI.