Biomedical subjects

S Howards

Publications and source records attributed to S Howards.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

Abnormalities of the seminal tract causing infertility: diagnosis with endorectal sonography.

Endorectal sonography, developed primarily for use in the diagnosis and staging of prostatic carcinoma, should be the first imaging technique used in the evaluation of an infertile man with low semen volume in whom either a hypoplastic or obstructed seminal tract is suspected. Endorectal sonography allows visualization of the seminal vesicles, which are otherwise difficult to examine. We used endorectal sonography to evaluate six young men, five of whom were being evaluated for azoospermia and infertility. One patient had no identifiable seminal vesicle on either side. Four patients had unilateral absence of the seminal vesicles. Of these four, three had a sonographically normal-appearing seminal vesicle on the contralateral side, and the fourth had an obstructed system contralaterally. The sixth patient had a hypoplastic system on the left and an obstructed system on the right. The delineation of an obstructed or agenetic seminal vesicle and seminal tract on endorectal sonography allows decisions to be made regarding treatment and prognosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

H-Y intermediate phenotype in male pseudohermaphroditism.

A child with ambiguous genitalia was born after an uncomplicated pregnancy. Laparotomy revealed intraabdominal hypoplastic testes containing normal appearing Leydig cells; germ cells were present in the left gonad, not in the right. The karyotype was 46,XY in blood leukocytes and in fibroblasts cultured from the gonads; there was no evidence of mosaicism. Endocrinologic study revealed no disorder of steroidogenesis. Androgen receptors were not studied. Serologic evaluation of blood leukocytes revealed the presence of H-Y antigen, but there are reasons to believe that less H-Y antigen was present in the cells of the patient than was present in corresponding cells from normal males. Gonadectomy and clitoral recession were performed at 3 weeks of age, and the patient was reared as a girl. We speculate that reduced expression of H-Y may have induced aberrant development of the gonads.

Cosyntropin↗

PubMed1986

Testicular histology in children with unilateral testicular torsion.

Testicular biopsies from 38 boys at the time of unilateral testicular torsion were studied retrospectively. Of the patients 30 were adolescent and 8 were prepubertal. In 18 boys biopsy of the torsed testis only was performed, while in another 18 bilateral testis biopsy was obtained. The remaining 2 patients had biopsy of the contralateral testis only because the torsed testis was infarcted completely. After allowances were made for the acute testicular changes associated with the torsion itself, significant pre-existing testicular abnormalities could be identified in 20 of the 38 patients (53 per cent), including the Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (7), partial Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (4), defective spermatogenesis (8) and mucous plugs caused by cystic fibrosis inducing tubular changes (1). In 70 per cent of the biopsies from prepubertal boys the number of spermatogonia per tubule was diminished. In adolescent boys the mean number of late spermatids also was diminished severely in the contralateral and torsed testes. Pronounced atrophy of Leydig cells was found in all but 1 testis examined. The presence or absence of a morphological blood-testis barrier did not appear to be related to pathological changes in the contralateral testis. These observations suggest that infertility in patients with unilateral testicular torsion may be a consequence of a pre-existing testicular pathological condition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Practical aspects of banking patient's semen for future artificial insemination.

The necessary information is provided for the urologist to answer the question, "Doctor, can I freeze my semen before surgery and use it later to impregnate my wife?" A listing of all semen banks presently storing homologous semen and registered with the American Association of Tissue Banks is presented. The methods used, ancillary tests that are done or recommended, and costs are provided. The logistics of arranging for deposits and withdrawals are also discussed.

Cell Survival↗