Genital Damage Research Articles

Limitations of sperm transfer in the complex reproductive system of spiders

Abstract In spiders, sperm transfer from the male to the female is indirect via secondary copulatory structures, the pedipalps. At the time of transfer the sperm are not mobile and the ejaculate needs to move through narrow male and female ducts to the female sperm storage organ. In addition, copulation duration can be very short, often limited to just a few seconds. Finally, sexual cannibalism and genital damage limits male life-time mating opportunities. These features of the reproductive biology in spiders are likely to result in sperm transfer constraints. Here we review the intrinsic and extrinsic sperm transfer limitations and conduct a meta-analysis on sperm transfer data from published data. Most of the information available relates to orb-web spiders, but our meta-analysis also includes non-orb-web spiders. Our review identifies some of the behavioural factors that have been shown to influence sperm transfer, and lists several morphological and physiological traits where we do not yet know how they might affect sperm transfer.

The Management of Perineal Trauma in Children.

Aims:This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of perineal trauma in children and to a define protocol for their management.Methods:It is a retrospective study of children who presented with perineal injury between August 2012 and December 2020. The patients were classified into three groups: Group-1 included children with perineal and genitourinary injuries; Group-2 included patients with perineal and anorectal injuries; and Group-3 included patients with perineal, genitourinary, and anorectal injuries. All patients underwent primary repair. Those with full-thickness anorectal injury underwent an additional covering colostomy, while urethral disruption was initially managed by a diverting suprapubic cystostomy (SPC).Results:A total of 41 patients were studied. Impalement injury (n = 11; 27%) and sexual abuse (n = 11; 27%) were the most common mechanisms of injury. Twenty (49%) patients had anorectal injuries with 10 (24%) each of partial-thickness and full-thickness injury. There were 24 (59%) genital injuries and five (12%) urethral injuries. One patient each developed anal and vaginal stenosis, both were managed with dilatation. One patient developed a rectovaginal fistula repaired surgically at a later date.Conclusion:Perineal injuries with resultant anorectal or genital damage require a careful primary survey. Following stabilization, an examination under anesthesia as a set protocol will help determine the treatment strategy. A colostomy is essential in the acute management of severe anorectal injuries to reduce local complications and preserve continence. Urethral injuries may warrant an initial diverting SPC in selected cases.

Study of Clinical Forensic Examination Reports and Alleged Offences in Sexual Assault Cases: Civil Hospital Sanghar

Background: Several factors influence the occurrence of genito-anal injuries in sexual assault victims. The occurrence of injuries aids in the future laying of accusations against the accused, making forensic examination, documenting of injuries, and report preparation difficult for healthcare personnel. Aim: To find out the pattern of genito-anal injuries and the circumstances that lead to charges being filed against the accused. Place and Duration of Study: Civil Hospital Sanghar from 1st January 2019 to 31st December, 2019. Methodology: This cross-sectional study Sixty sexual assault cases were incorporated all survivors of rape, paying little heed to age, who announced a background marked by rape to the police or straightforwardly to our tertiary consideration community. Result: Penile-anal penetration is the most common 82.4% and second most common was penile-oral penetration was 75%. Fifty percent of ano-genital bleeding was found in the sexual assault victims and 45.6% were physical assault during sexual assault. Mostly cases were based on incomplete investigation with the highest 47.1%. Conclusion: Although no single event will bring the victim's recovery to a close, the arrest and successful conviction of the offender can be a significant step forward. Contrary to popular assumption, genital damage is not the usual in the aftermath of sexual assault. Keywords: Sexual assault, alleged, offences

Material heterogeneity of male genitalia reduces genital damage in a bushcricket during sperm removal behaviour

Sperm removal behaviour (SRB) is known in many animals, and male genital structures are often involved in the SRB, e.g. rubbing female genitalia vigorously. However, it remains unclear how those male genital structures function properly without severe genital damage during SRB. In the present study, we focused on the bushcricket Metaplastes ornatus and examined the biomechanics of male and female genital structures, involved in their SRB as a model case. During an initial phase of mating, males of this species thrust their subgenital plate with hook-like spurs and many microscopic spines into the female genital chamber. By moving the subgenital plate back-and-forth, males stimulate females, and this stimulation induces the ejection of sperm previously stored in females. We aimed to uncover the mechanics of the interaction between the subgenital plate and genital chamber during SRB. The genital morphology and its material composition were investigated using modern imaging and microscopy techniques. The obtained results showed a pronounced material heterogeneity in the subgenital plate and the genital chamber. The material heterogeneity was completely absent in that of a second bushcricket species, Poecilimon veluchianus, which does not exhibit SRB. Finite element simulations showed that the specific material heterogeneity can redistribute the stress in the subgenital plate of M. ornatus and, thereby, reduces stress concentration during SRB. This may explain why only a few examined males had a broken spur. We suggest that the observed structural features and material heterogeneity in M. ornatus are adaptations to their SRB.

Transcriptome Landscape of Intracellular Brucella ovis Surviving in RAW264.7 Macrophage Immune System

Brucella ovis infection results in genital damage and epididymitis in rams, placental inflammation and rare abortion in ewes, and neonatal mortality in lambs. However, the mechanism underlying B. ovis infection remains unclear. In the present study, we used prokaryotic transcriptome sequencing to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between wild-type B. ovis and intracellular B. ovis in RAW264.7 macrophages. Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed, and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the top 10 upregulated and downregulated DEGs. The results showed that 212 genes were differentially expressed, including 68 upregulated and 144 downregulated genes, which were mainly enriched in 30 GO terms linked to biological process, cellular component, and molecular function. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, beta-alanine metabolism, and quorum sensing pathway. BME_RS01160, BME_RS04270, BME_RS08185, BME_RS12880, BME_RS25875, predicted_RNA865, and predicted_RNA953 were confirmed with the transcriptome sequencing data. Hence, our findings not only reveal the intracellular parasitism of B. ovis in the macrophage immune system, but also help to understand the mechanism of chronic B. ovis infection.

Differential oxidative costs of locomotory and genital damage in an orb-weaving spider.

In animals that regularly experience tissue loss, physiological responses may have evolved to overcome the related costs. Changes in oxidative status may reflect such self-maintenance mechanisms. Here, we investigated how markers of oxidative status vary in female orb-weaving spiders (Larinia jeskovi) by mimicking two distinct types of tissue loss they may naturally encounter: damage to their locomotory system and damage to their external genital structure (scapus), as inflicted by males during copulation (external female genital mutilation). Damage to the locomotory system resulted in a significant shift in oxidative status, reflecting investment in self-maintenance. In contrast, the loss of the scapus did not result in quantitative changes of oxidative markers. This lack of a physiological response suggests negligible physiological costs of genital mutilation for female spiders. However, not being able to remate with other males might be costly for females.

Sexual Size Dimorphism: Evolution and Perils of Extreme Phenotypes in Spiders.

Sexual size dimorphism is one of the most striking animal traits, and among terrestrial animals, it is most extreme in certain spider lineages. The most extreme sexual size dimorphism (eSSD) is female biased. eSSD itself is probably an epiphenomenon of gendered evolutionary drivers whose strengths and directions are diverse. We demonstrate that eSSD spider clades are aberrant by sampling randomly across all spiders to establish overall averages for female (6.9 mm) and male (5.6 mm) size. At least 16 spider eSSD clades exist. We explore why the literature does not converge on an overall explanation for eSSD and propose an equilibrium model featuring clade- and context-specific drivers of gender size variation. eSSD affects other traits such as sexual cannibalism, genital damage, emasculation, and monogyny with terminal investment. Coevolution with these extreme sexual phenotypes is termed eSSD mating syndrome. Finally, as costs of female gigantism increase with size, eSSD may represent an evolutionary dead end.

The fitness cost to females of exposure to males does not depend on water availability in seed beetles

Access to multiple males can benefit a female in terms of increased fecundity and/or offspring performance. However, the presence of more males can also impose costs on females that arise from an elevated mating rate (e.g. due to increased genital damage, loss of feeding opportunities) and/or increased harassment. Different environments might influence the relative magnitude of these costs and benefits, because they can influence how often males and females encounter each other as well as the nature of these encounters. In the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus , water is a limiting resource for females that can be obtained from male ejaculates. Here we explored whether the net fitness of female seed beetles is affected by breeding in either a dry or a wet environment when housed with differing numbers of males (none, one or four). Consistent with costly male harassment, females housed with four males laid significantly fewer eggs than those housed alone or with a single male, but there was no effect of the number of males on female egg-laying rate, life span, larval development rate or egg–adult survival of offspring. Although females in the wet environment lived significantly longer, there was only tentative evidence that water availability affected the net fitness cost to females of being exposed to more males. We conclude that to understand the evolution of mating systems it is important to explore how the environment affects female fitness by balancing the costs and benefits of being exposed to males. • Costs and benefits for females of interacting with males can vary with the environment. • Exposure to multiple males is costly for females in Callosobruchus maculatus . • Access to water does not affect the net fitness cost of male exposure in seed beetles. • It is important to explore the effects of the environment in sexual conflict.

Securing Paternity by Mutilating Female Genitalia in Spiders

Competition between males and their sperm over access to females and their eggs has resulted in manifold ways by which males try to secure paternity, ranging from physically guarding the female after mating to reducing her receptivity or her attractiveness to subsequent males by transferring manipulative substances or by mechanically sealing the female reproductive tract with a copulatory plug. Copulations may also result in internal damage of the female genitalia; however, this is not considered as a direct adaptation against sperm competition but as a collateral effect. Here, we present a drastic and direct mechanism for securing paternity: the removal of coupling structures on female genitalia by males. In the orb-weaving spider Larinia jeskovi males remove the scapus, a crucial coupling device on the female external genital region. Reconstruction of the coupling mechanism using micro-CT-scanned mating pairs revealed that several sclerites of the male genitalia interact to break off the scapus. Once it is removed, remating cannot occur due to mechanical coupling difficulties. In the field, male-inflicted genital damage is very prevalent since all female L. jeskovi were found to be mutilated at the end of the mating season. External genital mutilation is an overlooked but widely spread phenomenon since 80 additional spider species were found for which male genital manipulation can be suspected. Interlocking genitalia provide an evolutionary platform for the rapid evolution of this highly effective mechanism to secure paternity, and we suspect that other animal groups with interlocking genital structures might reveal similarly drastic male adaptations.

Analysis of 28 cases with drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome

Objective To investigate the pharmacoepidemiologic features of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome(DHS)and improve the recognition of its particularity. Methods The clinical data of 28 patients with DHS were retrospectively analyzed and summarized. Results Of 28 DHS patients,the suspected drugs were allopurinol in 17 cases,anti-epileptic drugs in 4 cases,antiuberculotic drugs in 3 cases and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs in 4 cases.The earliest symptoms of DHS were skin rash(89.3%) and fever(85.7%),secondly liver function damaged(75.0%),which may be accompanied by mucosa,eye,genital damage(53.6%),eosinophilia(32.1%),renal impairment(17.9%),even multiple organ failure and death. Conclusion DHSshould be on the alert when rash,repeated fever and visceral lesion occurred in a patient,without good therapeutic efficacy through ordinary antianaphylaxis and anti-infective therapy,as well as with the above medication history. Key words: Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome; Allopurinol; Antiuberculotic drugs; Anti-epileptic drugs; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

The eunuch phenomenon: adaptive evolution of genital emasculation in sexually dimorphic spiders.

Under natural and sexual selection traits often evolve that secure paternity or maternity through self-sacrifice to predators, rivals, offspring, or partners. Emasculation-males removing their genitals-is an unusual example of such behaviours. Known only in insects and spiders, the phenomenon's adaptiveness is difficult to explain, yet its repeated origins and association with sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual cannibalism suggest an adaptive significance. In spiders, emasculation of paired male sperm-transferring organs - secondary genitals - (hereafter, palps), results in 'eunuchs'. This behaviour has been hypothesized to be adaptive because (i) males plug female genitals with their severed palps (plugging hypothesis), (ii) males remove their palps to become better fighters in male-male contests (better-fighter hypothesis), perhaps reaching higher agility due to reduced total body mass (gloves-off hypothesis), and (iii) males achieve prolonged sperm transfer through severed genitals (remote-copulation hypothesis). Prior research has provided evidence in support of these hypotheses in some orb-weaving spiders but these explanations are far from general. Seeking broad macroevolutionary patterns of spider emasculation, we review the known occurrences, weigh the evidence in support of the hypotheses in each known case, and redefine more precisely the particular cases of emasculation depending on its timing in relation to maturation and mating: 'pre-maturation', 'mating', and 'post-mating'. We use a genus-level spider phylogeny to explore emasculation evolution and to investigate potential evolutionary linkage between emasculation, SSD, lesser genital damage (embolic breakage), and sexual cannibalism (females consuming their mates). We find a complex pattern of spider emasculation evolution, all cases confined to Araneoidea: emasculation evolved at least five and up to 11 times, was lost at least four times, and became further modified at least once. We also find emasculation, as well as lesser genital damage and sexual cannibalism, to be significantly associated with SSD. These behavioural and morphological traits thus likely co-evolve in spiders. Emasculation can be seen as an extreme form of genital mutilation, or even a terminal investment strategy linked to the evolution of monogyny. However, as different emasculation cases in araneoid spiders are neither homologous nor biologically identical, and may or may not serve as paternity protection, the direct link to monogyny is not clear cut. Understanding better the phylogenetic patterns of emasculation and its constituent morphologies and behaviours, a clearer picture of the intricate interplay of natural and sexual selection may arise. With the here improved evolutionary resolution of spider eunuch behaviour, we can more specifically tie the evidence from adaptive hypotheses to independent cases, and propose promising avenues for further research of spider eunuchs, and of the evolution of monogyny.

A glimpse into the sexual biology of the “zygiellid” spider genus Leviellus

Abstract We investigated the mating biology of the previously unstudied central European spider Leviellus thorelli (Ausserer 1871) by staging laboratory mating trials using males and females of varying mating histories. Our aim was to seek common themes in sexual behaviors of the sexually size-monomorphic “zygiellid” spiders with their putatively close relatives, araneids and nephilids, which are relatively well studied with respect to sexual biology. We found L. thorelli mating biology to more closely resemble that of sexually size-monomorphic araneids than that of dimorphic nephilids. Unlike in nephilids with sexually conflicted adaptations, we found no evidence for genital damage or plugging in Leviellus Wunderlich 2004, although we found rare cases of half-eunuchs. We suggest that the mating system of L. thorelli spiders is determined by short female sexual attractiveness, reduced receptivity after mating and/or intensive mate guarding.

S. haematobium as a Common Cause of Genital Morbidity in Girls: A Cross-sectional Study of Children in South Africa

Background Schistosoma (S.) haematobium infection is a common cause of genital morbidity in adult women. Ova in the genital mucosal lining may cause lesions, bleeding, pain, discharge, and the damaged surfaces may pose a risk for HIV. In a heterogeneous schistosomiasis endemic area in South Africa, we sought to investigate if young girls had genital symptoms and if this was associated with urinary S. haematobium.MethodologyIn a cross-sectional study of 18 randomly chosen primary schools, we included 1057 schoolgirls between the age of 10 and 12 years. We interviewed assenting girls, whose parents had consented to their participation and examined three urines from each of them for schistosome ova.Principal findingsOne third of the girls reported to have a history of genital symptoms. Prior schistosomal infection was reported by 22% (226/1020), this was associated with current genital symptoms (p<0.001). In regression analysis the genital symptoms were significantly associated both with urinary schistosomiasis (p<0.001) and water contact (p<0.001).ConclusionsEven before sexually active age, a relatively large proportion of the participating girls had similar genital symptoms to those reported for adult genital schistosomiasis previously. Anti-schistosomal treatment should be considered at a young age in order to prevent chronic genital damage and secondary infections such as HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and other super-infections.

Female cyclists advised to sit up in the saddle to avoid genital nerve damage.

Female cyclists could avoid genital nerve damage by adjusting the position of the handlebars on their bikes to produce a more upright sitting position, easing saddle pressure on the genital area, according to a study by researchers in the United States.

Mating Plugs in Polyandrous Giants: Which Sex Produces Them, When, How and Why?

BackgroundMales usually produce mating plugs to reduce sperm competition. However, females can conceivably also produce mating plugs in order to prevent unwanted, superfluous and energetically costly matings. In spiders–appropriate models for testing plugging biology hypotheses–mating plugs may consist of male genital parts and/or of amorphous covers consisting of glandular or sperm secretions. In the giant wood spider Nephila pilipes, a highly sexually dimorphic and polygamous species, males are known to produce ineffective embolic plugs through genital damage, but nothing is known about the origin and function of additional conspicuous amorphous plugs (AP) covering female genitals.MethodologyWe tested alternative hypotheses of the nature and function of AP in N. pilipes by staging mating trials with varying degrees of polyandry. No APs were ever formed during mating trials, which rules out the possibility of male AP formation. Instead, those females that oviposited produced the AP from a liquid secreted during egg sac formation. Polyandrous females were more likely to lay eggs and to produce the AP, as were those that mated longer and with more total insertions. Our further tests revealed that, in spite of being a side product of egg sac production, AP, when hardened, prevented any subsequent copulation.ConclusionsWe conclude that in the giant wood spider (Nephila pilipes), the amorphous mating plugs are not produced by the males, that repeated copulations (most likely polyandrous) are necessary for egg fertilization and AP formation, and that the AP represents a female adaptation to sexual conflict through prevention of unwanted, excessive copulations. Considering the largely unknown origin of amorphous plugs in spiders, we predict that a similar pattern might be detected in other clades, which would help elucidate the evolutionary interplay of various selection pressures responsible for the origin and maintenance of mating plugs.

Mate quality, not aggressive spillover, explains sexual cannibalism in a size-dimorphic spider

Sexual cannibalism particularly before mating is costly for the male victim but also for the female aggressor if she risks remaining unmated. The aggressive spillover hypothesis explains the persistence of this behavior as a maladaptive side effect of positive selection on aggressiveness in a foraging context. The hypothesis predicts that the occurrence of sexual cannibalism is explained by female aggressiveness but is not related to male phenotype or behavioral type. An alternative hypothesis invokes sexual selection and makes the opposite prediction namely that sexual cannibalism is an expression of female choice and should hence mainly target males of low quality. We tested the above hypotheses on a sexually dimorphic nephilid spider Nephilengys livida, known for male monopolization of females via genital damage, female genital plugging, and mate guarding, by staging mating trials during which we recorded mating behaviors and occurrences of pre- and postcopulatory cannibalism. We did not restrict assessment of aggressiveness to the mating and foraging context but also included aggression against same sex conspecifics. To assess female personalities, i.e., consistent individual differences in behavior including aggressiveness, we repeatedly tested them for intra-sex aggression, voracity towards prey, locomotory activity, and boldness. Females exhibited consistent differences in intra-sex aggressiveness, latency to attack prey, and boldness. Aggressive females had shorter latencies to attack prey and were more active than non-aggressive ones. In contrast to the predictions of the aggressive spillover hypothesis, females that were aggressive towards prey and towards other females were not more likely to attack a male than non-aggressive females. In support of the mate choice hypothesis, less aggressive males were more likely attacked and cannibalized than more aggressive ones. This hints at sexual selection for aggressiveness in males and raises the question of mechanisms that maintain variation in male aggressiveness.

One-shot genitalia are not an evolutionary dead end - Regained male polygamy in a sperm limited spider species

BackgroundMonogynous mating systems with extremely low male mating rates have several independent evolutionary origins and are associated with drastic adaptations involving self-sacrifice, one-shot genitalia, genital damage, and termination of spermatogenesis immediately after maturation. The combination of such extreme traits likely restricts evolutionary potential perhaps up to the point of making low male mating rates irreversible and hence may constitute an evolutionary dead end. Here, we explore the case of a reversion to multiple mating from monogynous ancestry in golden orb-web spiders, Nephila senegalensis.ResultsMale multiple mating is regained by the loss of genital damage and sexual cannibalism but spermatogenesis is terminated with maturation, restricting males to a single loading of their secondary mating organs and a fixed supply of sperm. However, males re-use their mating organs and by experimentally mating males to many females, we show that the sperm supply is divided between copulations without reloading the pedipalps.ConclusionBy portioning their precious sperm supply, males achieve an average mating rate of four females which effectively doubles the maximal mating rate of their ancestors. A heritage of one-shot genitalia does not completely restrict the potential to increase mating rates in Nephila although an upper limit is defined by the available sperm load. Future studies should now investigate how males use this potential in the field and identify selection pressures responsible for a reversal from monogynous to polygynous mating strategies.

Female attack is not necessary for male copulatory organ breakage in the sexually cannibalistic spider Argiope argentata (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract In sexually cannibalistic spiders, males usually only copulate with one female. This selects for male strategies to improve paternity success in their single mate. Male mating strategies can include genital damage during female attack in some cannibalistic orb-weaving spiders, where males are dwarf and females polyandrous. We explored whether sexual cannibalism is necessary for male genital damage in the silver spider Argiope argentata (Fabricius 1775) by performing mating trials with recently killed virgin females. We found that males can break off their copulatory organs without female intervention and spontaneously die during copulation. Results suggest that genital damage evolved in response to sperm competition in this species.

Cryoconservation de l’ovaire : modèles expérimentaux de réimplantation

Childhood cancers account for 1% of malignant tumors. As a result of advances in treatment, almost 80% of children and adolescents who currently receive a diagnosis of cancer become long-term survivors. Assessment of potential for fertility preservation should thus be a systematic element of care for children treated for a malignant tumor (high-dose chemotherapy with alkylizing agents, radiation therapy including the gonads) or those receiving hematopoietic stem cell grafts for malignant or benign disease (sickle-cell anemia, immune deficit). Potential adverse consequences of treatment include impaired puberty and fertility due to gonadal removal, genital tract injury or damage to germ cells from adjuvant therapy. Advances in assisted reproductive technologies have led to new possibilities for the prevention and treatment of infertility. Among them, cryopreservation of ovarian tissue appears to be the most promising, or perhaps the only one available before puberty with encouraging results. Nevertheless the uncertainties, or even risks, related to these treatments, should not be neglected. We review experimental data in mouse and sheep animal models. The results demonstrate that immature ovarian grafting can restore spontaneous puberty and fertility in both models. This study addresses the very important issue of epigenetics, and provides valuable information for the study of ovarian transplantation, suggesting that these procedures do not perturb normal epigenetic marks. These results are highly relevant to the question of immature cortex reimplantation.

THE EVOLUTION OF HARM-EFFECT OF SEXUAL CONFLICTS AND POPULATION SIZE

Conflicts of interest between mates can promote the evolution of male traits that reduce female fitness and that drive coevolution between the sexes. The rate of adaptation depends on the intensity of selection and its efficiency, which depends on drift and genetic variability. This leads to the largely untested prediction that coevolutionary adaptations such as those driven by sexual conflict should evolve faster in large populations. We tested this using the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, a species where harm inflicted by males is well documented. Although most experimental evolution studies remove sexual conflict, we reintroduced it in populations in which it had been experimentally removed. Both population size and standing genetic variability were manipulated in a factorial experimental design. After 90 generations of relaxed conflict (monogamy), the reintroduction of sexual conflicts for 30 generations favored males that harmed females and females that were more resistant to the genital damage inflicted by males. Males evolved to become more harmful when population size was large rather than when initial genetic variation was enriched. Our study shows that sexual selection can create conditions in which males can benefit from harming females and that selection may tend to be more intense and effective in larger populations.