Baculum Research Articles

RADIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE OS PENIS IN THE CAT

The os penis in the cat has not been described radiographically, as compared with the dog. However, a small linear bony radiopacity is sometimes detected in the perineal area of male cats. We hypothesized that the feline os penis might be visible on survey radiographs of the pelvis, and we aimed to investigate the frequency of its visualization using analog and computed radiography (CR) system. One hundred radiographs of the pelvis of 99 male cats were reviewed retrospectively (50 were obtained with a CR system and 50 with an analog system). Age, breed, neutering status, and reason for presentation were recorded, as well as the visualization of the os penis. An os penis was detected in 19/50 (38%) cats with CR and in eight of 50 (16%) cats with analog radiography; this difference was statistically significant. With CR, the median age of cats with a visible os penis was significantly higher than in cats where the os penis was not seen. In one cat with a visible os penis examined with CR and analog radiography, the os penis was only visible on CR images. The penile tissues were examined histopathologically in one cat and well-differentiated bone was found but there were no pathologic findings detected in surrounding tissues. Thus, the os penis can be detected on radiographs of cats and this should not be mistaken for a pathologic finding such as urolithiasis or dystrophic mineralization.

The Morphology of the Os Penis in the Adult Mouse

The Morphology of the Os Penis in the Adult Mouse

Genetically-Induced Estrogen Receptor Alpha (ESR1) Overexpression Does Not Adversely Affect Fertility or Penile Development in Male Mice.

Previously, we reported that ESR1 overexpression resulting from neonatal exposure to estrogens in rats and wild-type mice was associated with infertility and mal-developed penis characterized by reduced length and weight and abnormal accumulation of fat cells. The objective of this study was to determine if mutant male mice overexpressing ESR1 are naturally infertile or have reduced fertility and/or develop abnormal penis. The fertility parameters, including fertility and fecundity indices, numbers of days from the day of cohabitation to the day of delivery, and numbers of pups per female, were not altered from controls, as a result of ESR1 overexpression. Likewise, penile morphology, including the length, weight, and diameter and os penis development, was not altered from controls. Conversely, weights of the seminal vesicles and bulbospongiosus and levator ani (BS/LA) muscles were significantly (P < 0.05) lower as compared to controls; however, the weight of the testis, the morphology of the testis and epididymis, and the plasma and testicular testosterone concentration were not different from controls. Hence, this study concludes that the genetically-induced ESR1 overexpression in male mice does not adversely affect fertility, penis, testis or epididymis, but significantly reduces weights of the seminal vesicles and BS/LA muscles. (poster)

UP-1.75: Results of simultaneous implantation of inflatable penile prosthesis and bone anchored bulbourethral sling after radical prostatectomy

UP-1.75: Results of simultaneous implantation of inflatable penile prosthesis and bone anchored bulbourethral sling after radical prostatectomy

Morphology of Mouse External Genitalia: Implications for a Role of Estrogen in Sexual Dimorphism of the Mouse Genital Tubercle

We examined the role of androgens and estrogens in mammalian sexual differentiation by morphological characterization of adult wt and mutant mouse external genitalia. We tested the hypothesis that external genitalia development depends on androgen and estrogen action. We studied serial sections of the external genitalia of the CD-1 and C57BL6 wt strains of adult mice (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Massachusetts). We recorded linear measurements of key structures in each specimen, including the urethra, erectile tissue, bone and cartilage. We used similar methodology to analyze mice mutant for estrogen receptor α (αERKO) and androgen receptor (X(Tfm)/Y) (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine). Morphology in X(Tfm)/Y adult murine external genitalia was remarkably similar to that in wt females. Bone and clitoral length was similar in wt females and X(Tfm)/Y mice. Conversely the αERKO clitoris was 59% longer and bone length in αERKO females was many-fold longer than that in female wt mice or X(Tfm)/Y mutants. The αERKO clitoris contained cartilage, which is typical of the wt penis but never observed in the wt clitoris. Serum testosterone was not increased in female αERKO mice 10 days postnatally when sex differentiation occurs, suggesting that masculinization of the αERKO clitoris is not a function of androgen. Masculinization of the αERKO clitoris suggests a role for estrogen in the development of female external genitalia. We propose that normal external genital development requires androgen and estrogen action.

Histomorphology of the Penis Bone (Baculum) in the Gray Long‐Eared Bat Plecotus austriacus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)

For the first time, the histomorphology of the penis bone of a bat (Plecotus austriacus) was examined in detail. From Plecotus austriacus, 14 whole penes and 11 isolated bacula were studied and compared to bacula of Plecotus auritus and Plecotus macrobullaris. The baculum was located on specimen microradiographs and in micro-CT images in the tip of the penis. Using serial semithin sections and surface-stained, undecalcified ground sections, the types of bone and other tissues constituting the baculum were examined by light microscopy. 3D reconstructions were generated from the serial semithin sections and from micro-CT images. The shaft and the proximal branches of the Y-shaped baculum form a tubular bone around a medullary cavity. Since the small diameter of this channel and the main lamellar bone around it resemble a Haversian canal, the baculum is equivalent to a single-osteon bone. Several oblique nutrient canals enter this medullary cavity in the shaft and branches. All ends of the baculum consist predominantly of woven bone. The collagen fiber bundles of the tunica albuginea of both corpora cavernosa insert via fibrocartilage into the woven bone of the branches. Thus, the microscopic structures support the hypothesis that the baculum functions as a stiffening element in the erect penis. In this study, several microscopic imaging techniques were evaluated for displaying the microscopic structures of the baculum. Specimen microradiography, but especially micro-CT proved to be suitable nondestructive methods for accurate and reproducible demonstration and comparison of the three-dimensional structures of the baculum in different bat species.

Intersexuality in a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous)

Intersexuality is a reproductive pathology that has been described in wild animals in recent years. However, its occurrence and consequences remain obscure and therefore all aspects of this reproductive disorder deserve attention. The aim of this study is to report a case of intersexuality with probable absence of gonadal tissue in the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) native to Brazil. The animal has male external genitalia, but its prepuce and penis were both hypoplastic. Because of a clinical suspicion of bilateral cryptorchidism, a laparotomy was performed and the absence of prostate and gonads were revealed. The procedure also revealed vas deferentia, extending laterally from the each side of the bladder basis to the right and left abdominal wall muscles. The animal died one month later, and post mortem examination confirmed the absence of prostatic and gonadal tissues. Muscular structures similar to uterine horns and cervix were founded macroscopically and confirmed by optic microscopy. In addition, post mortem findings corroborate with penis hypoplasia, since penile bone presence was observed. The vasa deferentia had a normal tissue structure, although hypoplastic. In conclusion, the case of a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) reported here represents a proved intersexual animal with probable absence of gonadal tissue.

The Year's Best Crime Writer: Charles Den Tex Discusses Crime Writing in The Netherlands

k A International rime csl Myste ry MADISON DAVIS The Years Best Crime Writer: CHARLES DEN TEX DISCUSSES CRIME WRITING IN THE NETHERLANDS Behind almost all greatworks of literature is a crime. From the adultery of Helen of Troy, to Herod's slaughter of the innocents, to The Kite Runner and The Lovely Bones: it ishard to think of works of literature that don't have some kind of crime as their foundation. Nonethe less, the arbitrariness of the culture hierar chy often designates novels and stories that are based on tra ditional crime writing forms as belonging to low culture. This is less common in the United States where presidents like Franklin Roosevelt and Bill Clinton made no secret of their love for mysteries, but even in continental Europe, crimewriters often find that it is difficult to be taken seriously as writ ers by the literarypress. As thepopularity of mysteries and thrillers has spread, however, promoting crime fiction as a literary genre has become the objective of many writers' groups such as the Genootschap van Nederlandstalige Misdaadauteurs (the association of Dutch language crimewriters) and Das Syndikat (German crimewrit ers). One of the most interesting ways that writing ispromoted in the Netherlands is through a program begun in 1932 by a foundation set up by booksellers and publishers. A dedicated public relations orga nization with a strong budget, the CPNB (Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek) organizes a number of events, such as Book Week inMarch (since 1932, pro moting literature in general), Chil dren's Book Week inOctober (since 1955), and Crime Fiction Month in June (since 1989). As part of both Book Week and Crime Fiction Month, a writer of stature is selected in each category to com pose a novella, which is distributed free to everyone who buys 12.50 worth of books. The novella is printed in astonishing numbers. This year's numbered 865,000, roughly equiv alent to one book for every twenty people in the nation. The CPNB alternates between for eign authors and Dutch language authors, but the author selected is recognized as one of the best in the genre. The author selected forthisyear's Crime Fic tionMonth is Charles den Tex. "For the author," he says, "it is an honor to be asked. And itusually provides a huge boost in visibil ity and sales, because the PR machine of the CPNB is awesome. To have that on your side is a dream come true." Three-time winner of the Gouden Strop (Golden Noose) award forbest Dutch crime novel of the year, Den Tex was born in Aus tralia in 1952 but barely remembers September - October 2010 1 9 Crime & Mystery anything about that land because he moved back to theNetherlands at age five.After secondary school in Leiden and photography and film school in London, he returned to Leiden in 1978 and began work as an advertising copywriter. In that job,he says, he began to respect the craft ofwriting, but itwasn't until 1991,when he was feeling burned out from advertising work, thathe took offsixmonths and began writ ing his firstnovel, Dump. Written in English, it took four years of revisions before itwas finallypub lished in 1995. Including Dump, Den Tex has now published ten nov els, including his latest, Wachtwoord (Password). "I was definitely influenced by Desmond Bagley and Nevil Shute," says Den Tex. "They were the authors I firstread in thegenre. Especially Bagley. I raced through his books?the adventure story with a (sometimes) hot topicorwith some kind of professional at its center: a geologist or a hurricane specialist. "I startedwriting myself when in the course ofmy work I learned more about how we get rid of haz ardous waste (or "special waste," as the British call it?so British). I figured out a plot and a story, and one day when I foundmyself with a lot of time on my hands (about sixmonths), I decided towrite the story. After many rewrites itbecame my firstthriller, Dump." Den Tex's background in busi ness is a bit unusual for writers, but it gives him a specialized knowl edge that informshis literary work. "I was a PR consultant, a man...

Obstrução urinária por cisto ósseo aneurismático no osso peniano de um cão

Este relato trata de um cão atendido com sinal clínico de estrangúria, aumento de volume vesical e presença de massa indolor na região de osso peniano. A falha na sondagem uretral permitiu o diagnóstico de obstrução urinária. Ao exame radiográfico, observou-se massa radiopaca, de contorno regular, localizada na região da uretra peniana. Após remoção cirúrgica, o tecido foi submetido à análise histopatológica, que confirmou o diagnóstico de cisto aneurismático peniano - afecção ainda não relatada na espécie canina.

Minimal External Masculinization in a SRY‐negative XX Male Podenco Dog

Normal mammalian sex differentiation takes place in three genetically controlled steps: chromosomal sex determination (XX or XY), gonadal differentiation and development of the phenotypic sex. Animals are considered to be sex reversed if chromosomal sex determination and gonadal development are not in agreement. In this report, sex reversal is described in a 1.5-year-old Podenco dog that was referred because of suspected recurrent growth of a previously removed os clitoridis in the vulva. With that exception the dog was phenotypically female, but had never been in oestrus and exhibited male behaviour. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a small tubular structure dorsal to the bladder, consistent with a uterus. An ovoid structure resembling a gonad was visible between the right kidney and inguinal canal. Plasma testosterone concentrations before and after GnRH administration indicated the presence of functional testicular tissue. Two testes, each with its epididymis and ductus deferens, and a complete bicornuate uterus were removed surgically. Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a normal female karyotype (78, XX). These findings are consistent with the diagnosis of an XX male. PCR analysis of genomic DNA revealed that the SRY gene was absent. In summary, this report describes the first SRY-negative XX male Podenco dog with an almost complete female phenotype despite high basal and stimulated plasma testosterone concentrations. It is hypothesized that the clinical observations in this dog may have been caused by reduced and delayed Müllerian-inhibiting substance secretion and the absence of conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone due to 5alpha-reductase deficiency.

Mal-Development of the Penis and Loss of Fertility in Male Rats Treated Neonatally with Female Contraceptive 17α-Ethinyl Estradiol: A Dose-Response Study and a Comparative Study with a Known Estrogenic Teratogen Diethylstilbestrol

The objectives of this study were to find a minimal dose of 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol (EE) that is detrimental to the developing penis and fertility and to compare estrogenic effects between EE and diethylstilbestrol (DES). Neonatal rats received EE at 10 ng (1 microg/kg), 100 ng, 1 microg, or 10 microg per pup on alternate days from postnatal days 1 to 11 (dose-response study) or received EE or DES at 100 ng per pup daily from postnatal days 1 to 6 (comparative study). Effects of EE were dose dependent, with > or = 100-ng dose inducing significant (p < 0.05) reductions in penile length, weight, and diameter. Additionally, the penis was malformed, characterized by underdeveloped os penis and accumulation of fat cells. Fertility was 0% in the > or = 1-microg groups, in contrast to 60% in the 100-ng group and 100% in the 10-ng and control groups. Animals treated with > or = 10 ng had significant reductions in the weight of bulbospongious muscle, testis, seminal vesicle, epididymal fat pad, and in epididymal sperm numbers. A comparison of EE and DES effects showed similar reductions in penile weight and length and the weight of bulbospongiosus muscle, testis, seminal vesicle, epididymis, and epididymal fat pad in both adolescent and adult rats. While 5/6 control males sired, only 1/6 in the EE group and 0/6 in the DES group sired. Hence, neonatal exposure to EE at 10 ng (environmentally relevant dose) adversely affects male reproductive organs. A dose ten times higher than this leads to permanently mal-developed penis and infertility. Furthermore, EE and DES exposures show similar level of toxicity to male reproductive organs.

Whales, Walruses, and Elephants: Artisans in Ivory, Baleen, and Other Skeletal Materials in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Amsterdam

Hard animal tissues obtained from whales, walruses, and elephants are baleen, whale bone, walrus ivory, walrus baculum, and elephant ivory. Objects of these materials were manufactured by artisans in Amsterdam in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. New archaeological and historical evidence show the import and importance if these materials. The importance of baleen is evident from historical sources. Whale bone and walrus penis bone were only used occasionally. The use of walrus ivory appeared to be of minor importance in comparison to elephant ivory. The Dutch elephant ivory trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is evident in historical and archaeological sources.

Anatomical aspects of the male reproductive system in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata)

The normal anatomy of the male reproductive system in Macaca radiata is presented here. The external genitalia consist of a triangular button-shaped glans penis. The corpus cavernosum, and spongiosum form the vascular component of the penis and the baculum or os penis forms the non-vascular erectile component. The baculum is one of the longest in the genus macaques. The scrotal sac is non-pigmented, slightly pendulous, with scattered hairs, faintly corrugated, and does not reach the ischial callosities in the sitting posture. The testicles are ovoid in shape without appendix. Right and left testicular arteries originate at the level of the inter-vertebral disc between T12-L1 and L2-L3, respectively. Seminiferous tubules present mixed stages of spermatogenesis, i.e. single/multistage. The epididymis is crescent shaped, attached to the postero-lateral border of the testis without an appendix. Light microscopic observation revealed a characteristic high columnar epithelium with stereocilia. Clear cells or light cells are seen in the caudal region. The ductus deferens display a lumen lined by pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium separated by concentric layers of smooth muscle cells covered by serosa. The seminal vesicles are pyramidal in shape, prominently projecting above the urinary bladder, and are the largest of the accessory glands, typical of polyandrous primate genera. The prostate is conical in shape. Its base is in contact with the trigone of the bladder. Its posterior surface shows a transverse cleft separating an upper quarter, the cranial lobe, from the lower three-quarters of the gland. Compared with other macaques there are many distinguishing features in M. radiata. Excellent adaptability and spermatogenic efficiency in the laboratory environment makes this animal a good primate model for andrological research.

The Almost MoonThe Almost Moon Sebold Alice Product Picador £799

This intriguing and challenging book starts, like the author’s previous novel The Lovely Bones, with a first sentence so shocking that you have to read it again to grasp its implications. From there the story plunges deep into layers of family tragedy and denial.

Osteosarcoma of the penile bone (os penis) in a dog

Osteosarcoma of the penile bone was diagnosed in a 5-year-old neutered male Rottweiler with recurrent dysuria. Imaging and cytological findings raised the suspicion for an osteosarcoma and ablation of the entire penis and scrotal urethrostomy was performed. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically. The dog recovered well and no postoperative signs of dysuria were observed. The dog survived without adjuvant chemotherapy for 12 months when multiple tumours in the thorax and abdomen led to it being euthanased. Penile osteosarcoma is a rare disease, but must be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs presenting with dysuria. This is the second recorded case of a penile osteosarcoma in a dog, but the first with a detailed description of the diagnosis, treatment and outcome.

IN THIS ISSUE – January/February 2009

Laboratory reference intervals for Merino lambs ▪ Intradermal cetrimide for nonsurgical mulesing ▪ Carprofen with intradermal cetrimide ▪ Polioencephalomalacia in cattle grazing Brassica plants ▪ Dietary antibiotics for proliferative enteropathy ▪ First description of equine pneumonitis and fetal loss (EPFL) in Australia ▪ Pyruvate kinase deficiency in Abyssinian and Somali cats ▪ Suspected neuropathic pain in dogs ▪ Osteosarcoma of the canine penile bone ▪ Pre weaning morbidity in llamas and alpacas ▪ Previously unreported species of microsporidium in Western Pigmy perch ▪ Granulomatous disease in a nestling parrot ▪ Uterine adenomyosis in an orang‐utan

“Share Moments, Share Life”: The Domestic Photograph as a Symbol of Disruption and Trauma in The Lovely Bones

“Share Moments, Share Life”: The Domestic Photograph as a Symbol of Disruption and Trauma in The Lovely Bones

External genital morphology of the ring‐tailed lemur (Lemur catta): Females are naturally “masculinized”

The extravagance and diversity of external genitalia have been well characterized in male primates; however, much less is known about sex differences or variation in female form. Our study represents a departure from traditional investigations of primate reproductive anatomy because we 1) focus on external rather than internal genitalia, 2) measure both male and female structures, and 3) examine a strepsirrhine rather than an anthropoid primate. The subjects for morphological study were 21 reproductively intact, adult ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), including 10 females and 11 males, two of which (one per sex) subsequently died of natural causes and also served as specimens for gross anatomical dissection. Male external genitalia presented a typical masculine configuration, with a complex distal penile morphology. In contrast, females were unusual among mammals, presenting an enlarged, pendulous external clitoris, tunneled by the urethra. Females had a shorter anogenital distance and a larger urethral meatus than did males, but organ diameter and circumference showed no sex differences. Dissection confirmed these characterizations. Noteworthy in the male were the presence of a "levator penis" muscle and discontinuity in the corpus spongiosum along the penile shaft; noteworthy in the female were an elongated clitoral shaft and glans clitoridis. The female urethra, while incorporated within the clitoral body, was not surrounded by erectile tissue, as we detected no corpus spongiosum. The os clitoridis was 43% the length and 24% the height of the os penis. On the basis of these first detailed descriptions of strepsirrhine external genitalia (for either sex), we characterize those of the female ring-tailed lemur as moderately "masculinized." Our results highlight certain morphological similarities and differences between ring-tailed lemurs and the most male-like of female mammals, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), and call attention to a potential hormonal mechanism of "masculinization" in female lemur development.

Application of B-mode ultrasonography in the assessment of the dog penis

With the purpose to characterize the ultrasonographic features of the dog penis, 20 healthy dogs aged from 2 to 11 years old were used. Ultrasonography was performed using a 5–9 MHz linear probe and a Philips HD3 scanner. Ultrasonograms were obtained at the penile body (pre- and post-scrotal sections) and at both the bulbus glandis and the pars longa glandis, with the dog placed in dorsal recumbency. The typical anatomy of the dog penis is easily demonstrated in ultrasonographic images, as revealed in this study. On ultrasonograms taken at the body level, the two corpora cavernosa showed a homogeneous, hypoechoic structure; ventrally, the corpus spongiosum appears as a slightly hyperechoic structure surrounding the urethra. In glans ultrasonograms, the most typical feature is the os penis, observed as a strong hyperechoic structure, whose acoustic shadow impairs the screening of adjacent tissues. Lining on its concavity, the corpus spongiosum is observed as a slightly hyperechoic tissue around the urethra. An ovoid, regularly hypoechoic tissue corresponding to the erectile tissue of the pars longa, surrounds these structures. The bulbus glandis is visualized as a regular hypoechoic structure with small anechoic areas, corresponding to sinusoidal spaces. The albuginea is evidenced as a well-defined, hyperechoic external layer. The preputial cavity appears as a thin anechoic layer surrounding the albuginea. The results of this study demonstrate that ultrasonographic assessment of the dog penis is easily performed and accurate enough for penile examination. Furthermore, ultrasonography of the dog penis can become an interesting diagnostic tool to explore in the canine practice, during breeding soundness evaluation and also whenever penile exposition is impossible to achieve.

Baculum variation and allometry in the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus): a case for sexual selection

Sexual selection is a powerful force that influences the evolution of a variety of traits associated with female mate choice and male–male competition. Although other factors have been implicated, sexual selection may be particularly important in the evolution of the genitalia. Traits under sexual selection typically have high phenotypic variance and positive allometry relative to non-sexual traits. Here, we test the hypothesis that the baculum (os penis) of the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is under sexual selection by examining phenotypic variance and allometry relative to non-sexual traits. Muskrats were sampled from Ontario, Canada, and a variety of traits measured. Measurements included baculum length and width, and three non-sexual traits (skull length, skull width, hind foot length). We used coefficient of variation (CV) and allometric slopes calculated using reduced major axis regression to test our hypotheses. Baculum traits had significantly higher CV’s relative to non-sexual traits. Baculum traits also showed positive allometry, whereas all non-sexual traits had negative allometric relationships. In addition, baculum width had higher CV’s and steeper allometric slopes than baculum length, indicating that, in muskrat, baculum width may be more influenced by sexual selection than baculum length. Positive allometry of the baculum is consistent with other examples of mammalian genitalia, but contrasts with negative allometry found in many insects. Other examples of positive allometry and high phenotypic variance of the baculum have suggested that females may use the baculum as an indicator of male quality. “Good genes” indicator traits may be particularly important in species that mate in an environmental context that prohibits female assessment of male quality. Muskrats mate aquatically, and thus females may be unable to properly assess males prior to copulation.