Castrated Males Research Articles

Sex Differences in Dopamine Release in Nucleus Accumbens and Dorsal Striatum Determined by Chronic Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry: Effects of Social Housing and Repeated Stimulation.

We investigated sex differences in dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS) using a chronic 16-channel carbon fiber electrode and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). Electrical stimulation-induced (ES; 60 Hz) DA release was recorded in the NAc of single- or pair-housed male and female rats. When core (NAcC) and shell (NAcS) were recorded simultaneously, there was greater ES DA release in NAcC of pair-housed females compared with single females and males. Housing did not affect ES NAc DA release in males. In contrast, there was significantly more ES DA release from the DLS of female rats than male rats. This was true prior to and after treatment with methamphetamine. Furthermore, in castrated (CAST) males and ovariectomized (OVX) females, there were no sex differences in ES DA release from the DLS, demonstrating the hormone dependence of this sex difference. However, in the DLS of both intact and gonadectomized rats, DA reuptake was slower in females than that in males. Finally, DA release following ES of the medial forebrain bundle at 60 Hz was studied over 4 weeks. ES DA release increased over time for both CAST males and OVX females, demonstrating sensitization. Using this novel 16-channel chronic FSCV electrode, we found sex differences in the effects of social housing in the NAcS, sex differences in DA release from intact rats in DLS, and sex differences in DA reuptake in DLS of intake and gonadectomized rats, and we report sensitization of ES-induced DA release in DLS in vivo.

Potential of different strategies to increase intramuscular fat deposition in sheep: A meta-analysis study

We evaluated the potential of different strategies to increase intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition in sheep meat through meta-analytical methods. Additionally, this study aimed to investigate the interrelationship among diet composition, performance, carcass traits, meat quality, marbling score and IMF in sheep. The dataset was composed by 102 peer-reviewed publications. The strategies to increase IMF deposition in sheep meat were evaluated by examining the weighted mean difference (WMD) between control treatment and increased-IMF treatment (beta-agonist; glycerin; essential oil; vitamin E; lipids; tannins; feeding system and sex class). The interplay between factors such as dietary composition, performance, carcass and meat quality traits highlights how the intensification of production systems, characterized by a high grain content in the diet and shorter finishing periods, reduces IMF content of meat. The IMF content was greater in females (WMD = 0.52%; P<.0001) and castrated males (WMD = 0.53%; P = 0.001) compared to intact males. Lambs finished in feedlots exhibited a 19.23% higher IMF content (WMD = 0.74%; P <.0001) compared to those finished in pasture systems. The inclusion of lipids sources to the diets increased in IMF content (WMD = 0.11%; P = 0.008), while tannins sources decrease in IMF (WMD = −0.07%; P = 0.029). Marbling score did not prove to be an adequate indicator of IMF deposition in sheep meat, potentially due to biases in subjective marbling assessments. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the most effective strategy for enhancing IMF in lambs involves utilizing female or castrated males rather than intact males followed by finishing lambs on high concentrate diets in a feedlot. Genetics did not impact IMF in the evaluated studies while other dietary strategies to alter IMF deposition had mixed effects on IMF deposition. Tannin marginally decreased IMF, vitamin E had no effect, and lipid supplementation had varied effects on IMF deposition depending on the lipid source.

(275) More Than a Nick: Male Surgical Castration Throughout History

Abstract Introduction Surgical castration has been present throughout human history, dating back at least earlier than 1000 BC. Eunuchs, or men who have been castrated, served as royal guards, government officials and choir singers among other professions. Objective We sought to review the early surgical castration techniques of historical Eurasia. Methods Literature review for male surgical castration techniques was performed using Pubmed and Google Scholar. Results The Ottoman Empire first started enlisted eunuchs as palace servants in Constantinople as early as 500 AD. By the 16th century, the Ottomans had institutionalized eunuchs as the harem guards. Castration was routinely performed by priests. After restraining the child in a chair, a cord was tied around both the penis and scrotum, and the genitals were excised en bloc with a razor. Hemostasis was achieved with boiling oil and wax or hot sand followed by acacia bark extract. Mortality was as high as one in three patients. Following castration, a nail was placed in the urethra to prevent urethral stricture formation. Within China castration has occurred throughout history, however the procedure was described in greatest detail during the 19th century Qing dynasty. The patient was physically restrained, and the genitalia anesthetized with a “secret agent,” known only to the surgeon, colloquially called “knifers.” The surgeon would firmly grasp both the penis and scrotum with one hand, hovering a curved knife in opposite hand. The surgeon would then ask for consent to proceed. The genitalia were removed with one cut. The wound was washed thrice with boiled pepper solution and covered with moistened paper. A pewter urethral plug was placed to prevent stricture formation. The patient was disallowed hydration and his urethra remained obstructed for three days post-operatively. On the fourth day the plug was removed, and the patient was allowed to void. Mortality was dubiously estimated at 2%. The Skoptsky were a Christian religious sect of Eunuchs within 18th century Russia. As the practice was rooted in religion the majority of Skoptsky men volunteered for castration. Men were encouraged to accept the “greater seal,” i.e. removal of penis, scrotum and testicles, rather than the “lesser seal,” i.e. sparing the penis. The genitalia were variously removed with a combination of hot iron rods, glass, razors, and knives. Again, a nail was placed in the urethra to prevent stricture. In 16th to 18th century Italy the famed Castrati Singers underwent prepubertal castration to preventing lengthening of the thyroid cartilage. The singers were highly desired in choirs and operas for their high pitch. Castration typically occurred between ages 6 and 9. Patients were placed in a hot bath and provided a “potent drink,” often containing opium. The carotid arteries were compressed until the patient became lethargic, and the spermatic cords were then severed. Conclusions Surgical castration was performed for a variety of reasons throughout human history. The techniques, anesthesia, and tools used to perform castration reflected resources and education available to the surgeon at time of castration. Disclosure No.

(070) Androgen Status in Men and Risk Of COVID-19 Complications: An Analysis of United States Claims Data

Abstract Introduction Biological males have had worse COVID-19 outcomes compared to females. Yet, the impact of hypogonadism (HG) on COVID complications remains unclear. Objective We sought to compare COVID complications in males with various androgen status (eugonadal, treated HG, untreated HG) to females to evaluate the effect of testosterone levels on COVID outcomes. Methods We used the IBM MarketScan database of commercial claims encounters to identify patients ages 18+ with a COVID diagnosis (n=756,855). We compared eugonadal males (no HG diagnosis), untreated HG males (HG diagnosis without therapy), treated HG males (HG diagnosis and testosterone prescription within 180 days before COVID diagnosis) to females. Rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission co-occurring with initial COVID diagnosis were modeled using logistic regression. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute respiratory failure (ARF), and use of critical care services (CCS) were modeled using Cox proportional hazards models. Outcomes were regressed against group, age, rurality, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Results Eugonadal males (n=315,050) were at higher odds of ICU admission (OR: 1.611, 95% CI: 1.549-1.676), having ARDS (HR 1.766, CI: 1.670-1.868), having ARF (HR 1.609, CI: 1.575-1.644), and needing CCS (HR 1.696, CI: 1.652-1.742) compared to females. Treated HG males (n=2,343) and untreated HG males (n=22,614) were also more likely to experience all adverse outcomes compared to females. For untreated HG males the effect was less pronounced compared to eugonadal males and treated HG males for all outcomes (Figure 1). There were no differences in odds of all outcomes for castrate males (n=89) compared to females due to small sample size. Conclusions Eugonadal males, treated HG males, and untreated HG males were more likely to have adverse COVID outcomes compared to females. This effect was most pronounced for eugonadal and treated HG males compared to untreated HG males, suggesting normal androgen status is detrimental to COVID-19 outcomes. This is one of the largest studies to show a complex relationship between testosterone and COVID outcomes. Disclosure No.

Half-life of serum anti-Müllerian hormone and changes after gonadectomy in adult female and male dogs with normal and abnormal gonads

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a biomarker for the presence of gonadal tissue. Changes in serum AMH after gonadectomy are not well established, and its serum half-life is unknown in dogs. We measured serum AMH with a validated electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay in adult female (n = 12) and male (n = 7) dogs with normal gonads, as well as in dogs with gonadal pathology (ovarian remnant syndrome, ORS n = 3, testicular tumor [Leydig cell, Sertoli cell, seminoma] n = 3, unilateral abdominal cryptorchid n = 4) on the day of gonadectomy (D0), and on D3, D7, D14 (females and males), and D21, D28 (males only). Males had higher AMH concentrations than females independent of gonadal status (P < 0.001). Dogs with ORS had lower initial AMH (0.45 ± 0.43 ng/ml) than bitches with normal gonads (1.16 ± 0.44 ng/ml; P = 0.027). Cryptorchid dogs had higher initial concentrations (80.57 ± 52.81 ng/ml) than males with normal gonads (7.92 ± 2.45 ng/ml; P = 0.004), and those with testicular tumors (18.63 ± 5.04 ng/ml) were intermediate (P ≥ 0.250). AMH decreased over time (P ≤ 0.012) and was 0.01–0.04 ng/ml by D14 in females and 0.02–0.12 ng/ml by D28 in males. Serum half-life in the whole study population was 2.85 ± 0.51 days and did not differ between groups. In conclusion, serum AMH can differentiate between intact and gonadectomized status of adult dogs by 14 days after ovario(hyster)ectomy in females and by 28 days after surgical castration in males.

Animals in the legal codes of the countries of the Ancient Near East - Assyria and the Hittite state

In the ancient countries of Mesopotamia, animals were subject to many legal regulations. These regulations applied to domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, dogs and bees. They concerned animal trade and rental animals, the seizure of animals, compensation for bodily injury to animals and various legal sanctions related to the coexistence of animals and humans. Legal records also include evidence of veterinary procedures performed on animals, such as castration of males. The authors analyze legal records from the Hittite Empire and Assyria of the Middle Assyrian period. The codes also contain first regulations aimed at animal protection. Hittite law codifies sexual intercourse between humans and animals.

82 Critical Comparison of Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and Cattle on Growth Performance and Carcass Traits: a Review

Abstract The multipurpose water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) has been exploited mostly for dairy purposes while being poorly utilized for meat production. However, in the marketplace, a prejudice exists against Buffalo carcasses due to most of the carcasses coming from animals at the end of their productive life on the dairy farm. Unfortunately, scarce literature establishes comparative biological endpoints between water buffaloes and cattle (Bos indicus or Bos taurus) as meat producers. Furthermore, the literature has not considered the effects of gender (i.e., male castration) for any interspecific comparison. Many unknown answers remain regarding Buffalo growth performance, carcass traits and composition with respect to cattle. Therefore, this review will discuss the pros and cons of water buffalo meat production with respect to cattle, particularly research carried out in tropical conditions, regarding the production traits indicated previously. In a few studies, water buffaloes have proven to be adaptable to tropical grazing conditions and have shown consistently faster body weight gains; but, under confinement conditions, water buffalo have shown a slower growth rate performance than cattle, requiring more days than cattle to reach a comparable body weight. Water buffaloes present heavier carcasses but ldecreased dressing percentages than cattle at different ages which are explained by their significantly greater body proportions of the head, hide and internal organs at the post-weaning ages than cattle. Additionally, under similar grazing or confinement conditions, water buffalo had abundant fat cover distribution and back fat thickness than cattle. Consequently, their carcasses yielded greater percentages of trimmed fat, with a reduced proportion of total cuts. Based on the observed growth and carcass traits, water buffalo offers a promising alternative for meat production, a specialty under tropical grazing conditions.

GnRH-immunocastration: an alternative method for male animal surgical castration.

Castration of male animals is intended to produce high-enhance quality of animal meat, prevent unpleasant taste, reduce aggressive behavior, and manage overbreeding. Over the years, Tranditional methods of mechanical and surgical castration have been employed over the years, but they fall short of meeting animal welfare requirements due to the associated risk of infection, pain, and stress. Immunocastration, specifically Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-immunocastration, targeting the hypothalamic-pituitary-testis (HPT) axis, has emerged as an animal-friendly alternative to surgical castration, effectively addressing these issues. This review seeks to systematically summarize the principles, development, current applications and challenges of GnRH-immunocastration, offering insights into its role in promoting animal welfare.

5 DPP Lecture: Investigating the Impact of Weaning and Biological Sex on Gut Development: Discovering New Targets for Gut Inflammation

Abstract Early life stress is known to have a profound impact on the development and function of the gut and immune system in various species, including pigs. In particular, the process of weaning is a significant source of stress in pigs and has been shown to negatively affect gut health and immunity. This presentation aims to examine the current knowledge on the impact of early life stress, particularly weaning, on gut development and immunity in pigs with a focus on chronic inflammation as a driver of disease risk. The presentation will also compare the immune system and gut development between female and male castrates, highlighting the influence of biological sex on gut health. Additionally, new data on potential targets for gut inflammation will be presented. The findings of this presentation will be analyzed in the context of pig production and the implications for enhancing gut health and immunity throughout production. Overall, this presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the impact of early life stress on gut development and immunity in pigs and highlights key areas for future research.

Early weaning and biological sex shape long-term immune and metabolic responses in pigs

During the early pre and postnatal life, host and environmental factors can impart a major influence on immune development, thus shaping lifelong disease resistance. Two major factors known to influence immune function and mortality in animals and people are early life stress and biological sex. How these two factors interact to shape long-term immune development and later life disease risk is poorly understood. Here we investigated how early weaning, a common early life stressor in pigs, and biological sex impacts long-term systemic inflammatory responses and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis) activation later in life. Ten-week-old female (F), intact-male (IM) and castrated-male (CM) pigs that were randomly assigned to early weaning (EW) and later weaning (LW) (at 15 or 28 days of age, respectively) were intramuscularly injected with either saline vehicle or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce a systemic inflammatory response. Complete blood counts (CBC), proinflammatory cytokines, cortisol, testosterone, estradiol, and rectal temp were measured at 0 h, 2 h, and 4 h post-LPS challenge. At 4 h post-LPS, peritoneal fluid (PF) and white blood cells (WBC) were collected for differential analysis. LPS challenge significantly increased rectal temp and plasma cortisol level in all treatment groups. Together, the CBC results and immune cell counts in peritoneal cavity indicated that EW-F exhibited greater systemic immune response characterized by increased neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) and enhanced neutrophil trafficking to the peritoneal cavity. Early weaning had an opposite effect on IM and CM pigs, which exhibited a suppressed LPS-induced neutrophil migration. Early weaning induced significantly greater cortisol responses only in IM pigs indicating a heightened HPA axis responses in EW-IM. how early weaning and biological sex affect immune and stress responses in pigs. Together, these results demonstrate that early weaning and biological sex and castration shape later life immune responses in pigs and provides insight into potential mechanisms driving sex differences in later life inflammatory disease risk and mortality.

Genetic Correlations between Boar Taint Compound Concentrations in Fat of Purebred Boars and Production and Ham Quality Traits in Crossbred Heavy Pigs.

Selecting pigs with reduced ability to accumulate boar taint (BT) compounds in their tissues is an alternative to male surgical castration. As the majority of slaughter pigs are crossbred, before selecting against BT in purebreds, it is essential to consider possible impacts on commercial traits in crossbreds. This study estimated the genetic correlations between BT compound levels measured in 1115 purebred pigs and carcass and ham quality traits collected in 26,577 crossbred Italian heavy pigs. Genetic correlations were estimated in bivariate Bayesian analyses including one BT trait and one production or ham quality trait at a time. Heritability of androstenone, skatole, and indole was 0.41, 0.49, and 0.37, respectively. A moderate negative correlation between skatole and carcass yield (-0.40), and between all BT compounds and backfat (from -0.26 to -0.55) was observed. Conversely, positive correlations (from 0.11 to 0.54) were found between skatole and ham fat thickness traits. Correlations between BT compounds and iodine number ranged from -0.07 (for androstenone) to -0.64 (for skatole), whereas those with PUFA ranged from -0.13 (for indole) to -0.33 (for skatole). Hence, reducing BT could decrease ham fat thickness and increase unsaturated fatty acids, with potential negative impacts on product quality.

Comparative Quality Traits, Flavor Compounds, and Metabolite Profile of Korean Native Black Goat Meat.

Although goat meat has several health benefits than other red meats but comsumers reluctant it due to its unpleasant flavor. This study aimed to investigate the odorant of goat meat as well as compare the quality traits of meat regarding sex status. The loin meats [non-castrated male (NCM), castrated male (CM), and female (FM)] were collected and stored at 4°C in a laboratory refrigerator and analyzed on the 1st, 5th, and 8th consecutive days. The moisture content was the lowest and the protein content was highest in FM (p<0.05). Fat and ash content in NCM and FM were similar while lowest in CM. The CIE L* was significantly higher in NCM, but there were no significant differences of CIE a* and CIE b* within groups at initial day. The color intensity increased on the 5th storage day and decreased again after the 8th storage day, except in NCM. NCM displayed the highest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value (p<0.05), whereas CM displayed a higher pH value than other groups throughout the storage period. Indole levels were the highest in NCM (0.031 mg/kg); however, skatole levels were not significant differences across all treatments (p>0.05). No significant difference was observed in the fatty acid composition between NCM and CM (p>0.05), whereas a significant difference was observed in FM (p<0.05). Most of the water-soluble metabolites showed significant differences between sexes. Overall, sex status effects on quality properties of meat and castration can improve the overall sensory acceptance by reducing goaty flavor of Korean native black goat meat.

Comparative evaluation of methods of castration of bulls

Sexual traumatism is widespread in case of loose maintenance of bulls on feedlots. When sexual activity appears, especially at the age of 7-10 months, when puberty causes aggression, they inflict various injuries on each other. In the back area, there are wounds and abrasions, injuries of the penis and prepuce, in the form of abrasions, wounds of the mucous membrane, ruptures of the persisting frenulum, ruptures of the rectum, etc.The task of veterinary specialists of farms is to create conditions under which traumatism will decrease. This is the formation of a herd of cattle, castration of bulls on fattening, etc. In view of the anatomical features of the structure of the genitals of bulls, castration of these animals is more often carried out in a bloody open way "on a cliff", which is sometimes complicated by bleeding from the stump of the spermatic cord. Therefore, improving the technique of surgery to prevent possible complications is an urgent area of research. The purpose of our work was to develop a method of torsion of the blood vessels of the spermatic cord during castration of bulls.The work was carried out in the conditions of the PSKHK "Alexandrovsky" of the Myasnikovsky district of the Rostov region. At the same time, three groups of bulls were formed and various methods of torsion of the blood vessels of the severn cord during castration of males were tested. In the course of the experiment, the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of surgery were revealed and, in our opinion, the optimal method of castration of bulls was proposed.When castrating bulls in an open way, the method of torsion of blood vessels proposed by us does not require additional fixation of the spermatic cords when they break, which simplifies the technique of surgery, reduces the likelihood of postoperative complications, reduces the time of the operation. Our proposed method is easily feasible in production conditions, facilitates the work of veterinary specialists during mass castration and does not cause complications in the form of bleeding from the stump of the hay rope, rupture of blood vessels and nerves above the place of twisting of the spermatic cord.

The effect of immunocastration of male and female Duroc pigs on the morphological, mechanical and compositional characteristics of pork belly

Pork belly is an important and heterogeneous cut, characterized by its fat content. Immunocastration is an alternative to surgical castration that can modify the composition of carcasses and cuts and it can affect at its processing. This work compares the morphological, mechanical and compositional characteristics of pork belly of (1) pure Duroc pigs from surgically castrated males (CM), entire females (EF) and immunocastrated females (IF), and (2) Duroc crossbreed pigs from immunocastrated males (IM) and entire males (EM). Two trials were carried out: Trial 1, in which 36 bellies were evaluated, 12 from each sexual type, CM, EF and IF; and Trial 2, where 30 bellies were used, 15 from each sexual type, IM and EM. Results show few differences in bellies from EF and IF, while those from CM were fatter and firmer and with lower polyunsaturated fat. Bellies from IM were longer and firmer than those from EM, and their skin was thinner. IM bellies had higher saturated and lower polyunsaturated fat than those from EM. To conclude, the sex of the pigs affects belly characteristics and this could be a criterion for determining the destination of the bellies in the cutting plant. Immunocastration of pure Duroc females had a lower effect on the belly characteristics when compared to those from entire females, but some differences could be found in the fat distribution. Immunocastration of Duroc crossbred males produces firmer and thicker bellies, with a thinner skin, that could be advantageous for slicing and further processing.

Androgen signaling shapes the sexual differences of skin immunity by regulating ILC2 and dendritic cells

Abstract The skin immune system mediates the skin health status, but the sex differences of the skin immune system are still unclear. This study aims to investigate sex differences in the skin immune system and decipher the underlying regulatory factors. We found that female mice have a higher magnitude of adaptive immune responses during commensal bacteria association and pathogen infection. Correspondingly, females have a higher level of skin dendritic cells (DCs), which play a fundamental role in commensal-induced adaptive immune responses. These sex differences were regulated by male sex hormones, that castration of males normalized the sex differences in the level of skin immune cells as well as the adaptive immune responses to bacteria. However, our scRNA-seq data reveals that androgen receptor is not expressed in DCs, but highly expressed in skin ILC2. Females have a significantly higher level of ILC2 than males and ILC2 from females also have a more activating gene expression signature than ILC2 from males. Females also have a significantly higher level of ILC2-produced IL-13 and GM-CSF than male mice. In addition, our data reveal that IL-13 and GM-CSF play a critical role to maintain the level of skin DCs, that IL-13/GM-CSF deficient mice have a remarkable decrease of skin DCs, and the sex differences of DCs are also largely impaired. Therefore, based on these findings, we suggest that androgen signaling negatively regulates the level of skin ILC2 and DCs, thereby shaping sex-specific skin immunity to commensals, pathogens, and/or other stimuli. Collectively our work proposes a mechanism for the heighten immunity observed in female and have important implication for our understanding of tissue immunity in the context of infection and cancer.

Effect of male pig immunocastration on physical and chemical characteristics of Teruel dry-cured hams

Aim of study: To evaluate the effect of the type of male castration (surgical vs. immunological) on the characteristics of Teruel dry-cured hams. Area of study: Teruel and Zaragoza (Spain). Material and methods: A total of 14 dry-cured hams from Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) male pigs intended for the Spanish Protected Designation of Origin ˈTeruel hamˈ were used. Half of them belonged to surgical castrated males (SCM) and the other half to immunocastrated males (IM). Ham weight losses during processing, physical and chemical characteristics were analyzed. Main results: There were no differences (p&gt;0.05) due to the type of castration in ham weight losses throughout processing, thickness of subcutaneous fat, marbling, maximum stress and intramuscular fatty acid profile. However, hams from IM presented lower (p&lt;0.05) chroma than those from SCM. The type of castration had limited influence on chemical composition; only potassium nitrate and retinol contents were affected (p&lt;0.05), being lower in IM than in SCM. For volatile compounds, IM showed lower (p&lt;0.05) percentages of total alcohols and sulfur compounds and higher (p=0.012) proportion of total acids than SCM. All the hams had negligible androstenone content but IM presented higher (p&lt;0.05) skatole and indole concentrations than SCM, being these levels low. Research highlights: The type of castration in male pigs seems to have scarce influence on the quality of Teruel dry-cured hams, and therefore, immunocastration could be considered as a possible alternative to surgical castration.

Sex and animal behavior on yield and bruises in different beef cuts

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of behavioral differences in cattle on bruising on different cuts and on carcass yield. A total of 4,061 lots of cattle were evaluated, which corresponded to 199,026 carcasses. Animal temperament was classified as calm, anxious, or excited. The following carcass cuts were evaluated: round, rump, shin, thin flank, tenderloin, and rib. Of the total number of slaughtered animals, 68.26% had at least one type of bruise with complete removal of the affected tissue. There was an interaction effect between sex and temperament on the occurrence of bruises on the different cuts and on carcass yield. In castrated males, bruises on the round, rump, shin, and tenderloin cuts did not differ between temperament classes, but the excited males showed more bruises on the thin flank and rib cuts. Among the females, for all cuts, the number of bruises was higher (P&lt;0.05) in those with excited temperament than in the anxious and calm animals, which did not differ (P&gt;0.05). Additionally, carcass yield relative to plant weight decreased (P&lt;0.05), with the calm females exhibiting the highest values, followed by those with anxious and excited temperament. In the castrated males, however, although performance declined, those with anxious and excited temperament did not differ (P&gt;0.05). Females and more reactive animals have more bruises on their carcass.

To block or not to block-hormonal signaling in the treatment of cancers.

The breast and prostate glands are the two major organs that are highly dependent on the gonadal steroid hormones for their development and homeostasis. The cancers of these organs also show a large dependence on steroid hormones and have formed the basis of endocrine therapy. Estrogen deprivation by oophorectomy has been in active practice since the 1970s, and androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer was a major breakthrough in medicine in 1941. Since then, several improvisations have happened in these modes of therapy. However, the development of resistance to this deprivation and the emergence of hormone independence are major problems in both cancers. The lessons learned from rodent models have made it clear that the male hormone has a role in females and vice versa. Also, the metabolic products of these hormones may have unintentional effects including proliferative conditions in both sexes. Hence, administering estrogen as a method of chemical castration in males and administering DHT in females may not be the ideal scenario. It would be important to consider the status of the opposite sex hormone signaling and its effects and come up with a combinatorial regime to strike a balance between androgen and estrogen signaling. This review summarizes the current understanding and developments in this field in the context of prostate cancer.

GENDER DIMORPHISM OF CHANGES IN THE SKIN MICROCIRCULATION OF RATS ON THE BACKGROUND OF ACUTE COLD TRAUMA

Gender factors play an important role in the prevention, preva- lence and specifics of the course of various pathological conditions, among which cold injury occupies an important place. The role of gender in its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. The aim. To assess sex-specific changes in the microcirculation of target organs exposed to extremely low temperatures during experimental acute cold trauma (ACT) in rats. Materials and methods. Experiments were performed on male and female sexually mature and castrated Wistar rats. Acute cold trauma (ACT) was modeled by keeping the animals at -180ºС for 2 hours. The microcirculation coefficients of the skin of the hind limbs, auricles, and tail of animals were determined using Biopas electrophysiological equipment (USA) non-invasively using a surface sensor. We compared the changes before and 30 minutes after the action of the cold factor. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using standard descriptive methods. The results. A 2-hour stay of animals under the influence of extremely low temperatures causes a significant drop in blood supply in animals of both sexes. The degree of changes has a clear sexual dimorphism with a predom- inance of pathological processes in male animals. In males, the coefficient of microcirculation of the lower limbs and auricles decreased by 72.2 and 55.3 %, and in the tail by 35.1 %, compared to this indicator before the effect of the cold factor (p &lt; 0.05), on the other hand, in female rats changes in similar indicators were 66.5 and 44.3 % (lower limbs and auricles), and tail perfusion by 18.6 % (p &lt; 0.05). ACT in castrated female rats caused more extensive hemoperfusion disorders compared to males: the microcirculation index of the tail, hind limbs, and auricle in male rats on the background of ACT decreased by 25.4, 66.4, and 40.7 %, respectively (p &lt; 0.05), whereas in animals of the opposite sex – by 32.5, 78.8 and 47.4 %, respectively. Conclusion In sexually mature female rats without changes in hormonal status, a greater resistance to microcirculation disorders during experimental acute cold injury was found. The reason for these differences is the effect of sex hormones, since castration of males increases the resistance of the vascular system of animals to the action of a cold factor, while ovariectomy of females – on the contrary, increases the degree of microcirculatory lesions of the most vulnerable organs to the action of extremely low temperatures

Modeling of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats with a High Dose of Testosterone

In order to optimize the testosterone model of benign prostatic hyperplasia, we studied the effect of castration and different doses of testosterone on the induction of the proliferative process in the prostate of Wistar rats. It was shown that 4-week subcutaneous administration of testosterone propionate in a dose of 20 mg/kg causes pronounced proliferative and hemodynamic disorders in the dorsolateral gland morphologically similar in castrated and non-castrated males. Administration of testosterone in a dose of 3 mg/kg had no significant effect on the dynamics of the pathological process in non-operated rats and normalized the structure of the gland in castrated animals. Morphological study showed that castration of males provides no visible advantages in reproducing the testosterone model of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The proposed non-traumatic modification of the model with a high dose of testosterone has good reproducibility and sensitivity to therapeutic agents, as shown by the example of finasteride.