Normal Adult Males Research Articles

Three-dimensional relationships between the movements of the pelvis and lumbar spine during normal gait

The three-dimensional motions of the pelvis and lumbar spine in walking were measured, in 20 normal adult males, using “Vicon” optoelectronic system, with reflective targets attached to lightweight rigs over the thoracolumbar junction and upper sacrum. Pelvic motion (using a room-based coordinate system) corresponded to published data. In the sagittal plane, the change in lumber lordosis across the gait cycle was consistent within subjects, but varied considerably between subjects. The phase relationships between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis also varied considerably between subjects. In the frontal plane, there was a much more consistent pattern of motion, spinal lateral bend generally following the pattern of pelvic obliquity, although there was some additional lateral bend, just prior to initial contact, superimposed on the generally linear relationship. The transverse plane showed similar waveforms between axial rotation of the pelvis and axial rotation of the lumbar spine, except that motion of the pelvis was of greater magnitude, and occurred later in the gait cycle than the motion of the lumbar spine. Since arm swing could be expected to increase axial rotation of the spine as a whole, this suggests that the thoracic spine undergoes greater motion than the lumbar spine, in this plane. Comparisons between the present study and two other published studies, using different methodology, showed only partial agreement.

Interobserver Agreement on Normal Swallowing Physiology as Viewed by Videoendoscopy

This study examines the agreement of 2 observers in identifying selected normal oropharyngeal swallow events in the 1- and 5-ml swallows of 3 normal young adult males as identified by videoendoscopy at each of two endoscopic positions: (1) with the tip of the endoscope just at or below the tip of the uvula (high position), and (2) with the tip of the endoscope just below the tip of the epiglottis (low position), and thereby defines the needed focus for observer training in endoscopic assessment of swallowing. Overall, the more and less experienced examiners agreed on seeing or not seeing the onsets and terminations of the 12 events 83% of the time. Scope position affected observer agreement on several events while bolus volume did not.

A direct method for quantitative measurement of ankle proprioception

This study describes a direct method for the quantitative measurement of ankle proprioception, by measuring the ability of subjects to match reference ankle joint positions using the ‘Polhemus Isotrak’ 3-Dimensional Goniometry System. Five normal adult males (10 ankles) were studied, i.e. no history of ankle problems. Ankle proprioception was measured with a difference mean proprioception difference of 0.01–1.14°. No variation in the ankle proprioception was found with demographic variables of age, height and weight. In addition, no significant differences in ankle proprioception were present about any of the three anatomic axes of ankle motion: between passive and active ankle movements and with extended and flexed positions of knee.

Spermatogenic Defects in a New Inbred Strain SD/gShi Male Rat with Small Testes.

A new inbred strain SD/gShi male rat with small testes was studied from the reproductive, histopathological and endocrinological viewpoints from 3 to 35 weeks of age. SD/gShi males showed only a slight increase in sperm production at puberty, in contrast to a rapid increase in normal SD males. At 6 weeks of age, spermiation became detectable in both SD/gShi and normal SD males, however, the numbers of spermatocytes and round spermatids per Sertoli cell in SD/gShi males were less than those in normal SD males. Moreover, the number of round spermatids per Sertoli cell did not increase in SD/gShi males at puberty, while they did in normal SD males. Histological analysis of germ cell numbers in SD/gShi males indicated that the lower numbers of spermatocytes and spermatids are caused by suppression of germ cell proliferation at the step from the spermatogonium to the preleptotene spermatocyte. Adult SD/gShi males showed normal fertilization ability, however, they had only 10-20% of sperm production in normal adult SD males and showed depressed sperm motion. Plasma total testosterone in SD/gShi males was lower for all ages, though testis testosterone concentration was normal. Plasma gonadotropin concentrations, especially FSH, remained higher than in normal SD males, suggesting that the spermatogenic defects are not caused by gonadotropin deficiency. These results indicate that the SD/gShi male is characterized by spermatogenic defects at the preleptotene spermatocyte step which occur from the first spermatogenic wave. The SD/gShi male rat can serve as a useful model for studying spermatogenesis in rats.

健康成人男子を対象とした臨床薬理試験における臨床検査値異常変動の考察

健康成人男子を対象とした臨床薬理試験における臨床検査値異常変動の考察

Facial asymmetry during emotional expression: Gender, valence, and measurement technique

The purpose of the current study was to examine 49 extant experiments of facial asymmetry during emotional expression in normal adult males and females in regard to gender, valence, and measurement technique. When facial asymmetry was evaluated by trained judges or muscle quantification, facial expressions were left-sided, a finding implicating the right cerebral hemisphere in emotional expression. However, when self-report experiential methods were utilized, the valence hypothesis received some support. Although there was some indication in single-gender studies of greater facial lateralization for males than for females, studies involving both males and females yielded no systematic asymmetry patterns as a function of gender.

Cellular Composition of the Adult Rat Anterior Pituitary Is Influenced by the Neonatal Sex Steroid Environment

Growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) secretion differ significantly between adult males and females and this is due, at least in part, to the postpubertal hormone environment which affects GH and PRL gene expression, as well as somatotrope and lactotrope proliferation. However, the role of the neonatal steroid environment in this phenomenon is less well understood. We have used in situ hybridization to determine the number of GH and PRL mRNA containing cells, as well as the level of expression of these two hormones and of the pituitary transcription factor 1 (Pit-1). Neonatally castrated male rats that had been exposed to testosterone during the neonatal period, adulthood or during both periods, males castrated as adults, normal adult males and normal proestrous females were used. Orchidectomy of adult rats had no effect on the number of somatotropes or lactotropes, but significantly reduced GH and PRL mRNA levels. Neonatal castration significantly reduced the percentage of somatotropes and increased that of lactotropes in the adult male. In addition, GH and Pit-1 mRNA levels were reduced significantly, but PRL mRNA levels were not modified. Treatment of neonatally castrated males with testosterone during the neonatal period significantly increased the percentage of somatotropes and decreased the percentage of lactotropes compared to vehicle-treated animals. It also increased GH and Pit-1 mRNA levels, but did not affect PRL mRNA levels. Adult testosterone treatment significantly increased the percentage of both somatotropes and lactotropes, as well as GH, PRL and Pit-1 mRNA levels. Treatment of neonatally castrated males with testosterone during both the neonatal and adult periods returned the percentage of somatotropes and lactotropes, as well as GH, PRL and Pit-1 mRNA levels, to that of the intact male. These results suggest that, although the postpubertal steroid environment is important in determining anterior pituitary hormone synthesis and cellular composition, the neonatal steroid environment also plays an important role in this phenomenon.

The mutagenic versus protective role of vitamin A on the induction of chromosomal aberration in human lymphocyte cultures

The present study was carried out to evaluate the role of vitamin A (VA) on the induction of chromosomal aberrations (CA) in lymphocyte culture system and to investigate its modulating effect on chromosomal damage induced by gamma irradiation. Lymphocyte cultures from five healthy normal adult males were either treated with VA at a dose level of 2.0, 8.0 or 24.0 μg/ml or exposed to gamma-irradiation of 3.0 Gy, then followed immediately by a treatment with one of the above mentioned doses of VA. Non-treated cultures and cultures exposed to γ-irradiation served as control for the two sets of experiments. Cultures were set up in duplicates and incubated for 48 h for assessment of CA. Treatment with VA alone increased CA demonstrating a dose-response effect. Addition of VA to γ-irradiated cultures resulted in an inverse protective effect as the low dose of 2 μg/ml reduced the CA induced by radiation to about 1/3 rd whereas a dose of 8 μg/ml had a protective effect of 40% of the total damage and the large dose of 24 μg/ml had no or little effect. These results suggest that a proportion of the added VA may interfere with the radiation induced free radicals and other reactive metabolites which elevate CA. On the other hand, excessive amounts of VA increased toxicity and reduced effect on repair enzymes.

Mandibular posture during sleep in healthy adults

To test whether the mandible opens more during deep sleep and whether the mandibular position is affected by body position during sleep, the vertical mandibular position was recorded intraorally using a magnet sensor at the same time as a standard sleep study in seven normal healthy male adults. Measurements were recorded during the period before sleep onset (WAKE) and during sleep. Two-way ANOVA showed that vertical mandibular position was significantly affected by sleep stage but not by body position (supine vs lateral recumbent). The proportion of time during which the mandible was in a near-closed position (0–2.5 mm) significantly and progressively decreased, and significantly more time was spent at wider gapes (2.5–5 mm) as non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep deepened. In REM sleep, the proportion of time during which the mandible was at wider gapes was significantly greater than in WAKE and stage 1 (but not later stages) of NREM sleep. It was concluded that mandibular posture during sleep in healthy adults is significantly influenced by sleep stage but not by body position. Mandibular opening progressively increases with the depth of NREM sleep stage, and the mandible is more open in REM sleep than in light NREM sleep.

Masculinized females in a population of Leptodiaptomus minutus (Copepoda, Calanoida)

In a population of the common freshwater copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus Lilljeborg, 7.3% of adult females exhibited male secondary sexual characteristics. Although these masculinized or intersex females had the internal morphology of normal females, they possessed one or rarely two normal geniculate male antennules, and in a few instances male fifth legs. The sex ratio of normal adult males to females in the population was 1:1. No differences in body size among normal males, normal females, and masculinized females were found. Antennule lengths of males and masculinized females were not significantly different from one another; however, normal females had longer antennules than either males or masculinized females. Mating experiments indicated that masculinized females were functionally female and they were able to mate with normal males to produce offspring that were normal or masculinized. The occurrence of intersex copepods in lakes of North America may be more widespread than we now recognize because they can be easily overlooked or mistaken for normal adults.

The Postpubertal Change in the Playful Defense of Male Rats Depends upon Neonatal Exposure to Gonadal Hormones

Smith, L. K., M. L. Forgie and S. M. Pellis. The postpubertal change in the playful defense of male rats depends upon neonatal exposure to gonadal hormones. Physiol Behav 63(1) 151–155, 1998.—The pattern of playful defense used during play fighting by male rats ( Rattus norvegicus) castrated at birth was compared to that of sham-operated and untreated controls during the juvenile phase and after puberty. The neonatal castrates failed to exhibit the age-related changes in playful defense present in intact male rats of the same age. Following puberty, control rats, but not neonatal castrates, switched from juvenile to more adult-typical defensive tactics. That the neonatal castrations were effective was independently shown by the animals’ failure to exhibit the asymmetries in weight and play behavior indicative of dominance–subordinance relationships present in normal adult males. A previous study found that castration following weaning did not prevent the pubertal change in playful defense, but did block the formation of dominance–subordinance relationships. Therefore, it appears that the age-related shift in playful defense is a feature of the development of play fighting in males that is likely preprogrammed by gonadal hormone exposure in the perinatal period.

Two-dimensional electrophoretic analyses of urinary proteins in Chinese male urinary stone patients.

This study was aimed to detect the differences in soluble urinary proteins between normal Chinese male individuals and urinary stone formers by 2-dimensional electrophoresis. Twenty urine samples were obtained from normal male adults and 35 from recurrent male urinary stone formers. The stone compositions included calcium oxalate, uric acid, carbonate apatite, and brushite. Two hundred milliliters of fresh urine was collected for analysis. Each urine sample was concentrated, dialyzed, frozen and lyophilized. The samples of the same stone composition were pooled and subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis. Comparison of protein profiles between normal individuals and stone formers revealed a number of proteins which are not present in the urine of normal individuals, 5 from calcium oxalate, 2 from uric acid, 3 from carbonate apatite and 2 from brushite. These urinary stone-associated proteins comprise proteins A (37kd), B (30kd), C (26kd), D (25kd), and E (22kd) for calcium oxalate, proteins F (63kd) and G (59kd) for uric acid, protein H (65kd), I (42kd), and J (30kd) for carbonate apatite as well as proteins K (61kd) and L (59kd) for brushite. Among them, the proteins A, I, and J exhibited charge heterogeneity.

Effect of ventilation on systemic blood flow evaluated by echodopplercardiography.

Systemic blood flow (Q) was measured by echodopplercardiography in 5 normal young adult males during apnea, eupnea and tachypnea. Measurements were made in a recumbent posture at 3-min intervals. Tachypnea was attained by doubling the respiratory frequency at eupnea at a constant tidal volume. An open glottis was maintained during apnea at the resting respiratory level. The Q values were positively correlated with the respiratory frequency, decreasing from eupnea to apnea and increasing from eupnea to tachypnea (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that echodopplercardiography, a better qualified tool for this purpose, confirms the positive and progressive effects of ventilation on systemic blood flow, as suggested by previous studies based on diverse technical approaches.

Pulsatile patterns of melatonin secretion in patients with gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency: effects of testosterone treatment.

Recently, we have demonstrated that male patients with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency had increased nocturnal melatonin secretion that decreased to normal levels during testosterone treatment. The purpose of the current study was to examine if the abnormally increased melatonin levels in these patients were associated with pulsatile secretory patterns, and, if these were modified during testosterone administration. Characteristics of nocturnal melatonin and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion were compared in six normal young males, six males with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IGD), and in six males with constitutional delayed puberty (DP). Patients were examined in the untreated state and following the administration of 250 mg testosterone enanthate/month for 4 months. Serum samples for melatonin and LH levels were obtained every 15 min from 19.00 hr to 07.00 hr in a controlled light-dark environment. Pulse detection and pulse characteristics were determined by the program ULTRA. In comparison with normal controls, untreated IGD patients showed significantly higher pulse frequency, lower relative increments and shorter half-life times for melatonin. Similar findings were observed in DP patients, although statistically of borderline significance. Treatment with testosterone normalized melatonin pulse characteristics in both IGD and DP patients. The secretory pattern of LH release in these patients was characterized by significantly higher relative and absolute increments and shorter half-life time without any significant change in the number of LH pulses. Taken together, these data suggest that melatonin is secreted in a pulsatile pattern in normal adult males and in male patients with GnRH deficiency. The abnormally increased nocturnal melatonin secretion observed in these patients may indicate that the pineal pulse generator is expressing an altered activity pattern within its normal capabilities. Testosterone administration normalized melatonin secretory patterns in IGD and DP patients. The lack of relationship between the pulsatile LH and melatonin secretory patterns suggest an independent signal for the nocturnal pulsatile melatonin and LH secretions.

Additional data on body surface potential maps of ventricular repolarization in normal adults.

To date most published studies on normal basic data of the potential distribution of cardiac activity have been restricted to ventricular depolarization. Only a few papers have dealt with ventricular repolarization in normal subjects. This is an attempt to establish the basic data of the body surface potential maps (BSPM) of ventricular repolarization in normal adults. BSPM of ventricular repolarization utilizing 87 electrodes through the heart potential map system designed by Toyama et al. were studied in 50 normal Chinese male adults. The following information on BSPMs was obtained: (1) In the initial phase of ventricular repolarization, the potential maximum was located on the precordial area and the potential minimum appeared on the right-superior portion of the back; (2) The movement of potentials was counterclockwise and stable during the later portion of the T loop; (3) The magnitudes of the potentials changed in a spindle pattern with the drifting of ventricular repolarization. They first increased and then decreased with the largest value being around the peak period of the T wave; (4) The absolute value was greater in the potential maximum than the potential minimum throughout ventricular repolarization. There was no "reversal" potential distribution pattern. This parameter may be of importance clinically; (5) There were usually multiple potential maxima and multiple potential minima during the ST segment and early phase of the T wave; (6) The largest potential maximum and potential minimum were 0.93 +/- 0.28 mV and 0.35 +/- 0.19 mV, respectively. The potential maximum and potential minimum at the peak T wave were 0.91 +/- 0.23 mV and 0.35 +/- 0.17 mV, respectively. Obviously, this study offers valuable basic data on the BSPM in normal adults and will be helpful to our understanding of the BSPM in various heart diseases.

MR evaluation of age-related increase of brain iron in young adult and older normal males

The purposes of this study were to extend the investigation of age-related increases in brain iron to a younger age group, replicate previously published results, and further evaluate the validity of a novel noninvasive magnetic resonance (MR) method for measuring tissue iron (ferritin) levels with specificity. The method consists of measuring the dependence of tissue transverse relaxation rates (R 2) on the field strength of MR instruments. Two MR instruments operating at 1.5 and 0.5 T were used to measure the field-dependent R 2 increase (FDRI) in the frontal white matter, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. A group of 13 normal adult males (ages 21–77), with seven subjects below and six above age 35, was examined. As expected from postmortem and prior FDRI data, robust and significant age-related increases in FDRI were observed in the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus, with the globus pallidus FDRI increasing sharply in the second decade and reaching a plateau after age 30. In addition, we replicated previous reports showing very high correlations between FDRI and published brain iron levels for the four regions examined. The data replicate and extend previous FDRI observations on brain aging and are consistent with postmortem data on age-related increases in brain iron. These results are relevant to the investigation of age-related neurodegenerative diseases in which iron may catalyze toxic free radical reactions.

Plasma Proteins of Hemostasis in the Hepatointestinal Form of Schistosomiasis Mansoni

The hepatosplenic form of schistosomiasis mansoni is associated with impairment of blood coagula tion, a result of reduced synthesis of clotting factors and inhibitors, enhanced fibrinolytic activity, or "consump tion" of plasma clotting proteins. The pathogenesis of the latter mechanism has not been elucidated. Schistosoma mansoni (Sm) has a long lifespan as an intravascular fluke, probably a consequence of its ability to evade host immunologic defense mechanisms. In order to determine if the parasite is able to disturb hemostasis in vivo, we studied 21 non-alcoholics with normal body mass index, and HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV negative adult males, who were not using drugs. Eleven had the hepa tointestinal form of the disease, with viable Sm ova in stools, and 10 were healthy volunteers (control group). Blood specimens were drawn by a two-syringe technique for both the performance of liver tests and determination of hemostasis proteins (prothrombin, antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, high-molecular-weight kininogen, and plasminogen). The latter proteins were assayed im munologically in plasma using specific antibodies. Statis tical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate any sig nificant difference between the two groups. We may therefore conclude that there is no derangement of he patic protein synthesis in the mild form of the disease and that Sm probably escapes host defense mechanisms in vivo, and does not contribute to the consumption coagu lopathy described in the hepatosplenic form of the dis ease.

Quantitation of cortisol and related 3-oxo-4-ene steroids in urine using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with stable isotope-labeled internal standards

A method for the profiling of several important 3-oxo-4-ene urinary steroids is reported. The methodology is combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) utilizing stable isotope-labeled internal standards. The following standards were obtained or easily synthesized: [9,11,12,12- 2H 4]cortisol, [1,2- 2H 2] and [9,12,12- 2H 2]cortisone, [1,2- 2H 2]6β-hydroxycortisol, and [1,2- 2H 2]18-hydroxycortisol. We found the following excretions of free steroids for normal adult males and females: cortisol (males mean ± SD, 35 ± 13; females mean ± SD, 23 ± 13), cortisone (males mean ± SD, 58 ± 23; females mean ± SD, 50 ± 22), 6β-hydroxycortisol (males mean ± SD, 164 ± 59; females mean ± SD, 108 ± 55), and 18-hydroxycortisol (males mean ± SD, 148 ± 55; females mean ± SD, 71 ± 30). For 18-hydroxycortisol in particular, the excretions were much higher for males than for females. We found that the larger part of urinary cortisol and cortisone is not free but is released from conjugation by enzymes present in snail digestive juice. Using a pooled urine sample from an equal number of male and female subjects, we found that for cortisol 29% was excreted free, 28% as glucuronide and 43% as other conjugates (probably sulfates). For cortisone 41% was free, 45% β-glucuronide and 14% as other conjugates. Relatively little (3–8%) of the hydroxylated cortisols were excreted conjugated.

In vivo measurements of nasal airway dimensions and ultrafine aerosol deposition in the human nasal and oral airways

Understanding the filtration efficiency of the nasal and oral airways is essential for assessing doses of inhaled particles to the extrathoracic region as well as to the lung. This paper presents in vivo measurements of nasal airway dimensions and the extrathoracic deposition of ultrafine aerosols in 10 normal adult males. The nasal geometry of each subject was characterized using magnetic resonance imaging and acoustic rhinometry. The nasal and oral deposition efficiencies were measured for particles ranging from 4 to 150 run at constant flow rates of 167 and 333 cm 3s −1. Results indicated that both nasal dimensions and particle deposition varied significantly among individuals. Inter-individual variability in particle deposition was correlated with the wide inter-individual variation of nasal dimensions measured by the total surface area, minimum cross-sectional area, and complexity of the airway shape. We concluded that the significant biological variability in extrathoracic filtration of ultrafine aerosols must be considered in developing population-wide dosimetry of inhaled particles.

Peak-interval timing in humans activates frontal-striatal loops

Peak-Interval Timing in Humans Activates Frontal-Striatal Loops S.C. Hinton*, W.H. Meek*, J.R. MaeFallt *Duke University, Department of Psychology: Experimental, Durham, NC, USA ?Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC, USA Introduction Research on human timing to date has largely been confined to behavioral studies of normal human beings (1) although attempts have been made to study timing in patient populations (2). Converging evidence from studies in animals and humans suggests that interval timing depends on activation of neural circuits through the frontal cortex, striatum, and thalamus that are described as frontal-striatal loops (3). A successful information-processing model of time perception has guided this research for many years (4,5), and this model has lately been applied to human timing data as well (6). Still, little is yet known anatomically about how the human brain processes time, and the current study seeks to address this issue using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects Four normal male right-handed adults between the ages of 18 and 60. Methods A single-shot echo-planar pulse sequence (40 x 20 cm FOV, 60 ~ flip angle, 1000 ms TR, 50 ms TE, 128 x 64 pixel matrix, 250 KHz bandwidth) was used to obtain functional MR images on a 1.5T scanner (Signa, GE Medical Systems with ANMR InstaScan accessory). Subjects' heads were aligned with the cantho-meatal line vertical. Four contiguous 7 mm axial slices were sampled each second, and the most inferior slice lay approximately along the bicommissural axis. Testing sessions were composed of parametric variations of a behavioral task known as the peak-interval timing procedure (7), and functional images were collected of the resulting brain activity while subjects performed the task. They were initially trained with five fixed-time signal trials of 11 sec, and functional images were then acquired continuously while the subject was tested for eight 20-sec probe trials which were each preceded by a 10-sec intertrial interval (ITI). The signal to be timed was the presence (foreground) or absence (background) of either an auditory stimulus (440 Hz tone presented through headphones) or a visual stimulus (32 Hz flashing red light-emitting diodes in goggles mounted on the head coil). In the foreground condition, the stimulus was on during the probe trial and off during the ITI, whereas the reverse was true in the background condition. During control trials, the subject passively attended to the stimulus. In experimental trials, the subjects' task was to make two timecontrolled responses by squeezing a sphygmomanometer bulb such that the first response came just before and the second response came just after their subjective estimate of the 11-sec criterion time. A timing control condition had subjects time the signal without making a motor response. During a motor control condition, the subject was instructed by the experimenter when to make two responses during each trial that were not controlled by time. Results Correlation coefficient maps were produced for each condition to compare changes in brain activation during probe trials relative to the ITI. Subtraction of correlation maps obtained under different conditions allowed isolation of pure interval timing from motorand sensory-specific activation. Timing-related activation was found in the striatum, thalamus, and frontal cortex. Conclusion These data show involvement of frontal-striatal loops in timing of short intervals by humans and represent the first reported evidence for task-specific involvement of the basal ganglia in a cognitive task requiring temporal processing.