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Covering of Spermatic Cord

Submitted by alanhu on Wed, 04/17/2019 - 14:34

The coverings of the spermatic cord include the external spermatic fascia, cremaster muscle, and internal spermatic fascia. The coverings are originally part of the abdominal wall. The external spermatic fascia is part of the external abdominal oblique and contains the dartos muscle. The dartos muscle is a layer of smooth muscle and is responsible for the wrinkling of the scrotal skin. The cremaster muscle is part of the internal abdominal oblique. The role of the cremaster muscle is to pull the scrotum in towards the body when it is cold. The body heat would ensure that the testes are at the right temperature for sperm production. When it is too warm the cremaster muscle would relax and the scrotum would be further from the body. The internal spermatic fascia is part of the transversalis fascia.

 

Ductus Deferens

Submitted by alanhu on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 16:24

The function of the muscular layer of the ductus deferens is to assist in ejaculation. During ejaculation, the smooth muscle would contract, which would create pulsating contraction waves. The contractions would propel the sperms from the ductus (vas) deferens to the urethra. The innervation of the testicular vessels extends from L2. There are postganglionic axons that are in the lumbar and sacral regions. Splanchnic nerves carry the signal through the inferior mesenteric plexus, aortic plexus and hypogastric plexus to the pelvic organs. The pelvic organs would include the muscular layer of the spermatic cord. The arterial blood that supplies the spermatic cord is received from the long testicular arteries. The long testicular arteries branch from the aorta in the superior abdomen.

Sperm production and Vasectomy

Submitted by alanhu on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 11:34

A vasectomy is a procedure that is a version of birth control for males. It involves a cut in the ductus deferens and then the ends are either castrated or tied to prevent the sperm from flowing. The male gonads are known as testes, which produce sperm through the process of spermatogenesis and reside in the scrotum. The scrotum hands inferiorly to the abdominal pelvic cavity. Within the testes are the seminiferous tubules, which is where the sperm is actually produced. All the seminiferous tubules then merge into one singular tube called a straight tubule. The purpose of the straight tubule is to funnel the sperm into the rete testis. From the rete testis, the sperm would enter the efferent ductules and then the epididymis. From the epididymis, the sperm would then flow to the ductus (vas) deferens. Since a vasectomy was done the ductus (vas) deferens had been blocked and there is nowhere for the sperm to flow and would eventually be broken down in the epididymis. A vasectomy would not inhibit the production of sperm because none of the functions were altered. The only thing that was changed was the only way for the sperm to leave the testis and into the urethra was blocked.

Beauty Products Can Harm Hormones

Submitted by alanhu on Thu, 04/11/2019 - 15:07

    Beauty products are used by many people as a way to maintain self care such as make up, masks and face washes. Many of the beauty products have a darker side to them. Parabens is a chemical compound that is used in beauty products as preservatives. It was found that parabens cause and increase in estrogen. A study was conducted where 143 women were tested with a urine test. Even with a small exposure to parabens had an effect on hormone levels. The effect on the body is a gradual effect due to the long time for the chemical compounds to take an effect on the body.

A negative effect of the chemical compounds is the higher risk of developing breast cancer. The gradual increase in estrogen levels has a negative effect on the body. Yet there is not enough research being done to fully understand the nature of the situation.

 

Oxytocin and Appreciation of Help

Submitted by alanhu on Thu, 04/11/2019 - 09:03

Scientists conducted an experiment to determine if people would be more likely to accept help with higher levels of oxytocin in their bodies. Some participants were given a nasal oxytocin spray and others were given a placebo. Scientists had found that the participants who received oxytocin were more inclined to accept help from other individuals. Whereas the participants who received the placebo were more aggressive towards the person offering help. There is a difference in intensity of oxytocin in everyone. As shown, people with higher oxytocin levels would be more receptive when people offer them assistance. It also proves that different concentrations of a hormone can have different effects on people.

Cortisol Levels and Cognitive Functioning

Submitted by alanhu on Thu, 04/11/2019 - 00:13

    Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates metabolism, immune response and stress.  Children who grew up in a calm environment have a moderate level of cortisol. While children who are experiencing a stressful childhood would have higher levels of cortisol. A more depressive childhood can result in lower levels of cortisol. Higher and lower levels of cortisol can have an impact on cognitive function. High levels follow a patterned release of cortisol which is influenced by the environment. When an individual finds themselves in a stressful situation a system called “fight or flight” would be initiated. Which would cause cortisol to be released and with constant release of cortisol it would affect cognitive function and health problems in the future.

 

Oxytocin Spray and Autistic Children

Submitted by alanhu on Wed, 04/10/2019 - 21:28

    Children with autism have lower levels of autism, which is partially the reason why autistic children have a hard time with being social. Oxytocin is a peptide hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus. Oxytocin plays a role in social bonding and sexual reproduction. Scientists attempted to answer the question of whether having autistic children take an oxytocin spray and whether if it would be able to increase their social behavior. A factor scientists have to consider is that hormone levels change throughout the day. Which would mean that the behavior of the children could also change along with the hormone levels. Scientists had found that the spray does work, but only on children with lower levels of oxytocin to being with.

 

Female Hormones and Migraines

Submitted by alanhu on Wed, 04/10/2019 - 11:59

Initial migraines that females experience are due to hormonal imbalances during puberty. The imbalances in hormones can cause an toll on overall health, social life and school work. A solution that may work is birth control, which can be used to balance the hormonal levels. Migraines can occur due to low levels of progesterone in adolescent females. Progesterone is a hormone that fluctuates during the menstrual cycle. Scientists had found that two thirds of women have migraines before their menstrual cycle, due to progesterone imbalances. Hormones can vary depending on the time such as days and months. The patterns of hormone flow can affect the person differently depending on how much of an imbalance there is.

 

Oxytocin is Not the Love Hormone?

Submitted by alanhu on Tue, 04/09/2019 - 11:52

    Oxytocin is a hormone that is known as the “love hormone”. Oxytocin is released when acts of love and bonding occurs such as hugging. Oxytocin is secreted in high levels during breastfeeding and in relationships. Doctors started to prescribe oxytocin to children with autism, schizophrenia and social anxiety disorders. Oxytocin can change the intensity of the reaction but it would not be able to turn it on or off. Evidence has shown that women with high maternal care and strong relationships has shown high levels of oxytocin. Also there is a high level of oxytocin in women in depressive states and distressed relationships.

 

Neurotoxins

Submitted by alanhu on Sat, 04/06/2019 - 12:20

Neurotoxins are chemicals that disrupt the nervous system. Neurons send neurotransmitters to other neurons, which is the form of communications organisms use to communicate within its body. Neurotoxins block the neurotransmitter receptor sites, so the signal would not be transmitted. The genes have evolved to produce a neurotoxin called clacicludine. Calcicludine is a 60-amino acid long polypeptide. The amino acid is made up of six cysteines which form three disulfide bridges. The disulfide bridges that are formed provide a stable structure for the calcicludine. The bonds inhibit any extra folding of the proteins, meaning that the protein would remain in its shape. A change in the shape of a protein would change the function of that particular protein. The three disulfide bonds that calcicludine has means that the development of the venom has become important to the survival of the eel. Calcicludine is a protein that blocks voltage-gated calcium channels.

 

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