Corallus hortulanus testes histology: morphological and reproductive aspects.

In general snakes show differentiate anatomical, biological and behavioral particularities compared to other species. Basic information about the snakes anatomy, physiology and reproductive biology is scarce in several species, making the reproduction a challenge. Thus, the present work aims to evaluate morphological aspects of the Corallus hortulanus testes, correlating these findings with environmental factors and reproductive aspects. The testes of three specimens of Corallus hortulanus were cut to a thickness of 3µm in microtome, stained with 1% toluidine blue, photo documented and described. Seasonality was observed in the sperm production of Corallus hortulanus, with the presence of mature spermatozoa in the wettest and hottest periods of the year, as well as the largest testicular volume in these periods.

Transcutaneous tibial nerve home stimulation for overactive bladder in women with Parkinson's disease: A randomized clinical trial.

AIMS: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of transcutaneous tibial nerve home stimulation for overactive bladder (OAB) in women with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: The current study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. Home intervention was carried out and assessments were conducted at a tertiary hospital in South Brazil. Women with PD and OAB symptoms were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: (1) stimulation and (2) sham. Both groups underwent intervention at home for 12 weeks. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at 12 weeks (end of intervention), 30- and 90-day follow-up. The primary outcome was the mean reduction in the number of urgency incontinence episodes, and secondary outcomes included daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, urinary urgency episodes, use of pad (reported in a 24-h bladder diary), OAB-V8 and King's Health Questionnaire scores, and maintenance of symptom relief after discontinuation of the intervention. RESULTS: In total, 30 consecutive patients completed the study (15/group). The stimulation group showed a reduction in nighttime urinary frequency (0.9 ± 0.6), urinary urgency (1.0 ± 1.2), urgency incontinence episodes (0.5 ± 0.6), use of pads (1.3 ± 1.2), and OAB-V8 (1.3 ± 1.2) and King's Health Questionnaire scores. In a 30-day and 90-day follow-up, 8 (53.3%) and 5 (33.3%) stimulation patients, respectively, reported full maintenance of symptom relief after discontinuation of the intervention. Stimulation patients presented a statistically significant improvement of symptoms as compared with sham patients (p = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Transcutaneous tibial nerve home stimulation can be used in clinical practice as an effective nonpharmacological resource for the reduction of OAB symptoms in women with PD, and the resulting relief seems to persist in the follow-up (30 and 90 days).