Nonspermatozoal cells in semen: relationship to other semen parameters and fertility status of the couple.

In semen samples from 94 men from infertile couples and 42 control patients proven to be fertile the occurrence of different kinds of nonspermatozoal cells (NSC) was examined. The findings were evaluated in relation to other seminal parameters and to the fertility status of the couple. The ratios of NSC to sperm and primary spermatocytes to spermatids revealed increasing values with decreasing sperm counts. Especially in a group where the semen samples contained > or = 6 x 10(6) motile sperm per mL and no infertility factor was detectable in the woman, the concentration of leukocytes was high, with three of eight patients having > or = 10(6) leukocytes per mL. A high proportion of abnormal sperm seemed to occur more frequently where the cause of infertility could be found in the man. A high number of leukocytes was neither significantly associated to an increased proportion of abnormal sperm nor to sperm motility evaluated by recording the percentage of motile sperm and the 1-h migration distance in sodium hyaluronate medium. No correlation between concentration of lymphocytes and presence of antisperm antibodies in seminal plasma was detectable.

Lethal autosomal recessive arthrogryposis multiplex congenita with whistling face and calcifications of the nervous system.

Three children from a sibship of four had congenital contractures, scarce facial expressions, central nervous system dysfunction, and early death. Extensive deposits of calcium compounds were found at postmortem examination of the nervous system and of skeletal muscle. The disorder in these sibs is presumably inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The metabolic basis for the calcium deposition has yet to be discovered.

Light and electron microscopic investigation of parathyroid carcinoma during dedifferentiation. Survey and study of a case.

A case of parathyroid carcinoma in a 74-year-old female patient was studied by light and electron microscopy. The malignancy of the parathyroid tumour was confirmed by local recurrence and infiltration of adjacent structures. The tumour was composed of uniform chief cells without mitoses. Ultrastructurally, the cells were characterized by tortuous plasma membranes, numerous secretion granules, an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum and lack of lipid vacuoles, all indicating hyperactivity, but not malignancy. At death, the autopsy revealed local recurrence of tumour tissue, but no distant metastases. Both light and electron microscopy showed that considerable dedifferentiation of the tumour tissue had occurred. The tumour cells were now characterized by a marked nuclear pleomorphism and a coarse clumping of the chromatin. The presence of secretion granules alone suggested a parathyroid origin. Thus, at death there was unequivocal histological evidence of a carcinoma, whereas no such diagnosis could be made from the early biopsy. The clinical course alone indicated the malignant nature of the lesion.