Genital Anatomy (genital + anatomy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Sexual Differentiation of Behaviour in Monkeys: Role of Prenatal Hormones

JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 4 2009
K. Wallen
The theoretical debate over the relative contributions of nature and nurture to the sexual differentiation of behaviour has increasingly moved towards an interactionist explanation that requires both influences. In practice, however, nature and nurture have often been seen as separable, influencing human clinical sex assignment decisions, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Decisions about the sex assignment of children born with intersex conditions have been based almost exclusively on the appearance of the genitals and how other's reactions to the gender role of the assigned sex affect individual gender socialisation. Effects of the social environment and gender expectations in human cultures are ubiquitous, overshadowing the potential underlying biological contributions in favour of the more observable social influences. Recent work in nonhuman primates showing behavioural sex differences paralleling human sex differences, including toy preferences, suggests that less easily observed biological factors also influence behavioural sexual differentiation in both monkeys and humans. We review research, including Robert W. Goy's pioneering work with rhesus monkeys, which manipulated prenatal hormones at different gestation times and demonstrated that genital anatomy and specific behaviours are independently sexually differentiated. Such studies demonstrate that, for a variety of behaviours, including juvenile mounting and rough play, individuals can have the genitals of one sex but show the behaviour more typical of the other sex. We describe another case, infant distress vocalisations, where maternal responsiveness is best accounted for by the mother's response to the genital appearance of her offspring. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that sexual differentiation arises from complex interactions where anatomical and behavioural biases, produced by hormonal and other biological processes, are shaped by social experience into the behavioural sex differences that distinguish males and females. [source]


Medical Evidence and Expert Testimony in Child Sexual Abuse

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006
LORI D. FRASIER
ABSTRACT Expert medical testimony in child sexual abuse cases can be critical to the outcome of a legal case. This article will review the development of the medical knowledge and clinical expertise in child sexual abuse. Since the passage of mandatory child abuse reporting laws, the forensic medical examination of a child for evidence of sexual abuse has become standard. Until recently, many myths regarding female genital anatomy existed but were based primarily on dogma and lack of empirical research. Over the past 25 years, many research studies and accumulating clinical evidence have expanded medical knowledge and debunked old myths. Physical evidence, even in cases of alleged genital or anal penetration is rare. Sexually transmitted infections are also uncommon and often require medical interpretation as to their significance in a prepubertal child. Specialized medical knowledge, training, and clinical expertise have developed in order to evaluate children presenting with allegations of sexual abuse. Such medical expertise provides invaluable service to courts. We review criteria for evaluating such expertise in light of current medical practice. [source]


Clinical and Subclinical Endometritis in the Mare: Both Threats to Fertility

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 2009
MM LeBlanc
Contents Endometritis, a major cause of mare infertility arising from failure to remove bacteria, spermatozoa and inflammatory exudate post-breeding, is often undiagnosed. Defects in genital anatomy, myometrial contractions, lymphatic drainage, mucociliary clearance, cervical function, plus vascular degeneration and inflamm-ageing underlie susceptibility to endometritis. Diagnosis is made through detecting uterine fluid, vaginitis, vaginal discharge, short inter-oestrous intervals, inflammatory uterine cytology and positive uterine culture. However, these signs may be absent in subclinical cases. Hypersecretion of an irritating, watery, neutrophilic exudate underlies classic, easy-to-detect streptococcal endometritis. In contrast, biofilm production, tenacious exudate and focal infection may characterize subclinical endometritis, commonly caused by Gram-negative organisms, fungi and staphylococci. Signs of subclinical endometritis include excessive oedema post-mating and a white line between endometrial folds on ultrasound. In addition, cultures of uterine biopsy tissue or of small volume uterine lavage are twice as sensitive as guarded swabs in detecting Gram-negative organisms, while uterine cytology is twice as sensitive as culture in detecting endometritis. Uterine biopsy may detect deep inflammatory and degenerative changes, such as disruption of the elastic fibres of uterine vessels (elastosis), while endoscopy reveals focal lesions invisible on ultrasound. Mares with subclinical endometritis require careful monitoring by ultrasound post-breeding. Treatments that may be added to traditional therapies, such as post-breeding uterine lavage, oxytocin and intrauterine antibiotics, include lavage 1-h before mating, carbetocin, cloprostenol, cervical dilators, systemic antibiotics, intrauterine chelators (EDTA,Tris), mucolytics (DMSO, kerosene, N -acetylcysteine), corticosteroids (prednisolone, dexamethasone) and immunomodulators (cell wall extracts of Mycobacterium phlei and Propionibacterium acnes). [source]


Alternate-Day Tadalafil in the Management of Honeymoon Impotence

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008
Hussein Ghanem MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Sildenafil has been used successfully in the treatment of honeymoon impotence. However, no study investigated the potential effect of tadalafil in the treatment of honeymoon impotence. Aim., The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of alternate-day tadalafil therapy in the management of unconsummated marriages. Methods., This is a descriptive study comprised of a series of 45 patients. The time frame for the study was 2 years. Forty-five consecutive patients underwent a complete medical and sexual history as well as a focused physical examination. Education about the male and female genital anatomy and the sexual response cycle was carried out. Alternate-day tadalafil 10-mg therapy was administered for 2 weeks with the duration extended as needed. Main Outcome Measures., Primary efficacy endpoints were successful vaginal intromission and change in the abridged version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Results., Of 45 patients included in our study, 41 (91%) were able to achieve vaginal intromission and perform sexually. Thirty-four patients (76%) needed tadalafil for less than 1 month, five (11%) for up to 3 months, and two (4%) for more than 3 months. Four patients (9%) were unsuccessful. IIEF-5 improved significantly with alternate-day tadalafil treatment in this subgroup of patients (P < 0.001). Treatment failures were managed by intracavernous injection therapy, combined with psychosexual therapy, depending on the cause. Conclusions., Tadalafil therapy was safe and effective in the short-term management of this selected group of honeymoon impotence patients. Controlled studies are needed to further confirm these findings. Ghanem H, El-Dakhly M, and Shamloul R. Alternate-day tadalafil in the management of honeymoon impotence. J Sex Med 2008;5:1451,1454. [source]


Speciation on the Azores islands: congruent patterns in shell morphology, genital anatomy, and molecular markers in endemic land snails (Gastropoda, Leptaxinae)

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009
KURT JORDAENS
Morphological data, in combination with molecular data, may provide invaluable insights into speciation processes on archipelagos. Land snails offer ample opportunities to evalutate adaptive and non-adaptive speciation scenarios. However, studies investigating processes of differentiation and speciation on the Azores are scarce. The present study comprises a morphometrical analysis of shell and genital characters in a group of Azorean land snails (Pulmonata, Leptaxinae). Geographical isolation appears to be an important mechanism underlying morphological and molecular differentiation in the Azorean Leptaxini, instead of adaptive radiation through ecological differentiation. Nevertheless, we could not exclude the occurrence of ecological speciation on the oldest island (Santa Maria) where two species that markedly differ in shell-shape co-occur. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 166,176. [source]