OBJECTIVE: The gubernaculum seems to be the most important anatomical structure in the testicular migration process. The objective of this paper is to review current literature regarding the role of gubernaculum testis nerves in testicular migration. We conducted a comprehensive literature review about the gubernaculum testis innervation. A PubMed database search was performed in April 2024, focusing on gubernaculum testis and cryptorchidism and genitofemoral nerve (GFN) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) gene. The gubernaculum has its own nerve supply, the GFN, descending on the anteromedial surface of the psoas muscle from L1-L2 segments. The second phase of testicular descent is regulated by androgens and CGRP, released from the sensory nucleus of the GFN. The GFN doesn\'t directly play a role in testicular migration but there is a theory that shows a regulatory function of this nerve in hormonal action during this process. The gubernaculum testis has important structural alterations during the testicular migration and the genitofemoral nerve and CGRP gene are of great importance in this process. The genitofemoral nerve provides motor innervation to the cremaster muscle and gubernaculum, which helps regulate the position of the testes within the scrotum.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies showed that extra blood supply can decrease testicular atrophy following laparoscopic orchiopexy. We evaluated the impact of preserving the gubernacular attachment (which contains blood supply from cremasteric artery and its anastomoses) on atrophy rates following open conventional orchiopexy.
METHODS: This double-blinded randomized trial was implemented from March 2022 to September 2023. Included boys with non-palpable testis, even with examination under anesthesia, underwent diagnostic laparoscopy to evaluate the testis\'s location and size. Nubbin testes and those with > 2-cm distance from the internal inguinal ring. Participants were assigned into two groups (gubernaculum sparing (GS) and excision (GE)) by permuted block randomization. Overall success was defined as achieving both morphologic success (atrophy <20% of the intraoperative size) and anatomical success (scrotal or high-scrotal locations). Boys were followed at three- and six-month post-surgery via ultrasound. Independent t-test, repeated ANOVA, and Friedman\'s tests were used where appropriate.
RESULTS: Of 92 boys (105 UDTs overall), 75 testes (36 in GS, 39 in GE groups) were used in the analysis. The mean age of participants was 25 ± 17 months (range 6-84). The mean testis size of cases intraoperatively was 460 ± 226, 396 ± 166, and 520 ± 258 mm3 among all participants, GS, and GE cases, respectively. Both groups showed a significant decrease in testicular volume on both follow-up checkpoints, but this decrement was significantly higher in the GE group (p < 0.001). The anatomical success rate was significantly higher among GS boys (97.2% versus 82.1%; p = 0.038). The overall success rate was significantly higher for the GS group (61.1% versus 25.6%; p = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS: Although mean testicular volume decreased in both groups, we found superior morphologic and overall success rates among the GS group. The greatest size reduction was noted at the three-month post-surgery compared to the six-month checkpoint.
BACKGROUND: https://irct.ir/trial/58842.

Three new species of free-living marine nematodes belonging to the genera Subsphaerolaimus, Halichoanolaimus and Belbolla are described from the mangrove wetlands of western Taiwan Island. Subsphaerolaimus danshuiensis sp. nov. is characterized by a body length of 13451693 m, subcephalic setae 22.565.0 m long, cervical setae 16.533.0 m long, an L-shaped spicule 66.976.4 m long, and a gubernaculum with a caudally-dorsally directed apophysis 16.423.0 m long. Halichoanolaimus sicaoensis sp. nov. is characterized by an amphidial fovea with 3.53.75 turns, a conico-cylindrical tail with the cylindrical portion approximately 3/4 of the total tail length, and 1314 not equidistant papillose precloacal supplements. Belbolla forkyspicula sp. nov. is characterized by seven oesophageal bulbs, a short tail, a spicule with a proximal fork, and two winged supplements. Differentiating characteristics of the genera Subsphaerolaimus, Halichoanolaimus and Belbolla are provided. Types are deposited in the College of Fisheries, Jimei University.

Cryptorchidism is a common disorder in boys that has been widely studied both experimentally and clinically. The role of the gubernaculum, a mesenchymal tissue extending from the fetal testis and epididymis to the developing scrotum, is still unclear. Even the name is debated: \'gubernaculum epididymis\' or \'gubernaculum testis\'. This review does not aim to provide a global overview of competing theories on testicular descent, but focuses on the role of the gubernaculum in epididymo-testicular descent. We identified four major pitfalls of gubernaculum research: the role of the gubernaculum, of insulin-like peptide 3, anti-Müllerian hormone, and androgens. The major critical issues were that the gubernaculum plays a guiding role for the epididymis, descending prior to the testis and expanding the inguinal canal; insulin-like peptide 3 is not as important for the process of descent in humans as the rate of insulin-like peptide 3 mutations is low; anti-Müllerian hormone plays no significant role in epididymo-testicular descent; androgens and gonadotropins play a crucial role in epididymo-testicular descent. The role of the epididymis in the complex process of gubernaculum, epididymis, and testis migration is underestimated and should be included in future research.
Nunusileidusios sėklidės (kriptorchizmas) yra dažna vyriškų lytinių organų patologija. Sėklidės pavadis (lot. gubernaculum testis) – mezenchiminis audinys tarp vaisiaus sėklidės ir prielipo bei besiformuojančio kapšelio. Jo reikšmė sėklidei ir prielipui nusileisti nėra aiški. Šios apžvalgos tikslas nėra įvertinti vienų kitoms prieštaraujančių sėklidės nusileidimo teorijų, o susitelkiama ties sėklidės pavadžio (ar dar kitaip vadinamo prielipo pavadžio) svarba sėklidei nusileisti. Mes kėlėme šiuos pagrindinius klausimus apie sėklidės pavadį: sėklidės pavadžio svarba, į insuliną panašaus hormono 3, antimiulerinio hormono ir androgenų reikšmė. Sėklidės pavadis atlieka tik orientacinį vaidmenį prielipui ir leidžiasi prieš sėklidę plėsdamas kirkšnies kanalą. Į insuliną panašus hormonas nėra svarbus sėklidei nusileisti, nes žmonių populiacijos šio geno mutacijos yra retos. Antimiulerinis hormonas neatlieka reikšmingo vaidmens, kad sėklidė ir prielipas nusileistų. Androgenai ir gonadotropinai yra svarbiausi, kad įvyktų sėklidės ir prielipo nusileidimas. Prielipo reikšmė sudėtingame pavadžio, prielipo ir sėklidės migracijos procese yra nepakankamai įvertinta.

Diagnostic characters for all 11 valid genera of Euchromadorinae are presented with taxonomic key on the basis of morphology of male copulatory apparatus, cuticular pattern, amphideal fovea, and buccal onchia. The key to the species of Trochamus spp. is also constructed with the description of T. timmi sp. n. from the mud-flat of Sundarban, India. The newly described species is different from other Trochamus spp. on the basis of the appearance of lateral differentiation of cuticle, long curved spicule, simple gubernaculum and the presence of pre-cloacal modification in male.

To analyze the histology and distribution of abdominal testicular vessels in human fetuses Patients and Methods: We studied 19 fetuses (34 testes) ranging in age from 12 to 19 weeks post-conception. The fetuses were evaluated regarding crown-rump length (CRL), total length (TL) and body weight immediately before dissection. Each testis was dissected and embedded in paraffin, from which 5 μm thick sections were obtained and stained with Masson\'s trichrome and Anti-CD31 antibody to quantify the vessels. The stereological analysis was carried out with the Image Pro and Image J programs, using a grid to determine volumetric densities (Vv). Means were statistically compared using the unpaired T-test (p<0.05).
The fetuses presented mean weight of 222.5g, mean CRL of 15.3 cm and mean TL of 23.2 cm. All testes were in the abdominal position. The mean percentage of vessels (Vv) in the upper portion of the testis was 7.6% (4.6 to 15%) and in the lower portion the mean was 5.11% (2.3 to 9.8%), with a significant difference (p=0.0001). In the analysis between the upper portion of the right and left testes (p=0.99) and in the analysis of the lower portion of the right and left testes (p=0.83), we did not observe significant differences.
The upper portion of the abdominal testis in human fetuses had a higher concentration of vessels than the lower portion. These results suggest that manipulation of the lower end of the testis during Fowler-Stephens surgery should be avoided in order to preserve the collateral circulation.

UNASSIGNED: Several animal experiment studies have shown that insufficient testicular descent to the scrotum can be caused by persistence of cranial suspensory ligament (CSL). We report a case of right cryptorchidism in a male toddler surgically treated with an orchidopexy possibly associated with CSL persistence based on intraoperative and pathological findings. This case would be a precious source to further investigate the etiopathogenesis of cryptorchidism.
UNASSIGNED: The CSL anchors embryonic gonads to the dorsal abdominal wall during antenatal mammalian development. Although its persistence appears to cause cryptorchidism in animal models, it has never been proven in humans. A 1-year-old boy with right cryptorchidism underwent right orchidopexy. Intraoperatively, a band-like structure running from the right testis into the retroperitoneum and up to the right side of the liver was noticed and resected. The pathological findings of the specimen showed fibrous connective tissues, smooth muscles, and blood vessels but no tissues suggestive of a testis, a spermatic cord, an epididymis, or liver. Immunohistochemical analysis for an androgen receptor antibody did not detect any signal in the specimen. The right cryptorchidism in this case was possibly caused by CSL persistence, which is the first such human case, to our knowledge.

BACKGROUND: Testicular hypoplasia can affect the sexual and reproductive ability in adulthood, and even increase the risk of cancer. Abnormal development of the gubernaculum is one of the important factors of testicular hypoplasia. Therefore, a study of the structure and function of the gubernaculum is an important but neglected new breakthrough point for investigating the normal/abnormal development of the testis. Previous findings showed that Insulin like factor 3 (INSL3) is a key factor regulating the growth of gubernaculum, however, the mechanism by which INSL3 acts on the gubernaculum remains unknown. Therefore, we probed the mechanism associated with INSL3-induced the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of gubernacular cells in mice.
METHODS: A culture cell model of neonatal mice gubernaculum is established by INSL3 intervention. We blocked PLC/PKC signaling pathway with U73122 pretreat to investigate the role of the PLC/PKC signaling pathway. The changes of cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were detected by molecular biological methods. In addition, the levels of PCNA and F-action were detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting.
RESULTS: We found that INSL3 can promote the proliferation and migration of gubernacular cells and inhibit their apoptosis, meanwhile, INSL3 significantly up-regulated PLC/PKC protein phosphorylation. However, treatment with the PLC/PKC signaling pathway inhibitor U73122 significantly inhibited these effects of INSL3. Besides, we found that INSL3 could up-regulate the protein expression level of PCNA and F-actin, while the PCNA and F-actin expression was significantly weakened after U73122 pretreatment.
CONCLUSIONS: This research revealed that INSL3 binding to RXFP2 may up-regulate the expression levels of PCNA and F-actin by activating the PLC/PKC signaling pathway to promote the proliferation and migration of gubernacular cells. It suggests that the RXFP2-PLC/PKC axis may serve as a novel molecular mechanism by which INSL3 regulates growth of the gubernaculum.

Undescended testis (UDT) affects 6% of male births. Despite surgical correction, some men with unilateral UDT may experience infertility with the contralateral descended testis (CDT) showing no A-dark spermatogonia. To improve our understanding of the etiology of infertility in UDT, we generated a novel murine model of left unilateral UDT. Gubernaculum-specific Wnt4 knockout (KO) mice (Wnt4-cKO) were generated using retinoic acid receptor β2-cre mice and were found to have a smaller left-unilateral UDT. Wnt4-cKO mice with abdominal UDT had an increase in serum follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone and an absence of germ cells in the undescended testicle. Wnt4-cKO mice with inguinal UDT had normal hormonal profiles, and 50% of these mice had no sperm in the left epididymis. Wnt4-cKO mice had fertility defects and produced 52% fewer litters and 78% fewer pups than control mice. Wnt4-cKO testes demonstrated increased expression of estrogen receptor α and SOX9, upregulation of female gonadal genes, and a decrease in male gonadal genes in both CDT and UDT. Several WNT4 variants were identified in boys with UDT. The presence of UDT and fertility defects in Wnt4-cKO mice highlights the crucial role of WNT4 in testicular development.

OBJECTIVE: Many researchers have different views on the origin and anatomy of the preperitoneal fascia. The purpose of this study is to review studies on the anatomy related to the preperitoneal fascia and to investigate the origin, structure, and clinical significance of the preperitoneal fascia in conjunction with previous anatomical findings of the genitourinary fascia, using the embryogenesis of the genitourinary system as a guide.
METHODS: Publications on the preperitoneal and genitourinary fascia are reviewed, with emphasis on the anatomy of the preperitoneal fascia and its relationship to the embryonic development of the genitourinary organs. We also describe previous anatomical studies of the genitourinary fascia in the inguinal region through the fixation of formalin-fixed cadavers.
RESULTS: Published literature on the origin, structure, and distribution of the preperitoneal fascia is sometimes inconsistent. However, studies on the urogenital fascia provide more than sufficient evidence that the formation of the preperitoneal fascia is closely related to the embryonic development of the urogenital fascia and its tegument. Combined with previous anatomical studies of the genitourinary fascia in the inguinal region of formalin-fixed cadavers showed that there is a complete fascial system. This fascial system moves from the retroperitoneum to the anterior peritoneum as the preperitoneal fascia.
CONCLUSIONS: We can assume that the preperitoneal fascia (PPF) is continuous with the retroperitoneal renal fascia, ureter and its accessory vessels, lymphatic vessels, peritoneum of the bladder, internal spermatic fascia, and other peritoneal and pelvic urogenital organ surfaces, which means that the urogenital fascia (UGF) is a complete fascial system, which migrates into PPF in the preperitoneal space and the internal spermatic fascia in the inguinal canal.