title: Tissue calcium content in piglets with inguinal or scrotal hernias or cryptorchidism.
abstract: Scrotal and inguinal hernias are of great economic importance to the pig industry. These lesions are thought to result from incomplete closure of the inguinal ring and/or a patent processus vaginalis. Impairment of programmed cell death (PCD) may be involved in these abnormalities. As tissue Ca(2+) overload may be used as a measure of cell death, the aim of this study was to determine the tissue Ca(2+) content in samples of hernia sac, peritoneum, cremaster muscle and aqueous fluid from newborn piglets with scrotal or inguinal hernias (n=18) or cryptorchidism (n=18). Control samples from healthy piglets (n=20) were also evaluated. Tissue Ca(2+) content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Significantly less Ca(2+) was found in the sacs (0.005 mg/g wt), peritoneal tissue (0.100 mg/g wt) and cremaster muscles (0.008 mg/g wt) of piglets with inguinal or scrotal hernias compared with control tissues (0.184, 0.144 and 0.048 mg/g wt for sacs, peritoneal tissue and cremaster muscles, respectively). These findings suggest that there may be perturbation of the apoptotic pathway in the urogenital tissues of affected piglets.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Burckhardtweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beuermann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmelz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dunkelberg
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schütz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brenig
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knorr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000662:veterinary*; D006547:Hernia / Q000151:congenital / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000378:metabolism; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000378:metabolism; D012611:Scrotum / Q000473:pathology; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium