Common shrews that died in the trap were taken back to the lab and autopsied to obtain the body mass corrected for the mass of the uterus or testes, and to determine the number of uterine foetus or uterine scars.
Homogenates of testes were used to determine lipid peroxidation (LPO) by reaction of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) [ 15].
Individuals from two related lab-raised families were sacrificed and visually inspected for the presence testes or ovaries to determine the sex of each fish.
After excision, testes were weighed to determine the gonadosomatic index (GSI; i.e., gonad mass as a proportion of total body mass).
Blood samples were collected from the abdominal aorta for serum biochemistry, and the lungs, heart, thymus, liver, kidneys, spleen, adrenal glands, and testes were collected to determine changes in organ weights and abnormalities by histopathological examination.
We performed qRT-PCR analyses of total RNAs from the gills, skin, liver, notochord, intestines, testes and ovaries to determine which tissues of B. belcheri express the BbZP genes.
In addition to the four brain regions (i.e., prefrontal, occipital, temporal cerebral cortex and cerebellum), we also examined DNA methylation profiles within independent samples of human placenta, testes, and peripheral blood to determine whether the observed DNA methylation patterns were brain-specific.
Testes were recovered, weighed to determine the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and tissue were rapidly immersed in paraformaldehyde or Bouin's solution for further histological analyses, or frozen until RNA extraction.
Based on studies demonstrating high VMD2 expression in the testes, and since IL-10 gene expression was 55,000 fold higher in the testes of Tg+ mice, we sought to determine if increased IL-10 gene expression in the testes of male Tg+ mice may exacerbate development of disease compared to female Tg+ mice.
The testes were collected, weighed, and used to determine reproductive status of the male.
