Protein Z deficiencies have recently been described in women with unexplained early fetal loss. Using a new, specifically elaborated, commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we performed a case-control study on anti-protein Z immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies in 191 nonthrombotic, nonthrombophilic women with consecutive pathologic pregnancies. Levels of anti-pr...

CUL4-RING ubiquitin E3 ligases (CRL4s) were recently shown to exert their specificity through the binding of various substrate receptors, which bind the CUL4 interactor DNA damaged binding protein1 (DDB1) through a WDxR motif. In a segregation-based mutagenesis screen, we identified a WDxR motif-containing protein (WDR55) required for male and female gametogenesis and seed development. We demon...

Background: We used the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, one of the largest brooding invertebrates in the Western Atlantic, to test for the presence/absence of active parental care and to explore reproductive performance in large brooding marine organisms. Given [i] the compact and large embryo masses produced by P. argus, [ii] the expected disproportional increase in brooding costs wit...

BACKGROUND In order to optimize IVF strategies, particularly with the use of single embryo transfer, good predictive models are required. Here, we develop a model to allow such prediction, and the structure of the models point to more general conclusions about the mode of action of prognostic factors. METHODS Anonymized data from consecutive embryo transfers in five IVF centres in the UK for ...

BACKGROUND Single embryo transfer (particularly of a top quality embryo) is an excellent model to correlate embryo quality in terms of morphological criteria to early pregnancy. We investigated whether this model could provide us with more information on what happens after implantation in the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS The outcome of 370 consecutive single top quality embryo transf...

A study was made of the integrity of some components of the protein-synthesizing system from viable and non-viable embryos of rye grains. In comparison with viable-embryo components both post-ribosomal supernatant and ribosomal fractions from non-viable embryos are impaired, for neither will fully support polyphenylalanine synthesis in poly(U)-directed cell-free systems. The lesion in the super...

In flowering plants, two cells are fertilized in the haploid female gametophyte. Egg and sperm nuclei fuse to form the embryo. A second sperm nucleus fuses with the central cell nucleus that replicates to generate the endosperm, which is a tissue that supports embryo development. MEDEA (MEA) encodes an Arabidopsis SET domain Polycomb protein. Inheritance of a maternal loss-of-function mea allel...

background: using cellular phone has rapidly increased all over the world. also, the concern on the possible health hazards of electromagnetic fields (emf) induced from cell phones to reproduction has been growing in many countries. the aim of this study was to assess the consequences and effects of exposure to the cell phone radiation on the quality and survival rates of preimplantation embryo...

the use of donated embryos has offered hope for infertile couples who have no other means to have children. in iran, fertility centers use fertile couples as embryo donors. in this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure will be discussed. we conclude that embryo-donation should be performed with frozen embryos thus preventing healthy donors from being harmed by fertility drug...

The observation and manipulation of chicken embryos in ovo has been useful for understanding the development vertebrates. However, viability longevity are severely compromised even by simple manipulations to egg shell. We have explored experimental protocols that promote ex use an undergraduate teaching laboratory setting. Here, we demonstrate a modified windowing technique increases survival t...