One of the proposed mechanisms of polyspermy block is an increased resistance of the zona pellucida (ZP) to proteolytic digestion (ZP hardening) as a consequence of cortical granule exocytosis that occurs soon after fertilization. However, evidence is available that the zonae pellucidae of freshly ovulated pig and cow oocytes harden considerably before fertilization. It was thought that such pr...

Acrosome plays an integral role during fertilization and its absence in individuals with globozoospermia leads to failure of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and oocyte activation post-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A variety of processes, organelles and structures are involved in acrosome biogenesis including, trans-Golgi network (TGN), acroplaxome and cellular trafficking. This review a...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the cognitive functioning of low-risk singletons born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the age of 5 or 10 years. METHODS Sixty-nine children (35 ICSI, 34 IVF) participated voluntarily in the study that had been approved by the local IRB. Their intellectual functioning was examined by the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for C...

OBJECTIVE This investigation assessed the effect of serum estradiol levels on outcomes of in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF) cycles. MATERIALS AND METHOD This was a retrospective cohort study of 1123 IVF cycles comparing impact of estradiol (E(2)) levels on follicular development, fertilization, embryo quality, implantation, pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, and selected obstetr...

improvements on embryo micromanipulation techniques led to the use of embryo biopsy in commercial embryo transfer programs for genetic analysis of preimplantation bovine embryos. the aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of bovine blastocyst derived from embryos biopsied at different precompacted morulae stages by assessment of cryosurvivability of the resulting blastocysts. the in vitr...

background: infertility is an increasing medical and social problem. in vitro fertilization (ivf) has become a common and accessible treatment for a wide variety of indications that have variable outcomes. natural killer (nk) cells have been identified as relevant immunological factors involved in reproductive success or failure. objective: the aim of this study was to compare the percentage of...

background: pyridaben, a pyridazinone derivative, is a new acaricide and insecticide for control of mites and some insects such as white flies, aphids and thrips. objective: this study was designed to elucidate how pyridaben can affect the sperms' morphological parameters, its dna integrity, and to estimate the effect of various quantities of pyridaben on in vitro fertilization rate. materials ...