BACKGROUND Sperm of poor quality can negatively affect embryo development to the blastocyst stage. The aim of this comparative prospective randomized study was to evaluate the role of an intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) in the same infertile couples included in the programme of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) due to their indications of male infertility w...

cryopreservation and sexing of embryos are integrated into commercial embryo transfer technologies. to improve the effectiveness of vitrification of in vitro produced buffalo embryos, two experiments were conducted. the first evaluated the effect of exposure time (2 and 3 min) and developmental stage (morula and blastocysts) on the viability and development of vitrified buffalo embryos. morphol...

BACKGROUND Oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development are controlled by array of genes that are post-transcriptionally regulated by microRNAs. With respect to this, previously, we identified altered expression of microRNA-130b (miR-130b) during oocyte maturation. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-130b in bovine granulosa and cumulus cell function, oocyte maturation and...

It is generally believed that progesterone is essential for inducing the changes in oviduct and uterus necessary for embryo viability and implantation in a number of mammalian species. The aim of this study was, in the rhesus monkey, to examine in conception cycles with and without early luteal phase antiprogestin (mifepristone; RU 486) treatment: (i) the growth status of preimplantation embryo...

Production of high quality embryos in vitro needs an efficient in vitro fertilization (IVF). Seminal origin is one of the important factors that affects the success of in vitro embryo production. So our goal was to determine the effect of using fresh and frozen semen in fertilization on developmental competence and cryo-survival of buffalo embryos. Buffalo oocytes wer...

Cutaneous protothecosis is a rare infection caused by achlorophyllic algae of the genus Prototheca. The lesions usually occur on exposed areas, related with trauma, in immunocompromised patients. The most common clinical presentation is a vesicobullous and ulcerative lesion with pustules and scabs, simulating bacterial, fungal or herpetic infections or eczema. The diagnosis is determined by age...

We present a detailed description of an adaptive harmonic generation (HG) microscope and culture techniques that permit long-term, three-dimensional imaging of mouse embryos. HG signal from both pre- and postimplantation stage (0.5-5.5 day-old) mouse embryos are fully characterized. The second HG images reveal central spindles during cytokinesis whereas third HG images show several features, su...

Studies are presented on the ability of low-molecular-weight nuclear DNA fractions to hybridize to higher-molecular-weight nuclear DNAs taken from different stages of early developing sea-urchin embryos, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Using preparative DNA-DNA hybridization, a fraction of 60-s mid-blastula DNA was isolated for its ability to anneal to 10-s morula DNA. Approximately 80 regions o...

Despite exhaustive studies, molecular mechanisms governing blastocyst formation, implantation to the uterine endometrium and placentation have not been definitively characterized. GATA family proteins are a group of zinc finger transcription factors, for which gene ablations eventually result in embryonic death later in pregnancy. These findings suggested that GATA factors are not essential for...