In order to evaluate whether the ratio of serum estrogen level on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration to number of oocyte retrieved has any impact on live birth rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from 7,112 women treated with GnRH-a long protocol in our center. Cycles were firstly divided into 6 groups a...

Oogenesis is a conserved process that requires gene transcription and storage of RNA for development until the embryonic genome is activated (Evsikov andEviskov, 2009). Analysis of oocyte mRNA profiles detected in polar bodies may allow evaluationof geneexpression in single oocyteswithout destroying the cell. Here we demonstrate the detection of such oocyte mRNA in its sibling polar body. We bi...

BACKGROUND Infertility affects between 10 and 16% of couples worldwide. Twenty to 30% of cases of infertility are due to a male factor, 20-35% to a female factor, and 25-40% are due to both male and female factors. In ∼10-25% of cases, the precise underlying cause remains unclear. IVF or ICSI followed by embryo transfer can be very appropriate treatment options in cases of female tubal damage, ...

Oocytes are usually the largest cells in the body and as such offer unique opportunities for single-cell analysis. Unfortunately, these cells are also some of the rarest in the mammalian female, usually necessitating single-cell analysis. In cases of infertility in humans, determining the quality of the oocyte is often restricted to a morphological analysis or to the study of cellular behaviors...

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with metabolic disturbances which include impaired insulin signalling and glucose metabolism in ovarian follicles. The oocyte is metabolically dependent upon its follicle environment during development, but it is unclear whether PCOS or polycystic ovarian (PCO) morphology alone affect oocyte metabolism and energy-demanding processes such...

BACKGROUND The oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET) requires a co-ordinated transcriptional programme acting through evolutionarily conserved events, and transcription factors (TFs) are known to control these processes. Here, we focus on nuclear factor (NF)-κB, a TF involved in several cellular processes, studying NFκB-inhibitor (NFKBIA) mRNA and its protein product, IκBα, during OET. NFKBIA and I...