this study was designed to examine the effects of retinoic acid adding to cumulus and/or fibroblast cellsmonolayer on the development of mouse early embryos. one-cell mouse embryos were obtained from nmrimice after superovulation by an intraperitoneal injection of 5 iu equine chorionic gonadotrophin (ecg)followed 48 hrs later by 5 iu human chorionic gonadotrophin (hcg). mouse embryonic fibrobla...

In the spontaneous menstrual cycle, the mid-cycle gonadotrophin surge causes maturation of the cumulus-oocyte complex, mucification of cumulus cells and expansion of the cumulus oophorus, resumption of meiosis and maturation of the cytoplasm of the oocyte. Whether this is an effect purely of luteinizing hormone (LH) or whether follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) also plays a role is unknown. The...

Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms are critical for successful completion of fertilization. Here, we demonstrate that CRISP1, a sperm protein involved in mammalian fertilization, is also present in the female gamete and capable of modulating key sperm Ca(2+) channels. Specifically, we show that CRISP1 is expressed by the cumulus cells that surround the egg and that fertilization of cumulus-oocyte comp...

BACKGROUND Oocytes are the female gametes which establish the program of life after fertilization. Interactions between oocyte and the surrounding cumulus cells at germinal vesicle (GV) stage are considered essential for proper maturation or 'programming' of oocytes, which is crucial for normal fertilization and embryonic development. However, despite its importance, little is known about the m...

During follicle development, oocytes secrete factors that influence the development of granulosa and cumulus cells (CCs). In response to oocyte and somatic cell signals, CCs produce extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules resulting in cumulus expansion, which is essential for ovulation, fertilisation, and is predictive of oocyte quality. The cumulus ECM is largely made up of hyaluronan (HA), TNF-s...

An experimental design was framed to analyse the effect of cumulus oocyte complex (COC) morphology on in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes. Slaughter house derived bovine ovaries from South Indian breeds and crossbred cattle of Kerala were subjected to three retrieval methods to yield different quality grades of oocytes. Based on the number of layers of cumulus cells and ooplasm character, the...

Prior studies have identified that working in an addiction treatment unit with higher levels of organizational capacity is a factor associated with positive staff attitudes about evidence-based addiction treatment practices (EBPs). The study presented here explored whether staff perceptions about the organizational capacity of their treatment unit are also associated with staff experience of ba...

In this short communication, we introduce iSOCO as a leading Spanish company that applies Agent Based technology and AI methods to help companies to streamline their business processes within the scope of the digital economy. We also describe two main iSOCO service offerings: aggregation and e-sourcing and discuss how Planning & Scheduling methodologies can be applied to improve performance and...