Background: In recent years, the widespread use of microwave producing instruments specially mobile phones; result in growing concern regarding the possible effects associated with these waves on human health. Some studies highlight the possible health hazards of electromagnetic fields (EMF), while others contest the hypothesis of biological impact of EMF. The aim of this study was to evaluate ...

The current study was performed to investigate the effect of oocyte donor status, including age and body weight, on metaphase II (MII) oocyte recovery using two superovulation methods in cynomolgus monkeys. The use of Method A [recombinant gonadotrophin (75 IU/kg, 3 ×, 3-day intervals) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)] led to great increases in ovary size and the mean number of MII oocyte...

Objective: To report a successful pregnancy after transfer of embryos derived from oocytes activated by calcium ionophore after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with round-headed sperms and aneuploid screening using aCGH. Design: Case report Setting: Private IVF clinic. Patient: A 28-year-old patients and her 31-year-old husband, diagnosed with 100% globozoospermia, underwent ICSI, oocyt...

In some cases of infertility in women, human oocytes fail to mature when they reach the metaphase II (MII) stage. Mitochondria plays an important role in oocyte maturation. A large number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), copied in oocytes, is essential for providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during oocyte maturation. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between transcript ...

The presence of checkpoint mechanisms which are able to recognize damaged chromatin and thereafter to prevent exit from metaphase I has been investigated in giant mouse oocytes produced by fusion of a normal metaphase I oocyte with an equivalent oocyte with damaged chromatin. The presence of damaged chromatin did not prevent the onset of anaphase I in both sets of chromatin in the fused cells. ...

The oocyte-specific NOBOX protein is an important player during oocyte growth. Its absence in Nobox-/- mice arrests the transition from primordial to growing follicles and down-regulates the expression of a number of genes, including Oct4, a transcription factor crucial in the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence. Despite its role during folliculogenesis, a clear description of the ex...

Is there a really need to validate oocyte vitrification technique in an ART laboratory before establishing it in daily practice? Validation of micromanipulationbased technique, in this case oocyte vitrification, is essential prior to enlarging its use to routine practice. Oocyte vitrification is a new worldwide used technique and legal recently in France. This micromanipulation needs to be perf...

Aurora kinases (AURKs) are conserved serine/threonine kinases, crucial in regulating cell cycle events. Mammalian oocytes express all three Aurk isoforms throughout meiosis, with AurkA being the predominant isoform. Inhibition of all AURK isoforms by pharmacological means disrupts oocyte meiosis. Therefore, AurkA short interfering RNA (siRNA) was performed to silence AurkA gene expression in mo...