Paracrine cell signaling is believed to be important for ovarian follicle development, and a role for some members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family has been suggested. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that FGF-8 and its cognate receptors (FGFR3c and FGFR4) are expressed in bovine antral follicles. RT-PCR was used to analyze bovine Fgf8, Fgfr3c and Fgfr4 mRNA levels in ...

objective: one of the major issues in bone tissue engineering is the design and fabrication of bioactive, bioresorbable porous 3d scaffolds capable of maintaining their structure and integrity over a predictable period of time. one such approach is the fabrication of composite scaffolds. methods: in this study we present fabrication and characterization of novel silk/bioglass-composite scaffold...

background: vhl (von hippel-lindau), runx-3 (runt-related transcription factor 3), e-cadherin (epithelial cadherin), p15 (ink4a, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor), and p16 (ink4b) genes are essential in hematopoiesis. the aim of this study was to explore the correlation between gene expression and promoter methylation in cd34+ stem cells before and after differentiation to erythroid lineage. m...

background: in most mammals, the testis is always maintained at a lower temperature than that in the abdomen, and exposure of the testis to body temperature causes degeneration of germ cells. objective: in this research, the long effect of heat exposure on sperm parameters and microstructure of mouse testis were investigated. cryptorchid mouse were induced by exposure to abdominal heat. materia...

This study analysed the effect of oestradiol on basal and LH-stimulated production of androstenedione and progesterone by human theca cells in monolayer culture. Incubations were carried out for either 2 days (seven experiments) or 4 days (four experiments), in the presence or absence of luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol (10(-9)-10(-6) M) or inhibin. Medium collected at 48 and 96 h was store...

There is increasing evidence that leptin is a physiological link between obesity and infertility. Although leptin receptors have been demonstrated in human ovaries, there is no information regarding the effects of leptin on cells from developing ovarian follicles. To test the direct effects of leptin on human ovarian cells, granulosa cells (GC) and theca cells were isolated from the ovaries of ...

Neuromedin U (NMU) was originally identified as an anorexigenic peptide that modulates appetite as well as energy homeostasis through the brain-gut axis. Although growing evidence has linked NMU activity with the development of female reproductive organs, no direct expression of and function for NMU in these organs has been pinpointed. Using a superovulated rat model, we found that NMU is direc...

mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained from deferent tissues like adipose tissue, umbilical cord, placenta, skin, bone marrow, etc. these cells have regulatory effects on all types of immune cells such as dendritic cell, natural killers and lymphocytes. mesenchymal stem cells induce inhibitory phenotypes of antigen presenting cells (apcs) following their activity. they also change t cells pheno...

purpose : our aim was to isolate mesenchymal stem cells (mscs) from mouse umbilical cord and culture them with vitreous body to investigate their capacity to differentiate into lens fiber cells, crystallins are expressed. methods : wharton's jelly is the appropriate source of mscs. after isolation, the cells were cultured and alkaline phosphatase detection kit was used for staining undiffe...