The drug-induced chromosome condensation using okadaic acid, a potent protein phosphatase inhibitor, was studied in day 1 to day 4 (D1-D4) spare human preimplantation embryos. In order to obtain cells for genetic tests, we developed a modified displacement blastomere biopsy method. During the okadaic acid treatment, approximately 40% of biopsied cells were lost due to heavy changes of the plasm...

The comparative effects of instant cooked rice made from giant embryo mutant or ordinary normal rice on body weight and lipid profile in high fat-fed mice were investigated. The animals were given experimental diets for seven weeks: normal control (NC), high fat (HF), and HF supplemented with instant normal white (HF-NW), normal brown (HF-NB), giant embryonic white (HF-GW), or giant embryonic b...

There is considerable evidence that differentiating cells are the most sensitive of all cells of the living organism. When embryos are x-irradiated at sublethal levels and subsequently studied histologically it is found that the regions showing the greatest radiation damage, as indicated by pycnotic nuclei, do not necessarily correspond with embryonic areas known to have a high mitotic index at...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between male's body mass index (BMI) and the outcome of assisted reproductive technology (ART). In this retrospective study, we analyzed the data from 729 cycles of female patients aged 38 years or less, with normal BMI and who received IVF treatments between January, 2013 and June, 2014. The patients were divided into normal weight (n = 358), overweigh...

A study was undertaken to determine the subcellular location of DNase-I, a major acid deoxyribonuclease in Drosophila melanogaster. Embryonic tissue used in these experiments was derived from a wild type strain and from a strain homozygous at the DNase-l locus (3-61.8) for the null activity allele, DNase-lnl24. The majority of total acid DNase and DNase-l activity is found in the small particul...

Teratomas are tumors originated from mature or immature tissues. Teratomas are made up of one embryonic layer or all three embryonic layers (endoderm, mesoderm, or ectoderm). Herein we report a 41-year-old man who presented with vertigo, vomiting, and tinnitus. After physical examination, laboratory evaluation and performing computed tomography, cholesteatoma was diagnosed, however, during radi...

During programmed cell death (PCD) apoptosis is controlled by many factors such as proteases. With no specific protease (s) known during PCD in the developing nervous system so far, we sought to determine if any specific protease (s) is involved in this process and therefore used different protease inhibitors during PCD (from embryonic day 6 to 10) in chick embryos. Among the inhibitors commerc...

Background DOX is a powerful chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of solid tumors and malignant hematological diseases. However, its cardiac toxicity limits the clinical usefulness of this drug. Previous reports have shown Corticosteroids induce a cytoprotective effect on cardiomyocytes. Mouse transgenic embryonic stem cell-derived pure cardiomyocytes may be considered as a model for a...