Kisspeptin (previously known as metastin) is a protein encoded by the KISS-1 gene in humans. Kisspeptin producing neurons seem to bridge the gap between the sex steroid levels and feedback mechanisms that control the gonadotropin releasing hormone secretion. Since 2003, there are many studies on the facets of neuroendocrine networks that control puberty and fertility. These have explored the ro...

Blood testis barrier (BTB) is one of the tightest blood-barriers controlling the entry of substances into the intratubular fluid. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an epidemic metabolic disease concurrent with falling fertility rates, which provokes severe detrimental BTB alterations. It induces testicular alterations, disrupting the metabolic cooperation between the cellular constituents of BTB, with ...

DNA repair efficiency is an important determinant of oocyte quality and female fertility. DYNLL1 (Dynein light chain 1) plays a part in double-strand break (DSB) choice by promoting error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) contrast limiting accurate error-free homologous recombination (HR) repair. Here, we showed that transcript abundance decreases gradually during follicular growth mice. ...

Studies on human fertility genes have identified numerous risk/protective alleles involved in the occurrence of reproductive system diseases causing infertility or subfertility. Investigations we carried out in populations at natural fertility seem to suggest that the clinical relevance that some fertility genes are now acquiring depends on their interaction with contemporary reproductive behav...

Quantitative models of marine protected area (MPA) proposals can be used to compare outcomes given current biological knowledge. We used a model of a linear coastline, with 200 discrete cells each spanning 1.6 km of coast. This model is used to evaluate alternative proposals for marine protected area networks, predicting equilibrium changes in abundances and harvests while accounting for disper...

Learning processes potentially play a role in speciation but are often ignored in speciation models. Learning may, for instance, play a role when a new niche is being colonized, because the learning of niche features may cause niche-specific assortative mating and a tendency to produce young in this niche. Several animal species learn about their environmental features that may be important in ...

This paper considers the applicability of the concept of the second demographic transition in Japan. In the concept of the second demographic transition in Europe, the change of the attitude toward intimate relationship and the introduction of effective means of contraception in the 1960s are considered to play important roles. Accordingly, I presented some indicators on sexual behaviour, relat...

Background: Plant Cassia tora has been used in traditional and modern medicines for different pharmacological activities. Objectives: The present investigation has been taken to observe and evaluate effects of Cassia tora on the reproduction functions of male rats in search a safe, orally effective and reversible fertility regulating agent. Materials and Methods: Fifty percent ethanolic extract...

Polycystic ovary syndrome, a fertility disorder affecting approximately 7% of women, is characterized by elevated androgens, disrupted reproductive cycles, and high luteinizing hormone, the latter reflecting increased gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release. In animal models, a similar reproductive endocrine phenotype occurs after prenatal androgen exposure. To study the effects of in ute...

Background: The effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) on reproductive system have been of critical concern for a long time. It has been shown that the EMF can adversely affect testicular cells and tissue and decrease male fertility. The most important determinants of male fertility are sperm development and motility, which are affected by changes in several factors including lipocalin 2 protei...