Pinopodes have been suggested to be markers of uterine receptivity. Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is expressed in increasing amounts in the secretory phase endometrium and is considered to be important for the human implantation process. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible co-existence of pinopodes and HB-EGF in the normal human endometrium....

BACKGROUND A better understanding of endometrial receptivity is crucial to the creation and optimization of tests to assess the window of implantation in a clinical setting. Testing endometrial receptivity via scanning electron microscopy of endometrial samples reveals that pinopodes are a very good marker of endometrial receptivity in the rat. There is still disagreement in the literature as t...

Implantation depends on two factors - embryo and endometrium. The period of maximal endometrial receptivity is a poorly understood phenomenon. We decided to look at three possible markers of implantation: pinopodes, leukemia inhibitory factor, and matrix metalloproteinase 2 and their correlations. We included in the study 23 idiopathic infertility patients and 21 patients with recurrent spontan...

Zhuyun recipe (ZYR) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used as an infertility treatment for a number of years. Although the therapeutic effects are desirable and satisfactory, the therapeutic mechanism of ZYR remains poorly understood. In the present study, pinopodes were investigated as an important morphological marker of endometrial receptivity, in order to further invest...

BACKGROUND Apical surfaces of human endometrial epithelium and endothelium are key elements for the initiation of molecular interactions to capture the blastocyst or leukocyte, respectively. The L-selectin adhesion system has been strongly proposed to play an important role in the initial steps of trophoblast adhesion and promotion of integrin-dependent processes, ultimately culminating in the ...

BACKGROUND The impact of hyperprolactinaemia on endometrial function, along with embryo implantation, has been the subject of discussion. This article examines whether experimental hyperprolactinaemia can affect mouse ovarian function, endometrial pinopodes and embryo implantation. METHODS For pinopode analysis, 60 female mice were randomly divided into two groups: control (vehicle) and exper...

Ultrastructure of the superficial relief of the endometrial epithelium was investigated under the scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopes (TEM) in a group of patients after the hormonal stimulation, performed in the program of in vitro fertilization and embryotransfer. The results were compared with those obtained in a group of patients studied during the secretory phase of normal ...

OBJECTIVE To reassess endometrial morphological criteria of normality identifying the best morphological and molecular "implantation window" indicators in normal women. DESIGN Prospective clinical study. SETTING Assisted reproductive unit. PATIENT(S) Fourteen healthy volunteers. INTERVENTION(S) Blood sampling for LH, E(2), and progesterone (P4) determinations. Daily vaginal ultrasounds....

background: pinopodes are suggested as biological markers of uterine receptivity, but their molecular components are unknown. objective: co-expression of galectin-3 and ?v?3 integrin at human pinopodes has been examined in this study to propose a role for them during adhesion phase of embryo implantation. materials and methods: biopsies were obtained from early and mid luteal phase endometrium ...

OBJECTIVES Sildenafil citrate is a new drug and has special properties that bring about nitric oxide effects on vascular smooth muscle. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ovarian stimulation and sildenafil citrate injection on pinopode expression in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS THIRTY ADULT FEMALE MICE WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: control, hyperstimulated and hypers...