Egg envelope or otherwise called zona radiata (ZR) is an acellular area that originates next to oolemma externally. It grows and thickens gradually from oolemma and follicular epithelium both. Microscopic studies on the tissue sections hava shown that during developmental stages of oocytes, ZR could not be observed at stage I (Primary growth stage) in Acipenser persicus. It appeared in stage ...

Chorion type may significantly influence the prenatal environment of twins. This study explored the associations between chorion type and gestational age, birth weight, birth length, and the timing of emergence of the first primary tooth in two populations of twins, Australian and Dutch. Additionally, we investigated the relationship between chorion type and birth weight discordance (BWD) in or...

Human fetal membranes play an important role in term and preterm labor and are responsive to steroids. We examined the expression of steroid receptor coactivators in fetal membranes obtained prior to and following labor at term. Proteins were localized by immunohistochemistry, Western analysis was carried out in nuclear extracts, and mRNA levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR. SRC-1, SRC-2...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to explore the direct effects of amnion and chorion on bacterial growth in vitro including the antibacterial spectrum. Chorioamniotic membranes were obtained under sterile conditions from 13 healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section at term. Likewise, chorioamniotic membranes were obtained from 10 healthy women with spontaneous vaginal del...

Introduction Placenta diffusa though natural in sow and mare is a rare poss1bility in human beings, if the usual differentiation of the chorion into chorion frondosum and chorion leave does no t take place (Brews, 1957). Novak and Woodruff (1967) use the term placenta membranacea almost synonymously. The occurrence of this anomaly is attributed to defective decidua allowing deep implantation of...

BACKGROUND The mechanism that initiates human parturition has been proposed to be 'functional progesterone withdrawal' whereby the 116 kDa B-isoform of the progesterone receptor (PR-B) switches in favour of the 94 kDa A-isoform (PR-A) in reproductive tissues. Recently, other PR isoforms, PR-S, PR-C and PR-M generated from the same gene have been identified and partially characterised. METHODS...

Lipid mediators play a crucial role in human parturition and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) is a key regulator of the production of these compounds. We have investigated by PCR the expression of different groups of PLA(2) and COX enzymes in human fetal membranes (amnion and chorion), placenta and three chorionic cell lines (JEG-3, Jar, BeWo). Our data show that the cytosolic Group IV PLA(2) and CO...