Problem statement: The ability of a blast cyst to hatch, or escape, from the Zona Pellucida (ZP) that surrounds and protects the embryo during its first few days of development is one of many critical events that must occur for successful reproduction. Implantation of the embryo in the uterine lining is impossible unless hatching occurs. Hard or thick ZP will therefore impaire the implantation ...

BACKGROUND There has been an increase in number of obese infertile females booked for advanced infertility treatment procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The knowledge of impact of body mass index (BMI) on reproductive outcome can help to counsel these patients. OBJECTIVE To compare reproductive outcome in females of different BMI after IC...

Background: Azoospermia could be due to either obstruction (obstructive azoospermia: OA) or spermatogenic failure (non-obstructive NOA). Close 50% of men with NOA have small pockets sperm in the testis which retrieved surgically and then injected into oocytes a program intra-cytoplasmic insertion. Presently, there are no accepted non-invasive tests al...

BACKGROUND Irradiation is one of the major causes of induced sperm DNA damage. Various studies suggested a relation between sperm DNA damage and fertilization rate after intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). OBJECTIVE In this study, fertilization rate and premature chromosome condensation (PCC) formation after ICSI of hamster oocytes with irradiated sperms from normal and oligosperm indiv...

Abstract Study question How does sperm phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) affect fertilization in conventional vitro (cIVF)? Summary answer Absence of PLCζ causes polyspermy, and a decline the proportion expressing is correlated with low rate (FR) after cIVF. What known already key sperm-borne factor that triggers Ca2+ oscillations subsequent oocyte activation following gamete fusion. Mutations PLCZ1,...

BACKGROUND In couples presenting with retrograde ejaculation refractory to medical treatment, the first choice of fertility treatment should be Assisted Reproductive Techniques using rapidly purified spermatozoa retrieved from post-ejaculatory urine. The Hotchkiss technique and modified variants are simple and efficient for retrieving sperm from the bladder. We developed a new protocol, includi...

There is growing interest in sperm senescence, both in its underlying mechanisms and evolutionary consequences, because it can impact the evolution of numerous life history traits. Previous studies have documented various types of sperm senescence, but evidence of post-meiotic intra-testicular sperm senescence in wild animals is lacking. To assess such senescence, we studied within-season chang...

Little detailed information is currently available on the incidence and morphological characteristics of abnormal sperm in the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and of ratites in general. This situation is further compounded by the lack of a uniform system for the morphological classification of avian sperm defects. Considering the important role that sperm morphology plays in the assessment of se...

It is widely accepted that spermatozoa are translationally silent. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, incorporation of labeled amino acids into polypeptides during sperm capacitation, which was completely inhibited by mitochondrial translation inhibitors but not by the cytoplasmic translation inhibitor. Unlike 80S cytoplasmic ribosomes, 55S mitochondrial ribosomes were present ...