BACKGROUND In some couples, not all retrieved oocytes mature, even after prolonged in vitro culture. The underlying mechanisms are not known, although ionophore treatment may alleviate metaphase I (MI) arrest in some mouse strains. We attempted to induce first polar body (PB) extrusion and fertilization using assisted oocyte activation (AOA) after ICSI in maturation-resistant human MI oocytes. ...

BACKGROUND Minimal stimulation in vitro fertilization (mini-in vitro fertilization) is an alternative in vitro fertilization treatment protocol that may reduce ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, multiple pregnancy rates, and cost while retaining high live birth rates. OBJECTIVE We performed a randomized noninferiority controlled trial with a prespecified border of 10% that compared 1 cycle of...

background and importance: pseudomeningocele is a rare complication of spine surgery, and it is the collection of cerebrospinal fluid in paraspinal tissues. giant pseudomeningoceles are still rare, and very few cases have been reported in literature. it is usually occult in presentation, and patients do not have any symptoms ascribable to it. case presentation: we came across two symptomatic pa...

Egg activation, which is the first step in the initiation of embryo development, involves both completion of meiosis and progression into mitotic cycles. In mammals, the fertilizing sperm delivers the activating signal, which consists of oscillations in free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique that in vitro fertilization clinics u...

Gametes are produced in plants through mitotic divisions in the haploid gametophytes. We investigated the role of EXPORTIN1 (XPO1) genes during the development of both female and male gametophytes of Arabidopsis. Exportins exclude target proteins from the nucleus and are also part of a complex recruited at the kinetochores during mitosis. Here we show that double mutants in Arabidopsis XPO1A an...

M. Aminur Rahman and Tsuyoshi Uehara (2004) Interspecific hybridization and backcrosses between two sibling species of Pacific sea urchins (genus Echinometra) on Okinawan Intertidal Reefs. Zoological Studies 43(1): 93-111. Four genetically divergent Pacific sea urchins belonging to the genus Echinometra occur sympatrically and abundantly along the coast of Okinawa Island. Among them, the 2 most...

BACKGROUND The present study highlights basic physiological differences associated with oocyte maturation and ageing. The study explores the fertilizing capacity and resistance to injury of mouse oocytes at different stages of maturation and ageing following IVF and ICSI. Also, the study examines the developmental competence of embryos obtained from these oocytes. The outcome of the study suppo...