objective: retinoids are recognized as important regulators of cell differention and tissue function. previous studies, performed both in vivo and in vitro, indicate that retinoids influence several reproductive events. in this study, we investigated the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (t-ra) on maturation and fertilization rate of immature oocytes (germinal vesicle). materials and methods: g...

Rat bone marrow cell populations, containing different proportions of erythroid cells, have been fractionated by counter-current distribution in the non-charge-sensitive dextran/polyethyleneglycol two-phase systems on the basis of hydrophobic cell surface properties. Cell fractions with a low distribution coefficient, which contain non-erythroid cells and early erythoblasts, showed a low transf...

We employ simple geometrical rules to design a set of nanotopographies able to interfere with focal adhesion establishment during neuronal differentiation. Exploiting nanoimprint lithography techniques on cyclic-olefin-copolymer films, we demonstrate that by varying a single topographical parameter the orientation and maturation of focal adhesions can be finely modulated yielding independent co...

An important criterion of orthodontic diagnosis is the determination of the skeletal maturation stage. The cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method is presented as an alternative to skeletal maturation determination. However, studies published to date concerning CVM have generally been cross-sectional. The aim of this investigation was to longitudinally evaluate growth and development with th...

Rhythmic gymnasts performing under conditions of high intensity are exposed to particularly high levels of psychological stress and intense physical training, factors that can contribute to the observed delay in skeletal maturation and pubertal development, and alter optimal growth. The study was conducted in the field, during the International, European, and World Rhythmic Sports Gymnastics Ch...

introduction: studies have shown that opiates cause disorders in fertilization and accessory reproductive glands in animals. on the other hand studies have shown important role of glycoconjugates in sperm epididymal maturation. lectins can detect glycoconjugates with specific terminal glucose molecules. therefore this study was conducted to assess the possible effects of opiates on these import...

A confidence interval is an interval (i.e., a range of values) estimate of a parameter of a population (e.g., a mean) calculated from a sample drawn from the population. A confidence interval has an associated confidence level, which is frequency with which a calculated confidence interval is expected to contain the population parameter. Confidence intervals are of interest in modeling and simu...