Fertilization involves an initial, highly localized signal delivered by the sperm, which becomes amplified by a signal transduction cascade to impact the entire oocyte cytoplasm. The zebrafish oocyte presents a unique opportunity to study this process since fertilization always occurs at the micropyle, allowing the investigator to image the earliest steps in the oocyte activation process. The o...

Backgroud: Oocyte cryopreservation is critical in assisted reproduction techniques. However, the effect of cryopreservation on the oocyte has not been widely explored yet. Currently a thorough understanding of oocyte cryobiology is urgently required due to its far lag behind the forces propelling the clinical application of oocyte cryopreservation. Methods: In this study, we used two different ...

31 32 In the growing follicle, communication between the oocyte and its surrounding follicular 33 cells is essential for normal oocyte and follicular development. Maturation of the fully34 grown oocyte in vivo is associated with the loss of cumulus cell-oocyte gap junctional 35 communication, preventing entry of meiotic-modulating factors such as cAMP into the 36 oocyte. We have previously show...

The use of acupuncture to improve the outcome of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has become widespread over the past five years. Three of four randomised controlled trials (RCT) published since 2002 have shown that acupuncture significantly increases pregnancy rates. Although the research has a number of methodological limitations, it does strongly endorse the use of acupuncture during IVF. Protoc...

In the four decades since the Xenopus oocyte was first demonstrated to have the capacity to translate exogenous mRNAs, this system has been exploited for many different experimental purposes. Typically, the oocyte is used either as a "biological test tube" for heterologous expression of proteins without any particular cell biological insight or, alternatively, it is used for applications where ...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether there is an increased risk of infertility in women that have previously undergone ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval for oocyte donation. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENT(S) A total of 194 past oocyte donors. INTERVENTION(S) Telephone questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Incidence of infertility after oocyte d...

  The aims of the present study were to determine the best time for egg stripping after ovulation and to study oocyte over-ripening in the Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius). Eggs were retained in the female abdominal cavity for 40 days post ovulation (DPO). Partial volumes of eggs stripped from 10 individually identified females at 10 days intervals and fertilized with a pool of semen ...

With increasing medical utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART), scientists and clinicians have been able to study extensively multiple cell functions operating synchronously and flawlessly during the events preceding, before and after fertilization. Critical evaluation of the functional status of spermatozoa for in vitro techniques such as sperm-mucus interaction, acrosome reacti...

AIM To determine whether three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) improves diagnosis in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS Three-dimensional and power Doppler ultrasound were used in examination of 267 patients undergoing IVF on their first visit, during ovulation induction and aspiration of the oocytes. Patients with suspected uterine anomalies and/or abnormalities of the ...