The present study was designed to assess the relationship between gap junctions and the maturation of a clock system in rat granulosa cells stimulated by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Immature and mature granulosa cells were prepared by puncturing the ovaries of diethylstilbestrol- and equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG)-treated mouse Period2 (Per2)-dLuc reporter gene transgenic rats, res...

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is secreted from the preantral and small antral follicles. It regulates follicle development and inhibits follicular atresia. This study examined how age, parity, and time after parturition affect plasma AMH concentrations in Japanese Black cows. We measured plasma AMH concentrations in primiparous, secundiparous, and multiparous (third parity or higher) cows at fou...

The present study was aimed to study the effect of an ovine follicular fluid peptide on ovarian follicle and good oocyte numbers and weights of ovary, uterus, liver, pancreas and kidney in rats, R. norvegicus. A 30.1 kDa peptide was isolated from ovine follicular fluid by ammonium sulphate precipitation and then gel filtration. The peptide was tested at various levels in normal (22 and 36 day-o...

Seasonal changes in the number of polyovular follicles were estimated in a Vespertilionid bat, Scotophilus heathi. The largest number of polyovular follicles was observed during September, which coincided with the period of maximum development of intra-ovarian rete cells cord. It has been suggested that interaction between rete cells cord and follicle may be responsible for giving rise to a num...

BACKGROUND Human Plexin-B1 is expressed in two truncated forms. The long form encodes a trans-membranal protein, while the short form, which is bound to the cell surface and partially secreted, possibly serves as a decoy receptor. Plexin receptors are trans-membrane proteins. The sema domain, found in the extracellular region, is common to all plexins, semaphorins, and the scatter factor recept...

Background: The ultrastructural analysis of cultured follicles could direct us to understand subcellular changes during in vitro culture. Objective: This study was done to verify the ultrastructural characteristics of in vitro cultured mouse isolated preantral follicles in co-culture system in the presence and absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) Materials and Methods: Mechanically isola...

BACKGROUND The alpha particle emitter 211At is proposed for therapy of metastatic tumour disease. 211At is accumulated in the thyroid gland in a similar way as iodine. Dosimetric models of 211At in the thyroid are needed for radiation protection assessments for 1) patients receiving 211At-labelled pharmaceuticals where 211At may be released in vivo and 2) personnel working with 211At. Before cl...