Follicular selection predominantly depends on granulosa cell apoptosis in porcine ovaries, but the molecular mechanisms regulating the induction of apoptosis in granulosa cells during follicular selection remain incompletely understood. To determine the role of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), which suppresses caspase-3, -7 and -9 activities and acts as an endogenous inhibitor of...

HYPOTHESIS Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV (DPP IV) activity in cytological samples from a follicular thyroid tumor is the most sensitive and specific indicator for the detection of follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV activity is independent of cytological characteristics and superior to other clinical findings. DESIGN AND PATIENT SELECTION: Among the patients s...

BACKGROUND Follicular aspirates represent a snapshot in time of conditions within the follicle at oocyte retrieval in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. This clinical material has been much investigated and yet its cellular composition remains unclear. In this study we investigated the origin and profile of leukocytes found within follicular aspirates. METHODS We per...

B lymphocytes are required for the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice. Previous studies established that a lymphopenic transitional (TR) B cell compartment reduces the competitive constraint on the entry of newly emerging TR B cells into the splenic follicle (FO), thereby disrupting a peripheral negative selection checkpoint in NOD mice. Thus, development of clinically feasible imm...

Monoclonal antibodies specific for programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1, best known as PD-1) have been shown to mediate antineoplastic effects in follicular lymphoma patients. However, the relative proportion of intratumoral PD-1+ T-cell subsets, in particular follicular helper T cells (which exert pro-tumor functions) and effector T cells (which have anticancer activity), may impact clinical outcome...

Polar cells have been described as pairs of specific follicular cells present at each pole of Drosophila egg chambers. They are required at different stages of oogenesis for egg chamber formation and establishment of both the anteroposterior and planar polarities of the follicular epithelium. We show that definition of polar cell pairs is a progressive process since early stage egg chambers con...

The preantral-early antral follicle transition is the penultimate stage of follicular development in terms of gonadotropin dependence and follicle destiny (growth versus atresia). Follicular growth during this period is tightly regulated by oocyte-granulosa-theca cell interactions. Formation of the theca cell layer is a key event that occurs during this transitional stage. Granulosal factor(s) ...

Follicular helper T (T(FH)) cells participate in humoral responses providing selection signals to germinal center B cells. Recently, expression of CXCR5, PD-1, and the transcription factor Bcl-6 has allowed the identification of T(FH) cells. We found that a proportion of follicular T cells, with phenotypic characteristics of T(FH) cells and expressing Foxp3, are recruited during the course of a...

OBJECTIVE The validity of prior studies on the menstrual cycle and suicide attempts assumes that suicidal women accurately describe their cycles. The three objectives of this study were 1) to explore whether prior inconsistencies are due to the effects of sample selection and method of assessment of the menstrual cycle, 2) to assess the relationship between the menstrual cycle phase and suicide...