BACKGROUND The aim of this work was to examine the effect of 1,2-propanediol (PrOH) and type of cryopreservation procedure (slow freezing and vitrification) on oocyte physiology. METHODS Intracellular calcium of mouse metaphase II (MII) oocytes was quantified by fluorescence microscopy. The effect of PrOH on cell physiology was further assessed through analysis of zona pellucida hardening and...

Optical techniques have revolutionized the investigation of cardiac cellular physiology and advanced our understanding of basic mechanisms of electrical activity, calcium homeostasis, and metabolism. Although optical methods are widely accepted and have been at the forefront of scientific discoveries, they have been primarily applied at cellular and subcellular levels and considerably less to w...

considering the emphasis of islam on the importance of fasting, muslims attempt to fast from dawn until sunset during the holy month of ramadan. fasting is associated with several benefits for normal and healthy individuals. however, it could pose high risks to the health of diabetic patients due to certain physiological changes. this study aimed to compare the physiological changes associated ...

labor is a physiological event involving a sequential, integrated set of changes within the myometrium, deciduas, and uterine cervix that occur gradually over a period of days to weeks. biochemical connective tissue changes in the uterine cervix appear to precede uterine contractions and cervical dilation, and all of these events usually occur before rupture of the fetal membranes. in other wor...

This study established two- and three-dimensional renal proximal tubular cell cultures of the endangered species bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), developed SV40-transfected cultures, and cloned the 61-amino acid open reading frame for the metallothionein protein, the primary binding site for heavy metal contamination in mammals. Microgravity research, modulations in mechanical culture condit...

This Editorial Guide describes an area of active signaling research. A challenge signaling researchers face is understanding how the information gained by analysis at the cellular and molecular levels can be translated to understanding higher-order organismal physiology and pathophysiology.