This study is a long-term evaluation of the total pregnancy potential of cohorts of fresh and cryopreserved sibling embryos from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles stimulated with either the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue buserelin (BUS) (long protocol) or clomiphene citrate (CC) both in combination with human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG). Therefore a retrospective analysis was per...

Human embryo development occurs through a process that encompasses reprogramming, sequential cleavage divisions and mitotic chromosome segregation and embryonic genome activation. Chromosomal abnormalities may arise during germ cell and/or pre-implantation embryo development, and are a major cause of spontaneous miscarriage or birth defects. Nonetheless, model systems suitable for the study of ...

the cytokine of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (gm-csf) is a glycoprotein, which is synthesized in the female reproductive tract and has embryonic trophic effect in mammals. the objective of this study was to examine the optimal dosage of gm-csf to improve the mouse embryo development in vitro. to collect two and eight cells embryos, the pregnant nmri mice were sacrificed by c...

Embryo quality during the in vitro developmental period is of great clinical importance. Experimental genetic studies during this period have demonstrated the association between specific gene expression profiles and the production of healthy blastocysts. Although the quality of the oocyte may play a major role in embryo development, it has been well established that the post - fertilization pe...

The emergence of pluripotent epiblast (EPI) and primitive endoderm (PrE) lineages within the inner cell mass (ICM) of the mouse blastocyst involves initial co-expression of lineage-associated markers followed by mutual exclusion and salt-and-pepper distribution of lineage-biased cells. Precisely how EPI and PrE cell fate commitment occurs is not entirely clear; however, previous studies in mice...

BACKGROUND Assisted hatching (AH) in fresh embryo transfer (ET) could be associated with increased implantation rates. However, very few prospective randomized studies have specifically addressed the issue of AH during frozen-thawed embryo transfers (FET) cycles, those that have reported controversial results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of an enzymatic zona pellucida trea...

Abstract Implantation depends on bi-directional communication between the blastocyst and endometrium. Encoded in this is information maternal embryonic fitness, which turn can lead to activation of species-specific reproductive suppression mechanisms. For example, blastocysts over 130 mammals, although not humans, respond presence or absence specific endocrine endometrial cues by entering exiti...

It has been suggested that first embryo cleavage can be related with the embryonic-abembryonic axis at blastocyst stage in mice. Thus, cells of the 2-cell embryo might be already biased to form the inner cell mass or trophectoderm. This study was conducted to observe the possible effects of embryo biopsy on cell allocation patterns during embryo preimplantation in two different mouse strains an...

Maternal RNA/protein degradation and zygotic genome activation (ZGA), occurring during maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), are the first essential events for the development of pre-implantation embryos. Previously, we have shown the importance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) for initiation of minor ZGA at the 1-cell stage of mouse embryos. However, little is known about the mechanism...

In the present study, the effect of oral administration of Melia azedarach Linn. (dharek) seed extract on fertility index, uterine weight and various histological and biochemical parameters of uterus were studied in the adult cyclic Wistar rats. Average number of embryos and implantation losses in the pregnant animals treated with dharek seed extract was also studied. The extract was prepared u...