Adverse conditions in utero can have transgenerational effects, in the absence of a subsequent insult. We aimed to investigate the contribution of the maternal pregnancy environment vs. germ line effects in mediating alterations to cardiorenal and metabolic physiology in offspring from mothers born small. Uteroplacental insufficiency was induced by bilateral uterine artery and vein ligation (Re...

Clinical studies have shown that in pathological conditions such as endometriosis and reproductive tract infection (male and female) there is an activation status of macrophages that produce large quantities of nitric oxide (NO) in addition to other effector molecules. Large amounts of NO may have embryotoxic roles and produce infertility. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of diffe...

Embryo transfer (ET) in cattle has been commercially practiced in a number of countries for nearly four decades. Numerous technologies have been introduced and adopted by the industry during this period, including non-surgical embryo recovery and transfer, closely timed hormonal synchronization of donor and recipient estrous cycles, reliable cryopreservation of embryos and direct transfer follo...

Gamete and embryo donation, although technically fairly straightforward, are psychologically, emotionally and socially complex, having significant impact on parents and donor offspring. The activity follows a pathway that can be distinguished in multiple phases, each characterized by specific choices and dilemmas for which no standard solutions are available (Figure 1). The expectations, belief...

One of the several factors that contribute to the low efficiency of mammalian somatic cloning is poor fusion between the small somatic donor cell and the large recipient oocyte. This study was designed to test phytohemagglutinin (PHA) agglutination activity on fusion rate, and subsequent developmental potential of cloned bovine embryos. The toxicity of PHA was established by examining its effec...

BACKGROUND Embryo donation is a recently approved practice in New Zealand. Guidelines require disclosure of donor identity, openness, joint donor and recipient counselling and ethics approval on a case-by-case basis. This study explores the roles and practices of fertility counsellors in the context of New Zealand's policies. METHODS Nine fertility counsellors were interviewed regarding their...

during spring, summer and winter seasons, sistani donor cows, with normal reproductive status, were superovulated and embryos were recovered non-surgically on day 7. grade a blastocyst embryos were either transferred fresh (spring) or frozen (summer and winter). recovered embryos during summer and winter were exposed to glycerol and frozen using conventional method. during spring season, recipi...

Attitudes towards information sharing in donor conception have changed in recent years in some parts of the world, with a move towards openness. This study follows up a sample of embryo donation mothers, examining their current disclosure patterns and comparing them with adoptive and IVF mothers to investigate any influence of the method of family creation. This study compared 17 mothers with a...

The improvement in porcine embryo preservation and non-surgical embryo transfer (ET) procedures achieved in recent years represents essential progress for the practical use of ET in the pig industry. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of parity, weaning-to-estrus interval (WEI) and season on reproductive and embryonic parameters at day 6 after insemination of donor sows superovulated afte...