Based on ethnographic research in Athens, this paper argues that in vitro fertilization (IVF) in urban Greece does not so much make explicit the social construction of nature, as has been argued of the US and UK, but is accommodated into a prior understanding of "nature" as socially realized. Calling upon an ethic of maternal sacrifice, Athenian women see themselves taking charge of a natural p...

This paper examines the metaphysical question of 'ensoulment' in relation to the theory, put forward in an earlier paper, that human life begins when the newly formed body organs and systems of the embryo begin to function as an organised whole, at which stage there is evidence of a change of nature. Although Roman Catholic theology teaches that a human being is a union of physical body and spi...

harlequin ichthyosis is a rare and the most severe form of congenital ichthyosis. although prenatal diagnosis is difficult for this disorder, recently, this obstacle has markedly improved with the use of dna-based prenatal diagnosis. here in, we presented a neonate with harlequin ichthyosis born by assisted reproductive technology (art). in this case, the diagnosis of harlequin ichthyosis was n...

background: peroxisome proliferative-activated receptors (ppars) are nuclear receptors that involved in cellular lipid metabolism and differentiation. the subtype ? of the ppar family (ppar?) plays important roles in physiologic functions of ovaries. objective: to determine correlation between ppar? protein level in granulosa cells and pregnancy rate in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (...

background: implantation remains a limiting step in ivf/icsi. endometrial injury isa promising procedure aiming at improving the implantation and pregnancy rates after ivf/icsi. objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endometrial injury induced in precedingcycle on ivf/icsi outcome. materials and methods: four hundred patients undergoing their first ivf/icsi cycle in two ...

This study evaluated the possible protective effect of royal jelly (RJ) on sperm parameters and sperm malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and in vitro fertilizing potential in nicotine (NIC) exposed male mice. Thrtiy-six male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into six groups (n = 6). Group 1 received normal saline, group 2 received 100 mg kg-1 per day RJ, groups 3 and 4 rece...

L-carnitine is required during the oxidation of lipids for the transport of fatty acids from the cytosol into the mitochondria for generation of energy. L-carnitine exerts a substantial antioxidant, anti-cytokines and anti apoptotic actions providing multi-mechanisms protective effects for the cell. The gametes in vitro may be exposed to damaging effects from oxidative stress (OS) due to either...

Background: This study intends to present the role of rescue in vitro maturation (IVM) in polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment who have inappropriate responses to ovarianstimulation.Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective case series study of five PCOS patients undergoing IVF treatmentconsidered for cycle ca...