OBJECTIVE To detect plasminogen and plasminogen activators (PA) in oviduct and oocytes and to clarify the role of the plasminogen/plasmin system on mammalian fertilization. DESIGN Experimental prospective study. SETTING Mammalian reproduction research laboratory. ANIMAL(S) Oviducts and ovaries from porcine and bovine females were collected at slaughterhouse. A total of 52 oviducts and 2,2...

The Lidia bovine breed is the most successful cattle breed on the Iberian Peninsula, also considered a hallmark of Spanish tradition and image around the world. The aims of the study were to characterize the oocyte recovery rates and to evaluate the effect of two standard in vitro maturation protocols on oocyte maturation (cumulus expansion and nuclear maturation) and fertilization rates after ...

There is currently much interest in assisted reproduction techniques in the horse, however, many aspects of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo development in the horse differ from those in other species. Because of the close attachment of the equine oocyte to the follicle wall, scraping of the follicle is the most effective method for oocyte recovery. A notable feature of equine oocyt...

A major challenge of assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) is to mimic the natural environment required to sustain oocyte and embryo survival. Herein, we show that the ceramide-metabolizing enzyme, acid ceramidase (AC), is expressed in human cumulus cells and follicular fluid, essential components of this environment, and that the levels of this enzyme are positively correlated with the qua...

Magnetic cell sorting (MACS) using annexin V-conjugated microbeads eliminates apoptotic spermatozoa based on the externalization of phosphatidylserine residues. The procedure delivers two sperm fractions: annexin V-negative (nonapoptotic) and annexin V-positive (apoptotic). Our aim was to determine whether the sperm fertilizing potential can be improved by selecting a nonapoptotic fraction usin...

Recent reports have suggested that when unfertilized oocytes with a spermatozoon after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are properly activated, the activated oocytes develop normally similar to fertilized oocytes. However, human oocytes do not easily respond to universal activators of mammalian oocytes like ethanol or calcium ionophore A23187, which induce a calcium transient in ooplasm....

The frequency of iatrogenic spondylodiscitis is clearly increasing, which may reflect the increasing number of aggressive interventional procedures which may cause it. One of these is oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilisation. The authors describe a case of Streptococcus faecalis L5-S1 spondylodiscitis. Conservative treatment is the rule, but surgery may be indicated in specific cases such as...

Background: The biochemical characteristics of the follicular fluid (FF) play essential role in oocyte quality, the subsequent fertilization potential and embryo development. The oocyte quality and metabolism largely depends on follicular microenvironment. Present study aimed to investigate the relationship between oocyte quality and FF homocysteine (Hcy) level in women undergoing to IVF treatm...

We carried out a prospective study of 221 healthy women who were attempting pregnancy. During the study, women collected daily urine samples and kept daily records of intercourse. Ovulation and early pregnancy losses were later identified by immunoassays of urinary human chorionic gonadotrophin and steroid metabolites. We have used these data to examine whether the risk of early pregnancy loss ...

Drastic membrane reorganization occurs when mammalian sperm binds to and fuses with the oocyte membrane. Two oocyte protein families are essential for fertilization, tetraspanins and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. The firsts are associated to tetraspanin-enriched microdomains and the seconds to lipid rafts. Here we report membrane raft involvement in mouse fertilization assesse...