BACKGROUND

Ovarian follicles undergo dynamic morphologic and endocrinologic changes during the human menstrual cycle. The physiologic mechanisms underlying recruitment and selection of antral follicles in women are not fully elucidated.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of >200 studies was conducted using PubMed. The objective was to compare and contrast different perspectives on human antral folliculogenesis.

RESULTS

Antral folliculogenesis has been studied using histologic, endocrinologic and/or ultrasonographic techniques. Different theories of antral follicle recruitment include: (i) continuous recruitment throughout the menstrual cycle; (ii) recruitment of a ‘cohort’ of antral follicles once in the late-luteal phase or early-follicular phase of each cycle and (iii) recruitment of two or three ‘cohorts’ or ‘waves’  during each cycle. Generally, a single dominant follicle is selected in the mid-follicular phase of each cycle and this follicle ovulates at mid-cycle. However, a dominant follicle may also be selected during anovulatory waves that precede the ovulatory wave in some women.

CONCLUSIONS

There is increasing evidence to indicate that multiple waves of antral follicles develop during the human menstrual cycle. Ovarian follicular waves in women are comparable with those documented in several animal species; however, species-specific differences exist. Enhancing our understanding of the endocrine and paracrine mechanisms underlying antral follicular wave dynamics has clinical implications for understanding age-related changes in reproductive function, optimizing hormonal contraceptive and ovarian stimulation regimens and identifying non-invasive markers of the physiologic status of follicles which are predictive of oocyte competence and assisted reproduction outcomes.

Source:
http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Meiosis is a unique form of cell division in which cells divide twice but DNA is duplicated only once. Errors in chromosome segregation during meiosis will result in aneuploidy, followed by loss of the conceptus during pregnancy or birth defects. During mitosis, cells utilize a mechanism called the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to ensure faithful chromosome segregation. A similar mechanism has been uncovered for meiosis in the last decade, especially in the past several years.

METHODS

For this review, we included data and relevant information obtained through a PubMed database search for all articles published in English from 1991 through 2011 which included the term ‘meiosis’, ‘spindle assembly checkpoint’, or ‘SAC’.

RESULTS

There are 91 studies included. Evidence for the existence of SAC functions in meiosis is provided by studies on the SAC proteins mitotic-arrest deficient-1 (Mad1), Mad2, budding uninhibited by benzimidazole-1 (Bub1), Bub3, BubR1 and Mps1; microtubule-kinetochore attachment regulators Ndc80 complex, chromosomal passenger complex, mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK), kinetochore null 1 (KNL1) and Mis12 complex and spindle stability regulators.

CONCLUSIONS

SAC and its regulators exist and function in meiosis, and their malfunctions may cause germ cell aneuploidy. However, species and sexual differences exist. Moreover, interaction of SAC components with other regulators is still poorly understood, which needs further study.

Source:
http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

Loop is a command in computer programming, allowing set content to repeat itself continually.

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LOOP ME trailer - Video

Junior Animated Atlas of Reproductive System (English)-When sperm cell meets the egg cell to form a new cell 'Zygote' the fertilizations is called to take place. To watch this on screen, link to an appropriate page. This is a snippet from the video

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Junior Animated Atlas of Human Anatomy and Physiology: Reproductive System - English - Video

stem cell research, human cloning, human reproduction, evolution, freeman tv, freeman radio show, conspiracy theory, paradigm shift, thematrix, reality, religion and polits, freemasons, illumanati, aliens, ufo, rael, renegade, renaissance, radiance, rosebud, hg wells, http://www.freemantv.com, world health care, blue fly productions, jordan maxwell, the 911 truth movement, rainbow family, georgia guide stones, radiofreeman.com, knight of the sun, sirius, HAARP, chemtrails, CERN, trauma based mind control, reality, magic mushrooms, black magicians, jewish, predictive programming, the templars, the vatican, hebrew alphabet, hyperdimensional space, letters mean pulses or vigrations, spiritual dna, moses, red sea, kaballa, tarot, the book of life, major and minor arcana, tree of life, alyster crowley, rex church, satanism, worshiping satan, occult, stranglets, the god particle, higgs and the collider, your soul, paradigm shift, department of defense, dod, nasa, asteroids, meteors, sonic boom earthquake, floods, red ice radio, great pyramids and capping in gold, project bluebeam, spacewars.com, bolides, annunaki, michael tsarion, zacharia sitchen, the greys, aliens, subterranian species, alien abductions, crossbreeding, road to world war 3, ww3, wwIII, phobos great mission, mars,moon, kenetic weapon, militarize space, startreck, startrec, project disclosure, stephen greer, ufo, et, extraterrestrial life and technology, altruistic beliefs, the tv show V, the new world order, NWO ...

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Are YOU Adaptable? Freeman Perspective Update - Video

AUDIO TAKEN FROM THE SINGLE , BUT CAN BE FOUND ON SOME VERSIONS OF THE FIRST ALBUM (Reproduction)OTHER ALBUMS TO GET (Travelogue )AND AT A PUSH(DARE) ,GOOD TRACKS ON IT BUT THE POP WORLD WAS CALLING (DONT YOU WANT ME BABY) ETC.CHARTS KILL BANDS!

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HUMAN LEAGUE - BEING BOILED -(EARLY) - Video

This is my response to Kevin Biomech's video in which he commented on my positive stance towards the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT). I'm very skeptical towards an ever expanding human population, mainly because humans as a species are still acting irresponsibly, increasing consumption without putting enough effort into achieving sustainability.

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Reproduction at all costs? - Population growth and VHEMT - Video

From the album Reproduction.

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The Human League - Austerity / Girl One - Video

Taken from the Leagues first album "Reproduction"

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The Human League - Zero As A limit - Video

Part 2: Reproductive Technologies Availability, Consequences Speakers: Reva Siegel, Nicholas deB.

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Reproductive Rights, Human Rights, and the Human Right to Health: Pt 2 - Video

ivftreatmentindia.wordpress.com One of the major causes of female infertility is either complete absence of ovulation or abnormal ovulation. Successful production of oocytes is influenced by numerous hormones with very delicate balances that create the woman's normal cycle. Frequently the production of hormones is off balance, resulting in infrequent or no ovulation.

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IUI and ovulation induction - Video

Biological education, while consistent with new knowledge, ought also to be relevant to real-life experiences within sociocultural and ethical contexts.

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Lifestyle, Fertility and the Assisted Reproductive Technologies - Video

ESHRE has been running courses for basic semen analysis since 1994 and course material has been updated regularly in response to new findings and publications. Following publication of the 5th edition of the WHO laboratory manual, entitled WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen (WHO5), the Subcommittee for training of the ESHRE Special Interest Group for Andrology evaluated potential amendments to its course. In respect of the updated ESHRE course, there are eight particular areas of discourse that are reviewed (i) maintaining the four-class differential motility count allowing distinction between rapid and slow progressive sperm for assisted reproduction technology. (ii) Maintaining the four-category assessment for sperm morphology with calculation of the teratozoospermic index. (iii) Continuing to advocate the use of three categories of results: ‘normal’, ‘borderline’ and ‘abnormal’ with respect to the clinical interpretation of the data. (iv) Presenting clear and unequivocal methods for performing assessments e.g. morphology. (v) Correcting the inconsistencies in WHO5, some of which are actually erroneous. (vi) Reducing the requirements for substantial extra work for what are unestablished improvements in accuracy and/or precision in the final results. (vii) Presentation of logical methods of sperm preparation. (viii) Discussion of the suddenly changed limits between fertile and subfertile men.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

In non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is successful in ~50% of cases. A parameter for predicting TESE quality and pregnancy rates after ICSI of testicular spermatozoa is still lacking.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated the total testicular volume (TTV), hormone levels and TESE quality in 280 patients with NOA. After successful TESE, the characteristics of the ICSI cycles and the take-home baby rates were evaluated.

RESULTS

TESE was successful in 149 patients (53.2%). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only TTV, FSH and inhibin B were correlated with the TESE outcome. A score including these three parameters was the best predictor of successful TESE (positive likelihood ratio: +3.01). When the score was <18.5, TESE was successful in 77.4% of cases and ‘sperm rich’ (i.e. yielding >100 spermatozoa) in 91.1% of cases; 42.8% of couples took a baby home. The take-home baby rate did not depend on whether the score was <18.5 or between 18.5 and 3700. If the score was >3700, TESE was successful in 37.8% of cases and ‘sperm rich’ in 14.3% of cases; only one couple took a baby home (a rate of 7.7 versus 42.8% when the score was <18.5; P< 0.001). Owing to low sperm retrieval on the day of oocyte retrieval, fewer oocytes were injected when the score was >3700 than when <3700.

CONCLUSIONS

Thanks to better knowledge of TESE quality, the present score could help to improve care and pre-ICSI counseling for patients with NOA.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer and other diseases can cause male infertility. There are currently no options to preserve the fertility of prepubertal boys who are not yet making sperm. Cryopreservation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs, obtained via testicular biopsy) followed by autologous transplantation back into the testes at a later date may restore fertility in these patients. However, this approach carries an inherent risk of reintroducing cancer.

METHODS

To address this aspect of SSC transplantation safety, prepubertal non-human primate testis cell suspensions were inoculated with MOLT4 T-lymphoblastic leukemia cells and subsequently sorted for cell surface markers CD90 (THY-1) and CD45.

RESULTS

Cancer cells segregated to the CD90–/CD45+ fraction and produced tumors in nude mice. Nearly all sorted DEAD box polypeptide 4-positive (VASA+) spermatogonia segregated to the CD90+/CD45– fraction. In a preliminary experiment, a purity check of the sorted putative stem cell fraction (CD90+/CD45–) revealed 0.1% contamination with cancer cells, which was sufficient to produce tumors in nude mice. We hypothesized that the contamination resulted from mis-sorting due to cell clumping and employed singlet discrimination (SD) in four subsequent experiments. Purity checks revealed no cancer cell contamination in the CD90+/CD45– fraction from three of the four SD replicates and these fractions produced no tumors when transplanted into nude mouse testes.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that spermatogonia can be separated from contaminating malignant cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting prior to SSC transplantation and that post-sorting purity checks are required to confirm elimination of malignant cells.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Cancer/testis (CT) antigens are cancer antigens normally expressed in adult testicular germ cells. The expression of chromosome X-encoded CT antigens (CT-X antigens) in human fetal gonads and in testicular seminomas was examined.

METHODS

The expression of 10 CT-X antigens (MAGEA, NY-ESO-1, GAGE, CT7/MAGEC1, CT10/MAGEC2, CT45, SAGE1, SSX2, NXF2 and SPANX) was studied immunohistochemically.

RESULTS

In adult human testis, SPANX is expressed in late spermatids and spermatozoa, whereas all other CT-X antigens are predominantly expressed in spermatogonia or primary spermatocytes. All CT-X antigens except SPANX are expressed in human fetal germ cells. CT-X-positive germ cells appear as early as 13 weeks after gestation, increase with age and reach a plateau at around 22 weeks. In the fetal ovary, CT-X-positive oogonia are most abundant at around 24 weeks and sharply decrease subsequently. CT-X antigens are almost exclusively expressed in OCT3/4-negative gonocytes and their expression appears to coincide with the loss of pluripotency. Spermatocytic seminoma, a neoplasm derived from adult pre-meiotic germ cells, showed uniform expression of all CT-X antigens except SPANX. In contrast, most seminomas (>80%) express CT7, CT45, GAGE and CT10 but express MAGEA, NXF2 and NY-ESO-1 at lower frequency, and very rarely express SSX2 and SAGE1.

CONCLUSIONS

Most CT-X antigens are expressed in human fetal germ cells after they have lost stem cell characteristics, with predominant expression in pre-meiotic germ cells. Spermatocytic seminomas showed expression of all CT-X antigens except SPANX, whereas classical seminomas only express some CT-X antigens, reflecting their different origins from adult versus fetal germ cells.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Generation of controlled amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phosphorylation of protein tyrosine residues (Tyr) are two closely related changes involved in sperm capacitation. This study investigated the effect of altered endogenous ROS production on Tyr-phosphorylation (Tyr-P), acrosome reaction (AR) and cell viability during sperm capacitation. The possible origin of the altered ROS production was also evaluated by apocynin (APO) or oligomycin (Oligo) addition.

METHODS

A total of 63 samples of purified sperm were analysed for ROS production by enhanced chemiluminescence, Tyr-P pattern by immunocytochemistry, and AR and viability by fluorochrome fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled peanut (Arachis hypogaea) agglutinin and propidium iodide positivity, respectively.

RESULTS

Samples were divided into four categories depending on the ability of sperm to produce ROS, expressed as Relative Luminescence Units (RLU), in capacitating conditions: low ROS production (LRP), range about 0.0–0.05 RLU; normal (NRP), 0.05–0.1 RLU; high (HRP), 0.1–0.4 RLU; very high (VHRP) 0.4–2.0 RLU. In NRP sperm heads, capacitation induced Tyr-P in 87.9 ± 4.3%, and the AR occurred in 62.5 ± 5.4% of cells; in LRP, HRP and VHRP Tyr-P labelling rarely spread over the head, acrosome-reacted cells only accounted for a small number of sperm, and the non-viable cells (NVC) were increased. The addition of APO, but not Oligo, drastically decreased ROS production in analysed samples.

CONCLUSIONS

This study proposes the optimal threshold for endogenous ROS production for correct sperm viability and functioning, and indicates the direct involvement of APO-sensitive NADPH oxidase in ROS production.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) is a valuable tool for prediction of fertility in vivo, with DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of 30% as a clinically useful cut-off level. Previous studies on fertile men have shown a high level of repeatability, with an intra-individual variability in DFI of ~10%. However, conflicting data on how much the DFI fluctuates within individuals exist. The aim of the present study was to investigate the intra-individual variation of DFI in order to further evaluate the clinical use of SCSA.

METHODS

Among 2409 consecutive men under infertility investigation, repeated SCSA analyses were performed on 616 samples from men between 18 and 66 years of age. The coefficient of variation (CV) for DFI was calculated. For each patient, we also analyzed whether the DFI value in tests I and II switched the category from <30 to >30%, or vice versa.

RESULTS

Mean CV for DFI for men with at least two SCSA analyses within a 30-month period was 30.1% (SD 21.5). Compared with the first test, 85% (95% confidence interval: 82–87%) of the men remained on the same side of the cut-off point of 30%.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite showing a high intra-individual CV for DFI, 85% of the men from infertile couples did not change category between tests, with respect to the cut-off level of 30%. Thus, using the previously established DFI cut-off value of 30%, a single SCSA analysis has a high predictive value for assessing fertility in vivo.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

There has been an ongoing debate in the reproductive field about whether mammalian spermatozoa rely on glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation or both for their energy production. Recent studies have proposed that human spermatozoa depend mainly on glucose for motility and fertilization but the mechanism behind an efficient glycolysis in human spermatozoa is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate how human spermatozoa utilize exogenous pyruvate to enhance glycolytic ATP production, motility, hyperactivation and capacitation, events that are crucial for male fertility.

METHODS

Purified human spermatozoa from healthy donors were incubated under capacitating conditions (including albumin, bicarbonate and glucose) and tested for changes in ATP levels, motility, hyperactivation and tyrosine phosphorylation after treatment with pyruvate. The experiments were repeated in the presence of sodium cyanide in order to assess the contribution from mitochondrial respiration. The metabolism of ¹³C labeled glucose and pyruvate was traced by a combination of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

The treatment of human spermatozoa with exogenous pyruvate increased intracellular ATP levels, progressive motility and hyperactivation by 56, 21 and 130%, respectively. In addition, added pyruvate induced a significant increase in tyrosine phosphorylation levels. Blocking of the electron transport chain did not markedly affect the results, indicating that the mechanism is independent of oxidative phosphorylation. However, the observed effects could be counteracted by oxamate, an inhibitor of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Metabolic tracing experiments revealed that the observed rise in ATP concentration resulted from an enhanced glycolytic flux, which was increased by more than 50% in the presence of exogenous pyruvate. Moreover, all consumed ¹³C labeled pyruvate added was converted to lactate rather than oxidized in the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

Human spermatozoa seem to rely mainly, if not entirely, on glycolysis as the source of ATP fueling the energy-demanding processes of motility and capacitation. The efficient glycolysis is dependent on exogenous pyruvate, which indirectly feeds the accelerated glycolysis with NAD⁺ through the LDH-mediated conversion of pyruvate to lactate. Pyruvate is present in the human female reproductive tract at concentrations in accordance with our results. As seen in other mammals, the motility and fertility of human spermatozoa seem to be dictated by the available energy substrates present in the conspecific female.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Largehead Atractylodes Rhizome (LAR) is the most commonly used Chinese medicine to prevent early pregnancy loss due to threatened miscarriage. However, its safety profile during pregnancy is still not available. Here we aimed to identify the potential adverse effects of LAR on embryo-fetal development as well as prenatal and post-natal growth.

METHODS

Pregnant mice, rats and rabbits were orally administered with LAR extracts in various doses (from 1x, 2x, 3x and up to 6x clinical doses) at different gestational periods (implantation, gastrulation, organogenesis, maturation and whole gestation). Maternal effects on weight loss, implantation failure and fetal resorption and perinatal effects on developmental delay, growth restriction and congenital malformations were studied.

RESULTS

In mice, with early LAR exposure, a significant decrease in fetal growth parameters and a significant increase in post-implantation loss were identified. With late LAR exposure, significant increases in gestational duration as well as prenatal and post-natal mortality were found. At high clinical doses, congenital skeletal malformations were recorded. In rabbits, fetal resorption, hydrops fetalis and short ear anomaly were observed. No significant adverse effects were found in rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Potential reproductive toxicity of LAR in pregnant animals was identified within the clinical dose. Caution should be taken in clinical applications of LAR during pregnancy.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml