Developmental potential of in vitro or in vivo matured oocytes

Summary This study compared the embryological features of mature and immature oocytes (different stages) collected from stimulated cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Immature oocytes were identified, classified as PI (prophase I -germinal vesicle, GV) or MI (metaphase I), were matured in vitro and fertilized using the intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique. Fertilization potential, cleavage, and subsequent transfer/cryopreservation of the embryos derived from these in vitro matured oocytes were compared with those of in vivo matured oocytes (collected at the MII stage). The characteristics of embryos derived from gametes recovered in the MI and MII stages were similar. The fertilization rate of immature oocytes recovered in PI was significantly lower than that of MII oocytes (P = 0.031), and the cleavage rate of the PI group was also lower than that of the MI (P = 0.004) and MII (P < 0.001) groups. In vitro maturation of MI oocytes is a suitable alternative when immature oocytes are recovered, as their characteristics and development are similar to those of in vivo matured oocytes. Optimization of outcomes for PI oocytes will require development of techniques that can distinguish which of these gametes will mature and fertilize

Transvaginal ultrasound ovarian diathermy: sheep as an experimental model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some techniques of transvaginal ovarian drilling have been previously described. Nevertheless a monopolar transvaginal ovarian cauterization, that use the expertise and safety of transvaginal puncture for oocyte captation seems to be an easier and feasible approach. The aim of this study was to develop a minimally invasive ovarian cauterization technique under transvaginal ultrasound control, and to evaluate the safety of the transvaginal ovarian monopolar cauterization, female sheep at reproductive age were used as an experimental model.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>An experimental study was performed in a university research center. Seventeen female sheep (15 Corriedale e 2 Suffolk) in reproductive age were submitted to transvaginal ovarian cauterization with a monopolar Valleylab Force 2 electrocautery. Macroscopic and microscopic lesions were assessed. Ovarian size were 1.31 cm²± 0,43 (Corriedale) and 3.41 cm²± 0,64 (Suffolk). From 30 ovaries from Corriedale sheep punctured, only 3 were cauterized, presenting macroscopic and typical microscopic lesion. In the Suffolk sheep group, only one ovary was cauterized. No lesion could be found in the needle path.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first experimental animal model described for ovarian cauterization needle guided by transvaginal ultrasound. The sheep does not seem to be the ideal animal model to study this technique. Another animal model, whose ovaries are better identified by transvaginal ultrasound should be sought for this technique, theoretically less invasive, before it could be offered safely to women with polycystic ovary syndrome.</p

Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: beyond fiber and antispasmodic agents

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown etiology. The diagnosis of IBS is made clinically, using symptom-based criteria such as the Manning or Rome criteria. Medical therapy for this condition has traditionally been directed towards symptom relief, using fiber or antispasmodic agents. In recent years, emerging data have confirmed the efficacy of antidepressants, psychological therapies, 5-HT3 antagonists, 5-HT4 agonists, and probiotics in the short-term treatment of IBS, although whether these therapies influence the long-term course of the disease is unknown. Increasing knowledge regarding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying IBS has resulted in a number of novel molecular treatments, which show promise. These include therapies targeting gastrointestinal mucosal chloride channels and guanylate cyclase-C receptors, as well as highly selective agents influencing serotonergic transmission that, at the time of writing, do not appear to have any severe deleterious effects. In this article we provide a summary of current and emerging therapies in this field

O catolicismo como ideal: produção literária antijudaica no mundo português da Idade Moderna

Nos séculos XVII e XVIII difundiu-se em Portugal uma grande quantidade de obras de polêmica antijudaica quando oficialmente já não existiam judeus no país. Essas obras (tratados, diálogos, sermões, panfletos) por vezes tinham o objetivo aparente de converter sinceramente os cristãos-novos, que continuavam a ser identificados aos judeus. De modo mais freqüente, visavam rebaixar os cristãos-novos e alertar a população cristã-velha sobre o perigo que eles representariam para a sociedade, sendo aqueles postos no tradicional papel de bodes expiatórios, desta vez do declínio do poderio português.<br>During the centuries XVII and XVIII, when officially there were no more Jews in the country, a wide variety of works against Judaism appeared in Portugal. These works (treatises, dialogues, sermons, pamphlets) sometimes aimed at the conversion of the New Christians, who were still identified to Jews. More often, however, their goal was to alert the population about the problems they could bring to society and blame them for the decline of the Portuguese empire