Progesterone from the Cumulus Cells Is the Sperm Chemoattractant Secreted by the Rabbit Oocyte Cumulus Complex

Sperm chemotaxis in mammals have been identified towards several female sources as follicular fluid (FF), oviduct fluid, and conditioned medium from the cumulus oophorus (CU) and the oocyte (O). Though several substances were confirmed as sperm chemoattractant, Progesterone (P) seems to be the best chemoattractant candidate, because: 1) spermatozoa express a cell surface P receptor, 2) capacitated spermatozoa are chemotactically attracted in vitro by gradients of low quantities of P; 3) the CU cells produce and secrete P after ovulation; 4) a gradient of P may be kept stable along the CU; and 5) the most probable site for sperm chemotaxis in vivo could be near and/or inside the CU. The aim of this study was to verify whether P is the sperm chemoattractant secreted by the rabbit oocyte-cumulus complex (OCC) in the rabbit, as a mammalian animal model. By means of videomicroscopy and computer image analysis we observed that only the CU are a stable source of sperm attractants. The CU produce and secrete P since the hormone was localized inside these cells by immunocytochemistry and in the conditioned medium by enzyme immunoassay. In addition, rabbit spermatozoa express a cell surface P receptor detected by western blot and localized over the acrosomal region by immunocytochemistry. To confirm that P is the sperm chemoattractant secreted by the CU, the sperm chemotactic response towards the OCC conditioned medium was inhibited by three different approaches: P from the OCC conditioned medium was removed with an anti-P antibody, the attractant gradient of the OCC conditioned medium was disrupted by a P counter gradient, and the sperm P receptor was blocked with a specific antibody. We concluded that only the CU but not the oocyte secretes P, and the latter chemoattract spermatozoa by means of a cell surface receptor. Our findings may be of interest in assisted reproduction procedures in humans, animals of economic importance and endangered species

The supernatural characters and powers of sacred trees in the Holy Land

This article surveys the beliefs concerning the supernatural characteristics and powers of sacred trees in Israel; it is based on a field study as well as a survey of the literature and includes 118 interviews with Muslims and Druze. Both the Muslims and Druze in this study attribute supernatural dimensions to sacred trees which are directly related to ancient, deep-rooted pagan traditions. The Muslims attribute similar divine powers to sacred trees as they do to the graves of their saints; the graves and the trees are both considered to be the abode of the soul of a saint which is the source of their miraculous powers. Any violation of a sacred tree would be strictly punished while leaving the opportunity for atonement and forgiveness. The Druze, who believe in the transmigration of souls, have similar traditions concerning sacred trees but with a different religious background. In polytheistic religions the sacred grove/forest is a centre of the community's official worship; any violation of the trees is regarded as a threat to the well being of the community. Punishments may thus be collective. In the monotheistic world (including Christianity, Islam and Druze) the pagan worship of trees was converted into the worship/adoration of saints/prophets; it is not a part of the official religion but rather a personal act and the punishments are exerted only on the violating individual

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Identification of Premeiotic, Meiotic, and Postmeiotic Cells in Testicular Biopsies Without Sperm from Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome Patients

Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) affects about 26.3&#8315;57.8% of azoospermic men, with their seminiferous tubules containing only Sertoli cells. Recently, it was reported that testicular biopsies from nonobstructive azoospermic (NOA) patients contained germ cells, and that sperm could be found in the tubules of 20% of SCOS patients using testicular sperm extraction technology. Since the patients without sperm in their testicular biopsies do not have therapy to help them to father a biological child, in vitro maturation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) isolated from their testis is a new approach for possible future infertility treatment. Recently, the induction of human and mice SSCs proliferation and differentiation was demonstrated using different culture systems. Our group reported the induction of spermatogonial cell proliferation and differentiation to meiotic and postmeiotic stages in mice, rhesus monkeys, and prepubertal boys with cancer using 3D agar and methylcellulose (MCS) culture systems. The aim of the study was to identify the type of spermatogenic cells present in biopsies without sperm from SCOS patients, and to examine the possibility of inducing spermatogenesis from isolated spermatogonial cells of these biopsies in vitro using 3D MCS. We used nine biopsies without sperm from SCOS patients, and the presence of spermatogenic markers was evaluated by PCR and specific immunofluorescence staining analyses. Isolated testicular cells were cultured in MCS in the presence of StemPro enriched media with different growth factors and the development of colonies/clusters was examined microscopically. We examined the presence of cells from the different stages of spermatogenesis before and after culture in MCS for 3&#8315;7 weeks. Our results indicated that these biopsies showed the presence of premeiotic markers (two to seven markers/biopsy), meiotic markers (of nine biopsies, cAMP responsive element modulator-1 (CREM-1) was detected in five, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in five, and BOULE in three) and postmeiotic markers (protamine was detected in six biopsies and acrosin in three). In addition, we were able to induce the development of meiotic and/or postmeiotic stages from spermatogonial cells isolated from three biopsies. Thus, our study shows for the first time the presence of meiotic and/or postmeiotic cells in biopsies without the sperm of SCOS patients. Isolated cells from some of these biopsies could be induced to meiotic and/or postmeiotic stages under in vitro culture conditions