Binding pattern and toxicological effects of lectins from genus Canavalia on bovine sperm.

The aim of this study was to determine the binding patterns of Canavalia ensiformis (ConA), Canavalia boliviana (ConBol) and Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) lectins to bovine sperm and their effects on sperm motility, viability, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species production and fertilization ability. ConA bound to whole spermatozoa, with the exception of the equatorial segment, ConBol did not interact with the acrosome region and ConBr exhibited a fragmented binding pattern. The three lectins decreased sperm motility but did not affect cell viability or lipid peroxidation.

Frontiers in cancer epidemiology: a challenge to the research community from the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program at the National Cancer Institute.

The Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is developing scientific priorities for cancer epidemiology research in the next decade. We would like to engage the research community and other stakeholders in a planning effort that will include a workshop in December 2012 to help shape new foci for cancer epidemiology research. To facilitate the process of defining the future of cancer epidemiology, we invite the research community to join in an ongoing web-based conversation at http://blog-epi.

Cancer and environment: definitions and misconceptions.

Background: Scientific evidence supports an association between environmental exposures and cancer. However, a reliable estimate for the proportion of cancers attributable to environmental factors is currently unavailable. This may be related to the varying definitions of the term "environment.

Expression of apoptotic genes in immature and in vitro matured equine oocytes and cumulus cells.

The gene expression of Bax, Bcl-2, survivin and p53, following in vitro maturation of equine oocytes, was compared in morphologically distinct oocytes and cumulus cells. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were harvested and divided into two groups: G1 - morphologically healthy cells; and G2 - less viable cells or cells with some degree of atresia. Total RNA was isolated from both immature and in vitro matured COC and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to quantify gene expression.