Sodium Trifluoroacetate mediated Copper-Catalyzed -Michael addition of -unsaturated olefins with aromatic amines.

We present a sodium trifluoroacetate (CFCONa) mediated copper-catalyzed -Michael addition of aromatic amines with activated olefins under mild, aqueous reaction conditions. This simplistic protocol employs a copper catalyst (10 mol%) and water as solvent. This transformation occurs precisely with aromatic substituted amines containing both electron-donating (EDG) and electron-withdrawing (EWG) groups.

Exposure to a phthalate mixture disrupts ovulatory progesterone receptor signaling in human granulosa cells in vitro†.

Exposure to phthalates disrupts ovarian function. However, limited studies have investigated the effects of phthalate mixtures on ovulation, especially in women. Human granulosa cells were used to test the hypothesis that exposure to a phthalate mixture (PHTmix) disrupts progesterone (P4)/progesterone receptor (PGR) signaling, which is a crucial pathway for ovulation.

A single-cell gene expression atlas of human follicular aspirates: Identification of leukocyte subpopulations and their paracrine factors.

Leukocytes are in situ regulators critical for ovarian function. However, little is known about leukocyte subpopulations and their interaction with follicular cells in ovulatory follicles, especially in humans. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed using follicular aspirates obtained from four IVF patients and identified 13 cell groups: one granulosa cell group, one thecal cell group, 10 subsets of leukocytes, and one group of RBC/platelet.

cIAP1/2 Antagonism Induces Antigen-Specific T Cell-Dependent Immunity.

Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has failed in pancreatic cancer and other poorly responsive tumor types in part due to inadequate T cell priming. Naive T cells can receive costimulation not only via CD28 but also through TNF superfamily receptors that signal via NF-κB. Antagonists of the ubiquitin ligases cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein (cIAP)1/2, also called second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetics, induce degradation of cIAP1/2 proteins, allowing for the accumulation of NIK and constitutive, ligand-independent activation of alternate NF-κB signaling that mimics costimulation in T cells.

Ovulatory upregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a receptor for SARS-CoV-2, in dominant follicles of the human ovary.

Objective: To determine the temporal expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor for SARS-CoV-2, in dominant follicles throughout the periovulatory period in women and the regulatory mechanisms underlying ACE2 expression in human granulosa/lutein cells (hGLC).

Design: Experimental prospective clinical study and laboratory-based investigation.

Setting: University Medical Center and private in vitro fertilization center.

The FOS/AP-1 Regulates Metabolic Changes and Cholesterol Synthesis in Human Periovulatory Granulosa Cells.

FOS, a subunit of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor, has been implicated in various cellular changes. In the human ovary, the expression of FOS and its heterodimeric binding partners JUN, JUNB, and JUND increases in periovulatory follicles. However, the specific role of the FOS/AP-1 remains elusive.

Neurotensin: a neuropeptide induced by hCG in the human and rat ovary during the periovulatory period†.

Neurotensin (NTS) is a tridecapeptide that was first characterized as a neurotransmitter in neuronal cells. The present study examined ovarian NTS expression across the periovulatory period in the human and the rat. Women were recruited into this study and monitored by transvaginal ultrasound.

FOS, a Critical Downstream Mediator of PGR and EGF Signaling Necessary for Ovulatory Prostaglandins in the Human Ovary.

Context: Fos null mice failed to ovulate and form a corpus luteum (CL) even when given exogenous gonadotropins, suggesting that ovarian Fos expression is critical for successful ovulation and CL formation. However, little is known about FOS in the human ovary.

Objectives: To determine the expression, regulation, and function of FOS in human periovulatory follicles.

Ovulatory Induction of SCG2 in Human, Nonhuman Primate, and Rodent Granulosa Cells Stimulates Ovarian Angiogenesis.

The luteinizing hormone (LH) surge is essential for ovulation, but the intrafollicular factors induced by LH that mediate ovulatory processes (e.g., angiogenesis) are poorly understood, especially in women.

The expression of CXCR4 is induced by the luteinizing hormone surge and mediated by progesterone receptors in human preovulatory granulosa cells.

The chemokine CXC motif ligand 12 (CXCL12) and its cognate receptor, CXCR4, have been implicated in the ovulatory process in various animal models. However, little is known about the expression and regulation of CXCL12 and CXCR4 and their functions during the ovulatory period in the human ovary. In this study, we characterized the expression patterns of CXCL12 and CXCR4 in preovulatory follicles collected before the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and at defined hours after hCG administration in women with the regular menstrual cycle.

Coordinated Regulation Among Progesterone, Prostaglandins, and EGF-Like Factors in Human Ovulatory Follicles.

Context: In animal models, the luteinizing hormone surge increases progesterone (P4) and progesterone receptor (PGR), prostaglandins (PTGs), and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like factors that play essential roles in ovulation. However, little is known about the expression, regulation, and function of these key ovulatory mediators in humans.

Objective: To determine when and how these key ovulatory mediators are induced after the luteinizing hormone surge in human ovaries.

Chemokine Ligand 20: A Signal for Leukocyte Recruitment During Human Ovulation?

Ovulation is one of the cornerstones of female fertility. Disruption of the ovulatory process results in infertility, which affects approximately 10% of couples. Using a unique model in which the dominant follicle is collected across the periovulatory period in women, we have identified a leukocyte chemoattractant, chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), in the human ovary.

Induction of proteinases in the human preovulatory follicle of the menstrual cycle by human chorionic gonadotropin.

Objective: To explore the temporal expression in granulosa and theca cells of key members of the MMP and ADAMTS families across the periovulatory period in women to gain insight into their possible roles during ovulation and early luteinization.

Design: Experimental prospective clinical study and laboratory-based investigation.

Setting: University medical center and private IVF center.

Ovarian expression, localization, and function of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) during the periovulatory period of the human menstrual cycle.

Ovulation involves reorganization of the extracellular matrix of the follicle. This study examines the expression, localization, and potential function of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) during ovulation in women. The dominant follicle of the menstrual cycle was collected at specified times throughout the ovulatory process: pre-, early, late, and postovulatory.

Initial experience with a donor egg bank.

Objective: To report on the establishment of a commercial donor egg bank (CryoEggs International, LP) and to present our initial experience from the first four patients to receive eggs.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Private fertility clinic.