Sex-sorting of spermatozoa affects developmental competence of in vitro fertilized oocytes in a bull-dependent manner.

The aim of the present study was to clarify if flow-cytometric sex-sorting of bovine sperm affected in vitro blastocyst production in different bulls, either in terms of its ability to fertilize the oocyte or by interfering with post-fertilization embryo development. We performed in vitro fertilization (IVF) using both commercially available frozen-thawed X-sorted and non-sorted sperm of 4 Holstein bulls at 3 concentrations (1 × 10, 2 × 10, and 5 × 10 sperm/ml). When fertilization rates were compared, a variation in fertilization rates among different sperm concentrations was detected in 2 bulls, with similar results for X-sorted and non-sorted sperm.

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants and traditional therapies on Batan Island, the Philippines.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: We studied the local knowledge and uses of medicinal plants among the Ivatan people of Batan Island by documenting their traditional practices.

Aim Of The Study: To identify the types of medicinal plants used in self-care by the indigenous people of Batan Island, the Philippines and to investigate the extent to which the plants are used. Conservation of medicinal plants and natural resources is becoming increasingly important; thus, this research aims to collect information from local people concerning the use of medicinal plants on Batan Island.

Regulation of mitochondrial morphology and cell survival by Mitogenin I and mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein.

We found that a mouse homolog of human DNA polymerase delta interacting protein 38, referred to as Mitogenin I in this paper, and mitochondrial single-stranded DNA-binding protein (mtSSB), identified as upregulated genes in the heart of mice with juvenile visceral steatosis, play a role in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology. We demonstrated that overexpression of Mitogenin I or mtSSB increased elongated or fragmented mitochondria in mouse C2C12 myoblast cells, respectively. On the other hand, the silencing of Mitogenin I or mtSSB by RNA interference led to an increase in fragmented or elongated mitochondria in the cells, respectively, suggesting that Mitogenin I and mtSSB are involved in the processes of mitochondrial fusion and fission, respectively.