Effect of laser zona pellucida opening on clinical outcome of assisted reproduction technology in patients with advanced female age, recurrent implantation failure, or frozen-thawed embryos.

Objective: To determine whether laser-assisted hatching can improve clinical outcome of assisted reproductive techniques in patients with advanced female age, with recurrent implantation failure, or who are using frozen-thawed embryos.

Design: A prospective randomized study.

Setting: The infertility and IVF unit at a research facility in Iran.

Light and electron microscopic study of epithelial cells from the human oviduct and uterus subcultured on extracellular matrix gel.

Objective: To investigate the structure of epithelial cells from the human oviduct and uterus on extracellular matrix (ECM) gel in the first passage.

Study Design: Human oviducts and endometrial tissues were obtained from patients undergoing total hysterectomy; the epithelial cells, having been isolated by enzyme digestion, were cultured on polystyrene plastic surfaces. The epithelial nature of the cells was confirmed by immunocytochemistry, and their morphology was examined by microscopy.

Safety analysis and improved cardiac function following local autologous transplantation of CD133(+) enriched bone marrow cells after myocardial infarction.

The CD133(+) bone marrow cell (BMC) population includes primitive multipotent stem cells which induce neoangiogenesis. Studies suggested transplantation of these cells to infarcted myocardium can have a favorable impact on tissue perfusion and contractile performance. We assessed the feasibility, safety and functional outcomes of autologus CD133(+) BMC transplantation during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with recent myocardial infarction.

Phase 1 human trial of autologous bone marrow-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Aim: To evaluate safety and feasibility of autologous bone marrow-enriched CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell Tx through the hepatic artery in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Methods: Four patients with decompensated cirrhosis were included. Approximately 200 mL of the bone marrow of the patients was aspirated, and CD34+ stem cells were selected.

Effect of fragment removal on blastocyst formation and quality of human embryos.

Blastomere fragmentation is one of the most significant defects in cleaving embryos. Scientists believed that removing the fragments was a possible way to reduce their unwanted effects. This hypothesis has been tested in some studies in which the development of human fragmented embryos was followed in vivo after all fragments were removed, but little is known about the potential for in-vitro development of such embryos, which is the subject of the present study.

A comparison of polarized and non-polarized human endometrial monolayer culture systems on murine embryo development.

BACKGROUND: Co-culture of embryos with various somatic cells has been suggested as a promising approach to improve embryo development. Despite numerous reports regarding the beneficial effects of epithelial cells from the female genital tract on embryo development in a co-culture system, little is known about the effect of these cells when being cultured under a polarized condition on embryo growth. Our study evaluated the effects of in vitro polarized cells on pre-embryo development.