Unveiling the role of miRNAs in Diminished Ovarian Reserve: an in silico network approach.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have acquired an increased recognition to unravel the complex molecular mechanisms underlying Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), one of the main responsible for infertility. To investigate the impact of miRNA profiles in granulosa cells and follicular fluid, crucial players in follicle development, this study employed a computational network theory approach to reconstruct potential pathways regulated by miRNAs in granulosa cells and follicular fluid of women suffering from DOR. Available data from published research were collected to create the FGC_MiRNome_MC, a representation of miRNA target genes and their interactions.

Susceptibility of Mediterranean Buffalo () following Experimental Infection with Lumpy Skin Disease Virus.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease of cattle and water buffalo characterized by cutaneous nodules, biphasic fever, and lymphadenitis. LSD is endemic in Africa and the Middle East but has spread to different Asian countries in recent years. The disease is well characterized in cattle while little is known about the disease in buffaloes in which no experimental studies have been conducted.

Catechin versus MoS Nanoflakes Functionalized with Catechin: Improving the Sperm Fertilizing Ability-An In Vitro Study in a Swine Model.

Nowadays, the adoption of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) techniques is undergoing an impressive increase. In light of this, one of the most promising strategies is the novel use of non-physiological materials and naturally derived compounds for advanced sperm preparation methods. Here, sperm cells were exposed during capacitation to MoS/Catechin nanoflakes and catechin (CT), a flavonoid with antioxidant properties, at concentrations of 10, 1, 0.

An interactive analysis of the mouse oviductal miRNA profiles.

MicroRNAs are small non-coding molecules that control several cellular functions and act as negative post-transcriptional regulators of the mRNA. While their implication in several biological functions is already known, an important role as regulators of different physiological and pathological processes in fertilization and embryo development is currently emerging. Indeed, miRNAs have been found in the oviductal fluid packaged within the extracellular vesicles, which might act as natural nanoshuttles by transporting lipids, proteins, RNA molecules and miRNAs from the oviduct to the gametes or embryos.

Pre-Treatment of Swine Oviductal Epithelial Cells with Progesterone Increases the Sperm Fertilizing Ability in an IVF Model.

Mammalian spermatozoa are infertile immediately after ejaculation and need to undergo a functional modification, called capacitation, in order to acquire their fertilizing ability. Since oviductal epithelial cells (SOECs) and progesterone (P4) are two major modulators of capacitation, here we investigated their impact on sperm functionality by using an IVF swine model. To that, we treated SOECs with P4 at 10, 100, and 1000 ng/mL before the coincubation with spermatozoa, thus finding that P4 at 100 ng/mL does not interfere with the cytoskeleton dynamics nor the cells’ doubling time, but it promotes the sperm capacitation by increasing the number of spermatozoa per polyspermic oocyte (p < 0.

ACE2 Receptor and Its Isoform Short-ACE2 Are Expressed on Human Spermatozoa.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a protein widely expressed in numerous cell types, with different biological roles mainly related to the renin-angiotensin system. Recently, ACE2 has been in the spotlight due to its involvement in the SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. There are no data available regarding the expression of ACE2 and its short-ACE2 isoform at the protein level on human spermatozoa.

Conspicuity and muscle-invasiveness assessment for bladder cancer using VI-RADS: a multi-reader, contrast-free MRI study to determine optimal b-values for diffusion-weighted imaging.

Objective: To (1) compare bladder cancer (BC) muscle invasiveness among three b-values using a contrast-free approach based on Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS), to (2) determine if muscle-invasiveness assessment is affected by the reader experience, and to (3) compare BC conspicuity among three b-values, qualitatively and quantitatively.

Methods: Thirty-eight patients who underwent a bladder MRI on a 3.0-T scanner were enrolled.

Atypical Sites of Lymphadenopathy after Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine: Ultrasound Features.

Several authors have reported cervical and axillary lymphadenopathies as known side effects following anti-COVID-19 vaccine administration. Few data are available about atypical locations of post-anti-COVID-19 vaccine lymphadenopathy. In this investigation, we evaluated the incidence and prevalence of postvaccine lymphadenopathy ultrasound (US) features in atypical sites.

Human Immune System Diseasome Networks and Female Oviductal Microenvironment: New Horizons to be Discovered.

Human hypofertility and infertility are two worldwide conditions experiencing nowadays an alarming increase due to a complex ensemble of events. The immune system has been suggested as one of the responsible for some of the etiopathogenic mechanisms involved in these conditions. To shed some light into the strong correlation between the reproductive and immune system, as can be inferred by the several and valuable manuscripts published to date, here we built a network using a useful bioinformatic tool (DisGeNET), in which the key genes involved in the sperm-oviduct interaction were linked.

Imaging of gallbladder metastasis.

Gallbladder metastasis (GM) is a rare condition, often with a late diagnosis or detected upon autopsy. There is no extensive literature on the imaging diagnosis of GM. Here we present a comprehensive review of the literature with the aim of helping to interpret the clinical findings and imaging features of such patients.

Role and Modulation of TRPV1 in Mammalian Spermatozoa: An Updated Review.

Based on the abundance of scientific publications, the polymodal sensor TRPV1 is known as one of the most studied proteins within the TRP channel family. This receptor has been found in numerous cell types from different species as well as in spermatozoa. The present review is focused on analyzing the role played by this important channel in the post-ejaculatory life of spermatozoa, where it has been described to be involved in events such as capacitation, acrosome reaction, calcium trafficking, sperm migration, and fertilization.

Two-Player Game in a Complex Landscape: 26S Proteasome, PKA, and Intracellular Calcium Concentration Modulate Mammalian Sperm Capacitation by Creating an Integrated Dialogue-A Computational Analysis.

Recent experimental findings suggest the involvement of the 26S proteasome, the main protease active in eukaryotic cells, in the process that leads mammalian sperm to become fully fertile, so-called capacitation. Unfortunately, its role in male gametes signaling is still far from being completely understood. For this reason, here, we realized a computational model, based on network theory, with the aim of rebuilding and exploring its signaling cascade.

Cyclin-CDK Complexes are Key Controllers of Capacitation-Dependent Actin Dynamics in Mammalian Spermatozoa.

Mammalian spermatozoa are infertile immediately after ejaculation and need to undergo a functional maturation process to acquire the competence to fertilize the female egg. During this process, called capacitation, the actin cytoskeleton dramatically changes its organization. First, actin fibers polymerize, forming a network over the anterior part of the sperm cells head, and then it rapidly depolymerizes and disappears during the exocytosis of the acrosome content (the acrosome reaction (AR)).

High rate of transmission in a pulmonary tuberculosis outbreak in a primary school, north-eastern Italy, 2019.

Italy is a low-incidence country for tuberculosis (TB). We describe a TB outbreak in a primary school in north-eastern Italy, involving 10 cases of active pulmonary disease and 42 cases of latent infection. The index case was detected in March 2019, while the primary case, an Italian-born schoolteacher, was likely infectious since January 2018.