Tauroursodeoxycholic acid enhances the development of porcine embryos derived from in vitro-matured oocytes and evaporatively dried spermatozoa.

Evaporative drying (ED) is an alternative technique for long-term preservation of mammalian sperm, which does not require liquid nitrogen or freeze-drying equipment, but offers advantages for storage and shipping at ambient temperature and low cost. However, the development of zygotes generated from these sperms was poor. Here, we demonstrated that the supplementation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), an endogenous bile acid, during embryo culture improved the developmental competency of embryos derived from in vitro matured pig oocytes injected intracytoplasmically with boar ED spermatozoa by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species, the DNA degradation and fragmentation, and the expression of apoptosis-related gene Bax and Bak, and by increasing the transcription of anti-apoptosis gene Bcl-XL and Bcl-2.

Glycine increases preimplantation development of mouse oocytes following vitrification at the germinal vesicle stage.

Ice-free cryopreservation, referred to as vitrification, is receiving increased attention in the human and animal assisted reproduction. However, it introduces the detrimental osmotic stress by adding and removing high contents of cryoprotectants. In this study, we evaluated the effects of normalizing cell volume regulation by adding glycine, an organic osmolyte, during vitrification of mouse germinal vesicle stage oocyte and/or subsequent maturation on its development.

Developmental potential of prepubertal mouse oocytes is compromised due mainly to their impaired synthesis of glutathione.

Although oocytes from prepubertal animals are found less competent than oocytes from adults, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Using the mouse oocyte model, this paper has tested the hypothesis that the developmental potential of prepubertal oocytes is compromised due mainly to their impaired potential for glutathione synthesis. Oocytes from prepubertal and adult mice, primed with or without eCG, were matured in vitro and assessed for glutathione synthesis potential, oxidative stress, Ca(2+) reserves, fertilization and in vitro development potential.

[A new method for integrated radical resection of uncinate process of the pancreas: a report of 306 cases].

Objective: To investigate the methods and skills of integrated radical resection of uncinate process of the pancreas for patients with periampullary malignant tumor.

Methods: From March 2005 to March 2010, 306 cases of radical pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) of periampullary malignant tumor had been continuously performed. By exchanging superior mesenteric artery and controlling blood stream of pancreatic uncinate process, the integrated radical resection of uncinate process for these patients had been successfully completed.

Effects of puberty and gonadotropins on the molecular events controlling meiotic resumption of mouse oocytes.

Although studies suggest that the low competence of oocytes from prepubertal animals is due to their insufficient cytoplasmic maturation and that FSH improves oocyte maturation possibly by retarding meiotic progression and allowing more time for cytoplasmic maturation, the mechanisms by which puberty and gonadotropins regulate meiotic progression require additional detailed studies. For the first time, we observed that while meiotic progression was significantly slower, the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) activity of oocytes was significantly higher in prepubertal than in adult mice. To resolve this contradiction, we specified the molecules regulating the MPF activity and their localization during oocyte maturation in prepubertal and adult mice primed with or without gonadotropins.