Search results for "lucid"

Automated Diffraction Tomography for the Structure Elucidation of Twinned, Sub-micrometer Crystals of a Highly Porous, Catalytically Active Bismuth M…

2012

Typification of eight names in Hieracium (Asteraceae)

2012

Eight names in Hieracium (H. atrovirens Froel., H. crinitum Sm., H. lucidum Guss., H. pallidum Biv., H. racemosum subsp. todaroanum Zahn, H. siculum Guss., H. siculum var. minus Guss., H. symphytifolium Froel.), the descriptions of which are based totally or in part on Sicilian material, are typified. Hieracium racemosum subsp. todaroanum is treated as a synonym of H. crinitum, and H. siculum and H. siculum var. minus are treated as synonyms of H. symphytifolium. Hieracium atrovirens is recognized as a subspecies of H. murorum L. (H. murorum subsp. atrovirens (Froel.) Raimondo & Di Grist.).

Genetic Analysis of Human Preimplantation Embryos

2016

Preimplantation development comprises the initial stages of mammalian development, before the embryo implants into the mother's uterus. In normal conditions, after fertilization the embryo grows until reaching blastocyst stage. The blastocyst grows as the cells divide and the cavity expands, until it arrives at the uterus, where it "hatches" from the zona pellucida to implant into the uterine wall. Nevertheless, embryo quality and viability can be affected by chromosomal abnormalities, most of which occur during gametogenesis and early embryo development; human embryos produced in vitro are especially vulnerable. Therefore, the selection of chromosomally normal embryos for transfer in assis…

Limited proteolysis by acrosin affects sperm-binding and mechanical resilience of the mouse zona pellucida.

2021

Abstract The encounter of oocyte and sperm is the key event initiating embryonic development in mammals. Crucial functions of this existential interaction are determined by proteolytic enzymes, such as acrosin, carried in the sperm head acrosome, and ovastacin, stored in the oocyte cortical granules. Ovastacin is released upon fertilisation to cleave the zona pellucida, a glycoprotein matrix surrounding the oocyte. This limited proteolysis hardens the oocyte envelope, and thereby provides a definitive block against polyspermy and protects the developing embryo. On the other hand, acrosin, the renowned and most abundant acrosomal protease, has been thought to enable sperm to penetrate the oo…

Mammalian plasma fetuin-B is a selective inhibitor of ovastacin and meprin metalloproteinases

2019

AbstractVertebrate fetuins are multi-domain plasma-proteins of the cystatin-superfamily. Human fetuin-A is also known as AHSG, α2-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein. Gene-knockout in mice identified fetuin-A as essential for calcified-matrix-metabolism and bone-mineralization. Fetuin-B deficient mice, on the other hand, are female infertile due to zona pellucida ‘hardening’ caused by the metalloproteinase ovastacin in unfertilized oocytes. In wildtype mice fetuin-B inhibits the activity of ovastacin thus maintaining oocytes fertilizable. Here we asked, if fetuins affect further proteases as might be expected from their evolutionary relation to single-domain-cystatins, known as proteinase-inhibito…

Use of Ganoderma lucidum (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) as Radioprotector

2020

For millennia, naturopaths and physicians have used Ganoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) for its diverse therapeutic properties, as recorded in the oldest Chinese herbal encyclopedia. Indeed, a radioprotective effect has been reported in the isolated components of its extracts. A systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) was conducted in March 2020, searching databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, along with Clinical Trials. The inclusion criteria were ex vivo, in vitro, and in vivo studies, with full texts in English, conducted to determine the radioprotective benefits of G. lucidum, or reports in which ionizing radiation was used. From a total number of 1109 rec…

Can copper(II) mediate Hoogsteen base-pairing in a left-handed DNA duplex? A pulse EPR study

2010

Pulse EPR spectroscopy is sued to investigate possible structural features of the copper(II) ion coordinated to poly(dG-dC) poly(dG-dC) in a frozen aqueous solution, and the structural change of the polynucleotide induced by the presence of the metal ion. Two different copper species were identified and their geometry explained by a molecular model. According to this model, one species is exclusively coordinated to a single guanine with the N7 nitrogen atom forming a coordinative bond with the copper. In the other species, a guanine and a cytosine form a ternary complex together with the copper ion. A copper crosslink between the N7 of guanine and N3 of cytosine is proposed as the most prob…

Measuring consciousness in dreams: the lucidity and consciousness in dreams scale.

2013

In this article, we present results from an interdisciplinary research project aimed at assessing consciousness in dreams. For this purpose, we compared lucid dreams with normal non-lucid dreams from REM sleep. Both lucid and non-lucid dreams are an important contrast condition for theories of waking consciousness, giving valuable insights into the structure of conscious experience and its neural correlates during sleep. However, the precise differences between lucid and non-lucid dreams remain poorly understood. The construction of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams scale (LuCiD) was based on theoretical considerations and empirical observations. Exploratory factor analysis of the da…

Endoscope-assisted microsurgery for tumors of the septum pellucidum: surgical considerations and benefits of the method in the treatment of four seri…

2003

Neoplasms that primarily originate from the septum pellucidum are extremely rare. Generally the septum pellucidum is involved in direct extension of tumors that arise from the neighboring structures, principally the corpus callosum. Endoscope-assisted techniques form a useful adjunct to common microsurgical procedures to completely remove intraventricular lesions. There are two main advantages of endoscope-assisted surgery over common microsurgical techniques: reduction of superficial brain retraction with less iatrogenic trauma to the neighboring structures and inspection of hidden corners depict simultaneously anatomical details which are not precisely visible in the zoomed and thus light…

Outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection with and without polar body diagnosis of oocytes.

2008

Objective To compare the reproductive outcome of women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with or without polar body diagnosis of oocytes. Design Nonrandomized retrospective study. Setting University-based human genetic institute in collaboration with a private fertility center. Patient(s) Six hundred seven women undergoing ICSI with polar body diagnosis and 591 women undergoing ICSI without polar body diagnosis at the same time in the same fertility center. Intervention(s) Polar body testing of ICSI oocytes by five-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. Main Outcome Measure(s) Pregnancy rate (positive fetal heartbeats) and live-birth rate (of at least one child). Result(…