User:Z3417843

Welcome to the 2014 Embryology Course!

Links: Timetable | How to work online | One page Wiki Reference Card | Moodle

• Each week the individual assessment questions will be displayed in the practical class pages and also added here.
• Copy the assessment items to your own page and provide your answer.
• Note - Some guest assessments may require completion of a worksheet that will be handed in in class with your student name and ID.

Individual Lab Assessment

Lab 1 Assessment - Fertilization References Lab 2 Assessment - Uploading a Research Image Lab 3 Assessment - Researching your Project Sub-Heading Lab 4 Assessment - Cord Stem Cells Lab 5 Assessment - Abnormalities Lab 6 Assessment - Group Work (As announced in the lecture, No individual assessment item for this Lab, but I do expect you to have added content to your Group project by tomorrow's Lab.) Lab 7 Assessment - Endocrine+Teeth Lab 8 - Genital Lab 9 - Peer Assessment Lab 10 - Sensory Development Lab 11 - Stem Cells Lab 12 - Stem Cells Presentation (see preparation information)

Lab 12 - Stem Cell Presentation Assessment		More Info
Group	Comment	Mark (10)
1/8	Lots of effort to place article in larger context Slide lay out could be improved: lots of empty space, use larger images and talk through them Results presentation a bit convoluted. Try to finish discussion of each experiment with a clear conclusion. Repetition of information towards the end One presenter had an unprofessional style of presentation	7
2	Good well-structured presentation Good introduction Methods discussed separately. Try to avoid this, and incorporate in discussion of experiments. Not sure if technology was understood very well.	7.5
3	Good well-structured presentation Do not discuss methods as a separate section Discussion of results not always very clear, comprehension?	7.5
4	Good well-structured presentation Lots of text on slides, improve talking through images, blow up images Good discussion	8.5
5	Good well-structured presentation, amount of text on slides relatively good. Figures too small, discussion bit convoluted Slightly over time	8.5
6	Good comprehension and well-structured presentation. Too much text on slides Experiments discussed in a lot of detail. Try to be more concise and discuss aim of experiment, approach, summarize results, conclude. No talking through figures	8.5
7	Good well-structured presentation, great introduction, inclusion of images in presentation done relatively well. Methods discussed separately. Incorporate methods in discussion of the experiments in the results section. Try not to depend too much on text on your slides Talking through results images was not very clear, comprehension?	7.5

More Useful Links

Student Projects Group 1 Respiratory User:Z3330991 User:Z3332339 User:Z3333429 User:Z3372817 Group 2 Renal User:Z3463310 User:Z3465141 User:Z3465654 User:Z5030311 Group 3 Gastrointestinal User:Z3414515 User:Z3375627 User:Z3415141 User:Z3415242 Group 4 Genital User:Z3415716 User:Z3416697 User:Z3417458 User:Z3417753 Group 5 Integumentary User:Z3417796 User:Z3417843 User:Z3418340 User:Z3418488 Group 6 Endocrine User:Z3418702 User:Z3418837 User:Z3418698 User:Z3414648 Group 7 Neural User:Z3418981 User:Z3419587 User:Z3422484 User:Z3374116 Group 8 Musculoskeletal User:Z3418779 User:Z3418718 User:Z3418989 Student Projects Fetal Development of a specific System.

2014 Course: Week 2 Lecture 1 Lecture 2 Lab 1 | Week 3 Lecture 3 Lecture 4 Lab 2 | Week 4 Lecture 5 Lecture 6 Lab 3 | Week 5 Lecture 7 Lecture 8 Lab 4 | Week 6 Lecture 9 Lecture 10 Lab 5 | Week 7 Lecture 11 Lecture 12 Lab 6 | Week 8 Lecture 13 Lecture 14 Lab 7 | Week 9 Lecture 15 Lecture 16 Lab 8 | Week 10 Lecture 17 Lecture 18 Lab 9 | Week 11 Lecture 19 Lecture 20 Lab 10 | Week 12 Lecture 21 Lecture 22 Lab 11 | Week 13 Lecture 23 Lecture 24 Lab 12 Student Projects - Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 | Group 7 | Group 8 | Moodle

Lab Attendance

• Lab 1 --Z3417843 (talk) 12:45, 6 August 2014 (EST)
• Lab 2 --Z3417843 (talk) 11:06, 13 August 2014 (EST)
• Lab 3 --Z3417843 (talk) 11:10, 20 August 2014 (EST)
• Lab 4
• Lab 5
• Lab 6
• Lab 7
• Lab 8
• Lab 9
• Lab 10
• Lab 11
• Lab 12

Individual Online Assessment

Assessment 1

Effect of vitamin D status on clinical pregnancy rates following in vitro fertilization.

Vitamin D plays an essential role in the process of human reproduction. Women in their reproductive age are more prone to vitamin D deficiency. In recent studies, the levels of vitamin D in the body is somewhat correlated to the prevalence of vitamin deficiency in the population. For example, 79% of women undergoing IVF is suffering from vitamin deficiency. In a different study, female rats were tested for the link between vitamin D deficiency and infertility. Two groups of female rats were given different diets, one rich in vitamin D and the other low in vitamin D. Female rats fed with the vitamin D deficient diet had 75% reduced fertility and 30 % smaller litter sizes compared to the group fed with vitamin D rich diet.

The goal of this study is to investigate the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and lower rates of clinical pregnancy after IVF in women. Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, 25(OH)D, is a marker for vitamin D levels. 173 women gave consent to participate in the experiment. The serum was used to determine the vitamin D level of each and were segregated in terms of their 25(OH)D levels, whether they are sufficient or insufficient.

It is unclear how vitamin D affects fertility in women. However, it is likely that vitamin D has an effect on the implantation process. Findings show that women in the sufficient group had higher rates of clinical pregnancy after IVF as well as implantation rates. It also suggested that vitamin D supplementation is an easy and cost-effective way of combatting vitamin D insufficiency. Furthermore, it suggested that vitamin D status should be taken into consideration when assessing for infertility in women.

Neurotensin Enhances Sperm Capacitation and Acrosome Reaction in Mice.

In order for a spermatozoa to be fertile, it has to undergo capacitation. Capacitation refers to the change in the physiology of spermatozoa when inside the uterus, which allows them to penetrate and fertilise the oocyte. While in the uterus, these cells are subject to influence by various factors that affect sperm function, Neurotensin (NT) is a hormone known to have multiple functions. It can function as a neurotransmitter and even participate in gastrointestinal motility and secretion. NT stimulation results to the production of secondary messengers such as cAMP and Ca2-, which are important for fertility in sperm. However, its function relating to reproduction is still unknown. This study is aimed to clarify the role and function of NT in the capacitation and acrosome reaction in spermatozoa.

Sperm were gathered from the epididymis of male mice, aged more than 12 weeks. To test for the effect of NT on acrosome reaction, the suspension of spermatozoa capacitated in HTF medium were divided into microtubules and given varying amounts of NT stock solution. Under a fluorescence microscope, the sperm that underwent acrosome reaction were identified and the acrosome reaction rate was calculated. To test for NT concentration, cumulus oocyte-complexes (COCs) were cultured in media with FSH and EGF.

The study’s results showed a rapid increase in the rate of acrosome reaction in sperm depending on the dosage of NT stock solution introduced. Acrosome reaction is triggered by the increase in levels of calcium ion (Ca2+), which occurs when NTR1 is stimulated. However, it is still unsure whether this is the direct cause for acrosome reaction in the spermatozoa. For the NT concentration test, it showed that the addition of FSH and EGF stimulated the production of NT in cumulus cells. All together, these evidences show that neurotensin play a role in the capacitation of spermatozoa and acrosome reaction.

PubMed

Assessment 2

Myofiber tractography of the lateral wall of the left ventricle at different weeks of a human fetal heart. (A) A few fiber tracts present at week 10. (B) An increase in the density of the fiber tracts and crossing-helical pattern is visible at week 14. (C) At week 19, the arrangement of the fiber tracts is similar to that of the heart after birth. (D) Fiber tracts of an adult heart (PN = P6 neonatal). (E) A complete tractography of the heart at week 19.