It is well known that the mammalian uterine tube (UT) plays a crucial role in female fertility, where the most important events leading to successful fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development occur. The known functions of these small intraabdominal organs are: an uptake and transport of oocytes; storage, transportation, and capacitation of spermatozoa, and finally fertilization and transport of the fertilized ovum and early embryo through the isthmus towards the uterotubal junction. The success of all these events depends on the interaction between the uterine tube epithelium (UTE) and gametes/embryo. Besides that, contemporary research revealed that the tubal epithelium provides essential nutritional support and the most suitable environment for early embryo development. Moreover, recent discoveries in molecular biology help understand the role of the epithelium at the cellular and molecular levels, highlighting the factors involved in regulating the UT signaling, that affects different steps in the fertilization process. According to the latest research, the extracellular vesicles, as a major component of tubal secretion, mediate the interaction between gametes/embryo and epithelium. This review aims to provide up-to-date knowledge on various aspects concerning tubal epithelium activity and its cross-talk with spermatozoa, oocytes and preimplantation embryo and how these interactions affect fertilization and early embryo development.
The uterine tube (UT) pathologies account for 25-35 % of female factor infertility. Although these peculiar organs were first studied several hundred years ago, they have become overlooked and neglected mainly due to the successes of reproductive medicine. Nevertheless, reproductive medicine still faces many challenges regarding the fertility outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many obstacles and problems can be resolved by a more detailed understanding of the UT morphology and function during normal reproduction. Over the course of the 21st century, many new insights have been obtained: the presence of a population of telocytes in the tubal wall responsible for normal motility and hormone sensory function, the demonstration of lymphatic lacunae of the mucosal folds necessary for oocyte capture and tubal fluid recirculation, or a thorough profiling of the immune makeup of the UT epithelial lining with the discovery of regulatory T cells presumably important for maternal tolerance towards the semiallogenic embryo. New discoveries also include the notion that the UT epithelium is male sex hormone-sensitive, and that the UT is not sterile, but harbors a complex microbiome. The UT epithelial cells were also shown to be the cells-of-origin of high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas. Finally, yet importantly, several modern morphological directions have been emerging recently, including cell culture, the development of tubal organoids, in silico modelling, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. All these novel insights and new approaches can contribute to better clinical practice and successful pregnancy outcomes.
Atraktivita, včetně obličeje, je pod vlivem evolučních teorií spojována s mládím, reprodukcí a výběrem potenciálního partnera. Za fyzicky atraktivní je v tomto smyslu považována tvář ženy, která vykazuje jasné pohlavně dimorfní (femininní) znaky, je souměrná (symetrická), s průměrnými proporcemi a eventuelně se ostatním jeví jako povědomá. Valná většina prací zabývající se obličejovou atraktivitou využívá k jejímu zhodnocení statických fotografií tváří mladých žen, jejichž věkový průměr nepřesahuje 25 let. Smyslem předkládané studie není upřít mládí jeho atraktivitu, ale pokouší se najít odpověď na otázku, zdali i tvář ženy nesoucí již známky stárnutí, je ostatními jako fyzicky atraktivní vnímatelná. S tímto cílem bylo k hodnocení v předkládané studii využito obličejových fotografií žen ve věku 50 – 65 let, které z hlediska atraktivity hodnotilo 120 respondentů stratifikovaných dle věku a pohlaví do 4 podskupin – mladší ženy (RZM), mladší muži (RMM), starší ženy (RZS) a starší muži (RMS). Ukázalo se, že spojovat stárnutí s fyzickou atraktivitou je pro hodnotitele nepřirozené a tváře, které podle svých slov označili jako „sympatické“, v nich na první pohled vzbuzovaly dojem dobrého charakteru. Zdá se tedy, že u stárnoucích žen je ostatními ceněna spíše jejich „vnitřní krása“ a tím atraktivita osobní v podobě vlastností, postojů, názorů, hodnot či zájmů, které si respondenti do tváří pro ně atraktivních žen promítají. and Attractiveness, including the face, is under the influence of evolutionary theory associated with youth, reproduction and a mate selection. The physically attractive face in this sense is a woman's face with clear sexually dimorphic (feminine) characters, symmetrical with average proportions and that, which possibly seems familiar to them. The vast majority of work dealing with a facial attractiveness uses for its assessment the static photographs of young women faces, whose average age does not exceed 25 years. The purpose of this study is not to deny the attractiveness of youth, but it is trying to find an answer to the question of whether even woman’s face bearing the signs of aging could be perceived as attractive by others. It was therefore used facial photographs of women aged between 50-65 years for evaluation, which were rated by 120 respondents, stratified by age and sex into four sub-groups - younger women, younger men, older women and older men. It turned out that to associate aging with a physical attractiveness is for evaluators unnatural and faces, which, by their own words, have been marked as „sympathetic“ gave to them the impression of a good character at first glance. It seems therefore, that in aging women is valued by others rather their "inner beauty" and a personal attractiveness in the form of traits, attitudes, beliefs, values or interests that respondents can project to, for them attractive, older women face.
Anatomical variations and congenital anomalies of the uterine tubes (UTAVsCAs) are rare conditions, which are often undiagnosed, or accidentally diagnosed upon imaging, laparotomy, laparoscopy for unrelated condition, or during the Cesarean section. UTAVsCAs are often asymptomatic, but their clinical relevance lies in their possibly adverse impact on fertility. Since their rare occurrence, they are usually published as case reports. The most typically described are: agenesis of the uterine tubes (UTs), accessory UT (UT duplication), accessory UT ostium, and paratubal cysts (e.g. the hydatid cyst of Morgagni). UTAVsCAs are classified into an umbrella category of Müllerian duct anomalies (MDAs) which comprises anomalous development of all the organs developing from the paramesonephric (Müllerian) ducts, i.e., UTs, uterus and upper portion of the vagina. Interestingly, most of the classification systems of MDAs discuss solely the uterine and vaginal anomalies, while the UTs are often utterly ignored. This probably originates from the fact that UTs are no longer interesting for many clinicians as they think of UTs as superfluous organs whose function can be easily replaced in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory. Indeed, the modern reproductive medicine has been helping enormously with the conception of infertile couples. In many instances, the UTs are in fact successfully bypassed and a “test-tube” baby is born. Nevertheless, the UTs are still absolutely unique in providing suitable environment for fertilization and early embryo development - processes that has not been still completely understood. This fact could partially explain why the success rate of IVF is “only” around 30-50 % depending on age. Therefore, the research of the UTAVsCAs is still clinically relevant in the context of reproductive medicine and should not be omitted from research endeavors.