BACKGROUND Transfer of more than a single embryo in an IVF cycle comes with the finite possibility of a multiple gestation. Even a twin pregnancy confers significant risk to both mother and babies. The move to single-embryo transfer for all patients will be greatly facilitated by the ability to quantify embryo viability. Developments in time-lapse incubation systems have provided new insights i...

The ultrastructural analysis of biological structures is often critical to the understanding of biological processes. Fixation by freeze-substitution after immobilisation by High-pressure freezing (HPF-FS) is a powerful method to preserve the ultrastructure of small specimens such as the embryo of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. But only a small fraction of specimens prepared following t...

Sir, We have read with great interest the recently published systematic review authored by Kaser and Racowsky (2014). This review enlightens the reader on the problem of utilizing time-lapse technology as a clinical tool based on the absence of ‘high quality’ data and advises the users to keep it as an experimental tool. Although we agree with the authors’ general comment that standardization i...

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent mitochondrial and DNA damage in bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos were examined. Bovine enucleated oocytes were electrofused with donor cells and then activated by a combination of Ca-ionophore and 6-dimethylaminopurine culture. The H2O2 and ˙OH radical levels, mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential (ΔΨ), ...

Structural differences such as abnormalities, damage and free spaces in seeds may affect germination. The aim of this study was to study the relationship between eggplant seed morphology and seed germination. Ten seed lots of the eggplant cultivar Embu were evaluated by X-ray image analysis and the germination test. Seed image analysis was performed by Image Pro Plus® software and the whole see...