The presence of numerical chromosome abnormalities in human embryos was studied using fluorescence in-situ hybridization with four or more chromosome-specific probes. When most cells of an embryo are analysed, this technique allows differentiation to be made between aneuploidy, mosaicism, haploidy and polyploidy. Abnormal types of fertilization, such as unipronucleated, tripronucleated zygotes ...

Cell death is a widespread feature in the blastocysts of many mammals. Isolated cells in both the inner cell mass and the trophectoderm undergo cell death. These dying cells appear morphologically to be undergoing apoptosis. In mouse blastocysts, a wave of cell death is seen in vivo, suggesting that it plays an important role in normal development. However, cell death is increased under subopti...

During embryonic development of Artemia sinica, environmental stresses induce the embryo diapause phenomenon, required to resist apoptosis and regulate cell cycle activity. The small ubiquitin-related modifier-1 (SUMO), a reversible post-translational protein modifier, plays an important role in embryo development. SUMO regulates multiple cellular processes, including development and other biol...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of individual follicular fluid (FF) leptin and adiponectin levels with the quality of the corresponding oocyte and embryo. METHODS We prospectively enrolled 67 women who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with 89 FF samples. FF and the corresponding oocyte was obtained from a single dominant preovulatory follicle at the time of oocyte retrie...

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) involves testing for specific genetic conditions prior to the implantation [5] of an embryo in the uterine wall. This form of genetic screening has been made possible by the growth of in-vitro fertilization [6] (IVF) technology, which allows for the early stages of development to occur in a laboratory dish rather than in vivo [7]. The purpose of PGD is to...

March 8 is a member of a family of transmembrane E3 ubiquitin ligases that have been studied mostly for their role in the immune system. We find that March 8 is expressed in the zebrafish egg and early embryo, suggesting a role in development. Both knock-down and overexpression of March 8 leads to abnormal development. The phenotype of zebrafish embryos and Xenopus animal explants overexpressin...

A new antibacterial chlorinated benzophenone derivative, (±)-pestalachloride D (1), along with a related analog, (±)-pestalachloride C (2), was recently isolated from the marine-derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. isolated from a soft coral Sarcophyton sp. collected from Yongxing Island in the South China Sea. Both chiral HPLC analysis and single-crystal X-ray data indicated that 1 is a racemic m...

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) involves testing for specific genetic conditions prior to the implantation [5] of an embryo in the uterine wall. This form of genetic screening has been made possible by the growth of in-vitro fertilization [6] (IVF) technology, which allows for the early stages of development to occur in a laboratory dish rather than in vivo [7]. The purpose of PGD is to...

Chromosomal abnormality is a leading cause of aging-related infertility, spontaneous abortion and congenital birth defects in humans. Karyotype analyses of spontaneously aborted human fetuses reveal high proportions (~50%) being chromosomal abnormal with the majority being trisomies of various chromosomes. As a model organism, mice are widely used for studies of reproduction and reproductive ag...

BACKGROUND Embryo morphology has been proposed as an alternative marker of chro- mosomal status. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the association between the chromosomal status on day 3 of embryo development and blas- tocyst morphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 596 embryos obtained from 106 cycles of intra- cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) followed...