There is great interest worldwide in discovering and developing a permanent source of tissues which would be capable of generating any cell type and which would avoid the problem of transplant rejection. Stem cells are cells that can specialize into the many different cells found in the human body. The ethical objections concerning stem cells have focused primarily on their source. Human embry...

a:4:{s:10:"Background";s:670:"Infertility and decisions about the use of assisted reproductive technologies such as embryo donation have legal, psychological and social issues in addition to medical aspect. So, expert advice should be considered as an integral element in providing the services. Accordingly, this study designed and implemented to investigate the consulting needs of embryo donati...

Embryo donation was one of the infertility treatment methods introduced to the Iranian legal system in 2003 (Act of Embryo Donation) and its by-law passed in 2005 after numerous discussions. Embryo donation is a new legal issue in Iran. No similar act has been previously legislated in the legal system; however, on the other hand, the importance of the judicial procedure in its execution cannot ...

BACKGROUND Embryo transfer is a critical factor affecting the success of IVF-the ease of embryo transfer has a direct impact on the success rate. The aim of this study was to assess the value of cervical dilatation with hygroscopic cervical rods (Dilapan-S) in patients with difficult embryo transfer. METHODS Fifty-four patients undergoing IVF treatment, who either failed to conceive after pre...

During Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures, the transfer of a single embryo dramatically reduces the rate of multiple pregnancy. Proper information, therefore, should be delivered to patients before embryo transfer. In many countries, regulations limit, according to age of the patient, the number of embryos to be transferred. Selective fetal reduction should not be considered as a...

BACKGROUND The majority of research aimed at improving embryo development in vitro has focused on manipulation of the chemical environment, examining details such as energy substrate composition and impact of various growth factors or other supplements. In comparison, relatively little work has been done examining the physical requirements of preimplantation embryos and the role culture platfor...

As one of two sexual products resulting from double fertilization in angiosperms, the endosperm nourishes its compatriot embryo during seed development and/or germination and ultimately dies. Theoretical studies suggest that the genetic relatedness of an endosperm to its embryo in the same seed might determine the amount of resources ultimately available for the embryo during seed development. ...

The majority of embryos created in natural reproduction die spontaneously within a few weeks of conception. Some have argued that, therefore, if one believes the embryo is a person (in the normative sense) one should find 'natural' reproduction morally problematic. An extension of this argument holds that, if one accepts embryo deaths in natural reproduction, consistency requires that one also ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Catheter injection speed affects depth and placement of the embryo into the uterine cavity and is shown to be highly variable in, and between, subjects in a manually performed embryo transfer. In an effort to standardize the injection speed during embryo transfer, we developed an automated transfer pump: the pump-regulated embryo transfer (PRET) device. In this randomized contro...