Effect of Lysis Strategy in Accuracy and Repeatability of Sex Determination by Single Cell Polymerase Chain Reaction Method

Impact of Some Ions Administration on Sex Ratio and Ovarian Structures in Rabbits

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The sex pre-selection for offspring before conception is desirable demand especially for the breeding program of farm animals. This study aimed to evaluate the preconception treatment of monovalent and divalent ions on the primary sex ratio, ovarian structures and serum minerals levels in New Zealand white rabbit does. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Nine New Zealand white rabbits doe<i> </i>(5.4±0.61 months of age and 2.4±0.35 kg of body weight) were used. Rabbits in the 1<sup>st</sup> group were given drinking water only (control). While the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> groups were given 1% of (calcium and magnesium) and (sodium and potassium) in daily drinking water, respectively for 15 days before mating. The embryos of each group were individually collected after three days of mating for primary sex detection using SRY (Sex Determining Region Y) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. Mineral analyses for all studied animals were weekly detected in serum before and after mating. <b>Results:</b> The primary sex ratio for embryos of rabbits does receive (Na+K) produced more males (69.7%) while (Ca+Mg) administrated rabbits does produce more females (72.2%). The mineral treatment leads to a significant increase in the number of corpus luteum, total embryos, follicles bleeding and a significant decline in the count of large follicles. Also, there was no significant change in serum Na and Ca levels in the treated groups compared to the control. <b>Conclusion:</b> The preconception administration of Ca+Mg could produce more females while Na+K could produce more males without adverse side effects on serum minerals concentration.

New advances of preimplantation and prenatal genetic screening and noninvasive testing as a potential predictor of health status of babies

The current morphologically based selection of human embryos for transfer cannot detect chromosome aneuploidies. So far, only biopsy techniques have been able to screen for chromosomal aneuploidies in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or screening (PGS) involves the biopsy of oocyte polar bodies or embryonic cells and has become a routine clinical procedure in many IVF clinics worldwide, including recent development of comprehensive chromosome screening of all 23 pairs of chromosomes by microarrays for aneuploidy screening. The routine preimplantation and prenatal genetic diagnosis (PND) require testing in an aggressive manner. These procedures may be invasive to the growing embryo and fetus and potentially could compromise the clinical outcome. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarize not only the new knowledge on preimplantation and prenatal genetic diagnosis in humans, but also on the development of potential noninvasive embryo and fetal testing that might play an important role in the future.

Seven years of experience of preimplantation HLA typing: a clinical overview of 327 cycles

Preimplantation human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing allows the birth of healthy children who are potential donors of stem cells for their affected siblings. This technique can be used for acquired diseases such as leukaemia or can be used for single-gene disorders such as thalassaemia. This retrospective study presents clinical data obtained from 171 couples who had undergone 327 preimplantation HLA typing cycles: 262 cycles for HLA typing in combination with mutation analysis and 65 cycles for the sole purpose of HLA typing. Of the diagnosed embryos 17.6% were found to be HLA matched. Embryo transfer was performed in 212 cycles, 34.9% clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was achieved and 59 healthy and HLA-compatible children were born. Twenty-one sick children have been cured through haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. The effect of maternal age and ovarian reserve on reproductive outcome was assessed retrospectively. The data demonstrated that, once a mutation-free and HLA-compatible embryo was found, clinical pregnancy rate did not differ statistically significantly despite the presence of some cycle-related limitations such as advanced maternal age and/or diminished ovarian reserve. Preimplantation HLA typing is an effective therapeutic tool for curing an affected sibling even for poor-prognosis patients. Preimplantation human leukocyte antigent (HLA) typing allows the birth of healthy children who are potential donors of stem cells for their affected siblings. This technique can be used for acquired diseases such as leukaemia or can be used for single-gene disorders such as thalassaemia. This study presents clinical data obtained from 171 couples who underwent 327 preimplantation HLA-typing cycles. Of these, 262 cycles were performed for HLA typing in combination with mutation analysis and 65 cycles were performed for the sole purpose of HLA typing. A total of 17.6% of the diagnosed embryos were found to be HLA matched. Embryo transfer was performed in 212 cycles. The clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was 34.9% and 59 healthy and HLA compatible children were born. Twenty-one sick children have been cured through haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. The effect of maternal age and ovarian reserve on reproductive outcome was assessed retrospectively. The data demonstrated that, once a mutation-free and HLA-compatible embryo was found, clinical pregnancy rates did not differ statistically significantly by the presence of some cycle-related limitations such as advanced maternal age and/or diminished ovarian reserve. Preimplantation HLA typing is an effective therapeutic tool for curing an affected sibling even for poor-prognosis patients.

Profiling metabolites and peptides in single cells

The intracellular levels and spatial localizations of metabolites and peptides reflect the state of a cell and its relationship to its surrounding environment. Moreover, the amounts and dynamics of metabolites and peptides are indicative of normal or pathological cellular conditions. Here we highlight established and evolving strategies for characterizing the metabolome and peptidome of single cells. Focused studies of the chemical composition of individual cells and functionally defined groups of cells promise to provide a greater understanding of cell fate, function and homeostatic balance. Single-cell bioanalytical microanalysis has also become increasingly valuable for examining cellular heterogeneity, particularly in the fields of neuroscience, stem cell biology and developmental biology.