Pregnancy outcome after blastocyst transfer as compared to early cleavage stage embryo transfer

BACKGROUND: Retrospective cohort study to evaluate differences in outcome when embryo transfer was performed either on day 2-3 (cleavage stage, CS-group) or on day 4-5 (blastocyst stage, BS-group). METHODS: A total of 1259 consecutive cycles yielding 500 live born babies performed at a single centre in Bregenz, Austria, were included. Main outcome measures were implantation and (multiple) pregnancy rates and neonatal outcome including birth defects. RESULTS: Total Pregnancy rate was 44% vs 28% (P < 0.001) and the total 'take home baby rate' was 37% vs 22% in the BS-group and the CS-group, respectively. Rate of multiple gestations (34% vs 17%, P = 0.001) was significantly higher among the BS-group, resulting in a higher rate of preterm deliveries < 36 weeks (26% vs 17%, P = 0.045). Female factor causing infertility (40% vs 21%, P < 0.001) was significantly higher among the BS-group. For the CS-group, rate of singleton pregnancies (83% vs 66%, P = 0.001) and idiopathic cause of infertility (34% vs 22%, P = 0.012) were significantly higher. No statistically significant differences were found in sex, Caesarean section rate, Apgar score and umbilical artery pH-values, total mean birth weight, admission rate to intensive care unit, days of hospitalization and number of minor and major birth defects. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that blastocyst transfer may lead to a higher pregnancy rate with an overall better take-home baby rate (THBR) at the cost of higher rates of multiples and preterm deliveries.     

Evaluation of the Toa E-5000 Automated Hematology Analyzer

A three-phase evaluation of the Toa E-5000 Automated Hematology Analyzer was performed. The first phase consisted of evaluation of linearity, carryover, precisions, accuracy, sample stability, and effectiveness of the mixing and sampling mechanism. The second phase was comparison of erythroid and platelet parameters with results from a Coulter Counter Model S-Plus IV. The third phase consisted of comparison of the trimodal leukocyte differential count of the Toa E-5000 in 300 patients with four other differential methods. The first-phase studies showed excellent performance characteristics. Stability of samples at room temperature was good for a minimum of 12 hours, but storage for longer than 12 hours requires refrigeration to maintain stable values. The erythrocyte and platelet parameters showed good correlation with the Coulter S-Plus IV values except for the erythrocyte distribution width that is calculated differently. The third-phase studies are published elsewhere.     

A fourth case of ring chromosome 7

An 8-year-old child with a ring chromosome 7 is presented, the first female and the fourth such individual to be described. The associated anomalies were rather benign: she presented with short stature, minor skeletal alterations, and normal intelligence. The only truly striking feature was the presence of multiple large, pigmented naevi, suggestive of a hamartomatous origin, but unlike those typical of any particular syndrome. Though other ring 7 patients have had naevus flammeus, and one had cafk-au-lait spots, our proband is the first with an anomaly of chromosome 7 to have such extensive lesions. These four cases of ring 7, which show great phenotypic variation, are reviewed, and the clinical presentation of the proband is also compared with that of patients suffering from terminal, interstitial and translocation-derived 7p and 7q deletions. The formation and behaviour of ring chromosomes are discussed, as are the cytogenetic factors which may influence their phenotypic expression.     

Partial androgen insensitivity with phenotypic variation caused by androgen receptor mutations that disrupt activation function 2 and the NH(2)- and carboxyl-terminal interaction

Partial androgen insensitivity with sex phenotype variation in two unrelated families was associated with missense mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene that disrupted the AR NH(2)-terminal/carboxy terminal interaction. Each mutation caused a single amino acid change within the region of the ligand-binding domain that forms activation function 2 (AF2). In one family, the mutation I737T was in alpha helix 4 and in the other F725L was between helices 3 and 4. Neither mutation altered androgen binding as determined by assays of mutant AR in the patient's cultured genital skin fibroblasts or of recombinant mutant receptors transfected into COS cells. In transient cotransfection assays in CV1 cells, transactivation with the AR mutants at low concentrations of DHT was reduced several fold compared with wild-type AR but increased at higher concentrations. Defects in NH(2)-terminal/carboxy terminal interactions were identified in mammalian two hybrid assays. In similar assays, there was reduced binding of the p160 coactivators TIF2/SRC2 and SRC1 to the mutant AR ligand binding domains (LBD). In the family with AR I737T, sex phenotype varied from severely defective masculinization in the proband to a maternal great uncle whose only manifestation of AIS was severe gynecomastia. He was fertile and passed the mutation to two daughters. The proband of the F725L family was also incompletely masculinized but was raised as a male while his half-sibling by a different father was affected more severely and reared as a female. These studies indicate that the function of an AR AF2 mutant in male development can vary greatly depending on the genetic background.     

Genetic variation in locomotor activity rhythm among populations ofLeptopilina heterotoma (Hymenoptera: Eucoilidae), a larval parasitoid ofDrosophila species

The locomotor activity rhythm ofLeptopilina heterotoma, a parasitoid insect ofDrosophila larvae, was investigated under laboratory conditions. Under LD 1212, the locomotor activity of females shows a clear rhythm which persists under continuous darkness (circadian rhythm). However, comparative study of five populations indicates that both the rate of activity and the profile of the rhythm vary according to the origin of females. The Mediterranean populations (Tunisia and Antibes) show two peaks of activity, at the beginning and at the end of the photophase, whereas more northern populations (Lyon and the Netherlands) are mostly active during the afternoon. Females originating from the area of Lyon have a very low level of activity. Reciprocal crosses (F₁ hybrids and backcrosses) between the French and the Tunisian strains demonstrated the genetic basis of these variations and the biparental inheritance of the trait. This genetic variability is interpreted as a consequence of selective pressures and suggests a local adaptation of natural populations in host foraging behavior. The selective factors which could act on the daily organization of parasitoid behaviors are discussed.