Interspecific ICSI for the assessment of sperm DNA damage: Technology report

Xenogenic mammalian sperm heads injected into mouse ovulated oocytes decondense and form pronuclei in which sperm DNA parameters can be evaluated. We suggest that this approach can be used for the assessment of sperm DNA damage level and the evaluation of how cer-tain sperm treatments (freezing, lyophilization, etc.) influence the quality of spermatozoa

Uric acid level and the presence of metabolic syndrome: experiences from Vojvodina Region in Serbia

Introduction: Uric acid level (UAL) might represent an indirect marker of metabolic syndrome (MS). Study investigates differences in UAL in the overall study group and in separate groups of normal weight, overweight and obese subjects, regarding the presence of MS. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study included 1333 participants. Anthropometrical measurements and relevant blood analysis were performed. For diagnosis of MS we used NCEP ATP III criteria. Results: 50.64% of the participants have fulfilled criteria for MS diagnosis. In the overall study group, participants with MS were older (

Function of atypical mammalian oocyte/zygote nucleoli and its implications for reproductive biology and medicine

Mammalian oocytes/zygotes contain atypical nucleoli that are composed exclusively of a dense fibrillar material. It has been commonly accepted that these nucleoli serve as a repository of components that are used later on, as the embryo develops, for the construction of typical tripartite nucleoli. Indeed, when nucleoli were removed from immature oocytes (enucleolation) and these oocytes were then matured, fertilized or parthenogenetically activated, development of the produced embryos ceased after one or two cleavages with no detectable nucleoli in nuclei. This indicated that zygotic nucleoli originate exclusively from oocytes, i.e. are maternally inherited. Recently published results, however, do not support this developmental biology dogma and demonstrate that maternal nucleoli in one-cell stage embryos are necessary only during a very short time period after fertilization when they serve as a major heterochromatin organizing structures. Nevertheless, it still remains to be determined, which other functions/roles the atypical oocyte/ zygote nucleoli eventually have

Subtelomeric chromosomal rearrangements in a large cohort of unexplained intellectually disabled individuals in Indonesia: A clinical and molecular study

Contains fulltext : 124659.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)CONTEXT: Unbalanced subtelomeric chromosomal rearrangements are often associated with intellectual disability (ID) and malformation syndromes. The prevalence of such rearrangements has been reported to be 5-9% in ID populations. AIMS: To study the prevalence of subtelomeric rearrangements in the Indonesian ID population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We tested 436 subjects with unexplained ID using multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) using the specific designed sets of probes to detect human subtelomeric chromosomal imbalances (SALSA P070 and P036D). If necessary, abnormal findings were confirmed by other MLPA probe kits, fluorescent in situ hybridization or Single Nucleotide Polymorphism array. RESULTS: A subtelomeric aberration was identified in 3.7% of patients (16/436). Details on subtelomeric aberrations and confirmation analyses are discussed. CONCLUSION: This is the first study describing the presence of subtelomeric rearrangements in individuals with ID in Indonesia. Furthermore, it shows that also in Indonesia such abnormalities are a prime cause of ID and that in developing countries with limited diagnostic services such as Indonesia, it is important and feasible to uncover the genetic etiology in a significant number of cases with ID