"I am your mother and your father!": In vitro derived gametes and the ethics of solo reproduction

In this paper, we will discuss the prospect of human reproduction achieved with gametes originating from only one person. According to statements by a minority of scientists working on the generation of gametes in vitro, it may become possible to create eggs from men’s non-reproductive cells and sperm from women’s. This would enable, at least in principle, the creation of an embryo from cells obtained from only one individual: ‘solo reproduction’. We will consider what might motivate people to reproduce in this way, and the implications that solo reproduction might have for ethics and policy. We suggest that such an innovation is unlikely to revolutionise reproduction and parenting. Indeed, in some respects it is less revolutionary than in vitro fertilisation as a whole. Furthermore, we show that solo reproduction with in vitro created gametes is not necessarily any more ethically problematic than gamete donation—and probably less so. Where appropriate, we draw parallels with the debate surrounding reproductive cloning. We note that solo reproduction may serve to perpetuate reductive geneticised accounts of reproduction, and that this may indeed be ethically questionable. However, in this it is not unique among other technologies of assisted reproduction, many of which focus on genetic transmission. It is for this reason that a ban on solo reproduction might be inconsistent with continuing to permit other kinds of reproduction that also bear the potential to strengthen attachment to a geneticised account of reproduction. Our claim is that there are at least as good reasons to pursue research towards enabling solo reproduction, and eventually to introduce solo reproduction as an option for fertility treatment, as there are to do so for other infertility related purposes

Personalized Drug Dosage – Closing the Loop

A brief account is given of various approaches to the individualization of drug dosage, including the use of pharmacodynamic markers, therapeutic monitoring of plasma drug concentrations, genotyping, computer-guided dosage using ‘dashboards’, and automatic closed-loop control of pharmacological action. The potential for linking the real patient to his or her ‘virtual twin’ through the application of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling is also discussed

Forensic age diagnostics by magnetic resonance imaging of the proximal humeral epiphysis

The most commonly used radiological method for age estimation of living individuals is X-ray. Computed tomography is not commonly used due to high radiation exposure, which raises ethical concerns. This problem can be solved with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which avoids the use of ionizing radiation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the utility of MRI analysis of the proximal humeral epiphyses for forensic age estimations of living individuals. In this study, 395 left proximal humeral epiphyses (patient age 12-30years) were evaluated with fast-spin-echo proton density-weighted image (FSE PD) sequences in a coronal oblique orientation on shoulder MRI images. A five-stage scoring system was used following the method of Dedouit et al. The intra- and interobserver reliabilities assessed using Cohen's kappa statistic were =0.818 and =0.798, respectively. According to this study, stage five first appeared at 20 and 21years of age in males and females, respectively. These results are not directly comparable to any other published study due to the lack of MRI data on proximal humeral head development. These findings may provide valuable information for legally important age thresholds using shoulder MRI. The current study demonstrates that MRI of the proximal humerus can support forensic age estimation. Further research is needed to establish a standardized protocol that can be applied worldwide

Applicability of T1-weighted MRI in the assessment of forensic age based on the epiphyseal closure of the humeral head

This work investigates the value of magnetic resonance imaging analysis of proximal epiphyseal fusion in research examining the growth and development of the humerus and its potential utility in establishing forensic age estimation. In this study, 428 proximal humeral epiphyses (patient age, 12-30years) were evaluated with T1-weighted turbo spin echo (T1 TSE) sequences in coronal oblique orientation on shoulder MRI images. A scoring system was created following a combination of the Schmeling and Kellinghaus methods. Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between age and ossification stage of the proximal humeral epiphysis (all subjects: rho=0.664, p<0.001; males: 0.631, p<0.001; females: rho=0.651, p<0.001). The intra- and inter-observer reliability assessed using Cohen's kappa statistic was =0.898 and =0.828, respectively. The earliest age of epiphysis closure was 17years for females and 18years for males. MRI of the proximal humeral epiphysis can be considered advantageous for forensic age estimation of living individuals in a variety of situations, ranging from monitoring public health to estimating the age of illegal immigrants/asylum seekers, minors engaged in criminal activities, and illegal participants in competitive sports, without the danger of radiation exposure

Annealed Silver-Island Films for Applications in Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence: Interpretation in Terms of Radiating Plasmons

The effects of thermally annealed silver island films have been studied with regard to their potential applicability in applications of metal-enhanced fluorescence, an emerging tool in nano-biotechnology. Silver island films were thermally annealed between 75 and 250°C for several hours. As a function of both time and annealing temperature, the surface plasmon band at ≈420 nm both diminished and was blue shifted. These changes in plasmon resonance have been characterized using both absorption measurements, as well as topographically using Atomic Force Microscopy. Subsequently, the net changes in plasmon absorption are interpreted as the silver island films becoming spherical and growing in height, as well as an increased spacing between the particles. Interestingly, when the annealed surfaces are coated with a fluorescein-labeled protein, significant enhancements in fluorescence are osbserved, scaling with annealing temperature and time. These observations strongly support our recent hypothesis that the extent of metal-enhanced fluorescence is due to the ability of surface plasmons to radiate coupled fluorophore fluorescence. Given that the extinction spectrum of the silvered films is comprised of both an absorption and scattering component, and that these components are proportional to the diameter cubed and to the sixth power, respectively, then larger structures are expected to have a greater scattering contribution to their extinction spectrum and, therefore, more efficiently radiate coupled fluorophore emission. Subsequently, we have been able to correlate our increases in fluorescence emission with an increased particle size, providing strong experiment evidence for our recently reported metal-enhanced fluorescence, facilitated by radiating plasmons hypothesis

Frequently asked questions about chlorophyll fluorescence, the sequel

[EN] Using chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence many aspects of the photosynthetic apparatus can be studied, both in vitro and, noninvasively, in vivo. Complementary techniques can help to interpret changes in the Chl a fluorescence kinetics. Kalaji et al. (Photosynth Res 122: 121-158, 2014a) addressed several questions about instruments, methods and applications based on Chl a fluorescence. Here, additionalChl a fluorescence-related topics are discussed again in a question and answer format. 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Human malarial disease: a consequence of inflammatory cytokine release

Malaria causes an acute systemic human disease that bears many similarities, both clinically and mechanistically, to those caused by bacteria, rickettsia, and viruses. Over the past few decades, a literature has emerged that argues for most of the pathology seen in all of these infectious diseases being explained by activation of the inflammatory system, with the balance between the pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines being tipped towards the onset of systemic inflammation. Although not often expressed in energy terms, there is, when reduced to biochemical essentials, wide agreement that infection with falciparum malaria is often fatal because mitochondria are unable to generate enough ATP to maintain normal cellular function. Most, however, would contend that this largely occurs because sequestered parasitized red cells prevent sufficient oxygen getting to where it is needed. This review considers the evidence that an equally or more important way ATP deficency arises in malaria, as well as these other infectious diseases, is an inability of mitochondria, through the effects of inflammatory cytokines on their function, to utilise available oxygen. This activity of these cytokines, plus their capacity to control the pathways through which oxygen supply to mitochondria are restricted (particularly through directing sequestration and driving anaemia), combine to make falciparum malaria primarily an inflammatory cytokine-driven disease