Elevated blood plasma antioxidant status is favourable for achieving IVF/ICSI pregnancy.

The aim of the study was to determine the roles of intrafollicular and systemic oxidative stress and antioxidant response in ovarian stimulation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. For this purpose, 102 ICSI patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation were enrolled and samples were collected on the day of follicle puncture. Total peroxide (TPX) concentrations and total antioxidant response (TAR) were measured in follicular fluid and blood plasma, and an oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated based on these two parameters.

Follicular proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines as markers of IVF success.

Cytokines are key modulators of the immune system and also contribute to regulation of the ovarian cycle. In this study, Bender MedSystems FlowCytomix technology was used to analyze follicular cytokines (proinflammatory: IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, IFN-γ, IFN-α, TNF-α, IL-12, and IL-23;, and anti-inflammatory: G-CSF), chemokines (MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MCP-1, RANTES, and IL-8), and other biomarkers (sAPO-1/Fas, CD44(v6)) in 153 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Cytokine origin was studied by mRNA analysis of granulosa cells.

Molecular diagnosis of Down syndrome using quantitative APEX-2 microarrays.

Objective: To develop a new rapid and high-throughput microarray-based prenatal diagnostic test for the detection of trisomy 21 (T21).

Methods: The T21 arrayed primer extension-2 (APEX-2) assay discriminates between trisomy and euploid DNA samples by comparing the signal intensities of allelic fractions of heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) after APEX reaction. After preliminary validation using DNA samples from Down syndrome patients, we analyzed DNA samples from cultured and uncultured amniocytes and chorionic villus for 90 SNPs with high heterozygosity from the 21(q21.

Aromatase gene (CYP19A1) variants, female infertility and ovarian stimulation outcome: a preliminary report.

Progress has been made towards ascertaining the genetic predictors of ovarian stimulation in IVF. Aromatase cytochrome P450, encoded by the CYP19A1 gene, catalyses a key step in ovarian oestrogen biosynthesis. Hence, the aromatase gene is an attractive candidate for genetic studies.

Neurotrophic factors switch between two signaling pathways that trigger axonal growth.

Integration of multiple inputs from the extracellular environment, such as extracellular matrix molecules and growth factors, is a crucial process for cell function and information processing in multicellular organisms. Here we demonstrate that co-stimulation of dorsal root ganglion neurons with neurotrophic factors (NTFs) - glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor, neurturin or nerve growth factor - and laminin leads to axonal growth that requires activation of Src family kinases (SFKs). A different, SFK-independent signaling pathway evokes axonal growth on laminin in the absence of the NTFs.