Heat shock induces interferon-TAU gene expression by in vitro-produced bovine blastocysts.

Problem: The type I interferon (IFN), IFN-tau (τ), is the primary embryonic signal for pregnancy maintenance in ruminants. This study determined the effects of heat shock upon IFN-τ (IFNT) gene expression by bovine blastocysts in vitro.

Method Of Study: In vitro-produced blastocyst-stage embryos were exposed to 42°C for 4 hr, and mRNA for heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) and IFNT quantified.

Modelling a risk classification of aneuploidy in human embryos using non-invasive morphokinetics.

This study determined whether morphokinetic variables between aneuploid and euploid embryos differ as a potential aid to select euploid embryos for transfer. Following insemination, EmbryoScope time-lapse images from 98 blastocysts were collected and analysed blinded to ploidy. The morphokinetic variables were retrospectively compared with ploidy, which was determined following trophectoderm biopsy and analysis by array comparative genomic hybridization or single-nucleotide polymorphic array.