Impact of the polycarbonate strippers used in assisted reproduction techniques on embryonic development.

Study Question: Do daily manipulations of preimplantation embryos with polycarbonate (PC)-made bisphenol A (BPA)-releasing strippers influence embryo development?

Summary Answer: Compared to glass strippers, PC strippers enhance the blastocyst development rate but this does not seem to be BPA-related.

What Is Known Already: PC strippers have been shown to release tiny amounts (around 0.5 ng/ml BPA) of BPA in routine human IVF procedures.

Lymphoproliferative responses in cord blood and at one year: no evidence for the effect of in utero exposure to dust mite allergens.

Background: Maternal allergen exposure beyond the 22nd week of pregnancy may be important in foetal T cell priming. Allergen-specific cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) immunoproliferative responses without corresponding bacterial antigen responses (tetanus toxoid), have been suggested as evidence of in utero sensitization.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between lymphoproliferative responses at birth and at 1 year with maternal and 1-year infants house dust mite allergen exposure.