Blastomere biopsy for PGD delays embryo compaction and blastulation: a time-lapse microscopic analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the effect of blastomere biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) on the embryos' dynamics, further cleavage, development, and implantation.

Methods: The study group included 366 embryos from all PGD treatments (September 2012 to June 2014) cultured in the EmbryoScope™ time-lapse monitoring system. The control group included all intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos cultured in EmbryoScope™ until day 5 during the same time period (385 embryos).

An embryo cleavage pattern based on the relative blastomere size as a function of cell number for predicting implantation outcome.

Objective: To analyze whether the cleavage pattern redefined for all cleavage stages according to the relative blastomere size as a function of cell number has an additive value in predicting implantation potential of day-2 and day-3 embryos.

Design: Retrospective analysis of standard embryo morphologic parameters (cleavage rate and degree of fragmentation) supplemented by cleavage pattern findings of 347 implanted embryos compared with those of a matched control group of 307 embryos that failed to implant.

Setting: University-based tertiary medical center.

Resolving a genetic paradox throughout preimplantation genetic diagnosis for autosomal dominant severe congenital neutropenia.

Objective: Severe congenital neutropenia is an inherited disease characterized by low peripheral blood neutrophils, amenable to bone marrow transplantation. Genetic analysis in the family here described detected a ELA2 splice-site mutation in the affected child and also in his asymptomatic father. The parents requested preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), coupled with HLA matching, to obtain a suitable bone marrow donor for the affected child.

Preimplantation aneuploid embryos undergo self-correction in correlation with their developmental potential.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of embryos' self-correction during preimplantation development in terms of mosaicism and in correlation with its developmental stage.

Design: Prospective study to compare the chromosome status of embryos on day 3 with that of day 5, in correlation with their developmental stage.

Setting: In vitro fertilization unit of a university-affiliated hospital.

Detection of spinal muscular atrophy carriers by nested polymerase chain reaction of single sperm cells.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder with a carrier frequency of approximately 1 in 40. Approximately 95% of patients have homozygous deletions of exon 7 and/or 8 of the SMN1 gene. Carrier testing for SMA is relatively complex and requires quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of genomic DNA to determine SMN1 copy number.

Prospective randomized comparison of two embryo culture systems: P1 medium by Irvine Scientific and the Cook IVF Medium.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of two commercially available in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo culture media systems: the glucose-free P1 Medium supplemented with 20% synthetic serum substitute (SSS) (Irvine Scientific), and the Cook IVF Medium (Cook, Australia).

Methods: A prospective randomized study. Medical center-based IVF Unit affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine of Tel Aviv University.