The number of cells in a preimplantation embryo is directly correlated to the health and viability of the embryo. There are currently no methods to count the number of cells in late-stage preimplantation embryos noninvasively. We assessed the ability of optical quadrature microscopy (OQM) to count the number of cells in mouse preimplantation embryos noninvasively. First, to test for possible li...

The high attrition rate of in vitro human embryo culture presents a major obstacle in the treatment of clinical infertility by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Physical and genetic requirements are not well understood for human or mouse preimplantation embryo development. Group culture is an established requirement for optimal embryo development in the mouse model. However, conventional microdrop ...

introduction: today, investigators pay attention to natural fluids (such as follicular and amniotic fluid) to use them as a medium or a supplement. using human amniotic fluid (haf) in some researches, not only improved in vitro development of preimplantation embryos but also significantly increased percentage of pregnancy. on the contrary, gianaroli et al. have claimed there was no significant ...

Hormonal factors secreted by embryos and reproductive tracts are important for successful development of preimplantation embryos. We found expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5) transcripts at its highest levels in the blastocyst stages. The transcripts for their receptor, TrkB, were detectable throughout the early embryonic stages with an increase ...

BACKGROUND Although chromosomal mosaicism in human preimplantation embryos has been described for almost two decades, its exact prevalence is still unknown. The prevalence of mosaicism is important in the context of preimplantation genetic screening in which the chromosomal status of an embryo is determined by the analysis of a single cell from that embryo. METHODS Here we report a systematic...

The physiology of the early embryo may be indicative of embryo vitality and therefore methods for non-invasively monitoring physiological parameters from embryos could improve preimplantation diagnoses. The self-referencing electrophysiological technique is capable of non-invasive measurement of the physiology of individual cells by monitoring the movement of ions and molecules between the cell...

Preimplantation mouse embryos express both classical (class Ia) and nonclassical (class Ib) MHC class I proteins, and yet are not rejected by the maternal immune system. Although the function of the embryonic MHC class Ia proteins is unknown, one MHC class Ib protein, Qa-2, the product of the preimplantation embryo development (Ped) gene, actually enhances reproductive success. Similar in struc...