In vitro fertilisation is now an established technique for treating some forms of infertility, yet it remains ethically controversial. New developments, such as embryo donation and embryo freezing, have led to further discussion. We briefly discuss the ethical aspects of IVF, focusing on the issues of resource allocation, the 'unnaturalness' of the procedure, the moral status of the embryo, sur...

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 established the legal framework that governs infertility [3] treatment, medical services ancillary to infertility [3] treatment such as embryo storage, and all human embryological research performed in the UK. The law also defines a legal concept of the parent of a child conceived with assisted reproductive technologies. Section Five of the Act es...

BACKGROUND One-third of subfertile couples have no identifiable cause for their inability to conceive. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a widely accepted treatment for this condition; however, this treatment is invasive and expensive and is associated with risks. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of IVF compared with expectant management, unstimulated intrauterine inseminatio...

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 established the legal framework that governs infertility [3] treatment, medical services ancillary to infertility [3] treatment such as embryo storage, and all human embryological research performed in the UK. The law also defines a legal concept of the parent of a child conceived with assisted reproductive technologies. Section Five of the Act es...

Abstract Fusarium spp. are phytopathogens causing fusarium head blight in wheat. They produce mycotoxins, mainly fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone. The study was conducted during two growing seasons (2020 2021) at the experimental field laboratories of Hungarian University Agriculture Life Sciences (MATE). aim to determine influence season, nitrogen fertilisation, wheat variety on inf...

Spermatozoa and lentiviruses are two of nature's most efficient gene delivery vehicles. Both can be genetically modified and used independently for the generation of transgenic animals or gene transfer/therapy of inherited disorders. Here we show that mature spermatozoa can be directly transduced with various pseudotyped lentiviral vectors and used in in vitro fertilisation studies. Lentiviral ...

The effects of depleting a maternal cytokeratin mRNA on the developing embryo are described. Cytokeratins are members of the intermediate filament family of cytoskeletal proteins, and are expressed in a cortical network of the superficial cytoplasm of the oocyte. After fertilisation, a new cortical network is built up, which comes to occupy only the most superficial cells of the blastula. The m...

If a couple knows or fears that they are at risk of having a child with a genetic condition or disease, they may seek in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Although success cannot be guaranteed, the purpose of PGD is to enable parents to have a child without a genetic impairment and, in so doing, to avoid moral or other difficulties in the terminat...

Application of fish sludge as fertiliser to agricultural land can contribute to closing nutrient cycles in fish farming. The effect of different treatment technologies on the nitrogen fertilisation effects of fish sludge was studied by a bioassay with barley (Hordeum vulgare), an incubation and a field experiment. Dried fish sludge resulted in relative agronomic efficiency of 50-80% compared wi...

Gene sequences in human oocytes were studied to investigate the possibility of diagnosing inherited or sporadic genetic disease before implantation after in vitro fertilisation. By specific amplification the possibility of analysing the DNA from single human oocytes for a specific gene was shown, and genotypes for markers closely linked to cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy were de...