Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was first pioneered at Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom, in 1989 and allows the genetic sampling and testing of the early human embryo prior to being transferred to the uterus to start a pregnancy. Although occasionally controversial, PGD is now well established in several countries and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) centres around the world. I...

Ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, such as the thiazolidinedione class of antidiabetic drugs and 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)), modulate various processes in atherogenesis. In search of cells that generate prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)), the metabolic precursor of 15d-PGJ(2), we identified PGD(2) from culture medium of endothelial cells. To study ...

Mast cells are bone marrow-derived effector cells that can initiate inflammatory responses to infectious organisms or allergens by releasing a multitude of pro-inflammatory factors including prostaglandin (PG) D(2). We demonstrate that primary murine bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) express the PGD(2) receptor; chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on T(h) class 2 cells (...

Owing to adult onset of hereditary cancer, prenatal diagnosis (PND) raises numerous ethical issues on the acceptability to terminate an affected pregnancy (TOP). PND for these disorders is often considered as unacceptable by couples as well as geneticists and legal or ethical authorities, but preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), even if subject to controversy, seems to be a more acceptable ...

BACKGROUND While preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is well established for carriers of reciprocal terminal translocations, reports on PGD for insertional translocation carriers are lacking. Here, we report on the PGD of an insertional translocation carrier with karyotype 46,XX,ins(14;2)(q21;q31q35). Due to the possibility of crossovers within the inserted region, rather than a single prob...

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for people suffering recurrent miscarriages is increasingly being performed worldwide. However, there is limited information on whether PGD can improve success rates in translocation carriers. We therefore compared pregnancy outcomes between PGD and natural pregnancy cases, reviewing the clinical research database. No improvement in the success rate at th...

Prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) is a major prostanoid, produced mainly by mast cells, in allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma. PGD₂-induced vasodilatation and increased permeability are well-known classical effects that may be involved in allergic inflammation. Recently, novel functions of PGD₂ have been identified. To date, D prostanoid receptor (DP) and chemoattractant receptor homologous mo...

Lung transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage pulmonary diseases. A limited donor supply has resulted in 4,000 patients on the waiting list. Currently, 10-20% of donor organs offered for transplantation are deemed suitable under the selection criteria, of which 15-25% fail due to primary graft dysfunction (PGD). This has spawned efforts to re-examine the current selection criter...

Spanish law 14/2006 introduced the necessary legal platform for scientific use and medical application of preimplantatory genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the Country. Since it was approved, there have been some cases of babies that have been born by artificial reproductive techniques using PGD. The most recent case was the first ″double hope baby″ who was free of beta-thalasemy and a histocompatible...

INTRODUCTION We report the fi rst successful preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis in Singapore, involving both fresh and frozen embryo replacement cycles. CLINICAL PICTURE Two couples who were carriers of the Southeast Asian type double gene deletion (--(SEA) deletion carriers) requested for PGD. Couple A had 2 previous affected pregnancies, while couple B hav...