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Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures

Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures
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Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures - 1

High Performance Gas flow Dilutor & Gas flow Mixing System with User Interface Application Note MCQ Gas Blender 100 Series Application Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures Introduction Cell culture study currently represents one of the most important and promising application field for modern science and one of the most developed. Many of the latest remarkable achievements earned in medical and biological fields arisen from researches conducted on lab-cultured cells. In order to obtain the best results, culture parameters must be accurately set and controlled and the importance of the gas mixture for in vitro cell development has been particularly discussed in one of our previous application note (link). This work aims to highlight the crucial role of gas mixtures when undertaking In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) processes, which includes the critical step of embryo culture. For these applications MCQ suggests the use of its MCQ Gas Blender 100 Series, a professional instrument designed for three-components gas mixtures management. In Vitro Fertilisation In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other several assisted reproductive techniques, have been developed by modern medicine to face the problems related with couple infertility. Female infertility in women is mainly connected with problems with the fallopian tube, while male infertility mostly derives from men defect sperm quality. IVF is a sophisticated process designed to overcome these problems and to help couples establishing a successful pregnancy. Basically the IVF involves retrieving eggs from woman’s ovaries, letting sperm fertilise them in a controlled environment and transferring the fertilised eggs back in the patient’s uterus. However, without additional techniques, this simple process would provide small chances of pregnancy. In order to enhance the successful rate of process, other additional steps has been developed and are now routinely used in IVF: Ovarian hyperstimulation Through a 10-16 days-long cycle of Human Menopausal Gonadotropin (HMG) injections, the patient ovarian status in stimulated in order to achieve the simultaneous maturation of several eggs. Egg retrieval Once the egg follicles have reached a particular size (about 16 mm of diameter), the patient is ready to undergo egg retrieval. Time is another important factor since the retrieval must be performed just before ovulation occurs. Egg preparation Eggs are separated from the follicles fluid and then stored in incubator under physiologic conditions (both atmosphere conditions and nutrient mixture are crucial for the correct storage and development of cells). The eggs will remain in the incubator until fertilization is ready to take place. Fertilisation micrograph of Penicillium and its process A CVD chamber during the deposition spores. Sperm and eggs are placed in incubators which enables fertilization to occur. The eggs are monitored to confirm Gas Blender 100 Series Application Note

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Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures - 2

High Performance Gas flow Dilutor & Gas flow Mixing System with User Interface Schematic summary of growth and developmet of embryos during the laboratory culture Single cell Single cell After retrieval After fersilisation Embryo culture Embryos are left to develop for several hour, waiting for the cell division to occur. The importance of gas mixture during the embryo culture will be discussed later. Embryo selection Embryos are analysed and the ones not adequately grown are rejected. At this stage, a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can optionally be conducted, to check any...

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Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures - 3

High Performance Gas flow Dilutor & Gas flow Mixing System with User Interface Each embryo stage requires differente medium embryos and thus the entire IVF process. The standard culture procedure involves the growth of embryos under physiological conditions. Compared with the atmospheric value, carbon dioxide concentration is increased up to 5-6%, while the oxygen amount is variable. In facts, the effect of oxygen concentration on in vitro cultures is a crucial topic, still debated by the scientific community [1,2]. A low-oxygen gas mixture configuration (5% O2 and 5% CO2 in N2) and a...

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Effects of controlled atmosphere for in vitro embryo cultures - 4

High Performance Gas flow Dilutor & Gas flow Mixing System with User Interface References [1] M. Bahçeci, H. N. Çray, L. Karagenc, U. Ulug and F. Bener, Effect of oxygen concentration during the incubation of embryos of women undergoing ICSI and embrio transfer: a prospective randomized study - Reprod Biomed Online 11, 4 (2005) 438-443. [2] B. Kovačič, M. Č. Sajko and V. Vlaisavljević, A prospective, randomized trial on the effect of atmospheric versus reduced oxygen concentration on the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles - Fertil Steril 94, 2 (2010) 511-519. [3] U....

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