Prediction of Zn concentration in human seminal plasma of Normospermia samples by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).

PURPOSE: There has been an increasing interest in the evaluation of metal ion concentration, present in different body fluids. It is known that metal ions, especially zinc play vital role in the fertility of human semen. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the study is to evaluate the Zn concentration in Normospermia samples by Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and to predict the same by artificial neural network (ANN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Normospermia semen samples were collected from the patients who came to attend semen analysis at Bangalore assisted conception centre, Bangalore, India. Semen analysis was done according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to estimate the total Zn in these samples, while the Back propagation neural network algorithm (BPNN) was used to predict the Zn levels in these samples. RESULTS: Zinc concentration obtained by AAS and BPNN indicated that there was a good correlation between the estimated and predicted values and was also found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The BPNN algorithm developed in this study could be used for the prediction of Zn concentration in human Normospermia samples. FUTURE PERSPECTIVE: The algorithm could be further developed to predict the concentration of all the trace elements present in human seminal plasma of different infertile categories.

Effect of Pre-ovulatory Single Dose GnRH agonist Therapy on IVF Outcome in GnRH Antagonist Cycles; A Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of present study was to evaluate the role of pre-ovulatory GnRH agonist therapy on IVF outcomes in GnRH antagonist cycles. METHODS: In this prospective study we recruited 100 infertile women undergoing IVF cycles with GnRH antagonists. The patients were assigned to two groups: Group A (the study group, n = 42) were assigned for receiving hCG + triptorelin for the final oocyte maturation and group B (the control group, n = 58) were assigned for only hCG. The t-test, chi-square (χ(2)), and Fisher's exact test were used for data analysis. A p < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. The results are presented by mean± SD, and in percents (%). RESULTS: LH levels significantly (p < 0.001) increased in the study group on the day of oocyte retrieval. All embryological parameters including the number of mature oocytes, fertilization and cleavage rates, number of high quality embryos and number of cases whose embryos were frozen were non-significantly higher in the study group. There were small but non-significant improvements in the clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, live birth and implantation rates in the study group. CONCLUSION: Administering a single dose of GnRH agonist before oocyte retrieval in antagonist cycles may be helpful in improving the pregnancy rate but the results need to be verified in a larger trials.

Derivation and characterization of two sibling human embryonic stem cell lines from discarded grade III embryos.

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are a valuable tool for studying human development in addition to their potential applications in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. The role of genetic background and epigenetic influences in development as well as in response to external influences such as drugs and therapies is well recognized. The great ethnic diversity in the Indian subcontinent translates to interindividual variability in drug response and disease susceptibility. For these reasons, new hES cell lines representing Indian genetic diversity will be valuable in studies of tissue-differentiation, cellular-function and for aspects of characterization of responses to drugs. We have derived two new hES cell lines, BJNhem19 and BJNhem20 from the inner cell mass (ICM) of discarded grade III human embryos that were not suitable for in vitro fertility treatment. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) isotype analysis shows that they are genetically distinct from existing hES cell lines. Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis shows that the two cell lines are derived from sibling embryos. These cell lines show an undifferentiated phenotype in culture for more than 65 passages, show normal karyotype and express pluripotency markers such as TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4), alkaline phosphatase, DNMT3B, GABRB3, GDF3, OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, TERF1, TDGF, LEFTA, THY1, and REX1. While both cell lines can differentiate into derivatives of all three germ layers in vitro, only BJNhem20 can form teratomas when transplanted into mice. We observe an increased frequency of cardiomyocyte differentiation from BJNhem20 embryoid bodies in feeder-free cultures upon induction with DMSO. Cardiomyocytes purified from such cultures survive and show rhythmic contractions for several weeks in culture. These hES cell lines have been accepted for deposit in the U.K. Stem Cell Bank and will be a useful resource for the international stem cell community.

Study of chemical composition and morphology of airborne particles in Chandigarh, India using EDXRF and SEM techniques.

The elemental composition and morphology of aerosols, collected from March 95 to February 96 and March 96 to August 96 respectively in the city of Chandigarh, India is determined using Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The elemental concentration levels are found to be higher by a factor of 2-7 in the spring season as compared to the rainy season. The concentration of spherical and non-spherical (i.e. elongated) aerosols is more in the spring season and is reduced drastically in the rainy season due to the prominent wash out effect of rains. More accurate particle classification and source identification is obtained when based on combination of chemical composition and particle morphology. Possible sources identified from this analysis are soil dust, Industrial activity, Agricultural and Garbage burning, Maritime aerosols and Automobile exhaust.