Embyo

Although three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions of the surfaces of live embyos are vital to understanding embryo development, morphogenetic tissue movements and other factors have prevented the automation of this task. Here, we report an integrated set of software algorithms that overcome these challenges, making it possible to completely automate the reconstruction of embryo surfaces and other textured surfaces from multiview images. The process involves: 1) building accurate point correspondences using a robust deformable template block matching algorithm; 2) removing outliers using fundamental matrix calculations in conjunction with a RANSAC algorithm; 3) generating 3-D point clouds using a bundle adjustment algorithm that includes camera position and distortion corrections; 4) meshing the point clouds into triangulated surfaces using a Tight Cocone algorithm that produces water tight models; 5) refining surfaces using midpoint insertion and Laplacian smoothing algorithms; and 6) repeating these steps until a measure of convergence G, the rms difference between successive reconstructions, is below a specified threshold...

With the application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a possible genetic contribution of spermatozoa obtained from 47,XXY non-mosaic Klinefelter patients on preimplantation embryos was analysed in eight couples. Interpretable fluorescence in-situ hybridization results were obtained for 28 out of 33 embryos biopsied (84.8%) and 23 blastomeres were analysed for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y. Nine out of 23 embryos were diagnosed as abnormal (39.1%). Five out of nine contained sex chromosome abnormalities (55...

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), originally cloned as a hepatocyte mitogen, has recently been reported to exhibit neurotrophic activity in addition to being expressed in different parts of the nervous system. At present, the effects of HGF on neural stem cells (NSCs) are not known. In this study, we first report the promoting effect of HGF on the proliferation of neurospheres and neuronal differentiation of NSCs. Medium containing only HGF was capable of inducing neurosphere formation. Addition of HGF to medium containing fibroblast growth factor 2 or epidermal growth factor increased both the size and number of newly formed neurospheres...

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We have studied the prostatic bud induction in the urogenital sinus of androgen-receptor deficient mice, and found that epidermal growth factor (EGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) as well as transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) can provoke prostatic bud formation in the androgen-receptor deficient sinus cultured in the medium deprived of androgens.

Oral type 1 and genital type 2 Herpesvirus hominis (HVH) strains demonstrate distinctive biological properties in primary chick embryo cells (PCE) cultivated in microtest plates. With this procedure four reference strains of known types and 106 clinical isolates were differentiated as type 1 or 2. The type 1 strains showed low efficiency of infection and either no cytopathic effect (CPE) or only an incomplete CPE characterized by uniform thinning of the cell sheet in test wells. Type 2 strains had a high efficiency of infection and with CPE characterized by patchy plaque-like lesions readily distinguished from CPE of type 1 strains...