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The chromosome constitution of human cleavage stage embryos has been extensively investi-gated using a variety of techniques, revealing high levels of aneuploidy and mosaicism. However, the final phase of preimplantation development, the blastocyst stage has received relatively little attention mostly because it is only recently that embryo culture has become sufficiently well optimised to reliabley generate blastocysts. One of the aims of this study was to examine blastocyst cytogenetics, characterising the extent and variety of aneuploidy and, where possible, determining the origin of the abnormalities detected. Both the frequency of aneuploidy and the incidence of mosaicism were significantly lower in the 52 embryos generated by 20 patients that had successfully undergone the first cellular differentiation, producing trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM). Valuable tools for the detailed chromosomal analysis of blastocysts, used in both research and clinical contexts, were comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and array CGH (aCGH). However, validation of these methods, especially aCGH, was required in order to verify accuracy. A low error rate and a low misdiagnosis risk were demonstrated. The morphology of 1397 embryos at the cleavage and blastocyst stages from 229 patients was evaluated in relation to their chromosomal complement. The results obtained during this part of the project showed that, in general, there is little correlation between cleavage stage morphology and chromosome status. A weak link between morphology and aneuploidy, however, was found for embryos at the blastocyst stage. Chromosomally normal female embryos had a tendency to grow faster than male embryos at the cleavage stage and therefore tended to achieve superior morphological scores, whereas the trend was reversed at the blastocyst stage. Abnormal embryos carrying types of aneuploidy compatible with formation of a clinically recognised pregnancy had morphologies indistinguishable from those of euploid embryos. This study also aimed to utilise aCGH for the preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of imbal-ances due to structural chromosome rearrangements (e.g. translocations) in 39 carriers, a total of 139 embryos were assessed. The data obtained revealed that carriers of Robertsonian translocations are at increased risk of aneuploidy affecting additional chromosomes not involved the translocation, a phenomenon known as an interchromosomal effect (ICE). Finally, the clinical outcomes of 300 patients undergoing preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) using aCGH, for various different indications, were evaluated at both the cleavage (795 embryos) and blastocyst stages (1097 embryos). The pregnancy rate following cleavage stage biopsy was significantly lower than following blastocyst stage biopsy. The miscarriage rate was significantly reduced following PGS for patients with recurrent miscarriages. This work provided promising data supporting the clinical use of comprehensive chromosome analysis for the screening or diagnosis of preimplantation embryos and also yielded scientifically useful information concerning the frequency and nature of aneuploidy at the final stage of development before implantation.

Thesis (MMed)--Stellenbosch University, 2105. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), as well as other micromanipulation assisted reproductive technology methods, such as physiologic ICSI (PICSI) and intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI), are routinely used in many fertility laboratories around the world. An integral part of these methods is the manipulation of spermatozoa in preparation of the injection into the oocyte. It is common practice to place prepared spermatozoa in a viscous holding medium to facilitate the handling, manipulation and slowdown of spermatozoon movement during the immobilization and injection processes of ICSI. The possible effect of these holding mediums on basic semen parameters, as well as the sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and structural integrity of spermatozoa, is of importance. Hamilton Thorne IVOS® developed an automated software solution for live sperm morphology evaluation under high magnification, called IMSI StrictTM. It combines Tygerberg Strict Criteria morphological classification of human spermatozoa with motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) and provides software-based categorization. The IMSI StrictTM software was developed to aid in the IMSI spermatozoon selection process that enables objective classification of spermatozoa to remove inter-technician variation. For good optics and spermatozoon evaluation in IMSI StrictTM, spermatozoa need to be moving very slowly or be immotile, but still viable. This can be achieved by placing spermatozoa in a viscous holding medium, either polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or SpermSlowTM, sometimes for a substantial time period. Before marketing the clinical use of IMSI StrictTM, the possible toxicity or deleterious effect of PVP and SpermSlowTM on spermatozoa needs to be excluded. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of PVP and SpermSlowTM on human spermatozoa after different exposure times using a viability stain, CASA motility and kinetic parameters, chromatin packaging analysis (CMA3 staining analysis) and DNA fragmentation analysis (TUNEL analysis). The secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of PVP and SpermSlowTM on human spermatozoa‟s ultrastructure with Transmission Electron Microscopy. This prospective analytical study was conducted at Drs Aevitas Fertility Clinic (Vincent Pallotti Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa) as well as the Fertility Unit at Tygerberg Hospital (Cape Town, South Africa) between July 2013 and October 2014. A total of 90 separate (no duplication) semen samples were analysed for the quantitative analysis (primary objective) and 1 sample for the descriptive analysis (secondary objective). Results showed that although PVP and SpermSlowTM treated sperm outcomes often differed significantly after typical statistical analysis, clinically these two mediums were shown to be equivalent (using a specific statistical test for equivalence) for the tested outcomes. PVP and SpermSlowTM had no detrimental effect clinically on sperm viability, motility parameters, chromatin packaging and DNA fragmentation rate. The secondary investigation indicated that SpermSlowTM might exert a disintegrating effect on various sperm membranes, and as a secondary consequence of the eventual necrotic process, alteration of chromatin and cytoskeletal components. PVP medium on the other hand did not show these disintegrating effects. This finding needs to be further investigated since only one semen sample was evaluated. Based on this study‟s results, either PVP or SpermSlowTM can be used for IMSI StrictTM purposes. However, the study did not include the technical aspects of the usage of PVP and SpermSlowTM. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Intrasitoplasmiese sperm inspuiting (ICSI), sowel as ander mikro-manipulasie voortplantings tegnieke, soos fisiologiese ICSI (PICSI) en intrasitoplasmiese morfologies geselekteerde sperm inspuiting (IMSI), word in baie fertiliteitsklinieke regoor die wêreld gebruik. 'n Integrale deel van hierdie metodes is die manipulasie van spermatosoa ter voorbereiding van die inspuitproses. Dit is algemeen om voorbereide spermatosoa in 'n viskose medium te plaas om die hantering, manipulasie en vertraging van spermatosoön beweging tydens die immobilisasie en inspuitproses van ICSI te fasiliteer. Die effek van hierdie mediums op basiese semenparameters, sowel as die sperm deoksiribonukleïensuur (DNS) en strukturele integriteit van spermatosoa, is van belang. Hamilton Thorne IVOS® het 'n sagteware oplossing, IMSI StrictTM, vir lewende sperm morfologie evaluering onder hoë vergroting ontwikkel. Hierdie sagteware bied sagteware-gebaseerde morfologiese klassifikasie deur die Tygerberg streng kriteria morfologiese klassifikasie met beweeglike spermorganel morfologie ondersoek (MSOME) te kombineer. Die IMSI StrictTM sagteware is ontwikkel om die objektiewe klassifikasie van spermatosoa vir IMSI spermatosoön seleksie moontlik te maak. Spermatosoa moet baie stadig beweeg of immotiel, maar steeds lewensvatbaar wees om goeie optika en spermatosoön evaluering vir IMSI StrictTM te verseker. Dit sal bereik kan word deur spermatosoa in 'n viskose medium, hetsy PVP (“polyvinylpyrrolidone”) of SpermSlowTM, vir 'n aansienlike tydperk te inkubeer. Voordat IMSI StrictTM vir kliniese gebruik bemark kan word moet die moontlike toksisiteit of nadelige effek van PVP en SpermSlowTM op spermatosoa uitgesluit word. Die primêre doel van hierdie studie was om die effek van PVP en SpermSlowTM op menslike spermatosoa na verskillende inkubasie tye te evalueer deur ʼn lewensvatbaarheid kleuring toets, twee sperm DNS toetse (CMA3 en TUNEL) en rekenaar geëvalueerde sperm beweeglikheid toetse te gebruik. Die sekondêre doel was om die effek van PVP en SpermSlowTM op menslike spermatosoa se ultrastruktuur deur middel van Transmissie Elektronmikroskopie te evalueer. Hierdie studie is by Drs Aevitas Fertiliteitskliniek (Vincent Pallotti Hospitaal, Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika) sowel as die Fertiliteitseenheid by Tygerberg Hospitaal (Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika) tussen Julie 2013 en Oktober 2014 uitgevoer. 'n Totaal van 90 semenmonsters vir die kwantitatiewe analise (primêre doel) en een vir die beskrywende analise (sekondêre doel) is ontleed. Resultate het getoon dat alhoewel PVP en SpermSlowTM geïnkubeerde spermuitkomste dikwels na ʼn tipiese statistiese analise betekenisvol verskil, hierdie twee mediums vir die geëvalueerde uitkomste klinies ekwivalent (bepaal deur middel van spesifieke statistiese toetse vir ekwivalensie) is. Die mediums het ook nie klinies 'n nadelige effek op sperm lewensvatbaarheid, beweeglikheid parameters, chromatien verpakking en DNS fragmentasie koers getoon nie. Die sekondêre ondersoek het getoon dat SpermSlowTM hoofsaaklik 'n effek van disintegrasie op verskeie spermmembrane getoon het. Hierdie nekrotiese proses kan lei tot verandering van chromatien en sitoskelet komponente. PVP medium het egter nie dieselfde disintegrerende effek getoon nie. Hierdie bevinding moet egter verder ondersoek word, aangesien slegs een semenmonster geëvalueer is. Alhoewel hierdie studie nie die tegniese aspekte van die gebruik van PVP en SpermSlowTM geëvalueer het nie, kan aanbeveel word dat óf PVP óf SpermSlowTM op grond van geëvalueerde uitkomste tydens die IMSI StrictTM sperm seleksie proses gebruik word.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: CHAPTER 1 provides literature based background information to emphasize the use of a sequential, multistep diagnostic schedule for couples in an assisted reproductive program as well as the clinical importance of sperm morphology as recorded by strict criteria during the diagnostic approach of the infertile couple. Furthermore, the chapter includes evidence underlining the growing need for the implementation of the physiologically induced acrosome reaction as an important contribution to the assisted reproductive program. The zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction (ZIAR), sperm-zona interaction as well as computer-assisted semen analyses were investigated. CHAPTER 2 provides detailed experimental protocols of the materials and methods used in the study. CHAPTERS 3-6 each represent a separate study that was prepared as a scientific paper and encompass the experimental research undertaken in the reproductive biology research laboratory at Tygerberg Hospital to address important aspects of human acrosome processes. In the first study, we aimed to evaluate the regulatory role of the Gi-like protein during the AR of normal sperm donors and the role of intact acrosomes during sperm-zona binding. It seems that pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi-like protein in human spermatozoa plays an important regulatory role in the ZIAR and this underlines the importance of intact acrosomes during sperm-zona binding. In the second study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the ZIAR and the percentage normal spermatozoa as well as the sperm-ZP binding potential among men referred for a routine semen analysis. ZIAR testing should become part of the second level of male fertility investigations, i.e., sperm functional testing, since 15% of the andrology referrals revealed an impaired AR response to solubilized ZP. In the third study, we aimed to evaluate the possible relationships between the sperm morphology, the acrosome responsiveness to solubulized human ZP and the sperm-zona binding potential among consecutive andrology referrals and randomly selected IVF cases. ZIAR results provide further information regarding dysfunctional sperm and can be used as an additional diagnostic test since the results predicted fertilization failure during IVF treatment. In the fourth study, we aimed to evaluate changes in the sperm motion characteristics and the occurrence of hyperactivated motility after exposure to ZP among andrology referrals. Solubilized human ZP induces hyperactivated motility among sperm populations that have been capacitated under laboratory conditions. Capacitated spermatozoa have an elevated percentage hyperactivated cells that correlate with the percentage normal spermatozoa in the ejaculate. CHAPTER 7, the general discussion, is brief and concise to avoid unnecessary repetition, underlines the validity of a sequential, multistep diagnostic approach and concludes with the recommendation that the ZIAR should form part of the diagnostic tools in the assisted reproductive program. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: HOOFSTUK 1 bestaan uit ’n omvattende agtergrondstudie wat bestaan uit die ontwikkeling van diagnostiese toetse, die hantering van die egpaar in die reproduktiewe ondersteunings-program asook op die kliniese belang van spermmorfologie. Die toenemende behoefte aan die implementering van die fisiologies-geinduseerde akrosoomreaksie, as ’n belangrike bydrae tot die reproduktiewe ondersteuningsprogram, word ook beklemtoon. Die zona pellucida geinduseerde akrosoomreaksie (ZIAR), sperm-zonabinding asook rekenaar-bemiddelde semenanalises is ondersoek. HOOFSTUK 2 dek gedetailleerde eksperimentele protokolle van die materiale en metodes wat in die studie gebruik is. HOOFSTUKKE 3-6 behandel die eksperimentele navorsing wat in die laboratorium van die reproduktiewe biologie-eenheid te Tygerberg hospitaal uitgevoer is en wat as ses afsonderlike wetenskaplike publikasies aangebied word. Die doel van die eerste studie was om die regulerende rol van Gi-proteiene tydens die AR van normale spermdonors asook die rol van intakte akrosome tydens sperm-zonabinding te evalueer. Dit kom voor asof Gj-protei'ene in spermatozoa ’n belangrike regulerende rol in die ZIAR speel. Dit beklemtoon die belangrikheid van intakte akrosome tydens sperm-zonabinding. Die doel van die tweede studie was om die verhouding tussen die ZIAR en die persentasie normale spermatozoa asook die sperm-zonabindingspotensiaal tussen mans wat vir ’n roetine semenanalise verwys is te evalueer. ZIAR-toetsing moet deel uitmaak van die tweede vlak van manlike fertiliteitsondersoeke, d.w.s. funksionele toetsing, aangesien 15% van die andrologie pasiente ’n verswakte AR respons tot opgeloste ZP openbaar. In die derde studie was die doel om die moontlike verhoudinge tussen sperm-morfologie, die ZIAR en die sperm-zonabindingspotensiaal onder opeenvolgende andrologie-pasiente asook lukraak geselekteerde IVB-pasiente te evalueer. Die ZIAR-resultate bied verdere informasie aangaande disfunksionele spermatozoa en kan gebruik word as ’n addisionele diagnostiese toets aangesien hierdie resultate mislukte bevrugting tydens IVB behandeling voorspel. Die vierde studie het ten doel gehad om veranderinge in spermmotiliteitseienskappe asook hiperaktiwiteit na die blootstelling aan opgeloste zona onder andrologiepasiente te evalueer. Daar is afgelei dat opgeloste menslike zona hiperaktiwiteit induseer in spermpopulasies wat onder gunstige laboratoriumkondisies gekapasiteer is. Die gekapasiteerde spermatozoa het ’n verhoogde persentasie gehiperaktiveerde spermatozoa getoon wat met die persentasie normale spermatozoa in die ejakulaat korreleer. In HOOFSTUK 7 word aangetoon dat dit noodsaaklik is om die diagnostiese skedule by die hantering van die onvrugbare egpaar te gebruik asook dat die ontwikkeling van die funksionele toestand belangrik is vir die bepaling van ZIAR.

Orientador: Josineudson Augusto II de Vasconcelos Silva / Banca: Henrique Nunes de Oliveira / Banca: Joslaine Noely dos Santos Gonçalves Cyrillo / Resumo: A produção de carne no Brasil cresce constantemente, assim como as exigências do mercado e dos consumidores, que fazem a pecuária de corte estar sempre em busca de estratégias tecnológicas e de manejo para garantir maior retorno econômico da atividade. Aliado ao melhoramento genético, o uso da inseminação artificial em tempo fixo (IATF) ganha destaque na produção comercial. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar grupos de progênies oriundas de IATF e de monta natural (MN), a fim de avaliar o impacto da tecnologia reprodutiva no peso a desmama (PD), ganho de peso pós-desmama (GPD), perímetro escrotal (PE) e musculatura (MUS), além de verificar a idade ao primeiro parto (IPP) e tempo de permanência (TP) das fêmeas em rebanhos Nelore criados em sistema extensivo. Os dados avaliados foram provenientes de seis fazendas participantes do programa de melhoramento genético Nelore Qualitas, utilizou-se registro de 65.086 animais. Análises estatísticas dos dados foram realizadas pelo procedimento GLM e as médias ajustadas foram comparadas entre os grupos, G_MN (grupo de progênies oriundas de MN) e G_IA (grupo de progênies oriundas de inseminação artificial), a partir do teste de Tukey-Kramer no programa SAS. A concentração de nascimentos, em ambos os grupos, ocorreu entre agosto e novembro, período com maior oferta de pastagem, o que resultou maior potencial de desempenho das progênies ao desmame. Os touros apresentaram papel fundamental no desempenho das progênies, sendo aquelas oriunda... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Meat production in Brazil is constantly growing, as well as the requirements of the market and consumers, which makes the making beef cattle to be always in search of technological strategies and management to ensure greater economic return to activity. Allied to genetic breeding, the use of fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) acquires emphasis in commercial production. The aim of this study was to compare progeny groups of FTAI and natural breeding (NB), in order to evaluate the reproductive technology impact in weaning weight (WW), postweaning weight gain (PWG), scrotal perimeter (SP) and musculature (MUS), besides checking the age at first calving (AFC) and time of permanency (TP) of females of Nelore herd created in extensive system. The data evaluated came from six farms that participate in the Nelore Qualitas breeding program, and it was used a register of 65,086 animals. Statistical analyzes of the data were performed by the GLM procedure and the adjusted means were compared between the groups, G_MN (group of progenies born by NB) and G_IA (group of progenies born by TFAI), by the Tukey-Kramer test in the SAS program. The concentration of births in both groups occurred between August and November, a period with greater pasture supply, which resulted in progeny's greater performance potential at weaning. The bulls presented a fundamental role in the progeny performance, and those from AI were more efficient (p<0.001) in the studied traits. The phenotypes of the G_IA group for WW, PWG, SP and MUS were 187.02 kg, 81.69 kg, 24.09 cm e 3.92, respectively, and with genetic values equal to 4.64 kg, 7.48 kg, 0.49 cm e 0.23, respectively. These results showed phenotypes and higher genetic values (p <0.001) than those of the G_MN group, 180.8 kg, 69.81 kg, 23.68 cm and 3.78 and 0.04 kg, 0.05 kg, -0.01 cm and 0.02, res... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Commercial gestational surrogacy, also called contract pregnancy, involves privately contracting a biogenetically curated pregnancy using IVF. It distinguishes itself from what is commonly considered 'natural' in procreation, in that the human fetuses it produces are formally entered into a legal unit other than the family of the gestator. My work here contends that this practice is best thought, not in isolation, but in the context of social reproduction more generally and as a central component of future geographies of fetal manufacture that would treat (all) pregnancy as work. This project demands, for me, a critical revisiting of theoretic texts like Mary O'Brien's The Politics of Reproduction (O'Brien 1981). But, in my reading, O'Brien's race-blind gynocentrism doomed her to miss the ensemble of practices - forms of surrogacy among them - that have already long been engaged in the sublation of reproductive labour she professes (yet defers until after the revolution). In geography as in O'Brien, the political horizon of reproductive justice theorised by Black and/or Marxist feminists since the 1970s (Davis 1981; Ross et al. 2016), has been neglected. In assembling materials for a future rewriting of "The Politics of Reproduction" in the context of geography -a trans-inclusive uterine geography- I draw on this canon of reproductive justice first. I question the assumption that there can ever be an absence of surrogacy (i.e. an absence of assistance, co-production, or "sym-poesis" (Haraway 2016)) in babymaking. Thus I explore the synthetic substance of surrogacy synthetically, using a lens I call 'gestational labour': a conceptual hybrid of the postwork perspective on care (Weeks 2011; Federici 1975), the Marxist-feminist concept 'clinical labour' (Cooper and Waldby 2014) and cyborgicity (Haraway 1991). Deploying 'gestational labour' together with a commitment to solidarity vis-à-vis surrogates, I analyse recent events, pro- and anti-surrogacy discourses (both clinical-capitalist and activist), and trends in critical literature that illuminate an immanent 'uterine geography' (or fail to). I aim to demonstrate that the technophobic anticommodification critique of surrogacy's detractors is ultimately as insufficient as the class-blind ('philanthrocapitalist') feminism of surrogacy's sales representatives. My point is that so-called natural forms of the family are themselves already 'technologies of reproductive assistance' differently mediated in the market. Our task is unfortunately neither a matter of simply saying 'stop', nor of pretending that the satisfaction people feel in "mutually advantageous exploitation" (Panitch 2013), on such an unequal playing-field, is somehow 'enough'.Surrogate gestators sometimes show us glimpses of 'mothering against motherhood'. They expose gestation as a cyborg form of labour-power, which is to say, collective human activity always already mixed up with 'technologies' on the one hand and strange more-than-human organisms on the other. Pitting surrogacy against surrogacy, I propose keeping our understanding of what surrogacy could mean radically open. On this basis, I point readers and potential future collaborators towards new kinds of sym-poetic geographical practice: surrogacies - or, engagements with reproductive politics in the broadest sense - which I think our historic moment urgently requires.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, June 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

This project examines how Nadya Suleman and Kate Gosselin were represented in the media following the births of their higher order multiples by conducting a critical textual analysis of newspaper and entertainment magazine articles to answer the following questions: How were Suleman and Gosselin portrayed as mothers? And how were they portrayed as recipients of reproductive technology? The findings illustrate that race and class combined with gender to play an important role in determining who has a right to be a mother and what that mother should look like. Traditional stereotypes within media coverage about good mothers and bad mothers reinforced prejudices about who deserves access to reproductive technology and who does not.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--York University, 1998. Graduate Programme in Social Work. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-205). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ39237

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy