No description available.

No description available.

Zugl.: Bielefeld, Univ., Diss., 2006

This study was designed to: 1. Determine the effects of sperm dose and retrograde sperm blockage on mean number accessory sperm/ova. 2. Evaluate the relationship between mean number accessory sperm/ova and fertilization status/embryo quality. 3. Determine if mean number accessory sperm/ova or embryo quality are affected by semen quality. 4. Compare the percentage of morphologically normal accessory sperm with the percentage of normal cells in the inseminate. Using excised reproductive tracts, a French insemination rod housed in a 24-gauge Foley catheter was determined to be effective in blocking retrograde flow of semen following insemination. In a preliminary study, blocked vs conventional inseminations (control) were made using average quality frozen semen at 20 x 10⁶ sperm/dose. Although not different (P > .1), the mean number accessory sperm/ovum was 20 ± 40 (n= 24) and 13 ± 28 (n= 26) for the blocked and control methods, respectively. In Expt. 1, the conventional (control) and blocked system were again compared in a 2x2 factorial using low quality semen at 20 and 40 x 10⁶ sperm/dose. Mean number accessory sperm/ova was not affected by dose, blocking, nor the interaction. Embryo quality was negatively affected by blocking (P < .1), and unaffected by sperm dose. In Expt. 2, embryo quality and accessory sperm numbers were unaffected by a 40 x 10⁶ sperm dose of either average or below average quality semen. However, embryo quality tended to be improved by the average quality semen. Accessory sperm were significantly enriched with morphologically normal cells when compared with those in the inseminate (P < .01). Viable quality embryos (poor thru excellent) had the highest mean number accessory sperm/ovum (16.2 ± 28.9), most unfertilized ova (UFO) contained zero accessory sperm (.27 ± .83) and degenerates embryos were intermediate in number (5.4 ± 8.7). The relationship between embryo quality and accessory sperm number appears to vary in response to semen quality. / Master of Science

No description available.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 S675 / Master of Science / Animal Sciences and Industry

In vitro embryo production has vastly improved over the past decade through the study of the in vivo environment and the metabolic requirements of embryos. In contrast, in vitro oocyte maturation ( IVM ) culture conditions have remained relatively unchanged and are suboptimal. The aim of this thesis was to create improved systems for bovine IVM by studying the metabolic profiles and requirements of intact cumulus oocyte complexes ( COCs ) during IVM and determining the ion and energy substrate composition of bovine follicular fluid ( FF ). Glucose, pyruvate and oxygen consumption of bovine COCs increased 2 - fold over the 24 h IVM period, with glucose being the preferred energy substrate. While initially the majority of glucose consumed by COCs is metabolised via glycolysis ( Llactate production ), a considerable proportion of glucose is used as a substrate for extracellular matrix ( ECM ) synthesis towards the end of IVM. Glucosamine ( an intermediate substrate of hyaluronic acid ) supplementation of IVM media lead to decreased glucose consumption and incorporation into ECM during FSH - stimulated expansion. Biochemical analyses of bovine FF demonstrated that the concentration of some ions and energy substrates varied with follicle size. Although follicular glucose concentrations increased with follicle size, levels were ~ 2 - fold lower than that found in Tissue Culture Medium ( TCM199 ), the most commonly employed medium for bovine IVM. Synthetic Follicular Fluid Medium ( SFFM ) was created, based on the FF data and also contained glucosamine. Two different glucose concentrations were examined, 2.3 mM glucose to represent physiological concentrations and 5.6 mM glucose, the same concentration as is in TCM199. Culturing COCs in different glucose concentrations manipulated the completion of nuclear maturation and this was dependant on concentration, gonadotrophin supplementation and the timing of media changes, demonstrating the importance of this substrate to meiotic competence. Although glucosamine had no effect on oocyte nuclear maturation, supplementation during IVM led to a dose - dependent decrease in blastocyst rates. The detrimental effects of glucosamine manifested during early cleavage and were associated with a 0.6 - fold decrease in protein synthesis levels within the oocyte compared to oocytes cultured in media with no glucosamine, suggesting a detrimental effect on developmental competence. Interestingly oocytes cultured in media containing glucosamine and EGF had significantly higher protein synthesis compared to the control group. The biochemical profiles of COCs during IVM and FF were determined and used to create new media that allowed manipulation of oocyte nuclear maturation but compromised cytoplasmic maturation. Further research is required to optimise SFFM and to investigate the detrimental effects of glucosamine on developmental competence. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Medical School, 2004.

No description available.

No description available.

Homosexuella familjer eller det som också kallasregnbågsfamiljer är en idag växande familjeform. Det är homosexuella par somvalt att bilda familj, som avser undersökas i denna uppsats, vilket är avrelevans för det sociala arbetet då olika familjeformer idag är framträdandeoch viktigt. Kännedom om olika familjetyper som finns, ger oss stor inblick ochvidgar våra möjligheter att undersöka vilken värld homosexuella par möter inomoch utom den svenska sjukvården. Syftet meduppsatsen är att undersöka möjligheter och eventuella hinder som lesbiska parkan möta när de bildar familj. Det undersöks också om några andra faktorerspelar in, som har betydelse för paren när de tänker kring familjebildning ochbehandling. Den metod som används är kvalitativ. Intervjuer valdes för attkunna ställa frågor om individernas olika erfarenheter men även om motstånd ochhinder, vid deras resa mot föräldraskap. De slutsatser som dragits är att allarespondenter upplever olika motgångar och besvikelser. Några har enbart möttbra bemötande av vårdpersonal medans andra mött oförståelse. Gemensamt för allaär att väntan och längtan har varit lång. Oavsett var respondenterna harmottagit sin behandling har alla fått stå i kö en lång tid och alla har möttbesvikelser. Det har också visat sig att alla kvinnor är positiva över hurderas familjer ser ut, men flera av dem önskar att familjen ska växa och bliännu större.