From Dr Palter's docinthemachine:

The new research presented: 6/55 tested embryos did not yield results (10.9%). 59% were abnormal One embryo classified by the new methods as normal had a trisomy 22 by FISH ( 5% false negative rate). 2 teed abnortmal were normal by FISH ( 7% false positive rate). The total error rate for full chromosome abnormalities was (6%). Overall aCGH seems to detect about 20% more abnormal embryos than FISH with a 6% error for full chromosome abnormalities.

Conclusions: this is a major technological step towards a more accurate and usable genetic method of testing embryos to improve pregnancy rates and reduce miscarriage rates. While some still feel that the test is too early to be reliable it is being introduced clinically and centers are beginning to use it. It is one of the only methods to test all chromosomes in an embryo and be able to put them back in the same cycle. As the technology improves the 6% error rate will decrease. More importantly the very wrapped up turnaround which is now less than 12 hours should allow the testing of multiple cells and allow a more accurate confirmation of the embryos true genetic nature. Techniques like this, we hope will be able to begin to identify healthy embryos and transform the practice of fertility treatment through technology.

Read on at docinthemachine...

Abstract: VALIDATION OF MICROARRAY CGH FOR PGD BY FISH REANALYSIS...

Product page: 24sure ...

In 2006, Kiser and colleagues published a study on their development of another "molecular condom" to be applied vaginally as a liquid, turn into a gel coating at body temperature, then, in the presence of semen, turn liquid and release an anti-HIV drug.

Unfortunately, few antiviral drugs bind to and attack HIV in semen. And in Africa, high air temperatures prevent the gel from turning liquid so it could coat the vagina evenly, Kiser says.

The new "molecular condom" gel in the current study works in the opposite way. Like the old version, it changes in response to changes in pH - acidity or alkalinity - in the vagina caused by the introduction of semen during sex. But unlike the old gel, which became liquid at the higher (less acidic) pH of semen, the new "molecular condom" becomes a semisolid at the pH of semen, forming a mesh of "crosslinked" molecules.

The new gel is applied as a gel, and then becomes more solid and impenetrable as changes in pH alter the strength of the bond between the gel's two key components, both of which are polymers, or long, chain-like molecules made of many smaller, repeating units: PBA, or phenylboronic acid, and SHA, or salicylhydroxamic acid.

The chemical bonds between the two polymers constantly attach and detach at normal, acidic vaginal pHs of about 4.8, allowing the gel to flow, Kiser says. But at a pH of 7.6 - the slightly alkaline condition when semen enters the vagina - the PBA and SHA polymers "crosslink" and stick tightly together, he adds.

Part of the new study characterized the flow of the gel.

"It flows at a vaginal pH, and the flow becomes slower and slower as pH increases, and it begins to act more solid at the pH of semen," Jay says. HIV moves slowly within the gel, even when the gel is at lower pHs (higher acidity) and still flowing, but the virus is blocked at higher pHs caused by the entry of semen into the vagina.

The crosslinked polymers form a mesh that is smaller than microscopic, and instead is nanoscopic - on the scale of atoms and molecules - with a mesh size of a mere 30 to 50 nanometers - or 30 to 50 billionths of a meter.

The gel also could help prevent AIDS by blocking movement of immune system cells that try to combat infectious agents but instead get hijacked by the AIDS virus.

Press release: An HIV-Blocking Gel for Women ...

Abstract in Advanced Functional Materials: Modulation of Viscoelasticity and HIV Transport as a Function of pH in a Reversibly Crosslinked Hydrogel

(hat tip: NewScientist)

Features from the product page:

Six disposable EmbryoSlide™ trays holding 12 embryos each Individual slides may be inserted and removed independently

Leica 20 x 0.40 LWD Hoffman Modulation contrast objective specialized for 635 nm illumination 1280 × 1024 pixels, 3 pixels per μm, monochrome, 8-bit < 0.5 s per image, using single 1W red LED (635 nm)

20 min cycle time for six slides, 5 min cycle possible with single slide

Intel Core duo T2300E 1.66 Ghz 2Gb ram, fanless embedded PC

Microsoft Vista Pro®

12.1” embedded touch screen 1024 × 600

Continuous internal system integrity check of separate subsystems of the instrument as an added safety feature.

Press release: Unisense FertiliTech A/S Receives CE Mark of Approval for EmbryoScope(TM) Embryo Monitoring System...

Product page: EmbryoScope™ Embryo Monitoring System...

The Adiana permanent contraception procedure is minimally invasive, requires no incisions and can be performed in the comfort of the doctor's office using local anesthesia. Patients are normally able to return to work or resume their daily activities within one day. In contrast, traditional methods of permanent contraception, such as tubal ligation, require more invasive surgical procedures, usually are conducted in a hospital under general anesthesia and typically require four to five days of recovery. As a result, these more invasive surgical procedures can pose serious risk of complications, including anesthesia-related problems and damage to organs or blood vessels. There were approximately 70,000 female transcervical contraception procedures performed in the U.S. last year.1

The Adiana procedure is indicated for women who desire permanent birth control by occlusion of the fallopian tubes. Ideal candidates include women who do not want children in the future and would like the peace of mind and convenience of permanent birth control. The procedure may also be an ideal solution for women who desire permanent birth control but are poor candidates for surgery.

Company video presenting the Adiana system:

Press release: FDA Approves Hologic's Adiana® Permanent Contraception System...

Product page: Adiana Permanent Contraception...

From the press release:

The Guardia Pro's outer sheath protects the embryo through entry and then opens in petals to further advance the inner transfer catheter allowing placement of the embryo in the uterine cavity.

Additionally, the transfer catheter also incorporates Cook's Microvol™ technology that decreases the volume of fluid required for embryo transfer helping lessen the likelihood of embryo migration and allowing more accurate embryo placement.

Press release: Cook Medical Introduces the Guardia™ Pro Protective Embryo Transfer Catheter...

Product page: Guardia™ Pro Protective Embryo Transfer Catheter...

Product brochure...

FHC’s first-generation FC Female Condom® (FC1) originally received FDA approval for distribution in the United States in 1993. FC1 is also included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) essential products list for distribution by United Nations (UN) agencies. Since its approval, 165 million FC1 female condoms have been distributed in 142 countries.

The cost of FC1 has remained a key barrier to increased uptake by HIV prevention programs in the U.S. and globally. While numerous studies over the past two decades have indicated that acceptability of FC1 is comparable to the male condom among both male and female users, the high cost of FC1 has limited procurement by government programs and direct purchase by individual consumers.

As a result, five years ago FHC initiated the development of the FC2 Female Condom to expand access to women at risk of HIV and STIs by significantly lowering the cost of the product. FHC has succeeded in reducing FC2’s cost through the introduction of a new material and a different manufacturing process. FC1 is made from polyurethane and involves a labor-intensive manufacturing process, while FC2, which looks very similar to FC1, is made from a proprietary nitrile polymer that allows it to be manufactured using a highly automated process. Studies have shown that FC2 performs in a comparable manner to FC1.

As a result of FHC’s development program, FC2 will be available to the public sector at a cost as much as 30 percent less than FC1, contingent on volumes of procurement. In addition, the company has indicated that as public sector volume increases, additional cost reductions may be possible.

Press release: Female Health Company Receives FDA Approval for FC2 Female Condom (PDF)

Product brochure (PDF)...

Flashback: New Female Condom to Face FDA Gavel

From MIT Tech Review:

In order to probe a single sperm cell with Raman spectroscopy, the researchers first pin it down with optical tweezers--a focused laser beam that is able to "trap" a small object like a living cell. The unique scattering produced by each molecule creates a fingerprint of the contents in a sample, allowing scientists to analyze its chemical makeup. In this application, the researchers use Raman spectroscopy to look at the structure of a sperm cell's DNA and determine whether that DNA is broken or intact. Elfick explains that when DNA breaks, a chemical group forms at the ends of the breaks, and they can be detected with Raman spectroscopy.

Preliminary tests suggest that the technique does not harm the cells, although Elfick says that more rigorous testing must be done in order to bring the technique into clinical use. His team is hoping to commercialize this and other applications for Raman spectroscopy, including analyzing breast-cancer cells for specific proteins in order to tailor chemotherapy to individual patients.

More from MIT Technology Review...

Reuters reports:

The FC2 Female Condom, made by Female Health Co, is made with a synthetic rubber using a process similar to male condoms that the company says is less labor intensive and should reduce its current cost...

But FDA regulatory staff questioned whether the company should have conducted specific trials to show how well the FC2 prevents women from contracting diseases or becoming pregnant.

Female Health said it did not conduct such studies because FC2 uses a new material but is otherwise similar to the version already on the U.S. market, the FDA staff said in documents released on Tuesday ahead of the panel meeting.

More from Reuters...

FC2 product page...

Product brochure (.pdf)...

The new research shows that it may be that males are also driving their partners to infidelity,at least on an evolutionary time-scale, and as it applies to fruit flies. The evidence shows that male "selfish" sperm may selectively attack XY sperm to select for female progeny, and, it appears, the female's defense to that "attack" is to seek multiple partners.

Science Online reports:

"Selfish" genes break the 50-50 inheritance rule by being passed onto offspring more often than not. Selfish genes "fight" other genes to get passed on to the next generation, often harming the carrier by causing problems such as reduced fertility. For example, male fruit flies can carry a selfish gene that destroys all of their sperm with a Y chromosome, so they produce fewer sperm and can father only daughters. Yet, male fruit flies with the selfish gene are physically identical to those without it.

To test whether females might evolve polyandry in response to the gene, the researchers ran an evolutionary experiment. They compared mating behavior between four fruit fly lines in which the selfish gene was present in about 30% of the males, and eight fruit fly lines lacking the gene entirely. Females in all the fruit fly lines showed nearly identical mating rates at the outset of the experiment. But after 10 generations, females from the selfish gene population remated, on average, almost a full day sooner than females from the populations without the selfish gene, the researchers report today in Science (p. 1241).

Remating increased the females' chances of snagging a male fly with normal fertility, the researchers note. The findings present a new explanation for polyandry: that it represents an attempt to prevent the spread of selfish genes, Wedell says. "I suspect this may be more general [than just flies] simply because selfish genes are ubiquitous."

Carol Boggs, an evolutionary ecologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, says the work makes an important contribution to our understanding of how mating systems evolve. It's the first study to look at the potential impact of selfish genes on mating systems, she says. "This is something that could very well be a factor in the determining the evolution of polyandry."

We'll have to wait until Judge Judy rules on the science, but it certainly looks like the blame for infidelity in both sexes is being squarely placed on the male!

Science Online: Why the Lady is a Tramp

Burnett says that the study "confirms an earlier trial that many patients can achieve excellent results using ErecAid(R) as an addition to oral PDE5i therapy. Based upon these results, I would encourage physicians treating ED to consider the importance of this approach in their treatment protocols and to discuss this option with their patients."

From the press release:

The phosphodiesterase five inhibitors (PDE5i) such as Viagra(R) and Cialis(R) have become a major resource in the management of ED. Unfortunately, 30-50% of men report inadequate results with these oral medications. When patients fail to respond to the oral medications, physicians are often forced to consider more invasive and more complicated second line agents such as penile injections or urethral suppositories.

Investigators at four separate study sites evaluated 69 men aged 36 to 82 with ED of diverse etiology who had responded inadequately to PDE5i therapy. Study subjects were allowed to continue use of PDE5i's but were instructed to use the ErecAid(R) device as an adjunct to their current oral medication. Study subjects were assessed using three validated measurements of erectile function and sexual satisfaction: the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), the Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP-2 and SEP-3) and the Global Patient Assessment Scale (GAPS).

After 4 weeks of supplemental treatment with ErecAid(R), the IIEF-5 score improved substantially from a baseline of 9.0 to 17.6 (p<0.001). Moreover, of the 34 subjects unable to achieve an erection satisfactory for intercourse at baseline (SEP-2 response of "no"), 27 subjects (79%) reported erections satisfactory for intercourse following the addition of ErecAid(R) (p<0.001). Finally, of 42 subjects reporting no or slight response to PDE5i at baseline (GAPS responses of "not at all" or "slightly"), 31 (74%) reported moderate or great improvement (GAPS responses of "moderately" or "greatly") at the end of the 4 week study (p<0.001).

Product page: Osbon ErecAid Vacuum Therapy System...

Press release...