ABSTRACT
There is concern that intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may lead to offspring with a high frequency of chromosomal abnormalities. Accordingly, we studied spermatozoa sampled from eight infertile men with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) by multi-colour fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), using DNA probes for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y. Results were compared with those of spermatozoa sampled from 10 healthy men with normal semen profiles. Analysis of the diploidy values was repeated twice in each of the 18 men. There was no significant difference in the two diploidy estimates; thus the FISH technique appeared to be accurate and reliable for determining aneuploidy in human spermatozoa. We found the average frequencies of disomy for chromosomes 13, 18, 21 and X or Y to be 0.13, 0.12, 0.24 and 0.59% respectively for the OAT group and 0.09, 0.13, 0.19 and 0.38% respectively for the control group. The diploidy rate was 0.29% in the OAT group, and 0.16% in the control group. Thus, the OAT group showed a significantly higher frequency of disomy for chromosomes 13 (P < 0.001), 21 (P < 0.05), sex (P < 0.001), and diploidy (P < 0.005) than the control group. This finding suggests there may be some risk of aneuploidy in the offspring conceived by the ICSI technique.
Subject(s)
Chromosome Aberrations , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Infertility, Male/genetics , Spermatozoa/physiology , Adult , Aneuploidy , Case-Control Studies , Chromosomes, Human , Humans , Male , Oligospermia/genetics , X Chromosome , Y ChromosomeABSTRACT
Grey-level histogram width (GLHW) values obtained by common sonographic devices were large in echogenic image and small in less echoic parts. The Aloka UIP-100 computer system, SSD-680, and Toshiba SSA-270A sonographs showed GLHW values not significantly different when tested with RMI-412 phantom with the device contrast set at the lowest level. No influence on the GLHW value was observed by the changes of device gain, STC or image depth in the range of clinical practice. Device contrast control influenced the value. Although two sonographs showed significant differences from UIP-100, they were easily corrected by a small factor. Normal ranges of GLHW values of the placenta were obtained every 2 weeks, from 20 to 41 weeks, in 222 normal pregnancies measured by old scanners. GLHW values of normal pregnancies measured by the new Aloka and Toshiba machines were distributed within the normal ranges, and those of Grannum Grade III abnormally echogenic placenta were greater than the upper normal range. GLHW is a reproducible value among commercial ultrasonic devices, and the value is useful in clinical practice. Manual and automated GLHW values were identical.
