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In serodifferent couples, there is a significant risk of sexual transmission of HIV, while the risk of transmitting HCV is minor. That said, the whole of the ejaculate is not necessarily infected and, therefore, hazardous. A careful dissection of its components by which motile sperm is separated and subsequently analyzed to verify the absence of viral elements could allow these couples a safer access to the reproductive process. The development in the field of assisted reproduction of new laboratory techniques and reliable tests for confirming the presence of both viruses in semen have led to the achievement of pregnancies while avoiding the infection of the seronegative partner and offspring. The system of detection is often performed by means of RT-PCR methods. These protocols are sensitive, but the presence of polymerase inhibitors in semen interferes with the reactions, yielding a high number of false negatives or undetermined results. HIV affects sperm quality only in the most advanced stages of the disease, while the fertility of asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients is not affected by the disease. This review explores the possibilities offered by assisted reproduction and molecular biology techniques to HIV and/or HCV serodiscordant couples by which they may conceive children with the minimum risk.

Flow cytometry (FC) is an analytical cytology technique which has been extensively used for decades. It has many advantages compared with other similar methods for the study of cell biology, even on a molecular basis. FC allows the cell-by-cell analysis of many optical or immunological features in the same sample, at the same time, and at a rate of thousands of cells per second, generating immense quantities of data and thus providing almost limitless information which is statistically robust due to the number of units studied. The aim of this review is to describe the contribution of FC to the study of physiological and pathological processes related to human reproduction, and to discuss how this technique has been used in research, as well as its clinical applications in this field. We have used some practical examples selected from the most relevant studies within a wide range of investigations published in the literature, and we have also drawn on our own experience of using flow cytometry to study different phenomena related to reproduction. It is conclued that FC is a useful instrument for basic investigation of gynecological issues, as well as for the study of male reproductive characteristics, either in research applications or directly for clinical diagnostic purposes. Future development of these techniques will permit further advances both in our knowledge and in the improvement of assisted reproduction techniques.

The main concerns for couples undergoing assisted reproduction treatment using donor gametes are the possibilities of acquiring infectious diseases and of transmitting genetic disorders to the progeny. They are also frequently concerned and interested in the cultural and psychological background of the donors. Our aim was to examine the current prevalence of genetic alterations and infectious diseases in our sperm and oocyte donor population, and to review our experience in the management of donors and candidates during the last 10 years.

We analysed the effect of adding rosemary and tocopherol extracts, two natural antioxidants, on the colour stability of paprika stored at different temperatures and degrees of relative humidity. Any possible synergistic effect of their joint use was also investigated. The experimental data concerning colour loss, as determined by the ASTA 20.1 method, fitted first- and second-order kinetics, which provided the rate constants of colour loss and half-lives of the samples. The first finding concerned the antagonistic effect between storage temperature and humidity. The antioxidants had a clear protective effect on colour stability in all the conditions assayed, the superior effect of one or the other depending on the storage temperature. A synergistic effect of both antioxidants at temperatures between 25 and 40 °C was evident. The experimental data referring to colour loss for most of the storage conditions assayed fitted second-order kinetics best. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry

We analysed the effect of adding rosemary and tocopherol extracts, two natural antioxidants, on the colour stability of paprika stored at different temperatures and degrees of relative humidity. Any possible synergistic effect of their joint use was also investigated. The experimental data concerning colour loss, as determined by the ASTA 20.1 method, fitted first- and second-order kinetics, which provided the rate constants of colour loss and half-lives of the samples. The first finding concerned the antagonistic effect between storage temperature and humidity. The antioxidants had a clear protective effect on colour stability in all the conditions assayed, the superior effect of one or the other depending on the storage temperature. A synergistic effect of both antioxidants at temperatures between 25 and 40 °C was evident. The experimental data referring to colour loss for most of the storage conditions assayed fitted second-order kinetics best. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry

As it approaches the maternal surface, the attaching embryo encounters the epithelial glycocalyx, which contains the mucin, MUC1. A high density of MUC1 at the cell surface can inhibit cell adhesion. This raises the possibility of the existence of a uterine barrier to implantation that might allow maternal rejection of poorer quality embryos. To investigate the mechanism of implantation, human embryos were incubated with endometrial epithelial monolayers. Hatched blastocysts were found to attach readily to the epithelial surface. MUC1 was lost from epithelial cells beneath and near to the attached embryo, while normal expression persisted in neighbouring cells.

Two new cases of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) caused byListeria monocytogenes are reported.Listeria monocytogenes was recovered from the ascitic fluid but not from the blood cultures of two adult diabetic inpatients with hepatic cirrhosis and SBP that had been treated empirically with cefotaxime. These two cases add to the 17 cases ofListeria monocytogenes SBP reported previously, stressing the relevance of this microorganism to this clinical condition. The recovery ofListeria monocytogenes from blood has been achieved in only half of the cases reported, suggesting the possibility of a direct translocation mechanism. Combinations of amino- or ureidopenicillins with beta-lactamase inhibitors or carbapenems might be more effective as empiric therapy of SBP in cirrhotic patients.

(Abstracted from Human Reprod2018;33:745–756)Chromosomal aneuploidy is common. It occurs in 20% to 80% of human embryos.

A total of 1,592 blood cultures without macroscopic signs of bacterial growth in the first 12–24 h of incubation were processed for both acridine orange stain and blind subculture. One hundred and twenty-one (7.6 %) blood cultures were positive by either method; of these, 105(8.68 %) were positive by both methods, 11 (9.1 %) positive by acridine orange and negative by subculture, and 5 (4.1 %) negative by acridine orange and positive by subculture. The difference between the 116 blood cultures positive by acridine orange and the 110 blood cultures positive by subculture was not statistically significant (p>0.1). Gram stain performed on all acridine orange positive cultures failed to reveal bacteria in 14 cases. Acridine orange staining is a sensitive, rapid and reliable method for detecting bacteria in blood cultures early during incubation. The method is inexpensive and easy to perform and can be substituted for blind subcultures.