Evolution, morality and the law: on Valerie J. Grant's case against sex selection.
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The present study aims to ascertain whether sex selection may be inadvertently performed in human in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (IVF-embryo transfer) programmes when selecting for high quality embryos (those with the fastest cleaving rates and/or the best morphology) at the fresh transfer cycle. All patients entering into the study were treated with gonadotrophins after pituitary suppression with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) and had intrauterine embryo transfer on day 2 post-insemination. These patients were retrospectively divided into three groups according to whether the difference in mean number of cells between embryos transferred and all embryos available for transfer in a given cycle was less than (negative selection), equal to (no selection) or greater (positive selection) than zero. In cycles resulting in singleton births, the sex ratio of the resulting babies was significantly (P < or = 0.005) shifted toward the female (88.8%) and to the male (90.0%) in the negative and positive selection groups respectively. No shift in sex ratio was observed in cycles resulting in multiple births. Maternal age was another independent factor affecting sex ratio at birth. Sex ratio was significantly (P < or = 0.05) skewed in favour of males (62.7%) and females (71.4%) in women < 35 and > or = 35 years of age respectively. Maternal age, number of embryos transferred and the event of selecting or not selecting the slowest cleaving embryos for transfer were entered automatically in a three-group discriminant model for distinguishing cycles resulting in only boys, both boys and girls, and only girls. These data suggest that (i) sex selection may be inadvertently performed in IVF-embryo transfer programmes when selecting for high quality embryos at the fresh transfer cycles; (ii) human endometria may be favourable, indifferent or hostile to either fast cleaving or slow cleaving embryos depending on maternal age; and (iii) "natural' sex selection may be performed for social, psychological or medical reasons.
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The effect of heparin-binding and non-heparin-binding spermadhesins on the viability, motility, and mitochondrial activity of boar spermatozoa at the high dilution (300,000 sperm/ml) to which sperm are exposed during the process of sex sorting by flow cytometry was investigated. Incubation of spermatozoa with heparin-binding spermadhesins caused a time- and dose-dependent decrease in the percentage of functional spermatozoa. The percentage of viable spermatozoa incubated at 38 degrees C with heparin-binding spermadhesins diluted in PBS (1 mg/ml) dropped from 75% (0.5 h) to 4% (5 h), whereas the percentage of viable spermatozoa incubated in PBS without proteins (control) decreased from 85% (0.5 h) to 19% (5 h). Addition of non-heparin-binding PSP-I/PSP-II spermadhesin to the PBS resulted in a concentration-dependent increment of the percentage of viable cells (65% after 5-h incubation), with maximum effect at 1.5 mg/ml. The heparin-binding spermadhesins totally suppressed sperm motility and mitochondrial activity after 5 h of incubation. The same parameters of sperm incubated in the presence of 1.5 mg/ml of PSP-I/PSP-II were 50% and 58%, respectively, and the percentages of control sperm displaying motility and mitochondrial activity were 21% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, the viability, motility, and mitochondrial activity all decreased on incubation of spermatozoa with mixtures of PSP-I/PSP-II and heparin-binding spermadhesins as the concentration of the latter increased. We conclude that PSP-I/PSP-II and the heparin-binding spermadhesins exert antagonistic effects on the functionality of highly diluted boar spermatozoa. The finding that PSP-I/PSP-II contributes to maintaining sperm with high viability, motility, and mitochondrial activity for at least 5 h at physiological temperature points to its potential use as an additive for sperm preservation, specifically of highly diluted, flow-sorted spermatozoa for sex preselection.
Although contemporary methods of physically separating X from Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa are now very efficient, overall fertility rates following the use of sex-sorted sperm are not as impressive, in spite of many attempts to improve them. At the same time, there are suggestions from evolutionary biology, and from sex allocation theory in particular, that there may need to be a modification to the chance theory of sex determination in mammals. This is because it now appears that the mammalian female could have some influence on the sex of her offspring, and furthermore, that this influence could be preconceptual. If so, this could go some way towards accounting for the putative inefficiencies in fertilization following insemination with sex-sorted sperm.
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Sex determination of livestock is performed to achieve the objectives of livestock breeding programmes. Techniques for sex determination have evolved from karyotyping to detecting Y-specific antigens and recently to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which appears to be the most sensitive, accurate, rapid and reliable method to date. In this study, a PCR-based sex determination method for potential application in goat breeding programmes was developed. Primers were designed to amplify a portion of the X amelogenin gene (Aml-X) on the X chromosome to give a 300 bp product and Sry gene on the Y chromosome to give a 116 bp product. PCR optimization was performed using DNA template extracted from a whole blood sample of Jermasia goats (German Fawn x Katjang) of both sexes. It was possible to identify the sex chromosomes by amplifying both male- and female-specific genes simultaneously in a duplex reaction with males yielding two bands and females yielding one band. The Aml-X primer set, which served as an internal control primer, did not interfere with amplification of the Y-specific sequence even when a low amount of DNA (1 ng) was used. The duplex reaction subjected to a blind test showed 100% (14/14) concordance, proving its accuracy and reliability. The primer sets used were found to be highly specific and were suitable for gender selection of goats.
OBJECTIVES: This study examined sex ratios in 6 counties in China. METHODS: Data from a household survey (n = 5756) were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A normal sex ratio was found for children less than 18 years of age. Significant differences in sex ratios and family size were observed between the household survey data and population registers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a high number of unregistered female births and are consistent with calls for a rethinking of Chinese population policies in the direction of a more collaborative policy based on female education and participation.
Throughout recorded history, humans have tried to influence the sex of their offspring, through pregnancy injunctions, infanticide, and infant/child neglect. Reproductive technologies developed in the late 20th century allow determination of the sex of the offspring during pregnancy, making "sex selection" through abortion possible. Especially in parts of East and South Asia, sex selection against female fetuses has had dramatic consequences for male/female sex ratios. However, "newer" new reproductive technologies, such as prenatal genetic diagnosis and DNA-weighted semen selection, can now be applied for sex selection; eventually, the latter technology may become easily accessible as a noninvasive method. The prospects of these new technologies for sex selection must be considered in the light of cultural values surrounding son preference / daughter discrimination in many parts of the world, most notably Asia, as well as preferences for a "gender-balanced" family in much of the West. The ethical issues surrounding these technologies, such as the right to life and the equal treatment of female children, are potentially profound, but legislating the appropriate use of these "newest" new reproductive technologies will be difficult.
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