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Prenatal screening for congenital malformations of the fetus
VLKOJANOVÁ, Lucie
This Thesis describes the prenatal screening objectives, giving account of the individual screenings being carried out at various stages of pregnancy, their significance and importance. Causes behind the innate defects and their breakdown are further discussed. The individual biochemical markers that form a part of biochemical screening are described in detail. The Thesis deals with invasive and non-invasive techniques in prenatal diagnostics. The Thesis followed as its goal the efforts to find out whether or not and how the gravidas are informed of the prenatal screening potentials, if their approach to the issue is active, if they really take a recommended screening. Within its last objective the Thesis was to identify the women who gave birth to a child with an inborn defect despite that they had taken the screening.
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Optimization of digital polymerase chain reaction for application in non-invasive prenatal diagnostics
Šenkyřík, Pavel ; Korabečná, Marie (advisor) ; Vodička, Radek (referee)
Digital PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a method that enables absolute quantification of DNA sequences and therefore finds application in many diagnostic disciplines. We focused on the diagnosis of trisomy 21, which manifests itself as Down syndrome. Information about the fetal genome can be obtained from free fetal DNA that is released into the mother's bloodstream from the placenta during pregnancy. In the first trimester, fetal DNA constitutes approximately 5-10% of free DNA and is therefore a suitable target for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). However, we need a technique that is able to distinguish this relatively small fraction of free fetal DNA and differentiate it from free maternal DNA. Precisely digital PCR provides various ways to achieve this goal thanks to its wide multiplexing possibilities. We focused on optimizing the multiplex reaction, which in one fluorescence channel distinguishes the number of copies of the reference chromosome 18 and the observed chromosome 21. The resulting determination of this ratio provides us with information regarding the balance between the chromosomes and can thus confirm or refute the presence of a trisomic fetal fraction. We tested the usability of the proposed method for clinical application by examining DNA samples isolated from 25 plasma...
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Prenatal diagnostics of cystic fibrosis and diseases associated with trinucleotide expansions - teaching at secondary schools
Nováková, Stanislava ; Ehler, Edvard (advisor) ; Pavlasová, Lenka (referee)
Cystic fibrosis and diseases associated with trinucleotide expansions are serious hereditary disease that serves in my Diploma thesis as role models suitable for teaching interesting topics of human genetics at secondary schools. By using appropriate methods of prenatal genetic treatment, it is possible to make a diagnosis of the developing fetus and to determine a corresponding prognosis in next prenatal and postnatal development in families at risk. The practical part of the thesis is devoted to the content analysis of biology schoolbooks for secondary schools and to the preparation of a prototype class of genetics at secondary schools. The aim of the content analysis of biology schoolbooks for secondary schools is the evaluation of various textbooks according to several preselected criteria. The aim of the presentation of the proposed prototype class was to determine, based on the responses obtained from the questionnaires, whether pupils of higher grades of secondary schools are interested in the subject matter of genetics, to find out what engaged their attention the most during the lessons or what they did not understand and what they considered as difficult. The lesson was conducted as a specialized seminar, the teaching method was a lecture. From the selected biology schoolbooks for...
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Molecular-cytogenetic diagnostics of marker chromosomes
Tesner, Pavel ; Kočárek, Eduard (advisor) ; Zemanová, Zuzana (referee) ; Šubrt, Ivan (referee)
Supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMCs) are a relatively rare cytogenetic phenomenon. Their laboratory examination is often difficult, and the clinical interpretation is even more challenging. The main reason is that most sSMC carriers have no clinical manifestations. The chromosome origin and exact range of the aberration are very important, as well as the fact that sSMCs are often found in mosaics that can strongly influence both the phenotype and the interpretation of result. Prenatal sSMC finding is one of the most challenging situations in both clinical and laboratory genetics. This work deals with the investigation process of sSMC carriers using molecular cytogenetic techniques, especially fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We investigated a total of 67 families collected both prospectively and retrospectively, and we found 70 unique sSMCs in a total of 74 individuals. Six cases were familial and in three cases two sSMCs were found in one individual. According to the initial karyotype finding, the cases were divided into two groups, sSMCs supernumerary to a normal karyotype (group A) and sSMCT s supernumerary to the Turner karyotype (group B). The chromosomal origin was successfully determined in 88,6 % sSMCs. In group A the most common findings were sSMCs derived from chromosome 15,...
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The increased diagnostic efficiency of QF-PCR for aneuploidy of amniotic fluid
Sedláková, Zdeňka ; Macek, Milan (advisor) ; Šolc, Roman (referee)
Quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) is a molecular genetic method based on the amplification of microsatellites (Short tandem repeats, STR) and measurement of the peak heights of amplicons in the electropherogram. Currently, the QF- PCR deemed reliable, fast, and inexpensive method that is gradually replacing conventional cytogenetic analysis of aneuploidy (examination of long-term cultures of amniotic fluid). However, in certain cases it is impossible to determine the parental origin and meiotic aneuploidy by QF-PCR. The aim of this work was to verify the new dinucleotide STR markers on chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, and 22 and further increase the diagnostic efficiency of QF-PCR retaining other STR markers on chromosome 15, 16, 22 and to determine the population and the analytical characteristics of these markers. For all dinucleotide STR markers stutter occurred in high frequency and therefore there were found not to be suitable for routine diagnostics. STR markers for chromosomes 15, 16 and 22 were tested on 100 patients. We selected four informative markers for both chromosome 16 and 22, and three markers for chromosome 15. Thus, I expanded set of diagnostic STR markers in this thesis. Key words: QF-PCR, STR markers, prenatal diagnosis, trisomy.
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New Aneuploidy Ultrasound Markers in First Trimester of Pregnancy
Břešťák, Miroslav ; Calda, Pavel (advisor) ; Kacerovský, Marian (referee) ; Baxová, Alice (referee)
Prenatal diagnostics is headed in several directions - towards visualization of fetuses and biochemical, cytogenetic and molecular genetic diagnostics in laboratories. Whereas visualization of fetuses does not a priori represent any direct risk for pregnancy and does not increase the number of potential pregnancy complications, this is not always the case with the laboratory testing. There are known risks connected with invasive methods of prenatal diagnostics. The number of potential unintentional pregnancy complications and losses as well as the technical and economic aspects of invasive prenatal diagnostics lead to attempts of identifying ways of detecting any potentially affected individuals by screening methods, thus minimizing the undesirable impact of invasive diagnostics on the pregnant population. The more precise the selective criteria, the lesser the number of pregnant women exposed to invasive exams. Another way of decreasing the number of unintentional complications in relation to invasive diagnostics is to simplify and improve the fetal samples harvesting methods during pregnancy. The work primarily focused on two areas: Determination of the relation between fraction shortening of the left and right ventricles and a fetal chromosomal complement, and verification of reliability of a new method...
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Developmental defects and their examination in biochemical screening
TOMANOVÁ, Andrea
This thesis deals with the issue of congenital developmental defects, with the focus on the most frequently occurring chromosomal aberrations. The main focus is biochemical screening of pregnant women as an integral part of prenatal diagnostics. The aim is to produce summary statistics of the occurrence of the three most frequent chromosomal aberrations based on acquired data and to compare the results with the official statistics of the occurrence of these anomalies within the Czech Republic.
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Molecular-cytogenetic diagnostics of marker chromosomes
Tesner, Pavel ; Kočárek, Eduard (advisor) ; Zemanová, Zuzana (referee) ; Šubrt, Ivan (referee)
Supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMCs) are a relatively rare cytogenetic phenomenon. Their laboratory examination is often difficult, and the clinical interpretation is even more challenging. The main reason is that most sSMC carriers have no clinical manifestations. The chromosome origin and exact range of the aberration are very important, as well as the fact that sSMCs are often found in mosaics that can strongly influence both the phenotype and the interpretation of result. Prenatal sSMC finding is one of the most challenging situations in both clinical and laboratory genetics. This work deals with the investigation process of sSMC carriers using molecular cytogenetic techniques, especially fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We investigated a total of 67 families collected both prospectively and retrospectively, and we found 70 unique sSMCs in a total of 74 individuals. Six cases were familial and in three cases two sSMCs were found in one individual. According to the initial karyotype finding, the cases were divided into two groups, sSMCs supernumerary to a normal karyotype (group A) and sSMCT s supernumerary to the Turner karyotype (group B). The chromosomal origin was successfully determined in 88,6 % sSMCs. In group A the most common findings were sSMCs derived from chromosome 15,...
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Prenatal diagnostics of cystic fibrosis and diseases associated with trinucleotide expansions - teaching at secondary schools
Nováková, Stanislava ; Ehler, Edvard (advisor) ; Pavlasová, Lenka (referee)
Cystic fibrosis and diseases associated with trinucleotide expansions are serious hereditary disease that serves in my Diploma thesis as role models suitable for teaching interesting topics of human genetics at secondary schools. By using appropriate methods of prenatal genetic treatment, it is possible to make a diagnosis of the developing fetus and to determine a corresponding prognosis in next prenatal and postnatal development in families at risk. The practical part of the thesis is devoted to the content analysis of biology schoolbooks for secondary schools and to the preparation of a prototype class of genetics at secondary schools. The aim of the content analysis of biology schoolbooks for secondary schools is the evaluation of various textbooks according to several preselected criteria. The aim of the presentation of the proposed prototype class was to determine, based on the responses obtained from the questionnaires, whether pupils of higher grades of secondary schools are interested in the subject matter of genetics, to find out what engaged their attention the most during the lessons or what they did not understand and what they considered as difficult. The lesson was conducted as a specialized seminar, the teaching method was a lecture. From the selected biology schoolbooks for...
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