Market leaders in temperature controlled
microscopy, Linkam Scientific Instruments, have been chosen by an NHS Fertility
clinic as suppliers of a controlled warm stage to perform routine semen
analysis at body temperature.
A Scottish NHS laboratory has chosen a Linkam THL60-16 warm stage as a reliable
solution for the assessment of sperm motility. About 25% of couples are
affected by fertility problems, with around 35% of men sub-fertile and 2%
infertile. One of the services provided by the NHS is fertility testing and for
men that means assessment of a semen sample. The concentration, motility and
the morphology of spermatozoa are all assessed to determine fertility.
Sperm motility is temperature dependent. This warm stage can heat/cool from
ambient to 60°C. To establish in-vivo fertility, observations need to be
carried out at exactly 37°C to mimic conditions within the human body. The use
of a precise, accurate heated warm stage is an essential part of the
assessment. This is to ensure the assessment is conducted at a stable and
specific temperature. Within the design of this Linkam warm stage a platinum
resistor temperature sensor is used for higher accuracy and stability. A
sophisticated CAD designed bi-filar heating element covers the entire working
surface which provides a uniform temperature distribution in the sample slide.
The Linkam stage gives the assessor the confidence that all samples are
observed at a stable, set temperature.
A wet preparation is created for assessment. A sample is placed onto a clean
glass slide and covered with a 22x22mm coverslip to provide a chamber
approximately 20µm deep. The weight of the cover slip spreads the sample.
Scientists initially look for aggregation or agglutination, and the presence of
non-spermatozoa cells. The preparation is then observed at x400 magnification
with a phase contrast microscope to observe motility. Each warm plate -designed
by Linkam- is incredibly thin, as little as 0.5mm. This ensures that high
resolution objective and condenser lenses can be used. Approximately 200
spermatozoa are counted and categorized to determine the percentage of each
category. Spermatozoa can be classified as progressively motile,
non-progressively motile or non-motile. The percentage of progressively motile
sperm is important to fertility assessment.
Linkam warm stages are found in cell biology labs, hospitals and IVF clinics
all over the world. The Linkam warm stages provide a simple, accurate, low cost
temperature controlled platform that can heat/cool samples from ambient to
60°C.
The design, reliability and versatility make the Linkam warm stage an essential
tool for sperm motility testing.
Visit Linkam at
www.linkam.co.uk
and learn about the broad range of applications in the field of temperature
controlled microscopy.
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