New recommendations for informing patients and gamete donors in assisted reproduction

The number of cycles of assisted reproduction using donor body parts is increasing significantly. In Europe alone, around one hundred thousand children are born each year who have some relationship to three or more parents. The European expert guarantor European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology therefore issued a recommendation in 2022 to inform donors, recipients and children born in this way. Our article analyses developments in this area and proposes a solution for the Czech Republic. It is necessary for providers to immediately respond to the fact that the anonymity of donation can no longer be guaranteed, and to adapt the content of consultations and informed consents of potential donors and applicants accordingly. Legislation then has two possible solutions: first to adopt a system of "polyparenthoods" or second to fundamentally limit donation cycles.

Benchmarking of Two Peptide Clean-Up Protocols: SP2 and Ethyl Acetate Extraction for Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate or Polyethylene Glycol Removal from Plant Samples before LC-MS/MS

The success of bottom-up proteomic analysis frequently depends on the efficient removal of contaminants from protein or peptide samples before LC-MS/MS. For a peptide clean-up workflow, single-pot solid-phase-enhanced peptide sample preparation on carboxylate-modified paramagnetic beads (termed SP2) was evaluated for sodium dodecyl sulfate or polyethylene glycol removal from Arabidopsis thaliana tryptic peptides. The robust and efficient 40-min SP2 protocol, tested for 10-ng, 250-ng, and 10-µg peptide samples, was proposed and benchmarked thoroughly against the ethyl acetate extraction protocol. The SP2 protocol on carboxylated magnetic beads proved to be the most robust approach, even for the simultaneous removal of massive sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) contaminations from AT peptide samples in respect of the LC-MS/MS data outperforming ethyl acetate extraction.

Current possibilities and risks of donating some tissues, cells, and organs from living donors

Transfusion, transplantation, and regenerative medicine are rapidly developing fields. The authors of the text want to inform about upcoming legislative changes at the EU level and briefly describe and compare the difficulty of some donation procedures from the point of view of a living donor, as well as their risks, including psychosocial risks. The study is based on a qualitative expert investigation. Comparing the complexity of procedures from the perspective of donors is important, for example, for setting compensations. The tables show that the current compensations are disproportionate.

SP3 Protocol for Proteomic Plant Sample Preparation Prior LC-MS/MS

Quantitative protein extraction from biological samples, as well as contaminants removal before LC-MS/MS, is fundamental for the successful bottom-up proteomic analysis. Four sample preparation methods, including the filter-aided sample preparation (FASP), two single-pot solid-phase-enhanced sample preparations (SP3) on carboxylated or HILIC paramagnetic beads, and protein suspension trapping method (S-Trap) were evaluated for SDS removal and protein digestion from Arabidopsis thaliana (AT) lysate. Finally, the optimized carboxylated SP3 workflow was benchmarked closely against the routine FASP. Ultimately, LC-MS/MS analyses revealed that regarding the number of identifications, number of missed cleavages, proteome coverage, repeatability, reduction of handling time, and cost per assay, the SP3 on carboxylated magnetic particles proved to be the best alternative for SDS and other contaminants removal from plant sample lysate. A robust and efficient 2-h SP3 protocol for a wide range of protein input is presented, benefiting from no need to adjust the amount of beads, binding and rinsing conditions, or digestion parameters.

Criteria for selecting a surrogate mother

OBJECTIVE

Provide background to the debate on the criteria for selecting a surrogate mother, if the procedure should be regulated in the Czech Republic.

DESIGN

Qualitative content analysis of documents.

SETTING

Faculty of Health and Social Studies, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice; AK Prudil et al., Brno.

METHODS

Several sources of data have been used: 1. Legal documents of several European countries where surrogate motherhood is regulated by law: UK, NL, Greece, Portugal. 2. The websites of agencies that mediate surrogate motherhood; analysed number: 23.

RESULTS

The most frequently mentioned criterion for selection a surrogate mother was her parental status and gynecological history. Further, the requirements related to age, state of health (exclusion of psychiatric diagnosis), lifestyle. Less often, BMI requirements, citizenship, relationship with the applicant, marital status, impeccability, financial stability, number of procedures underwent. In addition, difficult-to-assess features, such as willingness to process or family support, are required.

CONCLUSION

The criteria formulated by the SAR ČGPS ČLS are highly qualified, taking into account the complexity of the procedure. We recommend to reconsider the upper age limit and the number of procedures that an adept can pass (we recommend one). The psychologist should be qualified in psychodiagnostics. We recommend starting negotiations with professional psychological societies about his required qualifications. We also recommend accepting this procedure only for couples residing in the Czech Republic.

[Current trends in gamete donation - psychosocial and ethical issues]

OBJECTIVE

To overview contemporary knowledge of legal and psychosocial rules in gamete donation. Previously, anonymous donation was preferred and recommended by experts but currently, with respect to the right to know the genetic origin of individuals, the relation to donor anonymity was reconsidered in many countries. There is a growing tendency to introduce the open identity system in gamete donation. Such system may guarantee that the child born after gamete donation may have receive the identification data of the donor of gametes.

DESIGN

A review.

SETTING

Clinic of Reproductive Medicine and Gynecology Zlin.

METHODS

An overview of recent literature evaluating the influence of donor anonymity vs. open identity on psychosocial development of children born after gamete donation as well as on the quality of the relationship between parents and children in such families.

CONCLUSION

New medical technologies usually overtake the developmental speed of ethics and psychology, and their impact on human society. Current trend to open identity is strong but there is no clear evidence that the open identity is of real importance for the healthy psychosocial development of a child born after gamete donation. Furthermore, there is no evidence that anonymity and secrecy of the gamete donation is harmful. In case of the consideration of the change in legal regulation in anonymity/open identity in gamete donation we would suggest the thorough consideration of all consequences.

Complete genome analysis of two new bacteriophages isolated from impetigo strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Exfoliative toxin A (ETA)-coding temperate bacteriophages are leading contributors to the toxic phenotype of impetigo strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Two distinct eta gene-positive bacteriophages isolated from S. aureus strains which recently caused massive outbreaks of pemphigus neonatorum in Czech maternity hospitals were characterized. The phages, designated ϕB166 and ϕB236, were able to transfer the eta gene into a prophageless S. aureus strain which afterwards converted into an ETA producer. Complete phage genome sequences were determined, and a comparative analysis of five designed genomic regions revealed major variances between them. They differed in the genome size, number of open reading frames, genome architecture, and virion protein patterns. Their high mutual sequence similarity was detected only in the terminal regions of the genome. When compared with the so far described eta phage genomes, noticeable differences were found. Thus, both phages represent two new lineages of as yet not characterized bacteriophages of the Siphoviridae family having impact on pathogenicity of impetigo strains of S. aureus.

Preventing the mixed detergent micelle effect in two-dimensional electrophoresis on Tris-Tricine gels

Application of Tris-N-[Tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]glycine gels for 2DE is hampered by formation of mixed CHAPS-SDS micelles resulting in typical swirling pattern in the low mass range, which makes reliable quantitative and qualitative gel evaluation impossible. Modification of 2DE strip equilibration procedure prevented the direct interaction between both detergents during equilibration process, thus substantially improving gel separation.

Exploration of beer proteome using OFFGEL prefractionation in combination with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with narrow pH range gradients

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with mass spectrometry has already been applied successfully to study beer proteome. Due to the abundance of protein Z in beer samples, prefractionation techniques might help to improve beer proteome coverage. Proteins from four lager beers of different origins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Initially 52 proteins mostly from Hordeum vulgare (22 proteins) and Saccharomyces species (25 proteins) were identified. Preparative isoelectric focusing by OFFGEL Fractionator was applied prior to 2-DE to improve its resolution power. As a result of this combined approach, a total of 70 beer proteins from Hordeum vulgare (30 proteins), from Saccharomyces species (31 proteins), and from other sources (9 proteins) were identified. Of these, 37 proteins have not been previously reported in beer samples.

A biospecific membrane sensor for the determination of sucrose

The paper describes a rapid method for the biospecific determination of sucrose using an oxygen electrode of the Clark type or a platinum disc anode, the measuring part of which is coated by a thin film of invertase, mutarotase and glucose oxidase co-crosslinked by glutardialdehyde together with serum albumin. After injecting the sample into the reaction vessel the current corresponding to the decrease of the oxygen content or to the formation of hydrogen peroxide in the enzyme reaction layer is registered. The steady state electrode response is proportional to the concentration of sucrose within the range of 0.03 to 1.5 mmol . l-1 and is attained during 1-2 minutes with a reproducibility of 3-4%.