Comparison of two different dosage of GnRH agonist as ovulation trigger in oocyte donors: a randomized controled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the results obtained with two different GnRH agonist dosages: 0.3mg versus 0.4mg to trigger ovulation in oocyte donor cycles. METHODS: Experimental controlled randomized trial including 40 patients from a private practice center. The patients were randomized into two groups. Group A received a single dose of Triptorelin 0.3mg (Decapeptyl®) 36hours before pick-up. Group B patients received Triptorelin 0.4mg (Decapeptyl®) before pick-up to final oocyte maturation. We evaluated the total number of oocytes collected, the number of mature oocytes and total days of ovarian stimulation. RESULTS: The average of total collected oocytes were 16 (Group A) versus 15 (Group B), and the mean number of mature oocytes were 13 versus 12 respectively. The only variable showing a difference was the percentage of mature oocytes, which was greater in Group A, resulting in 84.6%, in contrast with those treated with 0.4mg of Triptorelin (78.6%), although these differences were not statistical significant (p=0.35). Days of stimulation did not differ between groups. No cases of empty follicle syndrome were reported. CONCLUSIONS: We found that an increase from 0.3 to 0.4mg of triptorelin in an oocyte donation program might not improve outcomes. Nevertheless, more studies might be necessary, not only in oocyte donors but in sterile women as well, to evaluate how GnRH agonist dosage could affect the results among other factors.

Expression and purification of the surface proteins from Andes virus.

Andes virus is the main causative agent of Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in South America. There are currently no vaccines or treatments against Andes virus. However, there are several evidences suggesting that antibodies against Andes virus envelope glycoproteins may be enough to confer full protection against Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. The goal of the present work was to express, purify and characterize the extracellular domains of Andes virus glycoproteins Gn and Gc. We generated two adenoviral vectors encoding the extracellular domains of Andes virus glycoproteins Gn and Gc. Both molecules were expressed by adenoviral transduction in SiHa cells. We found that sGc ectodomain was mainly secreted into the culture medium, whereas sGn was predominantly retained inside the cells. Both molecules were expressed at very low concentrations (below 1 µg/mL). Treatment with the proteasome inhibitor ALLN raised sGc concentration in the cell culture medium, but did not affect expression levels of sGn. Both ectodomains were purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, and were recognized by sera from persons previously exposed to Andes virus. To our knowledge, this is the first work that addresses the expression and purification of Andes virus glycoproteins Gn and Gc. Our results demonstrate that sGn and sGc maintain epitopes that are exposed on the surface of the viral envelope. However, our work also highlights the need to explore new strategies to achieve high-level expression of these proteins for development of a vaccine candidate against Andes virus.