Sperm donor attitudes and experiences with direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors influencing sperm donor willingness to participate in direct-to-consumer genetic testing, comfort with sharing genetically identifiable data in commercial genetic testing databases, and likelihood to donate sperm again. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online anonymous survey. SETTING: Multicenter, 2 large American sperm banks from July 1, 2020 to July10, 2021. PATIENTS: Sperm donors from 1980 to 2020. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Associations between donor demographic characteristics, donation history, and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer genetic testing. RESULTS: A total of 396 donors completed the survey. Most donations (61.5%) occurred from 2010 to 2020, and 34.3% were nonidentified donations. Nonidentified donors were less comfortable with their genetic data being shared than open-identity donors (25.4% vs. 43.8%) and were less likely than open-identity donors to donate sperm again (43.3% vs. 72.1%). Donors who donated after the inception of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in 2007 were less likely to participate in commercial genetic testing than those who donated before 2007 (25.8% vs. 37.1%). Most donors (87.4%) have disclosed their donation(s) to current partners, but fewer have disclosed them to their families (56.6%) or children (30.5%). Of the donors who had been contacted by donor-conceived persons, 79.5% were identified via direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Overall, 61.1% of donors would donate again regardless of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. CONCLUSIONS: Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is playing a dynamic role in sperm donor identification, but donors seem willing to donate again. Implication counseling regarding future linkage and contact from donor-conceived persons needs to be standardized for potential donors before donation

Student Attitudes Contribute to the Effectiveness of a Genomics CURE

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) engages students in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To better understand the student attributes that support success in this CURE, we asked students about their attitudes using previously published scales that measure epistemic beliefs about work and science, interest in science, and grit. We found, in general, that the attitudes students bring with them into the classroom contribute to two outcome measures, namely, learning as assessed by a pre- and postquiz and perceived self-reported benefits. While the GEP CURE produces positive outcomes overall, the students with more positive attitudes toward science, particularly with respect to epistemic beliefs, showed greater gains. The findings indicate the importance of a student\u27s epistemic beliefs to achieving positive learning outcomes

Sperm donor attitudes and experiences with direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Objective: To identify factors influencing sperm donor willingness to participate in direct-to-consumer genetic testing, comfort with sharing genetically identifiable data in commercial genetic testing databases, and likelihood to donate sperm again. Design: Cross-sectional online anonymous survey. Setting: Multicenter, 2 large American sperm banks from July 1, 2020 to July10, 2021. Patient(s): Sperm donors from 1980 to 2020. Intervention(s): None. Main outcome measure(s): Associations between donor demographic characteristics, donation history, and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Result(s): A total of 396 donors completed the survey. Most donations (61.5%) occurred from 2010 to 2020, and 34.3% were nonidentified donations. Nonidentified donors were less comfortable with their genetic data being shared than open-identity donors (25.4% vs. 43.8%) and were less likely than open-identity donors to donate sperm again (43.3% vs. 72.1%). Donors who donated after the inception of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in 2007 were less likely to participate in commercial genetic testing than those who donated before 2007 (25.8% vs. 37.1%). Most donors (87.4%) have disclosed their donation(s) to current partners, but fewer have disclosed them to their families (56.6%) or children (30.5%). Of the donors who had been contacted by donor-conceived persons, 79.5% were identified via direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Overall, 61.1% of donors would donate again regardless of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Conclusion(s): Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is playing a dynamic role in sperm donor identification, but donors seem willing to donate again. Implication counseling regarding future linkage and contact from donor-conceived persons needs to be standardized for potential donors before donation

Peroxisome deficiency underlies failures in hepatic immune cell development and antigen presentation in a severe Zellweger disease model

Summary: Peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs) represent a group of metabolic conditions that cause severe developmental defects. Peroxisomes are essential metabolic organelles, present in virtually every eukaryotic cell and mediating key processes in immunometabolism. To date, the full spectrum of PBDs remains to be identified, and the impact PBDs have on immune function is unexplored. This study presents a characterization of the hepatic immune compartment of a neonatal PBD mouse model at single-cell resolution to establish the importance and function of peroxisomes in developmental hematopoiesis. We report that hematopoietic defects are a feature in a severe PBD murine model. Finally, we identify a role for peroxisomes in the regulation of the major histocompatibility class II expression and antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells in dendritic cells. This study adds to our understanding of the mechanisms of PBDs and expands our knowledge of the role of peroxisomes in immunometabolism