[Self-assessment of healthcare workers regarding the management of trans people in a university hospital]

INTRODUCTION

Trans people face more barriers when seeking healthcare than the cisgender population probably due to a lack of knowledge, education and comfort of healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and comfort felt by healthcare professionals in managing trans people in a French university hospital.

METHODS

A self-questionnaire was emailed to healthcare professionals working in departments usually involved in the care of trans people in a French university hospital "not specialized" in medical and surgical gender transition. The questionnaire included demographic questions and Likert scales regarding their knowledge and comfort in taking care of trans people. Responses on the 7-point Likert scales were categorized into "low", "medium" and "high" groups, and responses on the 5-point Likert scales were categorized into "in favour", "neutral" and "against" groups.

RESULTS

One hundred and two (29%) healthcare professionals answered the questionnaire. Half worked in surgical departments (urology, plastic surgery, gynecology), 24% worked in medical departments (endocrinology, reproductive medicine, cytogenetics) and 26% worked in psychiatry. The majority (60.3%) rated their level of knowledge as "low" and 39.7% as "medium". Sixteen percent rated their level of comfort in managing trans people as "low", 72.5% as "medium" and 11.5% as "high". A majority (77.5%) were in favor of having the costs of gender transition care covered by the national health insurance system, 16.4% were neutral and 6% were against this idea. Feelings about surgical and hormonal gender transition were overwhelmingly (96.4%) in favour or neutral and 91% were willing to get more training and education to manage trans people.

CONCLUSION

The lack of comfort felt by healthcare professionals in university hospital in managing trans people seems to be related to a lack of knowledge and training in that field and not to a disagreement with the need of transgender healthcare.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3.

Non-Debye normalization of the glass vibrational density of states in mildly densified silicate glasses

The evolution of the boson peak with densification at medium densification rates (up to 2.3%) in silicate glasses was followed through heat capacity measurements and low frequency Raman scattering. It is shown that the decrease of the boson peak induced by densification does not conform to that expected from a continuous medium; rather it follows a two step behaviour. The comparison of the heat capacity data with the Raman data shows that the light-vibration coupling coefficient is almost unaffected in this densification regime. These results are discussed in relation to the inhomogeneity of the glass elastic network at the nanometre scale.

Differentiation potential of human muscle-derived cells towards chondrogenic phenotype in alginate beads culture

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differentiation potential of two populations of muscle-derived cells (CD56- and CD56+) towards chondrogenic phenotype in alginate beads culture and to compare the effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1) on the differentiation process in these populations.

METHODS

Muscle CD56- and CD56+ cells were cultured in alginate beads, in a chondrogenic medium, containing or not TGFbeta1 (10 ng/ml). Cultures were maintained for 3, 7, 14 or 21 days in a humidified culture incubator. At harvest, one culture of each set was fixed for alcian blue staining and aggrecan detection. The steady-state level of matrix macromolecules mRNA was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Protein detection was performed by western-blot analysis. The binding activity of nuclear extracts to Cbfa1 DNA sequence was also evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA).

RESULTS

Chondrogenic differentiation of both CD56+ and CD56- muscle-derived cells was improved in alginate scaffold, even without growth factor, as suggested by increased chondrogenesis markers expression during the culture. Furthermore, TGFbeta1 enhanced the differentiation process and allowed to maintain a high expression of markers of mature chondrocytes. Of importance, the combination of alginate and TGFbeta1 treatment resulted in a further down-regulation of collagen type I and type X, as well as Cbfa1 both expression and binding activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, alginate scaffold and chondrogenic medium are sufficient to lead both populations CD56+ and CD56- towards chondrogenic differentiation. Moreover, TGFbeta1 enhances this process and allows to maintain the chondrogenic phenotype by inhibiting terminal differentiation, particularly for CD56- cells.

Intrinsic Vibrational Coherence in Face-Centered Cubic Supra-Crystals of Silver Nanocrystals: Raman Scattering Measurements

The ordering of silver nanocrystals is tuned from amorphous aggregates to highly well-ordered, face-centered cubic supra-crystals, using various substrates and controlling their temperature to obtain this. Low-frequency Raman scattering, for the first time, demonstrates vibrational coherence in fcc supra-crystals of nanocrystals. This is shown by a narrowing of the peak corresponding to the quadrupolar modes of the nanocrystals. However, this is obtained when the supra-crystals are smaller than the excitation wavelength. When the supra-crystals are larger, the narrowing cannot be observed. Furthermore, for any size of the supra-crystals, a shift to low frequency of the Raman peak due to the Lorentz field effect is seen.

Vibrational coherence of self-organized silver nanocrystals in f.c.c. supra-crystals

Fabrication of devices from inorganic nanocrystals normally requires that they are self-organized into ordered structures. It has now been demonstrated that nanocrystals are able to self-organize in a 'supra'-crystal with a face-centred cubic (f.c.c.) structure. The physical properties of nanocrystals self-organized into compact arrays are quite different from those of both isolated nanocrystals and the bulk phase. The collective optical and magnetic properties of these nanocrystal assemblies are governed mainly by dipolar interactions. Here, we show that nanocrystals vibrate coherently when they are self-organized in f.c.c. supra-crystals. Hence, a phase relation exists between the vibrations of all of the nanocrystals in a supra-crystal. This vibrational coherence can be observed by a substantial change of the quadrupolar low-frequency Raman scattering peak. Although a change in electronic transport properties has previously been observed on self-organization of silver nanocrystals, vibrational coherence represents the first intrinsic property of f.c.c. supra-crystals.

High-frequency dynamics of the glass former dibutylphthalate under pressure

The high-frequency dynamics of a fragile molecular glass former (dibutylphthalate) was studied through inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS), as a function of pressure and temperature. The mesoscopic structural arrest associated with the glass transition process was tracked by following upon cooling the inelastic excitations at fixed Q points in the dispersion curves, at ambient pressure and 2 kbar. The application of pressure to this system induces an offset between the macroscopic glass transition temperature T(g) and the mesoscopic glass transition temperature, as determined from IXS. The concomitant fragility decrease of dibutylphthalate under pressure unveils that the stronger the glass former is, the more its mesoscopic dynamics differ from the macroscopic regime. This trend is interpreted as the signature of a nanoscopic inhomogeneous elastic network. Further aspects of this system are obtained when studying the temperature dependence of its nonergodicity factor f(Q)(T). The chemical specificity of the molecule is suggested to be responsible for the nonobservation of a critical temperature T(c) in dibutylphthalate up to approximately 300 K.

A possible role of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase for O(2) production from H(2)O(2)

We are attempting to supply a new insight on interaction between Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and H(2)O(2). We demonstrate that in vitro the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, a non heme-protein, is able to disproportionate H(2)O(2) catalatically into dioxygen and water, as well as C(40) catalase. By polarography, we quantify O(2) production and by Raman spectroscopy H(2)O(2) consumption. A comparative analysis of kinetics parameters relative to O(2) production shows that for Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase the affinity of the catalytic site able to transform H(2)O(2) into O(2) is twice weaker than that for C(40) catalase. It also shows that the molar activity for O(2) production is 300-fold weaker for ATPase than for catalase. Inhibitors, pH and GSH studies highlight the differences between the heme- and nonheme-proteins. Indeed, for C(40), NaN(3) is strongly inhibiting, but much less for ATPase. The pH range for the catalatic activity of ATPase is wide (6.5 to 8.5), while it is not for C(40) catalase (optimum at pH 8). The Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase catalatic activity is reduced in presence of glutathione, while it is not the case with C(40) catalase.

Snow algae of the Sierra Nevada, Spain, and High Atlas mountains of Morocco

Snow algae (Chlorophyta) are reported from the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain and the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. Populations of the snow algae Chlamydomonas sp., coloring the snow orange-red, were collected from Pico de Veleta, Spain, while snow samples from Mt. Neltner in the High Atlas mountains, contained resting spores of an orange-green colored Chloromonas sp. Other microbes observed in snow samples include bacteria, fungi, heterotrophic euglenids, diatoms, nematodes, and heterotrophic mastigotes (flagellated protists). This is the first report of snow algae from the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain and from the Afro-alpine environment.

Partial molecular analysis of the psbA gene in Euglena gracilis mutants exhibiting resistance to DCMU and atrazine

Mutations conferring herbicide resistance have been detected in two new strains (ZR250 and ZR480) of Euglena gracilis Z by partial gene cloning and sequencing. These mutants were originally derived from Z cells grown in medium containing progressively increasing concentrations of DCMU. Each of these strains have been characterized by measuring their growth kinetics, O2 evolution, and resistance to DCMU and atrazine. Partial sequences of the psbA gene of these strains were compared to those published for strains Z and ZR25. The ZR250 and ZR480 strains were found to be double mutants. Besides the expected mutation S265A, they showed an additional point mutation at codon 219 (equivalent to codon 218 of other organisms). This mutation results in leucine being substituted by phenylalanine. For each of the ZR strains, two growth conditions (with or without DCMU in the medium) have been compared. The presence of the second mutation (at codon 219) leads to notable increase (20-fold) in resistance to DCMU, whereas the resistance to atrazine is only 2-fold. The presence of DCMU, as the selective agent, was responsible for an enhanced herbicide resistance, irrespective of the concentrations used. Substantial modifications in the rate of cell growth and O2 yields were observed when the maximal concentration (480 microM) of DCMU was used. These modifications were reversible on withdrawal of the DCMU. Thus the reversible adaptative modifications also adds to the mutational effect observed.

Can biological homochirality result from a phase transition?

The problem of chiral purity in living organisms is still one of the prominent difficulties in the study of the origins of life. In particular the parity non-conservation known to occur in weak interactions could not be related to this lack of symmetry: these physical forces, though universal, are very weak and up to now no amplification process had been proposed. In 1991, A. Salam remarked that, due to the attractive character of the parity violating force in electro-weak interactions, a phase transition at low temperature should exist, leading eventually to enantiomeric purity. We undertook then a series of experimental tests, looking for a sizeable change in the optical activity of cystine molecules. We found no evidence for the phase transition down to 0.01 K. The interpretation of these negative results will be discussed, and future experiments proposed.

Jumping translocation in a newborn boy with dup(4q) and severe hydrops fetalis

We report on the unusual cytogenetic findings in a newborn boy with severe hydrops fetalis. He has a mosaic for 2 unbalanced chromosome rearrangements: a der(18)-t(4;18)(q31;q23) and a der(18)t(4;18)(q31;p11). As a result, this patient had a duplication of 4q31-qter in all cells, and was possibly monosomic for the distal ends of 18p and 18q, respectively in the 2 cell lines. Since in both rearrangements the same chromosome 4 segment was translocated to 2 different chromosome regions, we consider the present finding as a peculiar type of jumping translocation.