Gender Dysphoria and Perceived Social Support: A Matched Case-Control Study

BackgroundIn people diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria (GD), low perceived social support from their families and society has been suggested to be associated with poor quality of life and mental well-being.AimTo compare the perceived social support in individuals with GD with that in individuals without GD matched for age and gender.MethodsThe study group (n = 50) consisted of individuals diagnosed with GD via psychiatric evaluation. A control group (n = 50) was created by matching volunteers without GD by age and gender. Sociodemographic data form, Structured Clinical Interview Form for DSM-IV TR Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to gather data from participants.Outcomescomparing the perceived social support, the total and subscale MSPSS scores of groups were calculated.ResultsThe presence of at least 1 psychiatric disorder was significantly higher in the GD group than in the control group, either lifetime or during evaluation (P < .001 and P = .025, respectively). The total MSPSS and family support subscale scores were found to be significantly lower in the GD group than in the control group (P = .001 and P ≤ .001, respectively). When the groups formed on the basis of gender identity (32 trans men vs 32 cis men and 18 trans women vs 18 cis women) were compared, only the family support subscale score was found to be lower in trans men than cis men (P = .005). In addition, comparisons within the groups formed based on sex assigned-at-birth revealed lower total, friend, and family support in those assigned female-at-birth and lower total and family support in those assigned male-at-birth in the GD group. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the presence of GD was significantly associated with total and family support MSPSS subscale scores.Clinical ImplicationsThe findings show that perceived social support in people diagnosed with GD is lower, even when the presence of psychiatric disorders is included in the analysis.Strengths and LimitationsThe matched case-control design was the major study strength, whereas the sample size was the major limitation.ConclusionClinical care of people diagnosed with GD should include the evaluation of diverse sources of social support, efforts to strengthen family and friend support, maintenance of interpersonal relationships, and support of mental well-being.Kaptan S, Cesur E, Ba?ar K, et al. Gender Dysphoria and Perceived Social Support: A Matched Case-Control Study. J Sex Med 2021;18:812–820.     

Avian Feathers as Bioindicators of the Exposure to Heavy Metal Contamination of Food

The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of using feathers of blue tit nestlings to assess the level of endogenous accumulation of lead. For this purpose we conducted an experiment with lead application to randomly chosen nestlings from eight randomly drawn broods. Five days after the exposure, feathers of lead-treated nestlings had significantly higher lead concentrations than control nestlings. This result suggests that feathers can be used as reliable non-destructive bioindicators to assess the level of heavy metals originating from contaminated food, which is of great significance for comparative studies on ecological consequences of pollution.     

阑尾杯状细胞腺癌临床病理学观察

目的探讨阑尾杯状细胞腺癌(goblet cell adenocarcinomas,GCA)的临床病理学特征及免疫表型特征,分析其生物学行为。方法收集北京大学第一医院2015—2018年诊断的7例GCA的临床资料,进行形态学观察,按照2019年WHO消化系统肿瘤分类第5版重新分级,并行免疫组织化学EnVision法染色及电镜观察,随访患者并复习相关文献。结果7例患者中男性2例,女性5例;年龄48~72岁,中位年龄58岁。1例为阑尾游离端出现局限性肿物,切面灰白实性,质地中等;其余6例阑尾弥漫增粗;镜下观察均可见低级别GCA,5例同时伴有高级别GCA,3例分级为1级,3例分级为2级及1例分级为3级。6例可见神经侵犯,1例可见脉管癌栓。免疫组织化学染色嗜铬粒素A、突触素、CD56、广谱细胞角蛋白、癌胚抗原、细胞角蛋白20、MLH1、MSH2、MSH6和PMS2均阳性,Ki-67阳性指数5%~50%,p53在高级别GCA的表达强度及阳性细胞数高于低级别GCA。随访14~46个月,6例患者生存,1例患者死亡。结论GCA为阑尾较少见的肿瘤,同时具有神经内分泌及腺上皮的分化,生物学行为从惰性到高度侵袭性均可。     

A review of gamma oscillations in healthy subjects and in cognitive impairment

This review describes a wide range of functional correlates of gamma oscillations in whole-brain work, in neuroethology, sensory–cognitive dynamics, emotion, and cognitive impairment. This survey opens a new window towards understanding the brain's gamma activity.