Prise en charge des troubles de la reproduction chez l’adolescent

Adolescence is a period marked by the search for sexual identity. How do paraplegic or quadriplegic teenagers develop their sexual identity? How can the nursing team help them in this process? The authors study erection and the quality of sexual relations and then examine the problem of procreation. Early, practical information adapted to the neurological definition of the spinal cord injury is essential, with preservation of sperm prior to the development of urological and infectious complications. The authors report their experience of 24 paraplegic or tetraplegic teenagers at the CMPA in Neufmoutiers and the CECOS at Cochin Hospital in Paris.     

Gazing at a giraffe gyroscope: where are we going?

Giraffe are popular animals to watch while on wildlife safaris, and feature prominently in zoos, advertisements, toys and cartoons. Yet, until recently, few field studies have focused on giraffe. We introduce this giraffe topic issue with a review essay that explores five primary questions: How many (sub) species of giraffe exist? What are the dynamics of giraffe herds? How do giraffe communicate? What is the role of sexual selection in giraffe reproduction? How many giraffe reside in Africa? A confluence of causes has produced drastic declines in giraffe population numbers in Africa, and we conclude that guiding giraffe conservation plans depends upon evaluation of the five key quandaries that we pose.     

Mixing pleasures: Review of the effects of drugs on sex behavior in humans and animal models

Drugs of abuse act on the brain circuits mediating motivation and reward associated with natural behaviors. There is ample evidence that drugs of abuse impact male and female sexual behavior. First, the current review discusses the effect of drugs of abuse on sexual motivation and performance in male and female humans. In particular, we discuss the effects of commonly abused drugs including psychostimulants, opiates, marijuana/THC, and alcohol. In general, drug use affects sexual motivation, arousal, and performance and is commonly associated with increased sexual risk behaviors. Second, studies on effects of systemic administration of drugs of abuse on sexual behavior in animals are reviewed. These studies analyze the effects on sexual performance and motivation but do not investigate the effects of drugs on risk-taking behavior, creating a disconnect between human and animal studies. For this reason, we discuss two studies that focus on the effects of alcohol and methamphetamine on inhibition of maladaptive sex-seeking behaviors in rodents. Third, this review discusses potential brain areas where drugs of abuse may be exerting their effect on sexual behavior with a focus on the mesolimbic system as the site of action. Finally, we discuss recent studies that have brought to light that sexual experience in turn can affect drug responsiveness, including a sensitized locomotor response to amphetamine in female and male rodents as well as enhanced drug reward in male rats.     

Could sexual selection have made us psychological altruists?

Psychological altruism (being motivated by the needs of others) has a tendency to produce behaviour that is costly in evolutionary terms. How, then, could the capacity for psychological altruism evolve? One suggestion is that it is the result of sexual selection. There are, however, two problems that face such an account: first, it is not clear that the resulting behaviour would be altruistic in the relevant sense, and second, it does not seem to fit with key features of our actual helping behaviour. I will argue that both of these problems can be avoided if we adopt a modular account of desire formation.     

Sexual selection and experimental evolution of chemical signals in Drosophila pseudoobscura

Our expectations for the evolution of chemical signals in response to sexual selection are uncertain. How are chemical signals elaborated? Does sexual selection result in complexity of the composition or in altered quantities of expression? We addressed this in Drosophila pseudoobscura by examining male and female cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs) after 82 generations of elevated (E) sexual selection or relaxed sexual selection through monogamy (M). The CH profile consisted of 18 different components. We extracted three eigenvectors using principal component analysis that explained 72% of the variation. principal component (PC)1 described the amount of CHs produced, PC2 the trade‐off between short‐ and long‐chain CHs and PC3 the trade‐off between apparently arbitrary CHs. In both sexes, the amount of CHs produced was greater in flies from the E treatment. PC3 was also higher, indicating that sexual selection also influenced the evolution of CH composition. The sexes differed in all three PCs, indicating substantial sexual dimorphism in this species, although the magnitude of this dimorphism was not increased as a result of our experimental evolution. Collectively, our work provides direct evidence that sexual selection plays an important role in the evolution of CHs in D. pseudoobscura and that both increased quantity and overall composition are targeted.     

A tooth,a toe,and a vertebra: The genetic dimensions of complex morphological traits

Most readers probably share with me the profoundly affecting experience of wandering through a natural history museum and being surrounded by the skeletal remains of our vertebrate predecessors. Who does not stand in awe before these scaffolds of the great dinosaurs or ponder the groping stages through which our primate ancestors explored the skeletal and dental opportunities of forest life (Fig. 1)? How did this proliferation of limbs, teeth, and vertebrae, not to mention the complexity we can infer about the overlying anatomy and physiology, arise from the simple early forms of animal life? How did DNA evolve to contain the program for such complexity?     

The control of sexual identity in the Drosophila germline

Whether to be male or female is a critical decision in development. Nowhere is this more important than in the germ cells, which must produce either the sperm or eggs necessary for the perpetuation of the species. How does a germ cell make this decision and how is it executed? One thing that is clear is that this process is very different in germ cells compared with other cells of the embryo. Here, we explore how sexual identity is established in the Drosophila germline, how this affects other aspects of germ cell development and what studies in Drosophila can teach us about mammalian germ cells.     

Child sexual abuse sequelae and body-image surgery

Child sexual abuse is common and damages the body image. Child sexual abuse survivors may request body-image surgery. Seven patients are described in whom child sexual abuse sequelae complicated body-image surgery. Two patients viewed their surgeons as similar to sexual abusers. Yet two patients were clearly, and two possibly, helped by the surgery. Surgeons can detect and manage such patients by (1) having a child sexual abuse therapist on hand for consultation, (2) adding "abuse" to the medical history form, (3) recommending to known or suspected child sexual abuse patients preoperative therapy or a self-help book, (4) obtaining specific permission for any body contact, (5) stating belief in abuse, if revealed, (6) explaining the surgery in unusual detail, (7) recognizing the high-risk child sexual abuse groups, and, (8) declining to operate on the angry child sexual abuse patient.     

Molecular genetics of cancer and tumorigenesis: Drosophila models

Why do some cells not respond to normal control of cell division and become tumorous? Which signals trigger some tumor cells to migrate and colonize other tissues? What genetic factors are responsible for tumorigenesis and cancer development? What environmental factors play a role in cancer formation and progression? In how many ways can our bodies prevent and restrict the growth of cancerous cells?How can we identify and deliver effective drugs to fight cancer? In the fight against cancer,which kills more people than any other disease,these and other questions have long interested researchers from a diverse range of fields.To answer these questions and to fight cancer more effectively,we must increase our understanding of basic cancer biology.Model organisms,including the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster,have played instrumental roles in our understanding of this devastating disease and the search for effective cures.Drosophila and its highly effective,easy-touse,and ever-expanding genetic tools have contributed toand enriched our knowledge of cancer and tumor formation tremendously.     

The evolution of trophic transmission.

Parasite increased trophic transmission (PITT) is one of the more fascinating tales of parasite evolution. The implications of this go beyond cocktail party anecdotes and science fiction plots as the phenomenon is pervasive and likely to be ecologically and evolutionarily important. Although the subject has already received substantial review, Kevin Lafferty here focuses on evolutionary aspects that have not been fully explored, specifically: (1) How strong should PITT be? (2) How might sexual selection and limb autotomy facilitate PITT? (3) How might infrapopulation regulation in final hosts be important in determining avoidance of infected prey? And (4) what happens when more than one species of parasite is in the same intermediate host?     

LIFE-CENTERED ETHICS, AND THE HUMAN FUTURE IN SPACE

In the future, human destiny may depend on our ethics. In particular, biotechnology and expansion in space can transform life, raising profound questions. Guidance may be found in Life‐centered ethics, as biotic ethics that value the basic patterns of organic gene/protein life, and as panbiotic ethics that always seek to expand life. These life‐centered principles can be based on scientific insights into the unique place of life in nature, and the biological unity of all life. Belonging to life then implies a human purpose: to safeguard and propagate life. Expansion in space will advance this purpose but will also raise basic questions. Should we expand all life or only intelligent life? Should we aim to create populations of trillions? Should we seed other solar systems? How far can we change but still preserve the human species, and life itself? The future of all life may be in our hands, and it can depend on our guiding ethics whether life will fulfil its full potentials. Given such profound powers, life‐centered ethics can best secure future generations. Our descendants may then understand nature more deeply, and seek to extend life indefinitely. In that future, our human existence can find a cosmic purpose.     

The demoiselle of X-inactivation: 50 years old and as trendy and mesmerising as ever

In humans, sexual dimorphism is associated with the presence of two X chromosomes in the female, whereas males possess only one X and a small and largely degenerate Y chromosome. How do men cope with having only a single X chromosome given that virtually all other chromosomal monosomies are lethal? Ironically, or even typically many might say, women and more generally female mammals contribute most to the job by shutting down one of their two X chromosomes at random. This phenomenon, called X-inactivation, was originally described some 50 years ago by Mary Lyon and has captivated an increasing number of scientists ever since. The fascination arose in part from the realisation that the inactive X corresponded to a dense heterochromatin mass called the “Barr body” whose number varied with the number of Xs within the nucleus and from the many intellectual questions that this raised: How does the cell count the X chromosomes in the nucleus and inactivate all Xs except one? What kind of molecular mechanisms are able to trigger such a profound, chromosome-wide metamorphosis? When is X-inactivation initiated? How is it transmitted to daughter cells and how is it reset during gametogenesis? This review retraces some of the crucial findings, which have led to our current understanding of a biological process that was initially considered as an exception completely distinct from conventional regulatory systems but is now viewed as a paradigm “par excellence” for epigenetic regulation.     

REFLECTIVE EQUILIBRIUM AND EMPIRICAL DATA: THIRD PERSON MORAL EXPERIENCES IN EMPIRICAL MEDICAL ETHICS

In ethics, the use of empirical data has become more and more popular, leading to a distinct form of applied ethics, namely empirical ethics. This ‘empirical turn’ is especially visible in bioethics. There are various ways of combining empirical research and ethical reflection. In this paper we discuss the use of empirical data in a special form of Reflective Equilibrium (RE), namely the Network Model with Third Person Moral Experiences. In this model, the empirical data consist of the moral experiences of people in a practice. Although inclusion of these moral experiences in this specific model of RE can be well defended, their use in the application of the model still raises important questions. What precisely are moral experiences? How to determine relevance of experiences, in other words: should there be a selection of the moral experiences that are eventually used in the RE? How much weight should the empirical data have in the RE? And the key question: can the use of RE by empirical ethicists really produce answers to practical moral questions? In this paper we start to answer the above questions by giving examples taken from our research project on understanding the norm of informed consent in the field of pediatric oncology. We especially emphasize that incorporation of empirical data in a network model can reduce the risk of self‐justification and bias and can increase the credibility of the RE reached.     

Gene therapy in the clinic: whose risks?

Current experience with gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (X-SCID) suggests that we might now be at the point where it can be considered the 'standard of care'. This therapy carries an unquantified risk of leukaemia, raising important questions for regulators. How dangerous does a potentially curative therapy for a fatal illness need to be before we call it unsafe. How uncertain does a risk need to be for us to regard a therapy as still 'experimental'? Whose interests should prevail? Here I argue that in X-SCID it is the parents and children whom we should listen to first and foremost. How far does this patient-centred approach to licensing therapies extend? Can it be given a rational basis?     

A user's guide to animal welfare science

Here, I provide a guide for those new to the burgeoning field of animal welfare science as to what this comprehensive, relatively young discipline is all about. Drawing on all branches of biology, including behavioural ecology and neuroscience, the science of animal welfare asks three big questions: Are animals conscious? How can we assess good and bad welfare in animals? How can we use science to improve animal welfare in practice? I also provide guidelines for an evidence-based approach to welfare issues for policy makers and other users of animal welfare research.     

Evolutionary genetics and ecology of sperm-dependent parthenogenesis

Sperm-dependent (or pseudogamous) forms of parthenogenetic reproduction occur in a wide variety of animals. Inheritance is typically clonal and matroclinous (of female descent), but sperm are needed to initiate normal development. As opposed to true parthenogenesis (i.e., sperm-independent reproduction), pseudogamous parthenogenetic lineages must coexist with a ‘sperm donor’— e.g., males from a conspecific sexual lineage, conspecific hermaphrodites, or males from a closely related sexual species. Such sperm donors do not contribute genetically to the next generation. The parasitic nature of sperm-dependent parthenogenesis raises numerous ecological and evolutionary questions. How do they arise? What factors help stabilize coexistence between the pseudogamous parthenogens and their sperm donors (i.e., ‘sexual hosts’)? Why do males waste sperm on the asexual females? Why does true parthenogenesis not evolve in pseudogamous lineages and free them from their dependency on sperm donors? Does pseudogamous parthenogenesis provide compensatory benefits that outweigh the constraints of sperm-dependence? Herein, we consider some genetic, ecological, and geographical consequences of sperm-dependent parthenogenesis in animals.     

Meta-analysis and sexual selection: past studies and future possibilities

The action of sexual selection is highly variable among taxa. This creates challenges when trying to generalize (e.g. determine if a particular relationship exists based on its average strength, or if it varies in response to theoretically relevant factors). Consequently, accounting for moderating factors is likely to be crucial to explain differences in sexual selection among studies. In principle, given measures of key theoretical parameters we can predict the strength of sexual selection on different sexual signals, the benefits of mate choice, the extent of sex differences (e.g. in immune function or survival) and the likely life history trade-offs between investment into different sexual traits (e.g. sperm vs. courtship) or non-sexual traits (e.g. immune function, traits that increase longevity, parental care). How well does empirical data support theoretical expectations? First, we provide a short history of the use of meta-analysis in sexual selection studies. We present a table summarizing 94 meta-analyses that have asked questions about sexual selection or allied topics of interest to those studying sexual selection (e.g. the link between heterozygosity and fitness). Second, we list the main ways that meta-analysis has been used in sexual selection work and provide illustrative examples. Third, we provide practical advice to identify questions that are ripe for meta-analysis. We highlight 11 sexual selection topics where meta-analyses are needed (e.g. there are no meta-analyses testing game theory models of fighting contests). Finally, we discuss some general issues that will arise as the use of meta-analysis in sexual selection studies becomes more sophisticated.     

“How” and “Why” prompts in forensic investigative interviews with preschool children

Although young children may frequently be asked “How” and “Why” questions, it is unclear whether they have the ability to respond well enough to justify the use of these words during investigative interviews. The range of possible uses and interpretations of the words “How” and “Why” makes it critical to examine their use when communicatively immature children are interviewed. In this study, police interviews of 3- to 5-year-old suspected victims of sexual abuse (n = 49) were examined. The use of How/Why prompts by interviewers and children’s responses to interviewers’ How/Why prompts were coded. How/Why prompts represented 22% of all interviewer prompts. Of all details provided by children, however, 8.5% were in response to How/Why prompts. In addition, children provided the information sought in response to only 20% of the interviewers’ How/Why prompts, whereas uninformative responses were relatively common. Children responded to more How/Why prompts with the information sought by interviewers as they grew older. The findings suggest that How/Why prompts may not be particularly effective when interviewing preschool children.     

Modulatory role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism on the effects of serious life events on impulsive aggression in borderline personality disorder

Impulsive aggression belongs to the key features of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In the development of BPD, serious life events are known to play a major role. Acute and chronic stress has been suggested to inhibit hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) synthesis and to mediate neural plasticity in response to adverse social experiences. Recently it has been reported that the frequency of violent suicide attempts is higher in adult suicide attempters reporting severe childhood sexual abuse and carrying the Val⁶⁶Val genotype of the BDNF Val⁶⁶Met polymorphism. In this study we analysed modulating effects of BDNF Val⁶⁶Met polymorphism on the effects of physical maltreatment, rape and childhood sexual abuse on impulsive aggression. One hundred and fifty-nine BPD patients from Germany and of Caucasian descent were included. Impulsive aggression was assessed by the Buss-Durkee-Hostility Inventory (BDHI). Childhood sexual abuse accounted for 23.6% of the variance of BDHI sum score. Childhood sexual abuse decreased BDHI sum score in BDNF Val/Val carriers but not in Met carriers. In contrast to previous findings this study analysing a specific gene × environment interaction in BPD patients suggests a decreasing effect of childhood sexual abuse on impulsive aggression in BPD patients, particularly in BDNF Val/Val carriers. The interrelations between serious life events, impulsive aggression and the BDNF Val⁶⁶Met polymorphism as well as their implication for BPD are far from understood and require further investigations.