Recognition of radiographers in the workplace: Why it matters.

INTRODUCTION: Recognition of radiographers' work has received limited research attention to date, notably its link with wellbeing at work (i.e., job and career satisfaction) and emotional exhaustion. This research focuses on these links and examines more precisely the mediational psychological mechanism (i.e., professional identification) that could explain these relationships. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study with data obtained through an online survey. The sample comprised 713 radiographers working in France. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediational model. RESULTS: Results of structural equation analysis suggest that radiographers who perceive more professional recognition from their supervisors, colleagues and patients are those who identify most with their profession and who are most satisfied by their job and their career; they also show lower levels of emotional exhaustion. These results underline the crucial role of recognition in the workplace for these professionals. CONCLUSION: Recognition is one of the basic needs of an individual, and satisfying this need is a crucial issue for organizations. This paper focuses on the importance of recognition for radiographers, notably to protect their psychological health and increase their well-being at work and in their professional career. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Health organizations and supervisors should be aware of the importance of recognizing radiographers' work in order to improve their psychological health, enhance their perceived quality of life at work, and have a positive perception of their career and their work.

Brain stem death induces pro-inflammatory cytokine production and cardiac dysfunction in sheep model.

INTRODUCTION: Organs procured following brain stem death (BSD) are the main source of organ grafts for transplantation. However, BSD is associated with inflammatory responses that may damage the organ and affect both the quantity and quality of organs available for transplant. Therefore, we aimed to investigate plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles and cardiovascular physiology in a clinically relevant 6-h ovine model of BSD. METHODS: Twelve healthy female sheep (37-42 Kg) were anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated prior to undergoing BSD induction and then monitored for 6 h. Plasma and BAL endothelin-1 and cytokines (IL-1ß, 6, 8 and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)) were assessed by ELISA. Differential white blood cell counts were performed. Cardiac function during BSD was also examined using echocardiography, and cardiac biomarkers (A-type natriuretic peptide and troponin I were measured in plasma. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations big ET-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and BAL IL-8 were significantly (p < 0.01) increased over baseline at 6 h post-BSD. Increased numbers of neutrophils were observed in the whole blood (3.1 × 109 cells/L [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.06-4.14] vs. 6 × 109 cells/L [95%CI 3.92-7.97]; p < 0.01) and BAL (4.5 × 109 cells/L [95%CI 0.41-9.41] vs. 26 [95%CI 12.29-39.80]; p = 0.03) after 6 h of BSD induction vs baseline. A significant increase in ANP production (20.28 pM [95%CI 16.18-24.37] vs. 78.68 pM [95%CI 53.16-104.21]; p < 0.0001) and cTnI release (0.039 ng/mL vs. 4.26 [95%CI 2.69-5.83] ng/mL; p < 0.0001), associated with a significant reduction in heart contractile function, were observed between baseline and 6 h. CONCLUSIONS: BSD induced systemic pro-inflammatory responses, characterized by increased neutrophil infiltration and cytokine production in the circulation and BAL fluid, and associated with reduced heart contractile function in ovine model of BSD.

Endothelin receptor antagonist improves donor lung function in an ex vivo perfusion system.

BACKGROUND: A lung transplant is the last resort treatment for many patients with advanced lung disease. The majority of donated lungs come from donors following brain death (BD). The endothelin axis is upregulated in the blood and lung of the donor after BD resulting in systemic inflammation, lung damage and poor lung graft outcomes in the recipient. Tezosentan (endothelin receptor blocker) improves the pulmonary haemodynamic profile; however, it induces adverse effects on other organs at high doses. Application of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) allows the development of organ-specific hormone resuscitation, to maximise and optimise the donor pool. Therefore, we investigate whether the combination of EVLP and tezosentan administration could improve the quality of donor lungs in a clinically relevant 6-h ovine model of brain stem death (BSD). METHODS: After 6 h of BSD, lungs obtained from 12 sheep were divided into two groups, control and tezosentan-treated group, and cannulated for EVLP. The lungs were monitored for 6 h and lung perfusate and tissue samples were processed and analysed. Blood gas variables were measured in perfusate samples as well as total proteins and pro-inflammatory biomarkers, IL-6 and IL-8. Lung tissues were collected at the end of EVLP experiments for histology analysis and wet-dry weight ratio (a measure of oedema). RESULTS: Our results showed a significant improvement in gas exchange [elevated partial pressure of oxygen (P = 0.02) and reduced partial pressure of carbon dioxide (P = 0.03)] in tezosentan-treated lungs compared to controls. However, the lungs hematoxylin-eosin staining histology results showed minimum lung injuries and there was no difference between both control and tezosentan-treated lungs. Similarly, IL-6 and IL-8 levels in lung perfusate showed no difference between control and tezosentan-treated lungs throughout the EVLP. Histological and tissue analysis showed a non-significant reduction in wet/dry weight ratio in tezosentan-treated lung tissues (P = 0.09) when compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that administration of tezosentan could improve pulmonary gas exchange during EVLP.

Effects of cooling and equilibration in DMSO, and cryopreservation of mouse oocytes, on the rates of in vitro fertilization, development, and chromosomal abnormalities.

In a previous study, we have shown that the cryopreservation of mouse oocytes caused increases in the rates of degeneration and of digynic polyploid embryos, while the fertility of frozen-thawed oocytes was decreased. In this study, we have attempted to determine the different stages in the complete freezing-thawing process which are deleterious for the oocytes and the subsequent zygotes. IVF assays showed that DMSO decreased the fertility of oocytes, whereas cooling to 0 degrees C had no effect. DMSO, used at 0 degrees C, was less deleterious for oocytes. Thus, the prefreezing manipulations seem to be important for the quality and fertility of oocytes. However, neither DMSO nor cooling increased the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos obtained from inseminated exposed oocytes. Therefore, the increased frequency of polyploidy observed in embryos after the cryopreservation of mouse oocytes must correspond to disruption occurring during the freezing-thawing process.

Cryopreservation of mouse oocytes: mutagenic effects in the embryo?

We have shown in previous studies that the complete cycle of cryopreservation and prefreezing manipulations increases the degeneration and decreases the fecundability of mouse oocytes. The present study confirms these results. Moreover, we show that the increase of polyploidy previously observed in one-cell zygotes derived from frozen-thawed oocytes persists during the early stages of embryonic development. Furthermore, embryos obtained from frozen oocytes or oocytes exposed to prefreezing manipulations show an increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges. Since the estimation of sister chromatid exchange is a sensitive test of mutagenicity, this suggests that the complete cycle of cryopreservation might alter the oocyte and, more particularly, induce DNA damage.

The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in frozen-thawed mouse oocytes after in-vitro fertilization.

Cryopreservation of mouse oocytes induced a high rate of atresia. Frozen oocytes observed immediately after thawing did not exhibit any alteration in the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities, aneuploidy or polyploidy. After in-vitro fertilization attempts, the cleavage rate of frozen-thawed mouse oocytes was decreased. Cytogenetical observations of inseminated eggs also confirmed this decrease in fertilization rate. First and second cleavages were delayed compared to fresh controls but subsequent development to the 4-cell stage was not altered. Freeze-thawing increased the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in inseminated oocytes but this only concerned the frequency of triploidy and not monosomic or trisomic aneuploidy. The increase in triploidy seemed to be largely due to the presence of digynic embryos. Second polar body retention seemed to be mainly responsible for this high rate of polyploidy.