Sexual Health
19 May Intercourse Frequency – Who Compromises More in a Relationship?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair
Department of Psychology
Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Previous studies on intercourse frequency mainly focused on individual data, with no possibility to verify the perceived initiative or frequency. Couples data gave us that possibility. Previous studies had also mainly treated relationship quality as one measure. Therefore it was also interesting to distinguish between various aspects of relationship qualities to try to disentangle how these different aspects were related to frequency of intercourse.
In addition we had some ideas about how a measure of sexual personality or sociosexuality—how interested in short-term sex one is—might be relevant for compromise within the relationship?
16 Apr MSM: Microbes Associated with Sexual Behavior Can Alter Immune System to Increase HIV Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48583" align="alignleft" width="98"] Brent Palmer[/caption]
Brent E. Palmer, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, ClinImmune and ACI/ID Flow Cytometry Facility
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical College
Aurora, Colorado 80045
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Previous studies showed that in western populations, men who have sex with men (MSM) have a distinct gut microbiome composition when compared with men who have sex with women (MSW).
We wanted to understand how these microbiome differences in MSM could impact their immune system. To test this, we transferred feces from healthy MSW and MSM to gnotobiotic (germ-free) mice and examined the immune system in the mice post-transplant. In mice that received transfers from MSM, there were higher frequencies of activated T cells in gut tissues, which are the primary targets of HIV.
This result suggested that gut microbes associated with MSM sexual behavior may actually contribute to HIV transmission by driving activation of HIV target cells. In fact, when we stimulated human gut derived cells with gut microbes isolated from MSM and MSW, cells that were stimulated with microbes from MSM were infected at a higher rate.
05 Apr Massive Reduction in Cervical Cancer Among Vaccinated Young Women
Posted at 13:28h
in Author Interviews, BMJ, Cancer Research, HPV, OBGYNE, Sexual Health, Vaccine Studies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_48387" align="alignleft" width="112"] Dr. Palmer[/caption]
Dr. Tim Palmer
Honorary Senior Lecturer
Department of Pathology
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: High risk HPV infection is the obligate cause of between 70 and 90% of cervical cancers, depending upon the country. The development of vaccines against the commonest hr-HPV types has the potential to reduce the burden of cervical cancer, especially in low and middle income countries that cannot afford screening programmes. Cervical cancer affects predominantly women in their 30s and is a major public health issue even in countries with well-established screening programmes. Scotland has had a successful immunisation programme since 2008, and women immunised at age 12 to13 have been screened since 2015. We can therefore demonstrate the effect of hr-HPV immunisation on the pre-invasive stages of cervical cancer.
11 Feb Birth Control Pills May Make It Harder for Women To Identify Complex Emotions
Posted at 18:19h
in Author Interviews, Gender Differences, OBGYNE, Psychological Science, Sexual Health
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_47427" align="alignleft" width="149"]
Dr. Lischke[/caption]
Dr. Alexander Lischke, Dipl.-Psych.
Universität Greifswald
Institut für Psychologie
Physiologische und Klinische Psychologie/Psychotherapie
University of Greifswald, Germany
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We know for a long time that cyclic variations in womens' estrogen and progesterone levels affect their emotion recognition abilities by modulating neural activity in brain regions implicated in emotion processing. We also know that oral contraceptives suppress cyclic variations in womens' estrogen and progesterone levels. We, thus, assumed that oral contraceptives would affect womens' emotion recognition abilities due to the aforementioned suppression of cylic variations in estrogen and progesterone levels that modulate neural activity in brain regions during emotion processing. To test this assumption, at least with respect to the behavioral effects of oral contraceptive use on emotion recognition, we performed the current study.
We recruited regular cylcling women with and without oral contraceptive use for our study. None of the women were in psychotherapeutical or psychopharmacological treatment at the time of the study. During the study, women performed a emotion recognition task that required the recognition of complex emotional expressions like, for example, pride or contempt.
06 Jan Risk Factors of Sexual Violence Across Young Women’s Relationship Histories
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46812" align="alignleft" width="190"] Dr. Kennedy[/caption]
Angie Kennedy, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Nearly half of women (44%) experience physical or sexual partner violence by young adulthood, with 1 in 5 girls in high school reporting abuse within the last year. Sexual violence typically co-occurs with other forms of partner violence; co-occurring sexual and physical violence among adolescent girls is linked to health-risk behaviors including alcohol and drug use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk-taking, and suicidality. As such, it represents a serious public health problem.
To better understand this issue, we wanted to explore risk factors for sexual violence during young women’s adolescent and young adult relationships, i.e., what predicts attempted rape and rape by a partner during this vulnerable period?
We took a novel approach: We examined predictors across multiple relationships, beginning with the first one, and we recruited a diverse sample of young women from a four-year research university, a two-year community college, and community sites serving low-income young women.
26 Dec Months After #MeToo, Millions Still Searching Online For Help Against Sexual Violence
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46663" align="alignleft" width="146"] Dr. Ayers[/caption]
John W. Ayers, PhD, MA
Vice Chief of Innovation | Assoc. Professor
Div. Infectious Disease & Global Public Health
University of California San Diego
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The greatest barrier to understanding trends around sexual violence is they are largely hidden because victims are unable speak up publicly.
Moreover, ongoing monitoring relies on proxies that underreport the
scale of the problem such as police or medical records where only the
most severe instances or a fraction of all instances of sexual
violence are represented. As a result, we know very little about the
scale of America's sexual violence problem.
It was this backdrop that inspired #MeToo to call on victims to
publicly voice their stories thereby revealing the scale of the
problem. Our goal was to, for the first time, assess how this change
inspired the public to engage with sexual violence issues.
By tracking private aggregate internet search query trends we can
begin to understand the scale of public engagement with issues around
sexual violence including the precise motivation for a search, such as
reporting episodes of sexual violence or learning how to prevent
sexual violence.
20 Nov What is Risk of Sexual Transmission of HIV With Treatment-Suppressed Low Viral Load?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46090" align="alignleft" width="200"] HIV Infecting T Cell[/caption]
Rachel Rodin
Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control
Public Health Agency of Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: On December 1, 2016 (World AIDS Day), the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, federal Minister of Justice, committed to working with provinces and territories, affected communities, and medical professionals to examine the criminal justice system’s response to non-disclosure of HIV status in the context of sexual relations.
To this end, Justice Canada worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), provincial and territorial public health and justice counterparts, and a variety of other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive report on the issue of HIV non-disclosure. As part of this work, Justice Canada asked PHAC to provide an assessment of the most recent medical science on sexual HIV transmission risk.
In collaboration with external peer reviewers, PHAC undertook a systematic review of the full body of scientific evidence on sexual HIV transmission risk. The review found that the risk of sexual transmission of HIV is negligible when an individual is taking antiretroviral therapy as prescribed and maintains a suppressed viral load. The review also concluded that the risk remains low when the individual is on antiretroviral therapy with varying viral load, or is not on antiretroviral therapy but uses condoms.
11 Nov Over 8% of Americans Expressed Distress About Having Difficulty Controlling Their Sexual Urges and Behaviors
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:Janna A Dickenson, PhD
Doug Braun-Harvey Postdoctoral Fellow
Program in Human Sexuality
Department of Family Medicine
University of Minnesota Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Researchers and clinicians have contested the term “sex addiction” in favor of alternative definitions and symptom presentations. Recently, the ICD-11 has characterized compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) as a persistent pattern that involves failing to control intense sexual urges or sexual behaviors that results in significant levels of distress and/or impairment in one’s functioning.
Researchers estimate that CSBD affects 2-6% of the population and is much more common among cisgender men than cisgender. Using a randomized national sample, we assessed the prevalence of a key feature of CSBD that researchers and clinicians agree upon: distress and impairment associated with difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges, and behaviors.
We performed this assessment with a screening tool called the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI). Of the 2,325 adults, 8.6 percent overall (10.3 percent of individuals who identified as men and 7 percent of individuals who identified as women) met the clinical threshold of the CSBI; meaning that 8.6% of people expressed difficulty controlling their sexual feelings, urges and behaviors and experienced distress and/or impairment as a result. To be clear, this does not mean the 8.6% of the sample endorsed CSBD, but that 8.6% of our sample exhibited significant distress or impairment related to difficulty controlling one's sexual behaviors.
09 Oct Strong Link Between HPV and HIV Infection in MSM
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_45122" align="alignleft" width="128"] Dr. Brown[/caption]
Brandon Brown, MPH, PhD
Associate Professor
Center for Healthy Communities
Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health
UCR School of Medicine
Riverside, CA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The authors have been working in Lima, Peru on HIV-related projects for over 17 years. This particular study arose out of interest from our main community collaborator and the only gay men’s health NGO in Lima, Epicentro Salud . The NGO noticed that one of the main health issues among their clients was genital warts. When we learned this, we applied for funding through the Merck Investigator Initiated Studies Program to conduct a study examining the link between genital warts and incident HIV infection.
[caption id="attachment_45123" align="alignleft" width="400"]
The relationship between anogenital HPV types and incident HIV infection among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Lima, Peru[/caption]
Although most studies have shown a general link between HPV and HIV co-infection, our findings illustrate the strong relationship between individual HPV types and HIV infection. Specifically, individuals in our study with any HPV type, more than one HPV type, or high-risk HPV were more likely to acquire HIV.
02 Oct Parents Need To Talk Frequently To Their Children About Sexual Safety
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_44945" align="alignleft" width="128"] Dr. Padilla-Walker[/caption]
Laura M. Padilla-Walker, PhD
Professor, School of Family Life
Associate Dean, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Brigham Young University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The current study included approximately 500 teens that we followed for 8 years starting at approximately age 14.
In this particular study, we explored how parent-child sex communication regarding sexual safety changed from ages 14-18, and then how this change was associated with children’s sexual outcomes at age 21. Though we would hope and expect that parents would discuss sexual safety with their children at increasing levels as children age, findings from this study suggested low and unchanging levels of parent-child sex communication over time. In other words, parents are talking very little to their children about sexual safety, and how much they talk to children isn’t changing from age 14 to 18.
In addition, mothers reported significantly higher levels of sex communication than did children and fathers, suggesting that mothers think they talk about sexuality more than children think they do. Though this is an issue of perception, what the child perceives is generally a more important predictor of positive outcomes. Mothers also reported talking with their sons less than their daughters, though sex communication with sons increased over time and by age 18 mothers reported the same (relatively low) levels of sex communication with both daughters and sons.
That being said, initial levels and positive change in parent-child sex communication was associated with safer sex at age 21, suggesting that parents SHOULD talk with their children more and at increasing levels over time, because these factors are associated with positive child outcomes.
30 Jul Sexual Minorities More Likely To Be Unemployed and Uninsured
Posted at 17:07h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Gender Differences, Occupational Health, Sexual Health
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_43432" align="alignleft" width="134"]
Dr. Charlton[/caption]
Brittany M. Charlton, ScD, Assistant Professor
Harvard Medical School
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, MA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Research has shown that nearly half of all sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals) experience employment discrimination in their lifetime, which may lead to many other disparities, including health insurance coverage, healthcare access, and ultimately health-related quality of life (e.g., pain, anxiety).
11 Jul Bisexual Adults Have Highest Prevalence of Sleep Problems in NYC Survey
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_43100" align="alignleft" width="165"] Dr. Duncan[/caption]
Dustin T. Duncan, ScD
Associate Professor
Director, NYU Spatial Epidemiology Lab
Department of Population Health
NYU School of Medicine
NYU Langone Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Sleep and sleep hygiene have emerged as one of the major determinants of health and wellbeing (alongside good diet, regular exercise, and not smoking). However, a small number of studies have used population-representative samples to examine sexual orientation disparities in sleep. Our study aimed to fill this gap in knowledge.
11 Jul Powerful Men More Inclined to Sexually Harass When They Fear Being Perceived As Incompetent
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_43096" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Halper[/caption]
Leah Halper, PhD
Associate Director
Office of Student Life Center for the Study of Student Life
Columbus, OH 43210
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We started to run these studies in 2014 given mutual research interests that we shared. We knew that there was much research on sexual harassment that focused on the victim, the victim’s experience and the reporting process for sexual harassment. This work is extremely valuable. We noticed, however, that there was less research on the perpetrator and if there were personality variables related to the likelihood of sexual harassment. In our studies, we demonstrate that a personality variable (Fear of Negative Evaluation, or anxiety that others will see one as incompetent) is related to sexual harassment among men in powerful positions. Our results held up after taking into account other personality variables, such as narcissism and self-esteem. Also, we found that men who felt insecure in their power (i.e., those that were anxious that others would see them as incompetent) were more likely to engage in both quid pro quo harassment – asking for sexual favors in return for something else – and gender harassment – creating a hostile environment for women.
10 Jul Cardiovascular Risks of Hormone Therapy in Transgender Individuals
Posted at 21:28h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Emory, Endocrinology, Heart Disease, Sexual Health, Thromboembolism
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_43071" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Goodman[/caption]
Michael Goodman, MD, MPH
Professor of Epidemiology
Director, MD/MPH program
Emory University School of Public Health
Atlanta, GA 30322
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There is a concern that hormone therapy may be associated with higher risk of certain cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, stroke and formation of blood clots (“venous thromboembolism”).
To study this concern we examined data on 4,960 transgender and gender non-conforming people enrolled in Kaiser Permanente health systems in Georgia, Northern California, and Southern California. They were matched to 48,686 cisgender men and 48,775 cisgender women. Below are the main findings
- Rates of venous thromboembolism in all transwomen were approximately twice as high as the rates among cisgender men or cisgender women. The data for stroke and myocardial infarction demonstrated little difference between transwomen and cisgender men, but 80% to 90% higher rates among transwomen compared to cisgender women.
- When the analyses focused specifically on transwomen who started therapy with female hormone estrogen at Kaiser Permanente, the incidence of both venous thromboembolism and stroke was more clearly elevated relative to either reference group. There was evidence that incidence of both of these conditions among transwomen was particularly increased two to six years after estrogen initiation. By contrast, the association between estrogen therapy and myocardial infarction was less evident due to relatively few observed events.
- Transmen did not appear to have significantly higher rates of venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, or myocardial infarction than their non-transgender counterparts, but this group was rather young and included a relatively small proportion of participants who initiated their hormone therapy during the study.
22 Jun Bisexual Men Face Greater Risk of Heart Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_42641" align="alignleft" width="128"] Dr. Caceres[/caption]
Billy A. Caceres, PhD, RN, AGPCNP-BC
NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
New York, NY 10010
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Although current evidence, primarily based on self-reported data, suggests gay and bisexual men report higher rates of cardiovascular risk factors (such as poor mental health and tobacco use) than heterosexual men, few studies have examined heart disease risk in this population. This study is one of the few studies to examine heart disease risk in gay and bisexual men using biological measures.
Using data from a nationally representative sample we identified higher rates of mental distress, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes among bisexual men compared to exclusively heterosexual men after adjusting for traditional risk factors (demographic characteristics, mental distress, and health behaviors). We also included men who identified as heterosexual but report a history of same-sex sexual behavior. Gay and heterosexual-identified men who have sex with men displayed similar risk profiles to exclusively heterosexual men.
30 May CPAP Improved Sexual Quality of Life for Women
Posted at 19:29h
in Author Interviews, JAMA, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sexual Health, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_38315" align="alignleft" width="200"] One CPAP modelImage by Bryan Alexander[/caption] Sebastian M. Jara, MD Resident Physician & Research Fellow Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Sleep apnea is a common disorder associated with...
22 Apr New Male Contraceptive May Make Pregnancy An Uphill Swim
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_41306" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. O'Rand[/caption]
Michael O'Rand, PhD
Retired professor of cell biology and physiology in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and president/CEO of Eppin Pharma, Inc
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: My lab at the UNC School of Medicine discovered the protein Eppin in 2004. It coats the sperm cell. Through our subsequent research, we learned it is essential for sperm protection in the female. We thought it could make an excellent target for a male contraceptive.
Subsequently we developed a compound called EP055 that would bind to Eppin and as a result stop sperm from swimming. In our latest study published in PLOS One, we show that EP055 substantially limits sperm motility in non-human primates. And we showed the effect of EP055 is temporary, which would make it a good contraceptive.
02 Apr The Economic Burden of Child Sexual Abuse is in the Billions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40905" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Xiangming Fang[/caption]
Dr. Xiangming Fang, PhD
Associate professor of Health Management and Policy
School of Public Health
Georgia State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem in the United States. The estimated prevalence rates of exposure to child sexual abuse by 18 years old are 26.6 percent for U.S. girls and 5.1 percent for U.S. boys. The effects of child sexual abuse include increased risk for development of severe mental, physical and behavioral health disorders; sexually transmitted diseases; self-inflicted injury, substance abuse and violence; and subsequent victimization and criminal offending.
29 Mar HIV Incidence Decreasing But Not Among Latino and AA Gay and Bisexual Men
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sonia Singh, PhD, Epidemiologist Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention CDC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: HIV infection is a persistent health concern in the United States, particularly for people at high risk of infection such as gay and bisexual men. We used data from the National HIV Surveillance System to estimate HIV incidence and prevalence and the percentage of undiagnosed HIV infections overall and among gay and bisexual men. Estimated HIV incidence declined nearly 15% overall in the U.S. from an estimated 45,200 infections in 2008 to 38,500 in 2015. Estimated HIV incidence declined for both males (9%) and females (33%) over this period. Estimated HIV incidence declined 32% among heterosexuals, 42% among people who inject drugs and 20% among gay and bisexual men who also inject drugs. Estimated HIV incidence remained relatively stable among gay and bisexual men; however, it increased over 25% among Latino gay and bisexual men, almost 45% among gay and bisexual men ages 25 to 34 and 30% among gay and bisexual men ages 55 and older. The percentage of undiagnosed HIV infections decreased nearly 20%, from 18.1% in 2008 to 14.5% in 2015. The percentage of undiagnosed HIV infections among gay and bisexual men declined 21.6%, from 21.3% in 2008 to 16.7% in 2015. In 2015, the percentage of undiagnosed HIV infections was highest among gay and bisexual males ages 13-24 (52.2%) compared to other age groups and higher among Latino (20.1%) and African American (19.6%) gay and bisexual men, as well as Asian gay and bisexual men (20.5%), compared to white gay and bisexual men (11.9%).20 Mar Topical Estrogen No Better Than Moisturizer for Postmenopausal Vaginal Dryness
Posted at 00:05h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Menopause, OBGYNE, Sexual Health
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_40595" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Caroline Mitchell[/caption]
Caroline Mitchell, MD, MPH
Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology
http://massgeneral.link/MitchellLab
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In this study we compared two commonly recommended treatments for menopausal vaginal discomfort - low dose vaginal estradiol tablets and a vaginal moisturizer - to placebo, and found no difference in reduction of symptom severity; all three groups improved over 12 weeks of treatment. This is great news for women, as it means that using any treatment regularly is likely to have benefit, whether it costs $20 or $200.
Symptoms of vaginal dryness, irritation and pain with sex, which occur in over half of postmenopausal women, cause a significant decrease in quality of life and negatively impact intimate relationships. The significant impact of these symptoms is reflected in the fact that we enrolled all 302 participants in under a year, a faster enrollment than any of the four prior trials conducted by the MsFlash research network that evaluated treatments for hot flashes. Women were desperate for some kind of intervention for these symptoms.
07 Mar Ixekizumab Improved Impact of Genital Psoriasis on Sexual Activity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40411" align="alignleft" width="120"]
Dr. Cather[/caption]
Dr. Jennifer Cather MD
Medical Director at Modern Dermatology and Modern Research Associate
Dallas, Texas
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Genital psoriasis can be an uncomfortable and burdensome condition that many people living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis experience. Due to the significant impact, Lilly conducted a 12-week Phase 3b clinical trial with patients with moderate-to-severe genital psoriasis treated with ixekizumab, which found that patients had a greater decrease in the impact of their condition on sexual activity compared to placebo as early as one week.
Specifically, trial patients were randomized to receive ixekizumab (80 mg every two weeks, following a 160-mg starting dose) or placebo and researchers measured pre-specified patient-reported outcomes, including the Genital Psoriasis Sexual Impact Scale (GPSIS), which is composed of the Sexual Activity Avoidance (Avoidance) and Impact of Sexual Activity on Genital Psoriasis Symptoms (Impact) subscales. Patient-reported outcomes were also measured by the Sexual Frequency Questionnaire (SFQ) item 2, evaluating the impact of genital psoriasis on the frequency of sexual activity, and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) item 9, evaluating the impact of skin symptoms on sexual difficulties.
At 12 weeks, patients reported the following outcomes:
- DLQI Item 9 0/1: 92.0 percent of patients treated with ixekizumab compared to 56.8 percent of patients treated with placebo reported no (0) or little (1) sexual difficulties caused by skin symptoms.
- SFQ Item 2 0/1: 78.4 percent of patients treated with ixekizumab compared to 21.4 percent of patients treated with placebo (reported the frequency of sexual activity was either never (0) or rarely (1) limited by genital psoriasis.
- GPSIS-Avoidance 1/2: 76.7 percent of patients treated with ixekizumab compared to 25.7 percent of patients treated with placebo reported never (1) or rarely (2) avoiding sexual activity due to genital psoriasis.
- GPSIS-Impact 1/2: 85.7 percent of patients treated with ixekizumab compared to 52.9 percent of patients treated with placebo reported worsening of genital psoriasis symptoms during or after sexual activity was very low/none at all (1) or low (2).
16 Feb ZIKA: Mouse Study Finds Antioxidant Ebselen Reduces Risk of Sexual Transmission
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_39973" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Image of a baby with microcephaly (left) compared to a normal baby (right). This is one of the potential effects of Zika virus. Signs of microcephaly may develop a few months after birth.Wikipedia image[/caption] Yogy Simanjuntak PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Institute of Biomedical Sciences Academia Sinica, Taiwan MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Despite the low case fatality, Zika virus infection has been associated with microcephaly in infants and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Primarily transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, Zika also can be sexually transmitted in humans. By August 2016, the sexual transmission of Zika had been documented in 11 countries worldwide and most of the cases were from male to female. Infectious Zika in semen has been reported. Moreover, unlike in serum or urine samples, Zika RNA can still be detected in semen up to 188 days after the onset of symptoms. In the absence of approved antiviral drugs or vaccines for Zika infection, preventing the disease transmission is critical. We observed Zika progressively damaged testes by gaining access to testicular cells including sperm. Notably, Zika caused signs of increased testicular oxidative stress and inflammation, characterized by high levels of reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Our data indicate that these factors may contribute to testicular damage as well as successful sexual transmission of Zika; thus, we speculate antioxidants might display beneficial effects to alleviate these disease outcomes. We found that antioxidant ebselen both alleviated testicular damage and prevented sexual transmission of Zika via sperm from infected male mice to uninfected female mice.
08 Feb Relationship Status Helps Determine Contraception Choice
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Marie Harvey, DrPH MPH
Lisa P. Oakley, PhD MPH
College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Oregon State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Because decisions about contraceptives are often made by young adults in the context of their relationships and specific partners, the characteristics of that relationship and feelings about that partner will likely influence how those decisions are made. Many studies have previously investigated individual factors that affect contraceptive choice and when examining partner influences have used questions that were not specific to a particular partner. Intuition, however, suggests that feelings for a specific partner would likely influence one’s perception of risk for disease acquisition, and thereby, their contraceptive choice. So, it was important to us to look at the influences of each specific partner and how the unique dynamics of each partnership influence contraceptive use.
In this study, we investigated how relationship qualities and dynamics (such as commitment and sexual decision-making) impact contraceptive choice above and beyond individual factors. We also used partner-specific questions.
We found that both individual and partner-specific relationship qualities and dynamics predicted contraceptive use, but these factors varied by contraceptive method. For example, young adults who reported greater exclusivity with a specific partner and more relationship commitment were less likely to use only condoms with that partner. Additionally, individuals who felt they played a strong role in making sexual decisions in their relationship were also more likely to only use condoms.
01 Feb Potentially Cancerous Genital Lesions Common in Transplant Population
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_39776" align="alignleft" width="159"]
Dr. Chung[/caption]
Dr. Christina Lee Chung, MD Associate Professor Department of Dermatology Drexel University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In early 2016, five years after the inception of our specialty medical-surgical transplant dermatology center, we realized our nonwhite transplant patients were developing skin cancer at higher rates and found interesting trends. These data were published in a previous manuscript. One of the more striking findings was that these patients were developing a high proportion of skin cancer in non-sun-exposed areas such as the genital region. There are no standard guidelines regarding genital skin evaluation and it is unclear how often it is performed in any capacity amongst dermatologists, including practitioners in our center, quite frankly. Our group was concerned that we could be missing skin cancers in this “hidden” area in our high-risk organ transplant population so we launched a quality improvement initiative that incorporated thorough genital skin evaluation as a standard part of post-transplant skin cancer screening.
Fifteen months after we started this modified screening process, we decided to evaluate the results. To account for any variation in examination, we looked at the findings of a single practitioner. We found that genital lesions are common in the transplant population and include high rates of genital warts and skin cancer. However, patient awareness of the presence of genital lesions was alarmingly low. Nonwhite transplant patients, Black transplant recipients in particular, were disproportionately affected by both genital warts and genital skin cancer in our cohort. Similar to cervical cancer, high-risk HPV types were closely associated with genital squamous cell carcinoma development in our transplant population.
22 Jan Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Leaves Young Adults Vulnerable to Sexual Dysfunction
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_39455" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Acquati[/caption]
Chiara Acquati, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor
Graduate College of Social Work
University of Houston
Houston, TX
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are individuals between the ages of 15 and 39 years at diagnosis, as defined by the National Cancer Institute. Considerable research has unveiled unique psychosocial challenges experienced by AYAs, including poor quality of life, an altered body image, and social isolation.
As a result of these life disruptions, normative psychological and emotional development is affected by the disease and its treatment, particularly with respect to sexual identity, development, and behavior. However, few studies have examined sexual functioning and AYA patients’ needs with respect to emotional intimacy and sexual relationships. Estimates of the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in AYAs are limited to date and vary because of data derived from mixed-age groups, single items instead of standardized instruments, and cross-sectional designs. Yet, the state of the science suggests that one-third to two-thirds of cancer patients experience sexual dissatisfaction and a reduced frequency of intercourse. Furthermore, failure to address sexual health may place AYAs at risk for long-term consequences related to sexual functioning and identity development, interpersonal relationships, and quality of life. Hence, detecting changes in the rate of sexual dysfunction over time may help in identifying the appropriate timing for interventions to be delivered.
This study was conceptualized to increase our current knowledge of sexual functioning among AYAs by examining the prevalence of sexual dysfunction over the course of 2 years after the initial cancer diagnosis and the identification of variables that contribute to the probability of reporting sexual dysfunction in order to recognize individuals at higher risk. Young adult patients (≥18 years old) were administered the sexual functioning scale as part of a larger longitudinal multisite survey, and only those who completed the instrument at least once were included in this analysis; for this reason the article focuses on the experience of “young adults”.
09 Nov Urban Transgender Females Likely To Get HIV Testing
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_38140" align="alignleft" width="116"]
Dr. Juarez[/caption]
Adrian Juarez, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
The State University of New York
School of Nursing
Department of Family, Community and Health Systems Sciences
Buffalo, New York 14214
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: HIV testing is considered the initial component of HIV eradication strategies such as “seek, test, treat, and retain.” This study examines the characteristics of an urban, transgender population in western New York when volunteering for an HIV test. The use of an intersectional lens was observed in order to determine the level of influence of sexual partnership types, previous HIV and STD testing, substance use, housing status referral source and racial/gender identification on HIV testing.
03 Oct Gay and Bisexual Men With Less Education and Income At Greater Risk of Suicide
Posted at 19:07h
in Author Interviews, Education, Gender Differences, Mental Health Research, Sexual Health, Social Issues
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Oliver Ferlatte PhD
Men's Health Research Program
University of British Columbia
Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Suicide, like many other health inequities, is unevenly distributed among the population, with marginalized groups being most affected. In Canada, suicide has been found to particularly affect gay and bisexual men, aboriginal people and people living in rural and remote communities.
While the populations affected by suicide are not mutually exclusive – for example someone can be a bisexual Aboriginal man living in a remote community – much of the suicide prevention literature tends to treat these groups as such. Moreso, very little attention is given in suicide prevention research to diversity within groups: for example, we know very little about which gay and bisexual men are most at risk of attempting suicide. This situation creates a vacuum of knowledge about suicide among gay and bisexual and deprives us of critical information for the development of effective suicide prevention activities.
We therefore investigated in a survey of Canadian gay and bisexual men (Sex Now Survey), which gay and bisexual men are at increased risk of reporting a recent suicide attempt. The large sample of gay and bisexual men with 8493 participants allows for this unique analysis focused on the multiple, intersecting identities of the survey participants.
22 Sep Facial Structure Linked To Sexual Drive and Orientation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_37070" align="alignleft" width="90"]
Dr. Arnocky[/caption]
Steven Arnocky PhD
Faculty of Arts & Science-Psychology
Nipissing University
Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: - Previous research has linked the facial width-to-height ratio to a number of testosterone-mediated traits, primarily in men, such as aggression and achievement drive. Some research has also linked FWHR to testosterone directly, although this research is less consistent. If testosterone is linked to cranio-facial development then we hypothesized that facial masculinization should therefore correlate with other testosterone-linked traits. In both men and women, there is good evidence that testosterone increases sexual motivation.
In two samples of young-adults from two Canadian cities, we found that facial width-to-height ratio predicted sex-drive, regardless of whether participants were male or female.
In the second study (the larger of the two) we also found that FWHR predicted a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation, in other words, attitudes and behavior consistent with more pluralistic mating, as well as more intended infidelity.
25 Aug U.S. Army Administrative Data Can Be Used To Predict Sexual Assault Perpetration
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36637" align="alignleft" width="144"]
Dr. Rosellini[/caption]
Anthony J. Rosellini, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Boston University
Boston, MA 02215
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Sexual assault among service members is a significant concern of the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Army. Although the annual rate of sexual assault among soldiers is believed to be decreasing, there have also been increases in the number of victims coming forward to report their experiences. The DoD and Army have responded by creating a framework of universal prevention in which all soldiers are required to participate in relatively brief programs aimed at decreasing rates of sexual assault. More intensive preventive interventions could be required, but would only be cost-effective if targeted at a subset of soldiers who are most likely to perpetrate sexual assault.
The goal of this study was to use DoD and U.S. Army administrative records that are available for all soldiers to develop prediction models for sexual assault perpetration. We used the records from all 821,807 male soldiers who served between 2004 and 2009 to develop separate models to predict assaults directed against within-family and non-family adults and minors.