Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Just Take Viagra’: Erectile Insurance, Prophylactic Certainty and Deficit Correction in Gay Men’s Accounts of Sexuopharmaceutical Use

Gay men’s recreational use of Viagra and similar drugs has received considerable attention in the public health literature, implicating Viagra as a risk factor for HIV transmission. Framed by work on the pharmaceuticalization of everyday life and critical Viagra studies, gay men’s accounts are analysed to assess the ways in which Viagra is understood, valued and experienced. Viagra was commonly described as a corrective remedy that guaranteed erectile performance, aided condom use and simplified decisions about safe sex. The mismatch between public health discourse and gay men’s understandings of Viagra, as well as the reliance on Viagra for safe sex, are discussed in relation to harm reduction and HIV prevention efforts, suggesting a need to encourage critical reflection on sexuopharmaceutical use among gay men.
The First-Time Fathers Study: a prospective study of the mental health and wellbeing of men during the transition to parenthood.

OBJECTIVE In comparison to its female counterpart, the transition of men to parenthood has been relatively neglected in previous research. The present paper argues that men may have gender-specific risk factors for perinatal psychological distress and may manifest distress in ways different from women. The prime objective of this research was to document changes in psychological, relationship and lifestyle parameters in a cohort of first time fathers from pregnancy to the end of the first postnatal year. The present paper reports on these changes. METHOD Three hundred and twelve men were assessed at 23 weeks of pregnancy and followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months postnatally, using a battery of self-report questionnaires covering psychological symptom levels, lifestyle variables and relationship/sexual functioning. Two hundred and four men completed all four assessments. RESULTS The men exhibited highest symptom levels in pregnancy with general, through small, improvement at 3 months and little change thereafter. Lifestyle variables showed small changes over the first postnatal year. Sexual functioning appeared to deteriorate markedly from pre-pregnancy levels with only minimal recovery by the end of the first year. The results highlight that the majority of men anticipated return of sexual activity to pre-pregnancy levels; however, this failed to eventuate. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy, rather than the postnatal period, would appear to be the most stressful period for men undergoing the transition to parenthood. The results suggest that the most important changes occur relatively early in pregnancy. Thereafter, lack of change (rather than change) is the most noteworthy feature. These men appeared to be ill-prepared for the impact of parenthood on their lives, especially in terms of the sexual relationship. Further research to determine the timing and trigger of stress in pregnancy is recommended.
Novel mutations in ribosomal proteins L4 and L22 that confer erythromycin resistance in Escherichia coli

L4 and L22, proteins of the large ribosomal subunit, contain globular surface domains and elongated ‘tentacles’ that reach into the core of the large subunit to form part of the lining of the peptide exit tunnel. Mutations in the tentacles of L4 and L22 confer macrolide resistance in a variety of pathogenic and non‐pathogenic bacteria. In Escherichia coli, a Lys‐to‐Glu mutation in L4 and a three‐amino‐acid deletion in the L22 had been reported. To learn more about the roles of the tentacles in ribosome assembly and function, we isolated additional erythromycin‐resistant E. coli mutants. Eight new mutations mapped in L4, all within the tentacle. Two new mutations were identified in L22; one mapped outside the tentacle. Insertion mutations were found in both genes. All of the mutants grew slower than the parent, and they all showed reduced in vivo rates of peptide‐chain elongation and increased levels of precursor 23S rRNA. Large insertions in L4 and L22 resulted in very slow growth and accumulation of abnormal ribosomal subunits. Our results highlight the important role of L4 and L22 in ribosome function and assembly, and indicate that a variety of changes in these proteins can mediate macrolide resistance.
Contemporary outcomes after endovascular treatment for aorto-iliac artery disease.

BACKGROUND The patency and complications in aorto-iliac (AI) stenting remain poorly understood. The aim of this paper was to investigate the safety and efficacy after AI stenting. METHODS AND RESULTS This study was performed as a large-scale multicenter, retrospective registry. A total of 2,147 consecutive patients with AI disease were enrolled. The safety endpoints were procedure success, complications and 30-day mortality. The efficacy endpoints were primary, assisted primary and secondary patency, overall survival, freedom from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; all-cause death, myocardial infarction and stroke), and major adverse cardiovascular and limb events (MACLE; any repeat revascularization for limb and leg amputation in addition to MACE). Procedure success, complication rate and 30-day mortality were 97.6%, 6.4% and 0.7%. Primary patency was 92.5%, 82.6% and 77.5% at 1, 3 and 5 years, assisted primary patency was 97.0%, 92.7% and 91.9% at 1, 3 and 5 years and secondary patency was 99.0%, 98.7% and 98.5% at 1, 3 and 5 years. The overall survival rate was 95.0%, 87.6%, and 79.3% at 1, 3 and 5 years. The cause of death was cardiovascular in 44.1%. Freedom from MACE (MACLE) was 93.3% (89.9%), 84.4% (76.7%), and 74.9% (66.8%) at 1, 3 and 5 years. Female gender, diabetes, renal failure, absence of aspirin, reference vessel diameter <8.0mm and outflow lesion were found to be independent predictors of primary patency. CONCLUSIONS The safety and efficacy after AI stenting are feasible compared to surgical reconstruction.
How Does It Feel to Be Outperformed by a “Good Winner”? Prize Sharing and Self-Deprecating as Appeasement Strategies

Outperformers sometimes attempt to appease those whom they have outperformed, motivated by concerns about outperformed persons' negative reactions. In this article, two experiments examined the effects of two different appeasement strategies—offering to share the winning prize or self-deprecating—upon outperformed participants. In both studies, participants competed against a confederate on a verbal competition that was rigged so that the confederate always won. After winning, the confederate either (a) offered to share the winning prize, (b) made a self-deprecating comment, (c) said and did nothing (Study 1 control), or (d) made an innocuous comment (Study 2 control). The prize-sharing strategy led participants to report liking the winner more and viewing the winner more positively. However, prize sharing also caused participants to feel less pleased with their own performances. The self-deprecation strategy failed to increase liking, and it caused participants to attribute the winner's performance less to skill.
Designing Information Revelation and Intervention with an Application to Flow Control

There are many familiar situations in which a manager seeks to design a system in which users share a resource, but outcomes depend on the information held and actions taken by users. If communication is possible, the manager can ask users to report their private information and then, using this information, instruct them on what actions they should take. If the users are compliant, this reduces the manager's optimization problem to a well-studied problem of optimal control. However, if the users are self-interested and not compliant, the problem is much more complicated: when asked to report their private information, the users might lie; upon receiving instructions, the users might disobey. Here we ask whether the manager can design the system to get around both of these difficulties. To do so, the manager must provide for the users the incentives to report truthfully and to follow the instructions, despite the fact that the users are self-interested. For a class of environments that includes many resource allocation games in communication networks, we provide tools for the manager to design an efficient system. In addition to reports and recommendations, the design we employ allows the manager to intervene in the system after the users take actions. In an abstracted environment, we find conditions under which the manager can achieve the same outcome it could if users were compliant, and conditions under which it does not. We then apply our framework and results to design a flow control management system.
When Good Friends Say Goodbye: A Parasocial Breakup Study

This study examines viewers' reactions to parasocial breakup with mediated characters in light of interpersonal and mass communication theories. Following the airing of the last episode of the television show Friends, 279 students completed surveys assessing their viewing habits, their attitudes toward the show and their favorite character, and their loneliness. The intensity of the parasocial relationship with the favorite character is the strongest predictor of breakup distress. Other predictors include commitment and affinity to the show, the character's perceived popularity, and the participant's loneliness. The results shed light on the similarities and differences between parasocial and social relationships.
Pooled Sequencing of Candidate Genes Implicates Rare Variants in the Development of Asthma Following Severe RSV Bronchiolitis in Infancy

Severe infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during infancy is strongly associated with the development of asthma. To identify genetic variation that contributes to asthma following severe RSV bronchiolitis during infancy, we sequenced the coding exons of 131 asthma candidate genes in 182 European and African American children with severe RSV bronchiolitis in infancy using anonymous pools for variant discovery, and then directly genotyped a set of 190 nonsynonymous variants. Association testing was performed for physician-diagnosed asthma before the 7th birthday (asthma) using genotypes from 6,500 individuals from the Exome Sequencing Project (ESP) as controls to gain statistical power. In addition, among patients with severe RSV bronchiolitis during infancy, we examined genetic associations with asthma, active asthma, persistent wheeze, and bronchial hyperreactivity (methacholine PC20) at age 6 years. We identified four rare nonsynonymous variants that were significantly associated with asthma following severe RSV bronchiolitis, including single variants in ADRB2, FLG and NCAM1 in European Americans (p = 4.6x10-4, 1.9x10-13 and 5.0x10-5, respectively), and NOS1 in African Americans (p = 2.3x10-11). One of the variants was a highly functional nonsynonymous variant in ADRB2 (rs1800888), which was also nominally associated with asthma (p = 0.027) and active asthma (p = 0.013) among European Americans with severe RSV bronchiolitis without including the ESP. Our results suggest that rare nonsynonymous variants contribute to the development of asthma following severe RSV bronchiolitis in infancy, notably in ADRB2. Additional studies are required to explore the role of rare variants in the etiology of asthma and asthma-related traits following severe RSV bronchiolitis.
Transcranial direct current stimulation in post stroke aphasia and primary progressive aphasia: Current knowledge and future clinical applications.

BACKGROUND The application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in chronic post stroke aphasia is documented in a substantial literature, and there is some new evidence that tDCS can augment favorable language outcomes in primary progressive aphasia. Anodal tDCS is most often applied to the left hemisphere language areas to increase cortical excitability (increase the threshold of activation) and cathodal tDCS is most often applied to the right hemisphere homotopic areas to inhibit over activation in contralesional right homologues of language areas. Outcomes usually are based on neuropsychological and language test performance, following a medical model which emphasizes impairment of function, rather than a model which emphasizes functional communication. OBJECTIVE In this paper, we review current literature of tDCS as it is being used as a research tool, and discuss future implementation of tDCS as an adjuvant treatment to behavioral speech-language pathology intervention. METHODS We review literature describing non-invasive brain stimulation, the mechanism of tDCS, and studies of tDCS in aphasia and neurodegenerative disorders. We discuss future clinical applications. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS tDCS is a promising adjunct to traditional speech-language pathology intervention to address speech-language deficits after stroke and in the neurodegenerative disease, primary progressive aphasia. Limited data are available regarding how performance on these types of specific tasks translates to functional communication outcomes.
Story-retelling abilities of bilingual children with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate

Abstract The story-retelling abilities of 25 English-dominant bilingual children with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) were compared with those of typically developing (TD) children matched for age (4;7–8;5 years;months), language background, and socioeconomic status. Performance on narrative comprehension, English receptive vocabulary, verbal short-term memory, verbal working memory, and non-verbal intelligence was also measured in order to identify any underlying group differences in processing. Results revealed significantly poorer performance of the CLP group on narrative comprehension of inferential-type questions, receptive vocabulary, and verbal short-term memory. Importantly, the correlational analyses of story-retelling with other cognitive-linguistic measures supported the view that there are notable differences in the underlying processing of children with CLP and TD children. The implications for intervention programes and future research are discussed.
Does home blood pressure allow for a better assessment of the white-coat effect than ambulatory blood pressure?

Background: The difference between clinic and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) is a poor estimate of the true white-coat effect (WCE) measured with beat-to-beat recording. Method: We investigated whether the difference between clinic and home BP (home WCE) was a better estimate of true WCE than ambulatory WCE. In 73 young hypertensives, ambulatory WCE was calculated as the difference between clinic BP and the mean of two 24-h BP recordings, and home WCE as the difference between clinic and home BP (HBP) measured over 6 months. All individuals underwent beat-to-beat BP monitoring with the Finometer. During the recording, a white-coat test (true WCE) and a public speaking test were performed. Results: Ambulatory WCE correlated with home WCE (P < 0.001 for systolic and diastolic BPs). However, both surrogate WCEs were unrelated to true WCE (P = 0.93/0.36 and P = 0.11/0.36, respectively). True WCE correlated with the BP reaction to public speaking (P < 0.001/P < 0.001), whereas both surrogate WCEs were unrelated to the BP response to this test (all P > 0.21). Individuals were divided into two groups according to whether BP response to the doctor's visit was above (WCH+) or below (WCH−) the median. WCH+ patients had similar clinic and ambulatory BPs to WCH− but showed a higher BP response to public speaking. Conclusion: As previously observed for ambulatory WCE, home WCE does not reflect the true BP reaction to doctor's visit. BP response to psychosocial stressors is increased in individuals with hyperreactivity to doctor's measurement but not in individuals with white-coat hypertension identified with either ambulatory or HBP measurement.
Characterization of five novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell‐surface signalling systems

Cell‐surface signalling is a sophisticated regulatory mechanism used by Gram‐negative bacteria to sense signals from outside the cell and transmit them into the cytoplasm. This regulatory system consists of an outer membrane‐localized TonB‐dependent receptor (TonB‐dependent transducer), a cytoplasmic membrane‐localized antisigma factor and an extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor. Pseudomonas aeruginosa contains 13 potential surface signalling systems of which only six have been studied in detail. In this work we have identified the regulons of five novel P. aeruginosa signalling systems. For that, the ECF sigmas PA0149, PA1912, PA2050, PA2093 and PA4896 have been overexpressed and their target gene candidates have been identified using DNA microarray, proteomic analysis, and/or lacZ reporter construct. All five ECF sigma factors control the production of one TonB‐dependent transducer. Interestingly, two sigma factors, PA2050 and PA2093, regulate the synthesis of a second transducer. Furthermore, we show that although all these sigma factors seem to control putative (metal) transport systems, one of them also regulates the expression of P. aeruginosa pyocins. Finally, we also show that the PA1912‐PA1911‐PA1910 (designated FemI‐FemR‐FemA in this work) signalling system responds to the presence of the Mycobacterium siderophores mycobactin and carboxymycobactin and is involved in the utilization of these heterologous siderophores.
Reduced Processing of Facial and Postural Cues in Social Anxiety: Insights from Electrophysiology

Social anxiety is characterized by fear of evaluative interpersonal situations. Many studies have investigated the perception of emotional faces in socially anxious individuals and have reported biases in the processing of threatening faces. However, faces are not the only stimuli carrying an interpersonal evaluative load. The present study investigated the processing of emotional body postures in social anxiety. Participants with high and low social anxiety completed an attention-shifting paradigm using neutral, angry and happy faces and postures as cues. We investigated early visual processes through the P100 component, attentional fixation on the P2, structural encoding mirrored by the N170, and attentional orientation towards stimuli to detect with the P100 locked on target occurrence. Results showed a global reduction of P100 and P200 responses to faces and postures in socially anxious participants as compared to non-anxious participants, with a direct correlation between self-reported social anxiety levels and P100 and P200 amplitudes. Structural encoding of cues and target processing were not modulated by social anxiety, but socially anxious participants were slower to detect the targets. These results suggest a reduced processing of social postural and facial cues in social anxiety.
Recent acceleration of human adaptive evolution

Genomic surveys in humans identify a large amount of recent positive selection. Using the 3.9-million HapMap SNP dataset, we found that selection has accelerated greatly during the last 40,000 years. We tested the null hypothesis that the observed age distribution of recent positively selected linkage blocks is consistent with a constant rate of adaptive substitution during human evolution. We show that a constant rate high enough to explain the number of recently selected variants would predict (i) site heterozygosity at least 10-fold lower than is observed in humans, (ii) a strong relationship of heterozygosity and local recombination rate, which is not observed in humans, (iii) an implausibly high number of adaptive substitutions between humans and chimpanzees, and (iv) nearly 100 times the observed number of high-frequency linkage disequilibrium blocks. Larger populations generate more new selected mutations, and we show the consistency of the observed data with the historical pattern of human population growth. We consider human demographic growth to be linked with past changes in human cultures and ecologies. Both processes have contributed to the extraordinarily rapid recent genetic evolution of our species.
The rate and source of albumin entry into saline-filled experimental retinal detachments.

PURPOSE To investigate the rate and source of albumin entry into experimental nonrhegmatogenous detachments. METHODS Detachments were made in Dutch rabbits by injecting Hanks' balanced salt solution into the subretinal space through a micropipette. Subretinal fluid was withdrawn 0 to 4 hours later through a similar micropipette and analyzed for osmolality and albumin content (by gel electrophoresis). Sodium iodate was injected intravenously in some rabbits to damage the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In some rabbits fluorescein isothiocyanate albumin (FITC-albumin) was injected intravitreally or intravenously to measure its entry into the subretinal fluid by fluorophotometry. Results from 4 to 8 eyes were averaged for each data point. RESULTS The albumin concentration and total amount of albumin in the subretinal fluid increased steadily over 4 hours in retinal detachments initially filled with Hanks' solution. Pretreating rabbits with sodium iodate injection resulted in a 50-fold increase in the rate of albumin entry, although the levels were still low relative to those of serum. Intravitreal FITC-albumin entered the subretinal fluid at a rate independent of sodium iodate damage, but intravenous FITC-albumin only entered the subretinal space after RPE damage. Subretinal fluid osmolality remained within the range of 291 to 294 mOsm/kg, irrespective of sodium iodate damage or differences in the rate of fluid absorption. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that albumin can diffuse into the rabbit subretinal space from both vitreous and bloodstream, although entry from serum requires damage to the RPE. Subretinal fluid appears to be transported actively (control eyes) or passively (iodate-damaged eyes) out of the subretinal space, despite albumin entry and without major osmolar shifts.
THE EFFECT OF AURICULAR ACUPUNCTURE ON PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF COCAINE CRAVING

This study used a randomized pretest/posttest control group design to test the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture interventions in diminishing psychological and physiological changes associated with cocaine craving in 30 treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent patients. The experimental group received the real auricular acupuncture intervention, insertion of needles into ear point locations specifically targeted for drug withdrawal. The control group received sham or placebo auricular acupuncture, insertion of needles into ear point locations not targeted for any specific therapeutic benefit. Psychological (Cocaine Craving Questionnaire - Now) and physiological (skin conductance activity) changes associated with cocaine craving were measured. Results showed no differences between the control and the experimental group in diminishing psychological and physiological measures associated with craving. There were differences from pre- to posttest on measures of psychological but not physiological craving for the combined experimental and control groups.