bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Low Sexual Function in Women: A Study of 1,009 Women in an Outpatient Clinic of a University Hospital in Istanbul
Authors: Aslan Ergul , Beji Nezihe Kizilkaya , Gungor Ilkay , Kadioglu Ates , Dikencik Birsen Kucuk 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Sexual functioning is a common and multidimensional problem, associated with multiple biological, medical, psychological, sociocultural, political, economic, and interpersonal factors.

Aim
The study was planned to determine the prevalence and risk factors for low sexual function in women in an outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Istanbul.

Methods
Totally, 1,009 women over 20 years of age or their healthy female companions were interviewed in the outpatient clinics of the Department of Internal Medicine in a university hospital in Istanbul.

Main Outcome Measures
Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to evaluate sexual function.

Results
The mean age of women was 38.62 ± 12.82 and 22.2% of women were postmenopausal. The mean FSFI score was found to be 24.25 ± 9.50 out of a maximum total score of 36. Based on the total FSFI score, 43.4% of the women had scores less then 26. The mean domain scores were: desire 3.14 ± 1.47, arousal 3.60 ± 1.85, lubrication 4.53 ± 2.01, orgasm 4.02 ± 1.97, satisfaction 4.27 ± 1.64, and pain 4.69 ± 1.96 out of a maximum domain score of six. The rate of low sexual function by the age groups were 22% for those 20–29 years, 39.7% for those 30–39 years, 50.2% for those 40–49 years, 71.3% for those 50–59 years, 82.9% for those 60–64 years, and 87.8% for those 65 and over. Lower educational level, menopause, depression, presence of sexual dysfunction in their partner, and contraceptive use were found to be significantly associated with low sexual function in women.

Conclusions
The prevalence of low sexual function in women was found to significantly increase with age. The most significantly affected domains were desire and arousal followed by orgasmic problems, satisfaction, and pain, respectively.
Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction in Patients with Urethral Strictures Secondary to Blunt Trauma
Authors: Feng Chao , Xu Yue-Min , Yu Jian-Jun , Fei Xiao-Fang , Chen Lei 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a well-known consequence of pelvic fracture, particularly in cases involving urethral injury. There are several risk factors that may be related to ED. However, no systemic approach is used to assess erectile function secondary to urethral trauma.

Aim
To investigate ED associated with urethral injury secondary to pelvic fracture and perineal trauma.

Methods
Forty patients with traumatic urethral strictures secondary to blunt traumatic impact episode to the pelvis or perineum were included in our study. Pelvic fractures and urethral strictures were categorized according to injury types and radiological findings. All patients underwent nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) monitoring, dynamic color-duplex Doppler ultrasonography (D-CDDU) before surgery. NPT monitoring was conducted again after surgery.

Main Outcome Measures
The events of NPT and D-CDDU were recorded.

Results
In all patients, 11 had organic ED demonstrated by NPT. Vascular pathology was identified in three of 11 patients (27%). The peak systolic velocity of cavernosal artery was lower in patients with pubic diastasis in comparison to those without diastasis (P &lt; 0.05). Significant changes in penile length and circumference were noted in posterior urethral injury compared with anterior urethral injury during erection (P &lt; 0.05). The erectile duration time has a similar statistical difference in two groups mentioned above. However, no significant difference could be observed in the end-to-end anatomosis procedure before and after surgery (P &gt; 0.05).

Conclusions
The pelvic fracture type, especially pubic diastasis, is a risk factor for ED following urethral injury. Location of the stricture is also a risk factor for subsequent erectile dysfunction.
Efficacy and Safety of Alprostadil Cream for the Treatment of Female Sexual Arousal Disorder: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Chinese Population
Authors: Liao Qinping , Zhang Miao , Geng Li , Wang Xiangping , Song Xuehong , Xia Pei , Lu Tao , Lu Mingqi , Liu Vivian 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
To date, no approved medication is available for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD).

Aim
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a novel alprostadil topical cream for the treatment of FSAD.

Methods
This was a multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design dose-ranging study. Four hundred female patients with FSAD (22–62 years of age), after a 4-week nontreatment baseline period, were provided with 10 blinded doses of 500, 700, or 900 mcg alprostadil or a placebo cream to be applied to the clitoris and the G-spot in the vagina prior to vaginal intercourse.

Main Outcome Measures
The primary efficacy end point was the arousal success rate (equal number of the Yes responses to Question 3 of the Female Sexual Encounter Profile [FSEP] or number of the sexual encounters). Secondary endpoints included the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Global Assessment Questionnaire, other FSEP question responses, and post-treatment changes in Female Sexual Distress Scale.

Results
A total of 374 FSAD patients completed the study. Primary efficacy analysis of the intent-to-treat (ITT) population showed a significant increase in arousal success rates with dose. Arousal success rates at the end of the total evaluation period were 33.1%, 46.3% (P = 0.0161), 43.5% (P = 0.0400), and 53.9% (P = 0.0002) in the placebo, 500, 700, and 900 mcg alprostadil groups, respectively. The changes of the FSFI score, relative to baseline were 14.7%, 20.7% (P = 0.067), 21.7% (P = 0.035), and 22.9% (P = 0.002) for the placebo, 500, 700, and 900 mcg treatment groups, respectively. The other secondary efficacy end point values showed a consistent trend in support of the primary efficacy results.

Conclusion
These results demonstrated that the application of topical alprostadil prior to vaginal intercourse significantly improved the sexual arousal rate of the subjects with FSAD.
Evaluation of the Association between Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Erectile Dysfunction, Considering its Multiple Risk Factors
Authors: Rhoden Ernani Luis , Riedner Charles Edison , Fornari Alexandre , Fuchs Sandra Costa , Ribeiro Eduardo Porto 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Aim
To investigate the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED), while considering multiple risk factors for ED, including an anthropometric evaluation of central obesity.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was carried out with 192 consecutive male subjects (≥40 years old). Conditions clearly associated with ED, other than obesity and age, were considered exclusion criteria. Men were evaluated routinely for clinical history, received a physical examination, and were subjected to blood analysis for fasting serum glucose, lipid profile, and serum testosterone. Patients with previous known history of diabetes mellitus or hypertension were excluded. Anthropometric measures taken included body mass index (general obesity) and waist circumference, waist-hip index, and sagittal abdominal diameter (visceral obesity). Analyses were performed using bivariate and multivariate models (multiple logistic regression). Age, education, alcohol consumption, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, fasting blood glucose level, dyslipidemia, hypogonadism, general obesity, and visceral obesity were taken into account as potential confounding factors.

Main Outcome Measures
All men completed the International Index of Erectile Function and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS).

Results
IPSS scores were low, intermediate, and high in 89 (46.4%), 76 (39.6%), and 27 (14.1%) men, respectively. Overall IPSS scores were significantly associated with ED (P = 0.002). In addition, an association between the severity of ED and LUTS was observed (P = 0.008). The mean quality of life assessment in the IPSS revealed a statistically significant difference between individuals with varying degrees of ED (P = 0.008). The logistic regression analyses showed that IPSS scores and ED remained independently associated even after the control for confounding factors (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.02–1.13, P = 0.01).

Conclusion
This study suggests that LUTS are independently associated with ED, taking into account various risk factors for ED, including visceral obesity.
Effect of Sildenafil Citrate on the Male Sexual Experience Assessed with the Sexual Experience Questionnaire: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial with Open-Label Extension
Authors: Jones LeRoy A. , Klimberg Ira W. , McMurray James G. , Padula Rebecca , Tseng Li-Jung , Stecher Vera J. 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
The Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEX-Q) enables quick and easy assessment of functional, emotional, and satisfaction-related aspects of the sexual experience in men with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Aim
To assess correlations between improvement on the SEX-Q and outcomes on other validated questionnaires.

Methods
Men with ED (score ≤25 on the Erectile Function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]) who had used less than or equal to six doses of any phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (none within 6 months) were randomized to 10 weeks of double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) flexible-dose sildenafil citrate (50 or 100 mg, as needed), followed by 6 weeks of open-label (OL) sildenafil.

Main Outcome Measures
SEX-Q, IIEF, Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ), Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) Questionnaire, Erection Hardness Score (EHS), successful intercourse attempts (SIAs), Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS), and global efficacy questions (GEQs).

Results
Compared with the placebo group (N = 105), the sildenafil group (N = 104) at DBPC end of treatment (EOT) had significantly more improvement (P &lt; 0.05) on all SEX-Q, IIEF (except the Sexual Desire domain), QEQ, and SEAR outcomes, more frequent SIAs and EHS 3 (hard enough for penetration but not completely hard) or EHS 4 (completely hard) erections (odds ratio [OR], 2.52 and 3.46, respectively), EHS 4 erections four times as often (OR, 6.41), more men satisfied with treatment (EDITS; OR, 2.6), approximately twice as many men with improved erections (GEQ1; OR, 5.8) and ability to have sexual intercourse (GEQ2; OR, 5.4), and GEQ3 scores that indicated better sex (P &lt; 0.0001). SEX-Q score improvements correlated positively with all other outcomes. At OL EOT, most outcomes were &gt;60% (and approximately half were ≥80%) of the maximum positive result.

Conclusions
SEX-Q change scores correlate with several other functional, emotional, and satisfaction-related outcomes in men treated with sildenafil for ED, allowing a simple and focused evaluation of the sexual experience.
Prevalence and Predictors of Sexual Problems, Relationship Stress, and Depression in Female Partners of Infertile Couples
Authors: Nelson Christian J. , Shindel Alan W. , Naughton Cathy K. , Ohebshalom Michael , Mulhall John P. 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Infertility has been associated with anxiety, stress, and sexual problems in both men and women.

Aim
To assess quality of life, sexual health, and depression in the female partner of infertile couples.

Methods
Couples presenting for the evaluation of infertility at two tertiary care medical centers were invited to participate in a survey study.

Main Outcome Measures
Female partners completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and a modified Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) Questionnaire. Male partners completed the SEAR and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Both partners completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for depression and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) for general quality of life. Demographic, fertility, and comorbidity information was recorded.

Results
One hundred and twenty-one couples constitute the study population. Mean female and male age was 32 ± 5 and 35 ± 7 years, respectively. Most (92%) couples were married. Mean duration of relationship and marriage were 6.4 ± 3.9 and 3.8 ± 3.2 years, respectively. Mean duration of attempted conception was 24 ± 24 months. On CES-D, 19% of women had moderate and 13% had severe depression. Women reported significantly worse SF-36 Mental Health subscale scores (mean = 47.8, P &lt; 0.05) compared with normative values. The mean total FSFI score was 28 ± 7 (maximum score of 36), with 26% of the women scoring below 26.55, an established cut-off for high risk of female sexual dysfunction. FSFI scores had a modest positive correlation with male IIEF scores (r = 0.37, P &lt; 0.01), and there was a trend toward a negative correlation with female CES-D scores (r = −0.16, P &lt; 0.06). These relationships were maintained on multivariate analysis.

Conclusion
Depression and sexual dysfunction are prevalent in female partners of infertile couples. Female sexual function is positively correlated with male partner sexual function in this population.
Impact of Peyronie's Disease on Sexual and Psychosocial Functioning: Qualitative Findings in Patients and Controls
Authors: Rosen Raymond , Catania Joseph , Lue Tom , Althof Stanley , Henne Jeff , Hellstrom Wayne , Levine Laurence 
Published: June 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
There are no validated scales for assessing the psychosocial impact of Peyronie's disease (PD), which affects approximately 5–10% of men over age 50.

Aim
To develop a psychometrically valid outcome measure for assessing psychosocial and sexual consequences of PD. To conduct a qualitative study of men with PD and age-matched controls, and design a new patient-reported outcome measure of PD.

Methods
An expert advisory panel identified relevant topics and conceptual areas to be addressed based on clinical experience and literature reviews. A conceptual model was developed to serve as a discussion guide for qualitative interviews with geographically and ethnically diverse PD subjects and controls. Interviews were conducted in a focus-group format by a trained interviewer and were recorded and transcribed for qualitative analysis according to grounded theory concepts.

Main Outcome Measure
Focus-group interviews.

Results
Focus-group interviews were conducted with 64 men (28 PD patients, 36 controls) in 13 separate focus groups over a 3-month period. Blinded analysis of the interview transcripts identified four core domains: (i) physical appearance and self-image; (ii) sexual function and performance; (iii) PD-related pain and discomfort; and (iv) social stigmatization and isolation. Based on feedback from participants and experts, a new outcome questionnaire was developed to assess core domain responses in a structured, self-report format.

Conclusion
This qualitative study helped to refine and broaden the focus of the conceptual model for further assessment. It also confirmed that PD has a major impact on sexual and psychological function in these patients.
Ontic Vagueness and Metaphysical Indeterminacy
Authors: Williams J. Robert G. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractMight it be that world itself, independently of what we know about it or how we represent it, is metaphysically indeterminate? This article tackles in turn a series of questions: In what sorts of cases might we posit metaphysical indeterminacy? What is it for a given case of indefiniteness to be ‘metaphysical’? How does the phenomenon relate to ‘ontic vagueness’, the existence of ‘vague objects’, ‘de reindeterminacy’ and the like? How might the logic work? Are there reasons for postulating this distinctive sort of indefiniteness? Conversely, are there reasons for denying that there is indefiniteness of this sort?
The Experience of Time and Change
Authors: Dainton Barry 
Published: June 2008

AbstractCan we directly experience change? Although some philosophers have denied it, the phenomenological evidence is unambiguous: we can, and do. But how is this possible? What structures or features of consciousness render such experience possible? A variety of very different answers to this question have been proposed, answers which have very different implications for the nature of consciousness itself. In this brief survey no attempt is made to engage with the often complex (and sometimes obscure) literature on this topic. Instead, a largely schematic examination of the main options is conducted, with a view to determining the most promising avenues for further investigation.
What is the Frege‐Geach Problem?
Authors: Schroeder Mark 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIn the 1960s, Peter Geach and John Searle independently posed an important objection to the wide class of ‘noncognitivist’ metaethical views that had at that time been dominant and widely defended for a quarter of a century. The problems raised by that objection have come to be known in the literature as theFrege‐Geach Problem, because of Geach's attribution of the objection to Frege's distinction between content and assertoric force, and the problem has since occupied a great deal of the attention both of defenders of broadly noncognitivist views, and of their critics. In this article I explain Geach and Searle's historical objections, and put the subsequent discussion into dialectical context, paying some attention to the developments along the way and how they have enhanced our overall understanding of the problem. The article covers a lot of territory, so we will only be able to see the highlights, along the way. For further reading, see the Works Cited.
Philosophical Issues in Tort Law
Authors: Oberdiek John 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe union of contemporary philosophy and tort law has never been better. Perhaps the most dynamic current in contemporary tort theory concerns the increasingly sophisticated inquires into the doctrinal elements of the law of torts, with the tort of negligence in particular garnering the most attention from theorists. In this article, I examine philosophically rich issues revolving around each of the elements constituting the tort of negligence: compensable injury, duty, breach, actual cause, and proximate cause.
Recent Work on Cinema as Philosophy
Authors: Livingston Paisley 
Published: June 2008

AbstractAlthough the cinematic medium can be used in philosophically valuable ways, bold contentions about how films ‘do philosophy’ in an independent, innovative and exclusively cinematic manner are highly problematic. Philosophers’ interpretations of the stories conveyed in cinematic fictions do not actually support such bold claims about film's independent philosophical value; nor do they offer adequate appreciations of the films’ artistic value. Different kinds of interpretations having different goals and conditions of success should be kept in view if we are to take a sufficiently critical perspective on contributions in this area. In particular, ‘as if’ interpretations in which a philosophical problematic is freely applied to elements of a movie's story are contrasted to interpretations that target a film author's actual philosophizing.
Ghrelin signalling in guinea‐pig femoral artery smooth muscle cells
Authors: Mladenov M. I. , Hristov K. L. , Dimitriova D. Z. , Schubert R. , Lubomirov L. T. , Gjorgoski I. K. , Duridanova D. B. , Gagov H. S. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractAim:  Our aim was to study the new signalling pathway of ghrelin in the guinea‐pig femoral artery using the outward IK as a sensor.Methods:  Whole‐cell patch‐clamp experiments were performed on single smooth muscle cells, freshly isolated from the guinea‐pig femoral artery. The contractile force of isometric preparations of the same artery was measured using a wire‐myograph.Results:  In a Ca2+‐ and nicardipine‐containing external solution, 1 mmol L−1 tetraethylammonium reduced the net IK by 49 ± 7%. This effect was similar and not additive to the effect of the specific BKCa channel inhibitor iberiotoxin. Ghrelin (10−7 mol L−1) quickly and significantly reduced the amplitudes of tetraethylammonium‐ and iberiotoxin‐sensitive currents through BKCa channels. The application of 5 × 10−6 mol L−1 desacyl ghrelin did not affect the amplitude of the control IK but it successfully prevented the ghrelin‐induced IK decrease. The effect of ghrelin on IK was insensitive to selective inhibitors of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase, soluble guanylyl cyclase, cGMP‐dependent protein kinase or a calmodulin antagonist, but was effectively antagonized by blockers of BKCa channels, phosphatidylinositol‐phospholipase C, phosphatidylcholine‐phospholipase C, protein kinase C, SERCA, IP3‐induced Ca2+ release and by pertussis toxin. The ghrelin‐induced increase in the force of contractions was blocked when iberiotoxin (10−7 mol L−1) was present in the bath solution.Conclusions:  Ghrelin reduces IK(Ca) in femoral artery myocytes by a mechanism that requires activation of Gαi/o‐proteins, phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C, phosphatidylcholine phospholipase C, protein kinase C and IP3‐induced Ca2+ release.
Mesopotamian Medicine and Religion: Current Debates, New Perspectives
Authors: Robson Eleanor 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe study of Mesopotamian medicine, while unprecedentedly productive, is stuck in a historiographical rut that cognate disciplines left some years ago. I review the current state of the field from a peripheral vantage point and use case studies from Sumerian literature and Neo‐Assyrian royal letters to exemplify alternative approaches that do not sacrifice philological rigour for anthropological attention to socio‐intellectual context.
Nine Reflections on the Book: Poststructuralism and the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Koosed Jennifer L. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis article provides an overview of poststructuralism and the Hebrew Bible. The overview begins by explaining structuralism and poststructuralism. It then provides a short history of Hebrew Bible engagements with this mode of reading, and an analysis of the controversies within biblical scholarship and religion over its use and application. Finally, the article reflects upon the future of poststructuralism in Hebrew Bible scholarship, arguing that such approaches open up new avenues of understanding about the text, ethics, theology, society, and self.
Reassessing Albrecht Ritschl's Theology: A Survey of Recent Literature
Authors: Chalamet Christophe 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe theology of Albrecht Ritschl (1822–1889) has been undergoing a major reassessment since the late 1960s. This survey presents some of the best findings in recent scholarly literature. The aim of the reappraisal of Ritschl's theology has been and still is to reach a fair understanding of his theological achievement, which has sometimes been misunderstood and even caricatured in the late nineteenth and in the twentieth century. The survey focuses on Ritschl's use of Martin Luther, his debate with F. H. R. von Frank (1827–1894) on God as absolute, his interest in Kant and Lotze (1817–1881), his relation to metaphysics, and two decisive aspects of his constructive theology: his emphasis on community and the kingdom of God.
Early Medieval Christian Identity and Anti‐Judaism: The Case of the Visigothic Kingdom
Authors: Stocking Rachel L. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis article discusses the efforts by Catholic rulers to eliminate the Jewish communities of the Visigothic kingdom in Spain. Their sustained effort to define Christian identity through the forced baptism of Jews and criminalization of Judaism was unusual in early medieval Europe. In explaining Visigothic anti‐Judaism, modern historians have disagreed over the roles of Iberian Jews, Visigothic kings, and Catholic church leaders such as Isidore of Seville. This article suggests that rather than seeking causation in royal greed, religious fanaticism, or ‘crypto‐Judaism’, historians can more fruitfully call upon the approaches used by scholars of later medieval Christian identity and anti‐Judaism in Western Europe.