An examination of a group of New Zealand women’s sexual decision making in casual sex situations.

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Young New Zealand women's sexual decision making in casual sex situations: A qualitative study

This qualitative study explores the sexual decision making (SDM) of a group of young New Zealand women who had previously participated in casual sex without a condom. In doing so, it helps address a gap in the literature of first-hand accounts of the factors that have influenced SDM related to sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk in New Zealand. Eleven women were interviewed with the intention of gaining a greater understanding of their SDM before, and in, the 'heat of the moment'. Four major themes related to SDM emerged from the data: 1) the importance of being in a relationship; 2) the influence of alcohol on SDM; 3) the power of societal expectations and the women's desire to be seen as "normal"; and 4) the sense of powerlessness many felt in negotiating condom use. The findings are discussed in relation to their relevance for sexual health promotion in the social context of New Zealand and in terms of research indicating that similar factors influence the SDM of young women in other Western countries

A cross-industry assessment of the flow rate-elapsed time profiles of test equipment typically used for dry-powder inhaler (DPI) testing: Part 2– analysis of transient air flow in the testing of DPIs with compendial cascade impactors

We describe a computational model that captures the physics of the unsteady airflow start-up that accompanies the testing of dry-powder inhalers (DPI) with cascade impactors (CIs) specifically when following methods described in the pharmacopeial compendia. This transient has been measured in a multi-organization study for a wide range of conditions and reported in a companion article. The DPI test system is simulated as a series of flow resistances, starting with the inhaler itself, including each stage of the CI, and finishing with the prescribed flow control valve, wherein the flow is held at sonic Accepted Manuscript m SA Kingdom ited Kingdom Kingdom ted Kingdom Kingdom c., London, Ontari , United Kingdom nited Kingd @gmail.com gmail.comMJolyo ondon, ON, Canad , C be a computationa omputatio up that accompan that accom ctors (CIs) specifi ors (CIs) spe ia. This a velocity. The resulting non-dimensional equations indicate the relative importance of the several flow resistances. The model agrees well with the available experimental data for the Next Generation Impactor (NGI™) and qualitatively with the available data from a variety of the configurations of the Andersen 8-stage cascade impactor (ACI), including the typical 4-kPa pressure drop across an entry fixed orifice mimicking surrogate low-, medium- and high-resistance DPIs. The model indicates that the start-up times for the NGI and for the ACI are very reasonably estimated by a simple “reference time,” given in equation (26) and, for an inlet flow rate of 60 L/min, having a value of 277 ms and 113 ms for the NGI and ACI (60-L/min configuration), respectively. The model also enables a baseline, universal design curve for the flow rise-time performance of testing DPIs with the NGI (Figures 9a,b), because this impactor requires no change of components for any inlet flow rate

A cross-industry assessment of the flow rate-time profiles of test equipment typically used for dry-powder inhaler (DPI) testing: Part 1 – compendial apparatuses

We report a cross-industry study characterizing flow rate-time profiles of equipment used for testing dry-powder inhalers (DPIs). Nine organizations used the same thermal mass flow sensor to record flow rate-time profiles at the inlet of individual participant compendial DPI test systems including either sample collection tubes (SCT), the Andersen 8-stage non-viable impactor (ACI) or the Next Generation Impactor (NGI™) with and without pre-separator (PS). The plan included some tests with a surrogate DPI consisting of one of three inlet orifices chosen to generate a 4-kPa pressure drop at each of the target final flow rates of 30, 60, and 90 l.min−1, simulating the pressure drop typical of high-, medium-, and low-resistance DPIs. When a particular surrogate DPI was present at the inlet, rise times to 90% of these target flow rates (t90) were shortest at the highest target flow rate, and decreased linearly with decreasing apparatus internal volume, following the order: NGI-PS>NGI>ACI-PS>ACI>SCT. A flow acceleration parameter was also evaluated, expressed as the slope between the rise times when the flow rate attained 20% and 80% of each final steady flow rate (slopet20/80). Flow acceleration was smallest at the lowest target flow rate, decreasing exponentially with increasing internal volume. Measurements were also made without the surrogate DPI, providing a reference condition with no resistance at the inlet to the apparatus. These flow rate-rise time profiles will be useful for those involved in evaluating equipment for characterizing DPIs and in understanding the behavior of these inhalers in development or commercial production

Ethnic differences in cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in UK healthcare workers: a cross-sectional analysis

Background Few studies have compared SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunogenicity by ethnic group. We sought to establish whether cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination differ according to ethnicity in UK Healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods In this cross-sectional analysis, we used baseline data from two immunological cohort studies conducted in HCWs in Leicester, UK. Blood samples were collected between March 3, and September 16, 2021. We excluded HCW who had not received two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at the time of sampling and those who had serological evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Outcome measures were SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific total antibody titre, neutralising antibody titre and ELISpot count. We compared our outcome measures by ethnic group using univariable (t tests and rank-sum tests depending on distribution) and multivariable (linear regression for antibody titres and negative binomial regression for ELISpot counts) tests. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for age, sex, vaccine type, length of interval between vaccine doses and time between vaccine administration and sample collection and expressed as adjusted geometric mean ratios (aGMRs) or adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs). To assess differences in the early immune response to vaccination we also conducted analyses in a subcohort who provided samples between 14 and 50 days after their second dose of vaccine. Findings The total number of HCWs in each analysis were 401 for anti-spike antibody titres, 345 for neutralising antibody titres and 191 for ELISpot. Overall, 25.4% (19.7% South Asian and 5.7% Black/Mixed/Other) were from ethnic minority groups. In analyses including the whole cohort, neutralising antibody titres were higher in South Asian HCWs than White HCWs (aGMR 1.47, 95% CI [1.06–2.06], P = 0.02) as were T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 S1 peptides (aIRR 1.75, 95% CI [1.05–2.89], P = 0.03). In a subcohort sampled between 14 and 50 days after second vaccine dose, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibody and neutralising antibody geometric mean titre (GMT) was higher in South Asian HCWs compared to White HCWs (9616 binding antibody units (BAU)/ml, 95% CI [7178–12,852] vs 5888 BAU/ml [5023–6902], P = 0.008 and 2851 95% CI [1811–4487] vs 1199 [984–1462], P Interpretation This study provides evidence that, in an infection naïve cohort, humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination are stronger in South Asian HCWs than White HCWs. These differences are most clearly seen in the early period following vaccination. Further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms, whether differences persist with further exposure to vaccine or virus, and the potential impact on vaccine effectiveness.</p

Physical activity attenuates metabolic risk of adolescents with overweight or obesity: the ICAD multi-country study

BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of physical activity (PA) at an early age are well established, there is no robust evidence of the role of PA as well as its intensities in attenuating the association between weight status and metabolic risk among adolescents. In this investigation, we analyzed the association between weight status, intensities of PA, and metabolic risk among adolescents. METHODS: Data from six cross-sectional studies in the International Children's Accelerometry Database were used (N = 5216 adolescents; boys 14.6 ± 2.1 years and girls 14.7 ± 2.0 years). Weight status was assessed and classified according to body mass index. Fasting glucose, triglycerides, inverse high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure composed the metabolic risk indicator (z-score). PA was measured by accelerometers. The estimated age of peak height velocity was used as a covariate for somatic maturation. RESULTS: We observed that increase in weight status showed a strong positive relationship with metabolic risk. However, adolescents with overweight or obesity in the highest tertile of PA (moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous intensity) showed a similar metabolic risk score as the normal weight groups. Moderate intensity PA seemed related to metabolic risk even within some categories of vigorous PA. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that PA attenuates the metabolic risk of adolescents with overweight or obesity. Although this attenuation is largely explained by vigorous PA, moderate intensity seems also important for better metabolic profile