Identifying Barriers to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing for Men Who Have Sex with Men in South Korea

AbstractObjectivesThe principal objective of this study was to identify the barriers to testing for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Korea, something that might prove useful in future studies of this nature.MethodsThis study was conducted at gay bars nationwide in Korea. After considering several offline locations (gay bars) where MSM candidates are commonly located, random recruitment was performed using time–location sampling. A total of 944 individuals participated in this survey. A total sample of 921 cases (23 cases were excluded) was used for analysis. A self-administered questionnaire measuring the individuals' demographics, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS knowledge, stigma, phobia, optimism bias, self-efficacy for condom use, and sexual practices was used.ResultsAbout 61.8% (N = 569) of respondents reported having been tested at least once in their lifetime, and 38.9% (N = 358) acknowledged being tested within the past 12 months. After adjusting for age, education, and number of partners in a logistic regression analysis, awareness of testing place [odds ratio (OR) = 4.04], exposure to HIV prevention campaign (1.54), fear (OR = 1.13), and discrimination toward people with HIV/AIDS (OR = 0.94) were the main factors associated with HIV testing.ConclusionTo accomplish widespread HIV testing for Korean MSM, the accessibility of testing centers and advertisement of voluntary counseling and testing to MSM are needed

Do Drinking Norms, Motives, and Drinking Behaviors Differ by Age Group among Korean Women?

Background: Drinking norms and motives accumulate with drinking experience; thus, it is likely that related drinking behaviors will differ with age. This study aimed to predict drinking behaviors by age based on drinking norms and motives in a sample of Korean women. Methods: This exploratory study used a nationwide demographically stratified sample including 1057 women aged 19–59 years. Self-report questionnaires assessed participants’ general drinking frequency and quantity, two drinking norms, and five dimensional motives. The data were analyzed using Spss 26. Results: Descriptive and injunctive norms were the predictors that accounted for the greatest variance in drinking frequency, quantity, binge drinking, and high-risk drinking across all age groups (p < 0.001). Descriptive norms predicted all drinking behavior better than injunctive norms and all five motives for all age groups. The effects of each of the five motives differed with age. The enhancement motive was the strongest predictor of the motives for drinking frequency, binge drinking, and high-risk drinking across all age groups. Social and conformity motives predicted only binge drinking. Conclusions: These results suggest that descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and enhancement motives predict drinking behaviors across all age groups, although the relative predictive strength of those variables differed by age

Prefrontal cortical and striatal transcriptional responses to the reinforcing effect of repeated methylphenidate treatment in the spontaneously hypertensive rat, animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Background Methylphenidate is the most commonly used stimulant drug for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research has found that methylphenidate is a reinforcer and that individuals with ADHD also abuse this medication. Nevertheless, the molecular consequences of long-term recreational methylphenidate use or abuse in individuals with ADHD are not yet fully known. Methods Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the most validated and widely used ADHD animal model, were pretreated with methylphenidate (5 mg/kg, i.p.) during their adolescence (post-natal day [PND] 42–48) and tested for subsequent methylphenidate-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and self-administration. Thereafter, the differentially expressed genes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum of representative methylphenidate-treated SHRs, which showed CPP to and self-administration of methylphenidate, were analyzed. Results Genome-wide transcriptome profiling analyses revealed 30 differentially expressed genes in the PFC, which include transcripts involved in apoptosis (e.g. S100a9, Angptl4, Nfkbia), transcription (Cebpb, Per3), and neuronal plasticity (Homer1, Jam2, Asap1). In contrast, 306 genes were differentially expressed in the striatum and among them, 252 were downregulated. The main functional categories overrepresented among the downregulated genes include those involved in cell adhesion (e.g. Pcdh10, Ctbbd1, Itgb6), positive regulation of apoptosis (Perp, Taf1, Api5), (Notch3, Nsbp1, Sik1), mitochondrion organization (Prps18c, Letm1, Uqcrc2), and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis (Nedd4, Usp27x, Ube2d2). Conclusion Together, these changes indicate methylphenidate-induced neurotoxicity, altered synaptic and neuronal plasticity, energy metabolism and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in the brains of methylphenidate-treated SHRs, which showed methylphenidate CPP and self-administration. In addition, these findings may also reflect cognitive impairment associated with chronic methylphenidate use as demonstrated in preclinical studies. Future studies are warranted to determine the clinical significance of the present findings with regard to long-term recreational methylphenidate use or abuse in individuals with ADHD

Spectral analysis of a parsec-scale jet in M 87: Observational constraint on the magnetic field strengths in the jet

Context. Because of its proximity and the large size of its black hole, M 87 is one of the best targets for studying the launching mechanism of active galactic nucleus jets. Currently, magnetic fields are considered to be an essential factor in the launching and accelerating of the jet. However, current observational estimates of the magnetic field strength of the M 87 jet are limited to the innermost part of the jet (less than or similar to 100 r(s)) or to HST-1 (similar to 10(5) r(s)). No attempt has yet been made to measure the magnetic field strength in between. Aims. We aim to infer the magnetic field strength of the M 87 jet out to a distance of several thousand r(s) by tracking the distance-dependent changes in the synchrotron spectrum of the jet from high-resolution very long baseline interferometry observations. Methods. In order to obtain high-quality spectral index maps, quasi-simultaneous observations at 22 and 43 GHz were conducted using the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). We compared the spectral index distributions obtained from the observations with a model and placed limits on the magnetic field strengths as a function of distance. Results. The overall spectral morphology is broadly consistent over the course of these observations. The observed synchrotron spectrum rapidly steepens from alpha(22 - 43 GHz) similar to -0.7 at similar to 2 mas to alpha(22 - 43 GHz) similar to -2.5 at similar to 6 mas. In the KaVA observations, the spectral index remains unchanged until similar to 10 mas, but this trend is unclear in the VLBA observations. A spectral index model in which nonthermal electron injections inside the jet decrease with distance can adequately reproduce the observed trend. This suggests the magnetic field strength of the jet at a distance of 2-10 mas (similar to 900 r(s) - similar to 4500 r(s) in the deprojected distance) has a range of B = (0.3-1.0 G)(z/2mas)(-0.73). Extrapolating to the Event Horizon Telescope scale yields consistent results, suggesting that the majority of the magnetic flux of the jet near the black hole is preserved out to similar to 4500 r(s) without significant dissipation