Amicus Curiea Brief: \u3cem\u3eStormans, Inc. v. Selecky\u3c/em\u3e

Preventing pregnancy after sexual assault and violence is critical to a woman\u27s psychological recovery and physical health. Emergency contraception works effectively to prevent pregnancy, and is the medical standard of care for treating women and girls of reproductive age after a sexual assault. While pregnancies pose health risks for every woman, rape-related pregnancies hold profound consequences including compounded trauma and an increased vulnerability to violence. In this brief, amici urge the Ninth Circuit to recognize the importance of access to emergency contraception for all women, and its critical nature for rape and domestic violence survivors

Bridging user and provider perspectives: Family planning access and utilization in rural Mozambique

Objectives: To examine how the contraceptive behavior of women in rural southern Mozambique is shaped by their individual and household characteristics; community characteristics; access to family planning services; and characteristics of health facilities.<p></p> Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected mostly between January 20 and December 15, 2011, in rural areas of four districts in Gaza Province, Mozambique. The data included: a retrospective household-based survey of women of reproductive age (the analytical sample consisted of 1554 non-pregnant women in marital union); qualitative interviews with a subsample of surveyed women; a survey of communities where the women resided (n = 56); and a survey of all health facilities in the study area (n = 56). Binomial and multinomial logistic models were fitted to predict current use of modern contraceptive methods. Statistical analyses were complemented by insights from qualitative data.<p></p> Results: Positive associations were detected between contraceptive use and education, household wealth, and perceived HIV infection status. Distance to the clinic was negatively associated with contraceptive use. These effects were additive, with some varying by type of contraceptive method. Examination of qualitative data highlighted frequent cognitive dissonance between service providers and users.<p></p> Conclusion: A simultaneous consideration of user-level and provider-level perspectives on contraceptive use improves our understanding of contraceptive dynamics and can usefully inform policy

Perceptions of Environmental Supports for Physical Activity in African American and White Adults in a Rural County in South Carolina

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the association between perceptions of social and safety-related environmental attributes and physical activity (PA) and walking in African American and white adults. METHODS: In a random-digit–dial telephone survey, 1165 adults in a rural county in South Carolina answered questions about their perceptions of social and safety-related environmental supports for PA and their overall PA and walking behavior. Social perceptions included whether neighbors could be trusted or were perceived to be physically active. Safety-related perceptions included neighborhood safety, the safety of public recreation facilities, problems with unattended dogs, traffic volume, and streetlight quality. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between environmental supports and PA and walking stratified by race. RESULTS: No association between perceived neighborhood environmental supports and PA or walking was observed in African Americans. Among whites, individuals who perceived their neighbors as active were twice (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19–3.25) as likely to report meeting the recommendation for PA compared with individuals who did not report their neighbors as active. Whites who perceived their neighbors as active were 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.54–4.08) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not, and whites who perceived their neighborhoods as safe were 1.8 times (95% CI, 1.03–3.12) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that perceptions of certain social and safety-related environmental supports were strongly associated with meeting the recommendations for PA and walking among white but not African American adults

Changes in sexuality: how sexuality changes across time, across relationships, and across sociocultural contexts

This paper reviews several mid-level theories of sexuality on the theme of changes in sexuality, which is supported by evidence that changes in sexuality occur throughout time, during the course of relationships, and depending on the larger sociocultural context. The first section covers the theory of female erotic plasticity, which suggests that women on average exhibit greater variation in their sexual attitudes, desires, and behavior over the course of their lives than men. The second section addresses changes in passion over the course of romantic relationships. Changes in intimacy within a relationship over time are hypothesized to produce temporary spikes in passion and sexual behavior. The final section reviews the theory of sexual economics, which analyzes sexual behavior according to economic principles. This theory proposes that sex is a female resource that women exchange with men for other valued rewards. Changes in the sexual marketplace affect the negotiation of sex between the genders. Although these changes in sexuality are well-documented, neuroscience research is needed to shed light on how the brain enables, responds, and adjusts to these changes

A cancer derived mutation in the Retinoblastoma gene with a distinct defect for LXCXE dependent interactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The interaction between viral oncoproteins such as Simian virus 40 TAg, adenovirus E1A, and human papilloma virus E7, and the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) occurs through a well characterized peptide sequence, LXCXE, on the viral protein and a well conserved groove in the pocket domain of pRB. Cellular proteins, such as histone deacetylases, also use this mechanism to interact with the retinoblastoma protein to repress transcription at cell cycle regulated genes. For these reasons this region of the pRB pocket domain is thought to play a critical role in growth suppression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we identify and characterize a tumor derived allele of the retinoblastoma gene (<it>RB1</it>) that possesses a discrete defect in its ability to interact with LXCXE motif containing proteins that compromises proliferative control. To assess the frequency of similar mutations in the <it>RB1 </it>gene in human cancer, we screened blood and tumor samples for similar alleles. We screened almost 700 samples and did not detect additional mutations, indicating that this class of mutation is rare.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our work provides proof of principal that alleles encoding distinct, partial loss of function mutations in the retinoblastoma gene that specifically lose LXCXE dependent interactions, are found in human cancer.</p

The longitudinal development of emotion regulation capacities in children at risk for externalizing disorders

The development of emotional regulation capacities in children at high versus low risk for externalizing disorder was examined in a longitudinal study investigating: a) whether disturbances in emotion regulation precede and predict the emergence of externalizing symptoms; and b) whether sensitive maternal behavior is a significant influence on the development of child emotion regulation. Families experiencing high (n=58) and low (n=63) levels of psychosocial adversity were recruited to the study during pregnancy. Direct observational assessments of child emotion regulation capacities and maternal sensitivity were completed in early infancy, at 12 and 18-months, and at 5-years. Key findings were as follows. First, high risk children showed poorer emotion regulation capacities than their low risk counterparts at every stage of assessment. Second, from 12-months onwards, emotion regulation capacities showed a degree of stability, and were associated with behavioral problems, both concurrently and prospectively. Third, maternal sensitivity was related to child emotion regulation capacities throughout development, with poorer emotion regulation in the high risk group being associated with lower maternal sensitivity. The results are consistent with a causal role for problems in the regulation of negative emotions in the etiology of externalizing psychopathology, and highlight insensitive parenting as a potentially key developmental influence