Cycling and Female Sexual and Urinary Function: Results From a Large, Multinational, Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND:Bicycle riding has become an increasingly popular mode of transportation and exercise, especially among women, and previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between cycling and sexual dysfunction, albeit using non-validated questionnaires. AIM:We aimed to explore the relationship between cycling and sexual and urinary dysfunction. METHODS:Cyclists were recruited to complete a survey through Facebook advertisements and outreach to sporting clubs across 5 English-speaking countries. Swimmers and runners were recruited as a comparison group. OUTCOMES:Participants were queried using validated questionnaires, including the Female Sexual Function Index, the American Urological Association Symptom Index, and non-validated questions about history of urinary tract infections (UTIs), genital numbness, and genital saddle sores (all self-reported). RESULTS:3,118 (53.3%) Women completed the survey, comprising 1,053 (34%) non-cyclists, 1,656 (53%) low-intensity cyclists, and 409 (13%) high-intensity cyclists. After adjusting for age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, tobacco use, race, marital status, urinary symptoms, and sexual activity, high-intensity cyclists had lower odds of self-reported sexual dysfunction compared to non-cyclists (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.7, P = .02). There were no statistically significant differences in urinary symptoms across groups. Compared to non-cyclists, both low- and high-intensity cyclists had higher odds of reporting a previous UTI (aOR 1.4, P < .001, and aOR 1.4, P = .009, respectively), genital numbness (odds ratio [OR] 6.5, P < .001, and OR 9.1, P < .001, respectively), and saddle sores (OR 6.3, P < .001, and OR 22.7, P < .001, respectively). CLINICAL TRANSLATION:Women cyclists were more likely to report other genitourinary conditions, including UTIs, genital numbness, and saddle sores. CONCLUSIONS:This is the largest study comparing cyclists to other athletes with respect to sexual and urinary function. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and sampling methods. We found that women cyclists were no more likely to report sexual dysfunction or urinary symptoms than swimmers or runners. Gaither TW, Awad MA, Murphy GP, et al. Cycling and Female Sexual and Urinary Function: Results From a Large, Multinational, Cross-Sectional Study. J Sex Med 2018;15:510-518

The development, implementation and early learnings of a training program to advance interest in behavioral research careers among undergraduate BIPOC students majoring in psychology.

OBJECTIVES: Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) remain underrepresented in research occupations. This report discusses a collaboration to train undergraduate BIPOC students in clinical research between a public health institute, two medical schools, and a historically Black College or University (HBCU). This nine-month program trained BIPOC undergraduates in research methodology, psychology, and addiction science, and immersed trainees in real-world research. The program included didactic seminars, experiential activities, and a mentored research project culminating in a poster and oral presentation. METHODS: Key learnings, program satisfaction survey results, and preliminary outcomes from the first three program cohorts (N = 6 students) are presented. This program addressed several barriers hypothesized to contribute to the limited number of BIPOC students pursuing research careers, including mentorship from BIPOC faculty and financial concerns. RESULTS: Students reported moderate to high satisfaction with the program and endorsed gaining new research skills. Limitations and future directions are discussed. CONCLUSION: The expansion of the BIPOC health and research workforce is an urgent priority given the importance of BIPOC professionals to the health of our nation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04650386

Shifting Winds: Using Ancestry DNA to Explore Multiracial Individuals\u27 Patterns of Articulating Racial Identity

This study explored how genotype information affects identification narratives of multiracial individuals. Twenty-one multiracial individuals completed individual interviews before and after receiving a DNA analysis to clarify their genetically based racial ancestry. Based on results, this article proposes patterns of articulating racial identity by multiracial individuals. Four patterns extend evolving research in multiracial identification, namely (1) the individual articulates a monoracial identity; (2) the individual articulates one identity, but this can shift in response to various conditions; (3) the individual articulates an extraracial identity, opting out of traditional categories applied to race; and (4) the person distinguishes traditional categories of race from culture and owns the two identities in different ways. Implications of these findings are discussed. First, adding new ancestry DNA information further muddles the neat categories of race, consistent with the view of race as socially constructed. Second, results emphasize the fluidity of identification for multiracial individuals. Third, DNA information challenges the neat percentages people tend to associate with their backgrounds. Particularly for younger multiracial individuals, there was less of a sense that race was a real thing and more that culture played a big part in how they saw themselves

Non-medical use of prescription opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans: a prospective cohort study

Aims: To estimate the influence of non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) on heroin initiation among US veterans receiving medical care. Design: Using a multivariable Cox regression model, we analyzed data from a prospective, multi-site, observational study of HIV-infected and an age/race/site-matched control group of HIV-uninfected veterans in care in the United States. Approximately annual behavioral assessments were conducted and contained self-reported measures of NMUPO and heroin use. Setting: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) infectious disease and primary care clinics in Atlanta, Baltimore, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Participants: A total of 3396 HIV-infected and uninfected patients enrolled into the Veterans Aging Cohort Study who reported no life-time NMUPO or heroin use, had no opioid use disorder diagnoses at baseline and who were followed between 2002 and 2012. Measurements: The primary outcome measure was self-reported incident heroin use and the primary exposure of interest was new-onset NMUPO. Our final model was adjusted for socio-demographics, pain interference, prior diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression and self-reported other substance use. Findings: Using a multivariable Cox regression model, we found that non-medical use of prescription opioids NMUPO was associated positively and independently with heroin initiation [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 5.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.01, 7.35]. Conclusions: New-onset non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) is a strong risk factor for heroin initiation among HIV-infected and uninfected veterans in the United States who reported no previous history of NMUPO or illicit opioid use

Reply to Ruan et al. (2017): Non-medical use of prescription opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans.

We thank Ruan and colleagues for their letter and appreciate their comments regarding our recent study, which demonstrated an independent association between non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) and heroin initiation among US veterans

Shale disposal of U.S. high-level radioactive waste.

Approved for public release; further dissemination unlimited. Issued by Sandia National Laboratories, operated for the United States Department of Energy by Sandia Corporation. NOTICE: Neither the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors or subcontractors. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors. Printed in the United States of America. This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy

Comparative phylogeography of reef fishes from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea reveals two cryptic lineages

Arabian Sea is a heterogeneous region with high coral cover and warm stable conditions at the western end (Djibouti), in contrast to sparse coral cover, cooler temperatures, and upwelling at the eastern end (southern Oman). We tested for barriers to dispersal across this region (including the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman), using mitochondrial DNA surveys of 11 reef fishes. Study species included seven taxa from six families with broad distributions across the Indo-Pacific and four species restricted to the Arabian Sea (and adjacent areas). Nine species showed no significant genetic partitions, indicating connectivity among contrasting environments spread across 2000 km. One butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) and a snapper (Lutjanus kasmira) showed phylogenetic divergences of d = 0.008 and 0.048, respectively, possibly indicating cryptic species within these broadly distributed taxa. These genetic partitions at the western periphery of the Indo-Pacific reflect similar partitions recently discovered at the eastern periphery of the Indo-Pacific (the Hawaiian and the Marquesan Archipelagos), indicating that these disjunctive habitats at the ends of the range may serve as evolutionary incubators for coral reef organisms. © 2017 Springer-Verlag Berlin HeidelbergTh

Modification of proteolytic activity matrix analysis (PrAMA) to measure ADAM10 and ADAM17 sheddase activities in cell and tissue lysates

Increases in expression of ADAM10 and ADAM17 genes and proteins have been evaluated, but not validated as cancer biomarkers. Specific enzyme activities better reflect enzyme cellular functions, and might be better biomarkers than enzyme genes or proteins. However, no high throughput assay is available to test this possibility. Recent studies have developed the high throughput real-time proteolytic activity matrix analysis (PrAMA) that integrates the enzymatic processing of multiple enzyme substrates with mathematical-modeling computation. The original PrAMA measures with significant accuracy the activities of individual metalloproteinases expressed on live cells. To make the biomarker assay usable in clinical practice, we modified PrAMA by testing enzymatic activities in cell and tissue lysates supplemented with broad-spectrum non-MP enzyme inhibitors, and by maximizing the assay specificity using systematic mathematical-modeling analyses. The modified PrAMA accurately measured the absence and decreases of ADAM10 sheddase activity (ADAM10sa) and ADAM17sa in ADAM10-/- and ADAM17-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), and ADAM10- and ADAM17-siRNA transfected human cancer cells, respectively. It also measured the restoration and inhibition of ADAM10sa in ADAM10-cDNA-transfected ADAM10-/- MEFs and GI254023X-treated human cancer cell and tissue lysates, respectively. Additionally, the modified PrAMA simultaneously quantified with significant accuracy ADAM10sa and ADAM17sa in multiple human tumor specimens, and showed the essential characteristics of a robust high throughput multiplex assay that could be broadly used in biomarker studies. Selectively measuring specific enzyme activities, this new clinically applicable assay is potentially superior to the standard protein- and gene-expression assays that do not distinguish active and inactive enzyme forms