Sexual and mental health in compensated dating in youth in Hong Kong: An exploratory quantitative study

Compensated dating, also known as enjo kosai (in Japanese), assisted relationship, freelance teenage sex work, and casual teen prostitution, emerged in Japan in 1990s and has spread to other Asian societies including Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the early 2000s. The compensated dating phenomenon was considered similar to youth sexual exploitation, defined as the exchange of sexual activity for money or other consideration according to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.published_or_final_versio

A novel long non-coding natural antisense RNA is a negative regulator of Nos1 gene expression

Long non-coding natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are widespread in eukaryotic species. Although recent studies indicate that long NATs are engaged in the regulation of gene expression, the precise functional roles of the vast majority of them are unknown. Here we report that a long NAT (Mm-antiNos1 RNA) complementary to mRNA encoding the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (Nos1) is expressed in the mouse brain and is transcribed from the non-template strand of the Nos1 locus. Nos1 produces nitric oxide (NO), a major signaling molecule in the CNS implicated in many important functions including neuronal differentiation and memory formation. We show that the newly discovered NAT negatively regulates Nos1 gene expression. Moreover, our quantitative studies of the temporal expression profiles of Mm-antiNos1 RNA in the mouse brain during embryonic development and postnatal life indicate that it may be involved in the regulation of NO-dependent neurogenesis

Deep sequencing of the uterine immune response to bacteria during the equine oestrous cycle

BACKGROUND: The steroid hormone environment in healthy horses seems to have a significant impact on the efficiency of their uterine immune response. The objective of this study was to characterize the changes in gene expression in the equine endometrium in response to the introduction of bacterial pathogens and the influence of steroid hormone concentrations on this expression. METHODS: Endometrial biopsies were collected from five horses before and 3 h after the inoculation of Escherichia coli once in oestrus (follicle >35 mm in diameter) and once in dioestrus (5 days after ovulation) and analysed using high-throughput RNA sequencing techniques (RNA-Seq). RESULTS: Comparison between time points revealed that 2422 genes were expressed at significantly higher levels and 2191 genes at significantly lower levels 3 h post inoculation in oestrus in comparison to pre-inoculation levels. In dioestrus, the expression of 1476 genes was up-regulated and 383 genes were down-regulated post inoculation. Many immune related genes were found to be up-regulated after the introduction of E. coli. These include pathogen recognition receptors, particularly toll-like receptors TLR2 and 4 and NOD-like receptor NLRC5. In addition, several interleukins including IL1B, IL6, IL8 and IL1ra were significantly up-regulated. Genes for chemokines, including CCL 2, CXCL 6, 9, 10, 11 and 16 and those for antimicrobial peptides, including secretory phospholipase sPLA(2), lipocalin 2, lysozyme and equine β-defensin 1, as well as the gene for tissue inhibitor for metalloproteinases TIMP-1 were also up-regulated post inoculation. CONCLUSION: The results of this study emphasize the complexity of an effective uterine immune response during acute endometritis and the tight balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory factors required for efficient elimination of bacteria. It is one of the first high-throughput analyses of the uterine inflammatory response in any species and several new potential targets for treatment of inflammatory diseases of the equine uterus have been identified. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2139-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The evidence base for professional and self-care prevention - caries, erosion and sensitivity

BACKGROUND: The aim of this conference paper was to examine the evidence base for primary and secondary prevention of dental caries, erosions and dentin hypersensitivity through professional and self-care measures. METHODS: A mapping of systematic reviews (SR) of literature was carried out in PubMed and the Cochrane library through April 2014 using established MeSH-terms and disease-related search words in various combinations. The search was restricted to SR's published in English or Scandinavian and all age groups were considered. The reference lists of the selected papers were hand-searched for additional review articles of potential interest. Meta-analyses, guidelines and treatment recommendations were considered only when SR's were lacking. In the event of updates or multiple systematic reviews covering the same topic, only the most recent article was included. No quality assessment of the systematic reviews was carried out. The quality of evidence was rated in four levels according to the GRADE scale. RESULTS: In total, 39 SR were included. For primary caries prevention, the quality of evidence was high for the use of fluoride toothpaste (with and without triclosan) and moderate for fluoride varnish and fissure sealants. The quality of evidence for fluoride gel, fluoride mouth rinse, xylitol gums and silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was rated as low. For secondary caries prevention and caries arrest, only fluoride interventions and SDF proved consistent benefits, although the quality of evidence was low. Likewise, the GRADE score for preventing erosions located in the enamel with fluoride supplements was low. The quality of evidence for various professional and self-care methods to prevent and manage dentine hypersensitivity was very low. CONCLUSIONS: There are knowledge gaps in many domains of cariology and preventive dentistry that must be addressed and bridged through clinical research of good quality

Evaluation of prognostic risk models for postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a systematic review and international external validation cohort study

Background Stratifying risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery allows clinicians to modify risk through targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate prognostic models against a new consensus definition of postoperative pulmonary complications. Methods We did a systematic review and international external validation cohort study. The systematic review was done in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2020, for articles published in English that reported on risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. External validation of existing models was done within a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery. Data were collected between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Discriminative ability and prognostic accuracy summary statistics were compared between models for the 30-day postoperative pulmonary complication rate as defined by the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine Core Outcome Measures in Perioperative and Anaesthetic Care (StEP-COMPAC). Model performance was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC). Findings In total, we identified 2903 records from our literature search; of which, 2514 (86·6%) unique records were screened, 121 (4·8%) of 2514 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 29 unique prognostic models were identified. Nine (31·0%) of 29 models had score development reported only, 19 (65·5%) had undergone internal validation, and only four (13·8%) had been externally validated. Data to validate six eligible models were collected in the international external validation cohort study. Data from 11 591 patients were available, with an overall postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 7·8% (n=903). None of the six models showed good discrimination (defined as AUROCC ≥0·70) for identifying postoperative pulmonary complications, with the Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia score showing the best discrimination (AUROCC 0·700 [95% CI 0·683–0·717]). Interpretation In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic data, variability in the risk of pulmonary complications (StEP-COMPAC definition) following major abdominal surgery was poorly described by existing prognostication tools. To improve surgical safety during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and beyond, novel risk stratification tools are required. Funding British Journal of Surgery Society