Pornography and erotica: Definitions and Prevalence

In this paper, we offer some observations regarding the sex industry, in particular the pornography and erotica sectors. Marketing literature observing pornography and erotica is scant. We find that following exponential growth of the sex industry (given use of the Internet) an evaluation of consumer behaviour and marketing practices is justified. In order to begin a study of these industry sectors, we find it necessary to define both pornography and erotica. Following the development of definitions, we consider these industries from a marketing perspective in the hope that we may encourage research into these areas

Mediation at the End of Life: Getting Beyond the Limits of the Talking Cure

Mediation has been touted as the magic band-aid to solve end-of-life conflicts. When families and health care providers clash at the end of life, bioethicists and conflict theorists alike have seized upon mediation as the perfect procedural balm. Dissonant values, tragic choices, and roiling grief and loss would be confronted, managed, and soothed during the emotional alchemy of the mediation process. But what is happening in a significant subset of end-of-life disputes is not mediation as we traditionally understand it. Mediation\u27s allure stems from its promise to excavate underlying needs and interests, identify common ground, and push disputants toward more moderate, creative, and mutually satisfying outcomes. But in the growing number of intractable medical futility cases, there is no movement to middle ground. Rather, we have a conversation that leads to a predictable outcome. The provider backs down, and the surrogate gets the treatment that she wants. Mediation\u27s failure was inevitable. It cannot succeed in the shadow of current health care decisions law that gives surrogates so much power. To make mediation work for these cases, we must equalize bargaining power by giving providers a clearly-defined statutory safe harbor to unilaterally refuse requests for inappropriate treatment

Parent Perspectives of an Occupational Therapy Telehealth Intervention

Occupational therapy services delivered via telehealth can support families of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in everyday routines such as mealtime, bedtime, and play. The aim of the current study was to understand the lived experiences of parents who participated in a 12-week, telehealth-delivered occupational therapy intervention (Occupation-Based Coaching). We used semi-structured interviews and subsequent thematic content analysis to understand how parents perceived the mechanism of service delivery (i.e., videoconferencing) and the content of the intervention. Themes that emerged from the data included Compatibility with Everyday Life, Collaborative Relationship, and Parent Empowerment. Parents expressed how telehealth fit within their daily lives, how telehealth supported a collaborative relationship with the occupational therapist, and how the content of the intervention built a sense of empowerment

Tracking Changes in Mobility Before and After the First SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Using Global Positioning System Data in England and Wales (Virus Watch): Prospective Observational Community Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that individuals may change adherence to public health policies aimed at reducing the contact, transmission, and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after they receive their first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination when they are not fully vaccinated. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate changes in median daily travel distance of our cohort from their registered addresses before and after receiving a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. METHODS: Participants were recruited into Virus Watch starting in June 2020. Weekly surveys were sent out to participants, and vaccination status was collected from January 2021 onward. Between September 2020 and February 2021, we invited 13,120 adult Virus Watch participants to contribute toward our tracker subcohort, which uses the GPS via a smartphone app to collect data on movement. We used segmented linear regression to estimate the median daily travel distance before and after the first self-reported SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose. RESULTS: We analyzed the daily travel distance of 249 vaccinated adults. From 157 days prior to vaccination until the day before vaccination, the median daily travel distance was 9.05 (IQR 8.06-10.09) km. From the day of vaccination to 105 days after vaccination, the median daily travel distance was 10.08 (IQR 8.60-12.42) km. From 157 days prior to vaccination until the vaccination date, there was a daily median decrease in mobility of 40.09 m (95% CI -50.08 to -31.10; P<.001). After vaccination, there was a median daily increase in movement of 60.60 m (95% CI 20.90-100; P<.001). Restricting the analysis to the third national lockdown (January 4, 2021, to April 5, 2021), we found a median daily movement increase of 18.30 m (95% CI -19.20 to 55.80; P=.57) in the 30 days prior to vaccination and a median daily movement increase of 9.36 m (95% CI 38.6-149.00; P=.69) in the 30 days after vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of collecting high-volume geolocation data as part of research projects and the utility of these data for understanding public health issues. Our various analyses produced results that ranged from no change in movement after vaccination (during the third national lock down) to an increase in movement after vaccination (considering all periods, up to 105 days after vaccination), suggesting that, among Virus Watch participants, any changes in movement distances after vaccination are small. Our findings may be attributable to public health measures in place at the time such as movement restrictions and home working that applied to the Virus Watch cohort participants during the study period

Biomarker analysis from the phase 2b randomized placebo-controlled trial of riociguat in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE To examine disease and target engagement biomarkers in the RISE-SSc trial of riociguat in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and their potential to predict the response to treatment. METHODS Patients were randomized to riociguat (n = 60) or placebo (n = 61) for 52 weeks. Skin biopsies and plasma/serum samples were obtained at baseline and week 14. Plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) was assessed using radio-immunoassay. Alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and skin thickness were determined by immunohistochemistry, mRNA markers of fibrosis by qRT-PCR in skin biopsies, and serum CXC motif chemokine ligand 4 (CXCL-4) and soluble platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (sPECAM-1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS By week 14, cGMP increased by 94 ± 78% with riociguat and 10 ± 39% with placebo (p < 0.001, riociguat vs placebo). Serum sPECAM-1 and CXCL-4 decreased with riociguat vs placebo (p = 0.004 and p = 0.008, respectively). There were no differences in skin collagen markers between the 2 groups. Higher baseline serum sPECAM-1 or the detection of αSMA-positive cells in baseline skin biopsies were associated with a larger reduction of modified Rodnan skin score from baseline at week 52 with riociguat vs placebo (interaction P-values 0.004 and 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION Plasma cGMP increased with riociguat, suggesting engagement with the nitric oxide-soluble guanylate cyclase-cGMP pathway. Riociguat was associated with a significant reduction in sPECAM-1 (an angiogenic biomarker) vs placebo. Elevated sPECAM-1 and the presence of αSMA-positive skin cells may help to identify patients who could benefit from riociguat in terms of skin fibrosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02283762