Predicting short- and long-term mating orientations : The role of sex and the dark tetrad

Previous literature has extensively considered factors that influence short- and long-term mating orientations, with specific attention given to individual differences (e.g., sex and personality). Although research has established the role “darker” personality traits (i.e., the dark triad) play in mating orientation, this triad has recently been reconceptualized as a tetrad. Due to this reconceptualization, the current study sought to establish the utility of sex and the dark tetrad in predicting individual short- and long-term mating orientations. In addition, as an alternative to previous methodology, the orientations were assessed using a continuous measure. A total of 464 participants, ages 18 to 69, completed an online questionnaire assessing dark tetrad traits and mating orientations. Results showed that sex, trait psychopathy, and trait sadism were significant predictors of a short-term mating orientation. For long-term mating orientations, there was no predictive utility of sex, but there were positive associations for narcissism and negative associations for psychopathy and sadism. These findings add further understanding of the predictors of mating orientation and the utility of the tetrad in predicting mating orientations. In addition, the findings offer future mating orientation studies an alternative measure to the traditional dichotomous format

Evidence of a Redox-Dependent Regulation of Immune Responses to Exercise-Induced Inflammation

We used thiol-based antioxidant supplementation (n-acetylcysteine, NAC) to determine whether immune mobilisation following skeletal muscle microtrauma induced by exercise is redox-sensitive in healthy humans. According to a two-trial, double-blind, crossover, repeated measures design, 10 young men received either placebo or NAC (20 mg/kg/day) immediately after a muscle-damaging exercise protocol (300 eccentric contractions) and for eight consecutive days. Blood sampling and performance assessments were performed before exercise, after exercise, and daily throughout recovery. NAC reduced the decline of reduced glutathione in erythrocytes and the increase of plasma protein carbonyls, serum TAC and erythrocyte oxidized glutathione, and TBARS and catalase activity during recovery thereby altering postexercise redox status. The rise of muscle damage and inflammatory markers (muscle strength, creatine kinase activity, CRP, proinflammatory cytokines, and adhesion molecules) was less pronounced in NAC during the first phase of recovery. The rise of leukocyte and neutrophil count was decreased by NAC after exercise. Results on immune cell subpopulations obtained by flow cytometry indicated that NAC ingestion reduced the exercise-induced rise of total macrophages, HLA+ macrophages, and 11B+ macrophages and abolished the exercise-induced upregulation of B lymphocytes. Natural killer cells declined only in PLA immediately after exercise. These results indicate that thiol-based antioxidant supplementation blunts immune cell mobilisation in response to exercise-induced inflammation suggesting that leukocyte mobilization may be under redox-dependent regulation

Long-term effects of evolocumab in participants with HIV and dyslipidemia: results from the open-label extension period

Objectives: People with HIV (PWH) are at an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Suboptimal responses to statin therapy in PWH may result from antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). This open-label extension study aimed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of evolocumab up to 52\u200aweeks in PWH. Design: This final analysis of a multinational, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized phase 3 trial evaluated the effect of monthly subcutaneous evolocumab 420\u200amg on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) during the open-label period (OLP) following 24\u200aweeks of double-blind period in PWH with hypercholesterolemia/mixed dyslipidemia. All participants enrolled had elevated LDL-C or nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and were on stable maximally tolerated statin and stable ART. Methods: Efficacy was assessed by percentage change from baseline in LDL-C, triglycerides, and atherogenic lipoproteins. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were examined. Results: Of the 467 participants randomized in the double-blind period, 451 (96.6%) received at least one dose of evolocumab during the OLP (mean age of 56.4\u200ayears, 82.5% male, mean duration with HIV of 17.4\u200ayears). By the end of the 52-week OLP, the overall mean (SD) percentage change in LDL-C from baseline was -57.8% (22.8%). Evolocumab also reduced triglycerides, atherogenic lipid parameters (non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipoprotein[a]), and increased HDL-C. TEAEs were similar between placebo and evolocumab during the OLP. Conclusion: Long-term administration of evolocumab lowered LDL-C and non-HDL-C, allowing more PWH to achieve recommended lipid goals with no serious adverse events. Trail registration: NCT02833844. Video abstract: http://links.lww.com/QAD/C441

Evolocumab in HIV-Infected Patients With Dyslipidemia: Primary Results of the Randomized, Double-Blind BEIJERINCK Study

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and are prone to statin-related adverse events from drug-drug interactions with certain antiretroviral regimens

Pathways From HIV-Related Stigma to Antiretroviral Therapy Measures in the HIV Care Cascade for Women Living With HIV in Canada

Associations between HIV-related stigma and reduced antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence are widely established, yet the mechanisms accounting for this relationship are underexplored. There has been less attention to HIV-related stigma and its associations with ART initiation and current ART use. We examined pathways from HIV-related stigma to ART initiation, current ART use, and ART adherence among women living with HIV in Canada