“The door has opened”: moving forward with menstrual health programming in Bangladesh

Purpose In Bangladesh, as elsewhere, menstruation is surrounded by stigma, silence, and shame. Despite being a critical part of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), it remains significantly under-researched and addressed. However, the focus on menstrual health (MH) programming is growing globally, with increased awareness of the importance of holistic and rights-based approaches. This case-study examines and reflects upon the MH landscape and programming in Bangladesh, assessing the progress, challenges, and potential ways forward. Design This case study is based on a non-systematic review of recent global and national literature, eight semi-structured interviews, a review of national television adverts, and the authors’ experiences of MH research and programming in Bangladesh. Findings Hygiene-based education delivered through schools is a common entry point for MH programming in Bangladesh, with limited activities conducted in communities (including with men and boys) and through media. The focus of MH programming has tended to be narrow, with insufficient recognition of the wider gender equality and health implications of menstruation. There are growing efforts to coordinate MH work by different agencies and to collectively advocate for increased government engagement. While significant progress has been made, this case study identifies several gaps and tensions that reflect the complexity of addressing MH. Originality This case study presents an overview of recent MH experiences and programming in Bangladesh. It recognises the different sectors, sites and stakeholders involved, and includes experiences and perspectives of practitioners, academics, and programme participants

Personality and Employees’ Information Security Behavior Among Generational Cohorts

The Big Five Factors Model (FFM) of personality traits theory was tested for its ability to explain employee information security behavior (EISB), when age, measured by generational cohort (GCOHORT), moderated the relationship between the independent variables (IVs) extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, intellect (EACESI) and the dependent variable (DV), employees’ information security behavior (EISB) which is measured by file protection behavior (FPB). Three age groups defined GCOHORT: 52–70 years old (1946–1964, Baby Boomers), 36–51 yrs. old (1965–1980, Generation X), and 18– 35 yrs. Old (1981–1998, Millennial). Results of hierarchical multiple regressions analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between overall personality traits, four individual factors of personality traits, and the DV (p < .05). However, contrary to expectations, GCOHORT did not moderate the relationship between any of the main IVs and the DV (p > .05). Recommendations for future research are offered

Why does Jack, and not Jill, break his crown? Sex disparity in brain tumors

It is often reported that brain tumors occur more frequently in males, and that males suffer a worse outcome from brain tumors than females. If correct, these observations suggest that sex plays a fundamental role in brain tumor biology. The following review of the literature regarding primary and metastatic brain tumors, reveals that brain tumors do occur more frequently in males compared to females regardless of age, tumor histology, or region of the world. Sexually dimorphic mechanisms that might control tumor cell biology, as well as immune and brain microenvironmental responses to cancer, are explored as the basis for this sex disparity. Elucidating the mechanisms by which sex chromosomes and sex hormones impact on brain tumorigenesis and progression will advance our understanding of basic cancer biology and is likely to be essential for optimizing the care of brain tumor patients

Targeting brain tumor cAMP: The case for sex-specific therapeutics

A relationship between cyclic adenosine 3’, 5’-monophosphate (cAMP) levels and brain tumor biology has been evident for nearly as long as cAMP and its synthetase, adenylate cyclase (ADCY) have been known. The importance of the pathway in brain tumorigenesis has been demonstrated in vitro and in multiple animal models. Recently, we provided human validation for a cooperating oncogenic role for cAMP in brain tumorigenesis when we found that SNPs in ADCY8 were correlated with glioma (brain tumor) risk in individuals with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Together, these studies provide a strong rationale for targeting cAMP in brain tumor therapy. However, the cAMP pathway is well known to be sexually dimorphic, and SNPs in ADCY8 affected glioma risk in a sex-specific fashion, elevating the risk for females while protecting males. The cAMP pathway can be targeted at multiple levels in the regulation of its synthesis and degradation. Sex differences in response to drugs that target cAMP regulators indicate that successful targeting of the cAMP pathway for brain tumor patients is likely to require matching specific mechanisms of drug action with patient sex

Some remarks on the visible points of a lattice

We comment on the set of visible points of a lattice and its Fourier transform, thus continuing and generalizing previous work by Schroeder and Mosseri. A closed formula in terms of Dirichlet series is obtained for the Bragg part of the Fourier transform. We compare this calculation with the outcome of an optical Fourier transform of the visible points of the 2D square lattice.Comment: 9 pages, 3 eps-figures, 1 jpeg-figure; updated version; another article (by M. Baake, R. V. Moody and P. A. B. Pleasants) with the complete solution of the spectral problem will follow soon (see math.MG/9906132

Routine self-reporting of symptoms and side effects during cancer treatment: The patient’s perspective

Introduction There has been a dramatic increase in web-based systems developed to support patients to report/manage cancer treatment side effects (ePROM systems). However, little is known about processes underpinning patient engagement and impact on experience. Aims To explore the patient perspective on using ePROM systems during chemotherapy. Mixed methods Preliminary work Interviews (n=87) and questionnaires (n=40) explored patient experience of chemotherapy and indicated that difficulty deciding when to seek medical support during treatment was common. Field usability testing of eRAPID (n=12) indicated potential to support patients but variable engagement. A systematic review of ePROM systems (n=41) indicated a scarcity of robust evidence with few RCTs, with patient engagement and psychosocial outcomes such as self-efficacy not routinely explored or assessed. Main studies Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of patient engagement/experience was integrated into an RCT to evaluate eRAPID (n=354). Engagement was evaluated by weekly symptom reports and use of website. Validated measures assessed impact of eRAPID on self-efficacy to manage side effects (CSES) and cope with cancer (CBI-B), and patient activation (PAM). Relationships between outcomes and engagement were explored. A subset of patients were interviewed (n=23) to explore patient engagement/experience. Triangulation techniques were used to compare and contrast findings. Results Engagement was generally high with few barriers to use reported. One of the main motivators for sustained patient engagement was providing information to clinicians for use in consultations. Patients reported eRAPID provided psychological benefits and improved care. There was a positive impact of eRAPID on CSES (p=.015) but not CBI-B or PAM. Engagement was a significant predictor of improvement in CSES (p<.001) and CBI-B (p<.01) but not PAM. Conclusion ePROM systems have potential to improve patients experience of chemotherapy. Further exploration using qualitative and quantitative assessments is needed to provide insights into motivators and barriers. Clinician engagement is intertwined with patient engagement and requires ongoing assessment to inform future development and implementation

Phenotype X Herbage Allowance Interactions in Reproduction of First Calf Heifers Grazing Semiarid Rangeland

Cattle are differentially adapted to nutritional environments. The most sensitive measure of adaptation is reproduction of first-calf heifers. We studied the role of maturation rate and milk production on reproductive performance of first-calf heifers allowed different levels of herbage in semiarid rangeland

Salivary biomarkers and training load during training and competition in paralympic swimmers

CONTEXT: Stress responses in athletes can be attributed to training and competition, where increased physiological and psychological stress may negatively affect performance and recovery. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between training load (TL) and salivary biomarkers immunoglobulin A (IgA), alpha-amylase (AA), and cortisol across a 16-wk preparation phase and 10-d competition phase in Paralympic swimmers. METHODS: Four Paralympic swimmers provided biweekly saliva samples during 3 training phases-(1) normal training, (2) intensified training, and (3) taper-as well as daily saliva samples in the 10-d Paralympic competition (2016 Paralympic Games). TL was measured using session rating of perceived exertion. RESULTS: Multilevel analysis identified a significant increase in salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA: 94.98 [27.69] μg·mL-1), salivary alpha-amylase (sAA: 45.78 [19.07] μg·mL-1), and salivary cortisol (7.92 [2.17] nM) during intensified training concurrent with a 38.3% increase in TL. During the taper phase, a 49.5% decrease in TL from the intensified training phase resulted in a decrease in sIgA, sAA, and salivary cortisol; however, all 3 remained higher than baseline levels. A further significant increase was observed during competition in sIgA (168.69 [24.19] μg·mL-1), sAA (35.86 [16.67] μg·mL-1), and salivary cortisol (10.49 [1.89] nM) despite a continued decrease (77.8%) in TL from the taper phase. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that performance in major competition such as Paralympic games, despite a noticeable reduction in TL, induces a stress response in athletes. Because of the elevated stress response observed, modifications to individual postrace recovery protocols may be required to enable athletes to maximize performance across all 10 d of competition