Generational differences in male sexuality that may affect Zimbabwean women's risk for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS

Objective: To determine generational differences in male sexuality, which could predispose men’s female sexual partners to STDs/HlV.Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Harare, Zimbabwe.Subjects: Three hundred and ninety seven male adults aged eighteen years and above. Main outcome measures: Number of sexual partners, condom use, likelihood of sharing information on HIV status with wife or with other sexual partners, preference for women with dry vaginas prior to sex and discussion about sexual satisfaction with wife or with girlfriend.Results: Fewer men in the 27-39 year age group when compared to men aged 18-26 years (22.2% versus 28.9%) had two or more sexual partners. The greatest proportion of ever condom users were men aged 27-39 years, but this proportion was not significantly differentfrom the proportion of ever condom users aged 18-26 years (76.5% versus 69.5%; Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% Confidence interval [CI] 0.81-2.51). Men aged > 40 years (43.8%, OR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.20-0.84) were significantly fewer than men aged 18-26 years in ever use of condoms. In the event that they contracted HIV, 79.5%, 82.4 % and 85.9% of men aged 18-26, 27-39 and 40 years and above respectively indicated that they would disclose their HIVstatus to their wives. On the other hand, men aged 18-26 years (56.8%), 27-39 years (54.0%) and > 40 years (53.1%) indicated that they would disclose their HIV status to girl friends or other sexual partners. Significantly, more men aged 40 years (OR= 2.23; 95% CI 1.19-4.18) and 27-39 years (OR = 1.82; 95% CI 1.00-3.32) in comparison to 18-26 year old men indicated their preference for women with dry vaginas prior to sex. The greatest proportion of menwho discussed sexual satisfaction with their wives (85.7%) and girl friends or other sexual partners (23.5%) were aged 27-39 years.Conclusion: It is recommended that public health and behavioural scientists in Zimbabwe devote more time to understanding the intricacies of male sexual behaviour at different stages of life. This would provide the important insight needed to develop effective targetedinterventions to reduce the spread of STDs/HIV in Zimbabwe

Are We Doing it For the Money? A Salary Survey of the United States Surgical Program Directors

Compensation packages and job responsibilities for United States surgical program directors (PD) vary considerably from one institution to the next. With limited compensation data available for PD’s, this survey reassesses and compares the salaries, benefits, duties, and contract arrangements of all allopathic U.S. surgical PDs. Questionnaires regarding these areas of interest were mailed out electronically to all of the PDs and data was compared between the individuals’ responses using Chi-Squared and Fischer Exact Tests. Fifty-five percent of the PDs responded, revealing significant variation in total compensation packages, size of the dedicated stipend for the role, and time spent on clinical and administrative tasks. Mean salary reported by the group was $340,000 and nearly one-third of the directors reported they were dissatisfied with their current compensation package. These survey results reveal a continued incongruency in the responsibilities and pay of surgical PDs across the country. Furthermore, the information gathered could be utilized to set a compensation standard for PDs and their employers in future contract negotiations

Determining the date of diagnosis – is it a simple matter? The impact of different approaches to dating diagnosis on estimates of delayed care for ovarian cancer in UK primary care

Background Studies of cancer incidence and early management will increasingly draw on routine electronic patient records. However, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. We developed a generalisable strategy for investigating presenting symptoms and delays in diagnosis using ovarian cancer as an example. Methods The General Practice Research Database was used to investigate the time between first report of symptom and diagnosis of 344 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 01/06/2002 and 31/05/2008. Effects of possible inaccuracies in dating of diagnosis on the frequencies and timing of the most commonly reported symptoms were investigated using four increasingly inclusive definitions of first diagnosis/suspicion: 1. "Definite diagnosis" 2. "Ambiguous diagnosis" 3. "First treatment or complication suggesting pre-existing diagnosis", 4 "First relevant test or referral". Results The most commonly coded symptoms before a definite diagnosis of ovarian cancer, were abdominal pain (41%), urogenital problems(25%), abdominal distension (24%), constipation/change in bowel habits (23%) with 70% of cases reporting at least one of these. The median time between first reporting each of these symptoms and diagnosis was 13, 21, 9.5 and 8.5 weeks respectively. 19% had a code for definitions 2 or 3 prior to definite diagnosis and 73% a code for 4. However, the proportion with symptoms and the delays were similar for all four definitions except 4, where the median delay was 8, 8, 3, 10 and 0 weeks respectively. Conclusion Symptoms recorded in the General Practice Research Database are similar to those reported in the literature, although their frequency is lower than in studies based on self-report. Generalisable strategies for exploring the impact of recording practice on date of diagnosis in electronic patient records are recommended, and studies which date diagnoses in GP records need to present sensitivity analyses based on investigation, referral and diagnosis data. Free text information may be essential in obtaining accurate estimates of incidence, and for accurate dating of diagnoses

Development of a workflow to apply the iCAM06 Tonemapping to HDR video sequences

In dieser Arbeit wird auf die theoretischen Grundlagen von digitalen Filmkameras, des Dynamikumfangs und der HDR Technologie eingegangen. Im Einzelnen werden die Spezifikationen der digitalen Filmkamera RED Epic sowie des Tonemapping-Operators iCAM06 aufgeführt. In der Durchführung war es das Ziel, den erhöhten Dynamikumfang einer mit dieser Kamera aufgezeichneten Szene mit iCAM06 zu komprimieren und diesen auf einem handelsüblichen Monitor darzustellen. In der Auswertung werden Bildergebnisse für unterschiedliche Übergabeparameter demonstriert und dokumentiert

3D flow in the venom channel of a spitting cobra: do the ridges in the fangs act as fluid guide vanes?

The spitting cobra Naja pallida can eject its venom towards an offender from a distance of up to two meters. The aim of this study was to understand the mechanisms responsible for the relatively large distance covered by the venom jet although the venom channel is only of micro-scale. Therefore, we analysed factors that influence secondary flow and pressure drop in the venom channel, which include the physical-chemical properties of venom liquid and the morphology of the venom channel. The cobra venom showed shear-reducing properties and the venom channel had paired ridges that span from the last third of the channel to its distal end, terminating laterally and in close proximity to the discharge orifice. To analyze the functional significance of these ridges we generated a numerical and an experimental model of the venom channel. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Particle-Image Velocimetry (PIV) revealed that the paired interior ridges shape the flow structure upstream of the sharp 90° bend at the distal end. The occurrence of secondary flow structures resembling Dean-type vortical structures in the venom channel can be observed, which induce additional pressure loss. Comparing a venom channel featuring ridges with an identical channel featuring no ridges, one can observe a reduction of pressure loss of about 30%. Therefore it is concluded that the function of the ridges is similar to guide vanes used by engineers to reduce pressure loss in curved flow channels

Use of a Hybrid Adeno-Associated Viral Vector Transposon System to Deliver the Insulin Gene to Diabetic NOD Mice.

Previously, we used a lentiviral vector to deliver furin-cleavable human insulin (INS-FUR) to the livers in several animal models of diabetes using intervallic infusion in full flow occlusion (FFO), with resultant reversal of diabetes, restoration of glucose tolerance and pancreatic transdifferentiation (PT), due to the expression of beta (β)-cell transcription factors (β-TFs). The present study aimed to determine whether we could similarly reverse diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse using an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) to deliver INS-FUR ± the β-TF Pdx1 to the livers of diabetic mice. The traditional AAV8, which provides episomal expression, and the hybrid AAV8/piggyBac that results in transgene integration were used. Diabetic mice that received AAV8-INS-FUR became hypoglycaemic with abnormal intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTTs). Expression of β-TFs was not detected in the livers. Reversal of diabetes was not achieved in mice that received AAV8-INS-FUR and AAV8-Pdx1 and IPGTTs were abnormal. Normoglycaemia and glucose tolerance were achieved in mice that received AAV8/piggyBac-INS-FUR/FFO. Definitive evidence of PT was not observed. This is the first in vivo study using the hybrid AAV8/piggyBac system to treat Type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, further development is required before the system can be used for gene therapy of T1D

Reaction Time and Mortality from the Major Causes of Death:The NHANES-III Study

Studies examining the relation of information processing speed, as measured by reaction time, with mortality are scarce. We explored these associations in a representative sample of the US population