Under the Covers? Commerce, Contraceptives and Consumers in England and Wales, 1880–1960

This article provides a much needed commercial perspective to the gradual growth in consumption of birth control appliances in England and Wales between 1880 and 1960. By drawing on underutilized parliamentary sources and the hitherto neglected business records of manufacturers, vendors and distributors, this new approach reveals that consumption patterns were more varied in terms of class, gender and geographical location than scholars have generally recognized. In particular, its analysis of the production, promotion and distribution of birth control appliances alongside medical goods intended for domestic use during this period demonstrates the importance of consumption both among and beyond the primary married couple of the household. In doing so, this article aims to provide the medical historian with a new analytic tool for investigating neglected but potentially important sites of medical decision making

What Does Women's Facial Attractiveness Signal? Implications for an Evolutionary Perspective on Appearance Enhancement.

In their Target Article, Davis and Arnocky (2020) suggest that evolutionary theories of mate preferences can contribute to our understanding of why appearance-enhancement behaviors are seemingly ubiquitous. We support their argument that an interdisciplinary approach, in which evolutionary and other perspectives are fully integrated, will give us a more complete understanding of appearance-enhancement behaviors. We also agree that evolutionary theories of mate preferences have the potential to provide new insights into why such behaviors are so common. Here, we use the literature on women’s facial attractiveness to highlight an important limitation of this argument: uncertainty about precisely what is signalled by physical attractiveness

Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) by Primary Care Providers in Mississippi

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common diseases seen in primary care practice. To reduce the negative effects, such as esophageal narrowing, erosions, and precancerous lesions, from uncontrolled or inadequately managed GERD, primary care providers must stay up to date on evidence-based research and integrate the most current guidelines, The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) updated guidelines for proper management of GERD in 2021, into practice. The guidelines recommend lifestyle modifications, proper pharmacological treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for an eight-week course, and proper follow-up and/or referral if unimproved. The purpose of this research study was to conduct chart reviews of documentation to identify if primary care providers followed current ACG guidelines. After contacting the Mississippi University for Women’s Institutional Review Board and receiving permission to conduct chart reviews at four primary care clinics in Southeastern Mississippi, the current researchers collected data from 465 patients’ charts to assess if current guidelines were being followed by Mississippi primary care providers. The quantitative retrospective study revealed the majority of primary care providers managed GERD adequately, according to current ACG guidelines. Although the data collection initially included all primary care providers, such as nurse practitioners, medical doctors, doctors of osteopathic medicine, and physicians’ assistants, only nurse practitioners and medical doctors were included in the study due to the specific clinics utilized for data collection. Overall, the study revealed nurse practitioners as more compliant than medical doctors with adhering to current ACG guidelines for management of GERD. If Mississippi primary care providers manage GERD according to the ACG guidelines, better patient outcomes can be achieved. By recommending lifestyle modifications, such as weight loss, elevation of the head of bed, refraining from eating two to three hours prior to bedtime, and avoiding trigger foods, reduction of the negative effects of GERD can be piloted. Correct pharmacological treatment with an eight-week course of PPIs can also reduce the negative outcomes produced by GERD without overtreatment that can lead to other issues, like osteoporosis. If failure of combined therapies occur, referral to a specialist should be made for further treatment. The findings also reiterate the importance of timely follow-up. By following the guidelines, primary care providers can improve patient outcomes through reducing the physical strains of GERD and the economical strains of improper management and treatment of the prevalent disease

Approximate Quantum Cloning with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Here we describe a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiment that uses a three qubit NMR device to implement the one to two approximate quantum cloning network of Buzek et al.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX4 including 5 postscript figures. Submitted to PR

Mate choice, mate preference, and biological markets : the relationship between partner choice and health preference is modulated by women's own attractiveness

Although much of the research on human mate preference assumes that mate preference and partner choice will be related to some extent, evidence for correlations between mate preference and mate choice is mixed. Inspired by biological market theories of mate choice, which propose that individuals with greater market value will be better placed to translate their preference into choice, we investigated whether participants' own attractiveness modulated the relationship between their preference and choice. Multilevel modeling showed that experimentally assessed preferences for healthy-looking other-sex faces predicted third-party ratings of partner's facial health better among women whose faces were rated as more attractive by third parties. This pattern of results was not seen for men. These results suggest that the relationship between mate preference and mate choice may be more complex than was assumed in previous research, at least among women. Our results also highlight the utility of biological market theories for understanding the links between mate preference and partner choice

T. brucei cathepsin-L increases arrhythmogenic sarcoplasmic reticulum-mediated calcium release in rat cardiomyocytes

Aims: African trypanosomiasis, caused by Trypanosoma brucei species, leads to both neurological and cardiac dysfunction and can be fatal if untreated. While the neurological-related pathogenesis is well studied, the cardiac pathogenesis remains unknown. The current study exposed isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes and adult rat hearts to T. brucei to test whether trypanosomes can alter cardiac function independent of a systemic inflammatory/immune response. Methods and results: Using confocal imaging, T. brucei and T. brucei culture media (supernatant) caused an increased frequency of arrhythmogenic spontaneous diastolic sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-mediated Ca2+ release (Ca2+ waves) in isolated adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Studies utilising inhibitors, recombinant protein and RNAi all demonstrated that this altered SR function was due to T. brucei cathepsin-L (TbCatL). Separate experiments revealed that TbCatL induced a 10–15% increase of SERCA activity but reduced SR Ca2+ content, suggesting a concomitant increased SR-mediated Ca2+ leak. This conclusion was supported by data demonstrating that TbCatL increased Ca2+ wave frequency. These effects were abolished by autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide, highlighting a role for CaMKII in the TbCatL action on SR function. Isolated Langendorff perfused whole heart experiments confirmed that supernatant caused an increased number of arrhythmic events. Conclusion: These data demonstrate for the first time that African trypanosomes alter cardiac function independent of a systemic immune response, via a mechanism involving extracellular cathepsin-L-mediated changes in SR function

Correlating Pressure‐Induced Emission Modulation with Linker Rotation in a Photoluminescent MOF

Conformational changes of linker units in metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are often responsible for gate‐opening phenomena in selective gas adsorption and stimuli‐responsive optical and electrical sensing behaviour. Herein, we show that pressure‐induced bathochromic shifts in both fluorescence emission and UV‐Vis absorption spectra of a two‐fold interpenetrated Hf MOF, linked by 1,4‐phenylene‐bis(4‐ethynylbenzoate) ligands ( Hf‐peb ), are induced by rotation of the central phenyl ring of the linker, from a coplanar arrangement to a twisted, previously unseen conformer. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, alongside in situ fluorescence and UV‐Vis absorption spectroscopies, measured up to 2.1 GPa in a diamond anvil cell on single crystals, are in excellent agreement, correlating linker rotation with modulation of emission. Topologically isolating the 1,4‐phenylene‐bis(4‐ethynylbenzoate) units within a MOF facilitates concurrent structural and spectroscopic study in the absence of intermolecular perturbation, allowing characterisation of the luminescence properties of a high‐energy, twisted conformation of the previously well‐studied chromophore. We expect the unique environment provided by network solids, and the capability of combining crystallographic and spectroscopic analysis, will greatly enhance understanding of luminescent molecules and lead to the development of novel sensors and adsorbents

A systematic review of barriers to early presentation and diagnosis with cancer among Black women

Objective: To explore barriers to early presentation and diagnosis with breast cancer among black women. Design: Systematic review. Methods: We searched multiple bibliographic databases (January 1991–February 2013) for primary research, published in English, conducted in developed countries and investigating barriers to early presentation and diagnosis with symptomatic breast cancer among black women (?18 years). Studies were excluded if they did not report separate findings by ethnic group or gender, only reported differences in time to presentation/diagnosis, or reported on interventions and barriers to cancer screening. We followed Cochrane and PRISMA guidance to identify relevant research. Findings were integrated through thematic synthesis. Designs of quantitative studies made meta-analysis impossible. Results: We identified 18 studies (6183 participants). Delay was multifactorial, individual and complex. Factors contributing to delay included: poor symptom and risk factor knowledge; fear of detecting breast abnormality; fear of cancer treatments; fear of partner abandonment; embarrassment disclosing symptoms to healthcare professionals; taboo and stigmatism. Presentation appears quicker following disclosure. Influence of fatalism and religiosity on delay is unclear from evidence in these studies. We compared older studies (?10 years) with newer ones (<10 years) to determine changes over time. In older studies, delaying factors included: inaccessibility of healthcare services; competing priorities and concerns about partner abandonment. Partner abandonment was studied in older studies but not in newer ones. Comparisons of healthy women and cancer populations revealed differences between how people perceive they would behave, and actually behave, on finding breast abnormality. Conclusions: Strategies to improve early presentation and diagnosis with breast cancer among black women need to address symptom recognition and interpretation of risk, as well as fears of the consequences of cancer. The review is limited by the paucity of studies conducted outside the USA and limited detail reported by published studies preventing comparison between ethnic groups