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  • Svane Mccarthy posted an update 11 hours, 46 minutes ago

    OBJECTIVE To design and validate the second edition of the Female Sexual Function questionnaire (FSF-2). MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional and multicentre study was conducted on 187 women (18-70 years) who completed a test (preliminary questionnaire FSF-2), and then answered a structured anamnesis on female sexual function. Four weeks later they completed a retest, which was equal to the test but with an additional question about possible influence of recent events in their sex life. RESULTS The mean age of the women was 43.51 years. Internal consistency of the questionnaire Cronbach’s α of the 0.919 test, of structured anamnesis 0.921, of the 0.920 retest. Test-retest reliability mean test scores 30.53 ± 8.605, retest 30.05 ± 8.770, without significant differences. Correlation between total test and retest scores (intraclass correlation coefficient) 0.960, significant (P less then .01); between total test scores and structured anamnesis 0.977, significant (P less then .01). Concordance between test questions and structured anamnesis (kappa index), minimum 0.706, maximum 0.915; between test and retest questions, minimum 0.630, maximum 0.802. Content validity by expert consensus. Criteria validity specificity of the questionnaire exceeding 90% for all items/domains, sensitivity greater than 80%, except for items 5, 6, 9 (70-80%). Validity of the construct through factor analysis, grouping of items into 2 components (they explain 66.586% of variance). CONCLUSIONS The FSF-2 questionnaire is reliable and valid. It evaluates the sexual response of women, describing important aspects of their sexual activity as a couple anticipatory anxiety, initiative, confidence to communicate, preferences and events that may influence. It can detect sexual dysfunction in the couple. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The predictors for gastroesophageal varices (GOV) and hemorrhage development have not been well studied in different liver diseases or different population. This study aimed to evaluate whether a new algorithm focusing on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients is also applicable to other chronic liver diseases (CLDs) in Chinese population. PATIENTS OR MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 659 CHB patients and 386 patients with other CLDs. A total of 439 CHB patients were included in training set, the other 220 CHB patients and other patients with CLDs were included in validation set. A new algorithm for diagnosing GOV was established and its sensitivity and specificity for predicting the varices was verified. RESULTS Multivariable logistic regression revealed that the rough surface of the liver (p less then 0.001), splenic thickness (p less then 0.001), and liver stiffness (p=0.006) were independent predictors of GOV. The new algorithm was considered to be a reliable diagnostic model to evaluate the presence of varices. The AUROC was 0.94 (p less then 0.001) in CHB validation set and 0.90 ( less then 0.001) in non-CHB validation set. When the cut-off value was chosen as -1.048, the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing GOV in CHB population were 89.1% and 82.5%, respectively. Importantly, the new algorithm accurately predicted the variceal hemorrhage not only in CHB patients, but also in patients with other CLDs. CONCLUSION The new algorithm is regarded as a reliable model to prognosticate varices and variceal hemorrhage, and stratified not only the high-risk CHB patients, but also in patients with other CLDs for developing GOV and variceal bleeding. Vaccination coverage among United States (U.S.) adults for tetanus continues to be lower than the national goals. Education has demonstrated a positive impact on vaccination coverage. BI 2536 However, recently there have been outbreaks of vaccine preventable conditions in areas with high college completion rates. This study assessed the relationship between education and tetanus vaccination. Data from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a self-reported annual survey for non-institutionalized adults in the US from the Centers for Disease Control, was analyzed in 2019. The outcome was up-to-date tetanus vaccination if received within the last 10 years. Education was categorized into 1) grade 11 or less, 2) grade 12/GED, 3) college 1-3 years, and 4) college 4 or more years. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were conducted on the analytic sample (n = 417,473) using Stata 15, accounting for weighting and the complex survey design. In 2016, 59.9% of U.S. adults had up-to-date tetanus vaccination. Higher education level was associated with increased odds of up-to-date tetanus vaccination. The highest odds were for those with 4 or more years of college education [aOR = 1.31; 95% (CI 1.26-1.35)]. Female sex, Black (non-Hispanic), unemployed, not being married, not having insurance or a personal health care provider, and above 45 years of age had lower odds of up-to-date tetanus vaccination. Targeted community specific vaccination education programs for those without tertiary education may help enhance the knowledge and thus the overall vaccination status in the U.S. To develop anti-tumor agents for lung cancer, we aim to characterize a herbal compound, daidzein-rich isoflavones aglycone (DRIA), in inhibiting the proliferation and NF-κB signaling pathway of lung cancer. MTT and colony formation assays were used to analyze the proliferation of lung cancer cells in presence of DRIA treatment, which showed that DRIA dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of lung cancer cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that interleukin-6 (IL6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were reduced by DRIA. p65-NFκB expression and activation, which was enhanced by TNF-α and C/EBPβ treatment, were attenuated by DRIA. Exogenous tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBPβ) were used to enhance NF-κB signaling in cells, and the effects of DRIA in attenuating NF-κB signaling were assessed by analyzing p65-NFκB expression in mRNA and protein levels, using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot and immunofluorescence staining.

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