Age at menopause of HIV-infected women: a review.

The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy has promoted a reduction in mortality due to HIV. Thus more women are living longer after receiving a diagnosis of HIV infection. With an increase in survival, topics related to the menopausal transition in HIV-infected women have emerged, such as age at menopause, bone mineral density and menopause-related symptoms. To this end, several studies have investigated age at menopause (AM) in HIV-infected women. The present paper reviews these studies and discusses the possible clinical implications of determining AM for HIV-positive women.     

Factors associated with quality of life in a cohort of postmenopausal women

Objective.?To evaluate quality of life (QOL) and identify its associated factors in a cohort of postmenopausal women who had not received hormone therapy.

Methods.?A cross-sectional study was conducted among 81 postmenopausal women who had not used hormone therapy in the last six months. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, in addition to the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, were evaluated. QOL was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire, which may be condensed into two summaries: Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary. Generalized linear models were used to analyze the data, allowing the identification of factors affecting QOL, adjusting for confounding variables.

Results.?The mean (±standard deviation) age of the participants was 58.1 ± 4.7 years. The most prevalent symptoms were nervousness (67%) and hot flushes and sweating (51%). Factors associated with poorer QOL were sweating, palpitations, nervousness (physical component), and dizziness, nervousness, depression, insomnia and dyspareunia (mental component).

Conclusion.?We observed that menopausal symptoms negatively affected the physical and mental components of QOL in postmenopausal women.     

Solubility and Diffusivity of Propylene,Ethylene, and Propylene–Ethylene Mixtures in Polypropylene

The solubility of propylene, ethylene, and propylene–ethylene mixtures in isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is measured with a high‐pressure sorption balance at different temperatures and pressures. The obtained sorption isotherms of both binary systems (propylene–iPP and ethylene–iPP) are fitted with the Sanchez–Lacombe equation of state. It is found that both binary interaction parameters for ethylene and propylene in iPP decrease with temperature. At temperatures above 70 °C, the overall solubility of ethylene plus propylene mixtures can be modeled using purely binary systems. However, at temperatures under 70 °C it is necessary to use a ternary solubility model that accounts for interactions between the penetrants and the polymer. Furthermore, at lower temperatures, the total solubility of the gas mixture is higher than the sum of gas solubilities of individual components because the anti‐solvent effect of ethylene (on propylene) is weaker than the co‐solvent effect of propylene on ethylene. Moreover, the molar ratio of ethylene to propylene dissolved in iPP increases with temperature and pressure. Desorption studies show that the effective diffusion coefficient increases with pressure and temperature and that the effective diffusivity of gaseous ethylene–propylene mixtures is lower than that of either of the individual gases.     

Positive mental health effects of the Coping With Strain (CWS) course on employees: a four-year longitudinal randomized controlled trial

The Coping With Strain (CWS) course is a modified version of the Coping With Depression (CWD) course. CWD has been shown to reduce depression in several target groups. However, no other study has tested a modified CWD course delivered at the workplace to promote mental health. As mental health problems among employees remain a neglected area in many countries, and initiatives at the workplace often lack documentation of effects, we tested the effects of CWS on self-esteem, self-efficacy and vitality. After advertisement at workplaces, 119 employees were randomized into Intervention Group 1 (IG1), which immediately participated in CWS, or Intervention Group 2 (IG2), which functioned as a control group for six months until its participation in CWS. The follow-up period lasted for four years in both IG1 and IG2. Linear mixed models were fitted to the data. Self-efficacy, self-esteem and vitality increased significantly during the course and showed further significantly elevated levels at the follow-ups. CWS delivered at the workplace has short-term effects and the long-term effects may be maintained over a period of four years.