An Initial Look into the Sexuality and Well-Being of Women Living with HIV: Making the Invisible Visible

Sexuality and Disability - This article focuses on the stories of women living with HIV concerning sexuality and well-being. Their stories counter the dominant perception of women's sexuality...     

Caloric and rotatory chair test results in patients with Ménière's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an association exists between the parameters of the caloric and rotatory chair tests in patients with unilateral Ménière's disease. METHODS: Patients with unilateral Ménière's disease (n = 100) were subjected to the caloric and the rotatory chair test (sinusoidal harmonic acceleration and impulsive tests) on the same day. Canal paresis and directional preponderance were assessed in the caloric test, and different variables were measured in the rotatory chair test based on the existence of abnormal parameters in the vestibulo-ocular reflex at two or three consecutive frequencies of those tested and on the time constant of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective study was conducted at a University hospital. RESULTS: An abnormal result in the caloric test was obtained from 73% of the patients. In the rotatory chair test, the most frequent abnormal findings involved increases in the normal phase lead at 2 consecutive frequencies tested (23%). There was a stronger association between an abnormal result in phase, gain, and/or symmetry at three adjacent frequencies and a pathological result in the caloric test. CONCLUSION: Very few of the criteria used to define the caloric and rotatory chair tests seem to be associated. This confirms previous knowledge that both tests examine vestibulo-ocular reflex by different ways. Only when vestibular dysfunction is severe enough (manifested by the finding of an abnormal result in at least three consecutive frequencies in the rotatory chair test), the caloric test is also found to be abnormal.     

Involvement of autophagy in melatonin‐induced cytotoxicity in glioma‐initiating cells

Glioblastoma‐initiating cells (GICs) represent a stem cell‐like subpopulation within malignant glioblastomas responsible for tumor development, progression, therapeutic resistance, and tumor relapse. Thus, eradication of this subpopulation is essential to achieve stable, long‐lasting remission. We have previously reported that melatonin decreases cell proliferation of glioblastoma cells both in vitro and in vivo and synergistically increases effectiveness of drugs in glioblastoma cells and also in GICs. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the indolamine alone in GICs and found that melatonin treatment reduces GICs proliferation and induces a decrease in self‐renewal and clonogenic ability accompanied by a reduction in the expression of stem cell markers. Moreover, our results also indicate that melatonin treatment, by modulating stem cell properties, induces cell death with ultrastructural features of autophagy. Thus, data reported here reinforce the therapeutic potential of melatonin as a treatment of malignant glioblastoma both by inhibiting tumor bulk proliferation or killing GICs, and simultaneously enhancing the effect of chemotherapy.     

Choroidal thickening in a case of carotid cavernous fistula

A 47-year-old woman was diagnosed with dural carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) in her right eye (RE). Scans of the choroid using Spectralis optic coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated significant asymmetry in subfoveal choroidal thickness (RE 451 μm, left eye (LE) 367 μm). This asymmetry disappeared after the fistula was embolizated through the ophthalmic artery (RE 341 μm; LE 340 μm). This case suggests that OCT should be considered as an ancillary test in the diagnosis of CCF.     

El consumo de alcohol en la población joven (12-17 años). El punto de vista de los profesionales de la salud

ObjectiveTo find out the opinions of health professionals on adolescent alcohol drinking and their evaluation of the existing legal regulation measures.MethodologyDesign: Qualitative and exploratory study, based on semi-structured interviews.Setting: Four cities representing four different regions in Spain: Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Barcelona and Pamplona.Participants: A total of 36 physicians and nurses from four Spanish regions, working in Primary Care and Emergency Care, selected by intentiones samples.Measurements: A total of 36 deep interviews, analysed using the software Nudist Vivo 4.0.ResultsHealth professionals accept their important role in preventing and intervening in adolescent alcohol drinking. Generally, they consider it as a public health problem. Prevention is associated with Primary Care, while the Emergency Departments act in specific situations of alohol abuse. Adolescents infrequently visit Primary Care, thus prevention must centre on education system and constant coordination between health professional and parents. Health personnel do not have sufficient knowledge on legal regulations. They consider educational measures as more efficient than sanctions.ConclusionsSpecific professional training is required in order to guarantee the coordination between the health and education systems and the family.     

“Inchworm sign” in urinary bladder cancer

Abdominal Radiology -