Factors Influencing Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Behavior: A Secondary Analysis of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Adolescence is a tumultuous and challenging time period in life. Sexual risk behavior among adolescents is a widespread topic of interest in the current literature. Two common factors that influence increased sexual risk behavior are symptoms of depression and negative body image. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body image and symptoms of depression upon sexual risk-taking in an adolescent female population. A secondary data analysis of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was used to explore girls’ sexual activity, body image, and mental health. There were 7,708 high-school girls who participated in this study. Three questions were used to represent the constructs under investigation. There were significant correlations between sexual activity, body image, and symptoms of depression; only symptoms of depression were significant predictors of both sexual activity and condom usage. Body image was a predictor of sexual activity, but not condom use. Our findings support previous studies that suggested that people with depressive symptoms were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Our study also supports the idea that a negative body image decreases sexual activity; however, other researchers have reported that negative body image leads to an increase in sexual activity.     

Response to treatment with rosiglitazone in familial partial lipodystrophy due to a mutation in the LMNA gene

Background Familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) is a monogenic form of diabetes characterised by a dominantly inherited disorder of adipose tissue associated with the loss of subcutaneous fat from the limbs and trunk, with excess fat deposited around the face and neck. The lipodystrophy causes severe insulin resistance, resulting in acanthosis nigricans, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Preliminary results from animals and man suggest that increasing subcutaneous fat by treatment with thiazolidinediones should improve insulin resistance and the associated features of this syndrome. Case report We report a 24-year-old patient with FPLD caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene (R482W) treated with 12 months of rosiglitazone. Subcutaneous fat increased following rosiglitazone treatment as demonstrated by a 29% generalised increase in skin-fold thickness. Leptin levels increased from 5.8 to 11.2 ng/ml. Compared with treatment on Metformin, there was an increase in insulin sensitivity (HOMA S% 17.2–31.6) but no change in glycaemic control. The lipid profile worsened during the follow-up period. Conclusion This initial case suggests that, for modification of cardiovascular risk factors, there are no clear advantages in treating patients with FPLD with rosiglitazone despite increases in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Larger series will be needed to identify moderate beneficial effects and treatment may be more effective in patients with generalised forms of lipodystrophy.     

Stereoscopic evoked responses to crossed and uncrossed disparity accompanying simulated refractive error.

Evoked potentials were recorded to the occurrence of a disparate stimulus in dynamic random dot stereograms. Seven adult males, all of whom had vision which was normal or corrected to normal, participated in the experiment. Subjects viewed 100 ms duration stimuli which embodied 30 arc min of either crossed or uncrossed disparity under four conditions of spherical overcorrection: -0.25, +1.0, +2.0, +3.0 dioptres. The first condition, essentially normal refraction, yielded reliable behavioural reports of the stimulus and clear evoked potentials to both crossed and uncrossed disparity. With increasing overcorrection the behavioural reports became less reliable, and the evoked potentials were degraded for both conditions of disparity. The responses to the crossed disparity condition, however, showed significantly less degradation in both behavioural and electrophysiological measures. The implications of this finding may be that there are separate cortical subsystems for the processing of crossed and uncrossed disparity and that the former is more robust under non-ideal viewing conditions.     

Suppurative corneal ulceration in Bangladesh

Suppurative keratitis is an important preventable cause of blindness, particularly in the developing world. This study analyses 142 cases of suppurative keratitis referred to Chittagong Eye Infirmary, Bangladesh. Some 53.5% of cases were bacterial and 35.9% were fungal. The five most common pathogens were: Pseudomonas sp. 24%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 17%, Aspergillus sp. 13%, Fusarium sp. 7% and Curvularia sp. 6%. Gram stain and culture results were consistent in 62.6% of cases. Previous antibiotic treatment was a significant factor for failure of culture isolation and less so for Gram stain failure. On Gram stain, 55.9% of pseudomonal cases were missed, but only 2% of fungal cases were missed. Over all, Gram stain had a sensitivity of 62% and positive predictive value of 84% for bacterial cases, and 98% and 94% for fungal cases, respectively. Fungal ulcers were typically filamentous, but an antecedent history of trauma was not common. The most frequent injury was due to rice grains, but the inoculum appeared to be introduced during eye washing with contaminated water. Pseudomonal ulcers occurred most frequently in the monsoon season, and Fusarium cases were seen only in the hot, dry season.     

Cremation of body parts and fetuses.

Crematoria are occasionally asked to cremate non-viable fetuses. Many doctors, especially those associated with crematoria, believe that there will be no cremated residue. However, if the cremation technique is modified, cremated remains are produced. These remains can form a focal point for the parent's grief. Crematoria are urged to ensure their technique yields a residue.