Sexual dysfunctions among young men: prevalence and associated factors.

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study are to measure the prevalence of premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED) among a population of Swiss young men and to assess which factors are associated with these sexual dysfunctions in this age-group. METHODS: For each condition (PE and ED), we performed separate analyses comparing young men suffering from the condition with those who were not. Groups were compared for substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, other illegal drugs, and medication without a prescription), self-reported body mass index, sexual orientation, physical activity, professional activity, sexual experience (sexual life length and age at first intercourse), depression status, mental health, and physical health in a bivariate analysis. We then used a log-linear analysis to consider all significant variables simultaneously. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for PE and ED were 11% and 30%, respectively. Poor mental health was the only variable to have a direct association with both conditions after controlling for potential confounders. In addition, PE was directly associated with tobacco, illegal drugs, professional activity, and physical activity, whereas ED was directly linked with medication without a prescription, length of sexual life, and physical health. CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland, one-third of young men suffer from at least one sexual dysfunction. Multiple health-compromising factors are associated with these dysfunctions. These should act as red flags for health professionals to encourage them to take any opportunity to talk about sexuality with their young male patients.

Effectiveness of a brief integrative multiple substance use intervention among young men with and without booster sessions.

Brief interventions (BI) commonly employ screening and target a single substance. Multi-substance interventions are a more adequate reflection of risk behaviors in adolescents and young adults. Systematic screening complicates BI in many settings. The effectiveness of a voluntary multi-substance intervention among 19-year-old men and the incremental impact of booster sessions were analyzed. Participants were enrolled during mandatory army conscription in Switzerland. Compared with 461 controls, 392 BI subjects showed reduced substance use on 10 of 12 measures (4 tobacco, 4 cannabis, and 2 alcohol measures). Between-group effects were small and non-significant (except for cannabis use prevalence). Three-month booster sessions were not effective and even contraindicated. The usefulness of targeting multi-substances during BIs without prior screening depends on the value of small effects. The addition of booster sessions was not effective and therefore is not recommended.

Mind the Gap. Do Proportional Electoral Systems Foster a More Equal Representation of Women and Men, Poor and Rich ?

Female gender and low income are two markers for groups that have been historically disadvantaged within most societies. The study explores two research questions related to their political representation: 1) Are parties ideologically biased towards the ideological preferences of male and rich citizens? 2) Does the proportionality of the electoral system moderate the degree of underrepresentation of women and poor citizens in the party system? A multilevel analysis of survey data from 24 parliamentary democracies indicates that there is some bias against those with low income and, at a much smaller rate, women. This has systemic consequences for the quality of representation, as the preferences of the complementary groups differ. The proportionality of the electoral system influences the degree of underrepresentation: specifically, larger district magnitudes help closing the considerable gap between rich and poor.

Systemic lupus erythematosus in men: clinical and immunological characteristics.

Although systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has traditionally been considered a disease of women, men may also be affected. Thirty of 261 patients (12%) with SLE seen in this hospital were men. Arthritis was less common as a first symptom in the men, although this group of patients had discoid lesions and serositis more often than the women. During the follow up a lower incidence of arthritis and malar rash and a higher incidence of other skin complications including discoid lesions and subcutaneous lupus erythematosus was found in the men. The incidence of nephropathy, neurological disease, thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, and serositis, was similar in the two groups. No significant immunological differences were found between men and women. These features indicate that several gender associated clinical differences may be present in patients with SLE.

The role of gender and social context for men's and women's smoking behaviour

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Men change, and museums change

This text was written for the 3rd Meeting of the Seminar on Social Museology, which took place at the Museu do Homem do Nordeste [Museum of the North-eastern Man], in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in May 2010. It is important to explain that the Seminar on Social Museology is a monthly cycle of theoretical debates organized with the aim of gathering the necessary contributions to put together a new museological model which can indeed be compatible with the practice and its end activity – to institutionally represent the culture of the north-eastern region – and also with the practice of the role of social agent henceforth given Museums by New Museology in Brazil. To these objectives one can add that of legitimizing the museum before its peers and the museological community understood here as partners of its end activity, which is that of representing the North-eastern Man, a task that can only be feasible if socialized.

Introduction to the DISRUPT postprandial database: subjects, studies and methodologies

Dysregulation of lipid and glucose metabolism in the postprandial state are recognised as important risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to create a comprehensive, standardised database of postprandial studies to provide insights into the physiological factors that influence postprandial lipid and glucose responses. Data were collated from subjects (n = 467) taking part in single and sequential meal postprandial studies conducted by researchers at the University of Reading, to form the DISRUPT (DIetary Studies: Reading Unilever Postprandial Trials) database. Subject attributes including age, gender, genotype, menopausal status, body mass index, blood pressure and a fasting biochemical profile, together with postprandial measurements of triacylglycerol (TAG), non-esterified fatty acids, glucose, insulin and TAG-rich lipoprotein composition are recorded. A particular strength of the studies is the frequency of blood sampling, with on average 10-13 blood samples taken during each postprandial assessment, and the fact that identical test meal protocols were used in a number of studies, allowing pooling of data to increase statistical power. The DISRUPT database is the most comprehensive postprandial metabolism database that exists worldwide and preliminary analysis of the pooled sequential meal postprandial dataset has revealed both confirmatory and novel observations with respect to the impact of gender and age on the postprandial TAG response. Further analysis of the dataset using conventional statistical techniques along with integrated mathematical models and clustering analysis will provide a unique opportunity to greatly expand current knowledge of the aetiology of inter-individual variability in postprandial lipid and glucose responses.

Global oil production: forecasts and methodologies

A range of forecasts of global oil production made between 1956 and the present day are listed. For the majority of these the methodology used to generate the forecast is described. The paper distinguishes between three types of forecast: group 1-quantitative analyses which predict that global oil production will reach a resource-limited peak in the near term, and certainly before the year 2020; group 2-forecasts that use quantitative methods, but which see no production peak within the forecast's time horizon (typically 2020 or 2030); group 3-nonquantitative analyses that rule out a resource-limited oil peak within the foreseeable future. The paper analyses these forecast types and suggests that group 1 forecasts are the most realistic.

Tough, sensitive and sincere : how adolescent boys manage masculinities and emotions

This study aimed to explore adolescent boys’ views of masculinity and emotion management and their potential effects on well-being. Interviews with 33 adolescent boys aged 16–17 years in Sweden were analysed using grounded theory. We found two main categories of masculine conceptions in adolescent boys: gender-normative masculinity with emphasis on group-based values, and non-gender-normative masculinity based on personal values. Gender-normative masculinity comprised two seemingly opposite emotional masculinity orientations, one towards toughness and the other towards sensitivity, both of which were highly influenced by contextual and situational group norms and demands, despite their expressions contrasting each other. Non-gender-normative masculinity included an orientation towards sincerity emphasising the personal values of the boys; emotions were expressed more independently of peer group norms. Our findings suggest that different masculinities and the expression of emotions are strongly intertwined and that managing emotions is vital for well-being.

Indoor radon measurements and methodologies in Latin American countries

According to the current international guidelines concerning environmental problems, it is necessary to evaluate and to know the indoor radon levels, specially since most of the natural radiation dose to man comes from radon gas and its progeny. Several countries have established National Institutions and National Programs for the study of radon and its connection with lung cancer risk and public health. The aim of this work is to present the indoor radon measurements and the detection methods used for different regions of Latin America (LA) in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. This study shows that the passive radon devices based on alpha particle nuclear track methodology (NTM) is one of the more generalized methods in LA for long term indoor radon measurements, CR-39, LR-115 and Makrofol being the more commonly used detector materials. The participating institutions and the radon level measurements in the different countries are presented in this contribution. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approaches and methodologies used in the preparation of economic projections in Caribbean countries: difficulties and suggestions for improvement

Includes bibliography

New technologies and methodologies for intervention to promote development

Includes bibliography

Responsiveness and habituation of soluble icam-1 to acute psychosocial stress in men: determinants and efect of stress-hemoconcentration

We studied the psychophysiology of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in 25 apparently healthy middle-aged men who underwent an acute psychosocial stressor three times with one week apart. Measures of the biological stress response were obtained at week one and three. The magnitude of the sICAM-1 stress response showed no habituation between visits. At week one, cognitive stress appraisal independently predicted integrated sICAM-1 area under the curve (AUC) between rest, immediately post-stress, and 45 min and 105 min post-stress (beta=.67, p=.012, deltaR(2)=.41). Diastolic blood pressure AUC (beta=-.45, p=.048, deltaR(2)=.21) and heart rate (AUC) (beta=.44, p=.055, deltaR(2)=.21) were independent predictors of sICAM-1 (AUC) at week three. Adjustment for hemoconcentration yielded a decrease in sICAM-1 levels from rest to post-stress (p<.001). Stress responsiveness of plasma sICAM-1 was predicted by stress perception and hemodynamic reactivity and affected by stress-hemoconcentration but unrelated to cortisol reactivity and not readily adapting to stress repeats.