Harmful or helpful : perceived solicitous and facilitative partner responses are differentially associated with pain and sexual satisfaction in women with provoked vestibulodynia.

Introduction.  Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that negatively affects women's emotional, sexual, and relationship well-being. Recent studies have investigated the role of interpersonal variables, including partner responses. Aim.  We examined whether solicitous and facilitative partner responses were differentially associated with vulvovaginal pain and sexual satisfaction in women with PVD by examining each predictor while controlling for the other. Methods.  One hundred twenty-one women (M age = 30.60, SD = 10.53) with PVD or self-reported symptoms of PVD completed the solicitous subscale of the spouse response scale of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, and the facilitative subscale of the Spouse Response Inventory. Participants also completed measures of pain, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, trait anxiety, and avoidance of pain and sexual behaviors (referred to as “avoidance”). Main Outcome Measures.  Dependent measures were the (i) Pain Rating Index of the McGill Pain Questionnaire with reference to pain during vaginal intercourse and (ii) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. Results.  Controlling for trait anxiety and avoidance, higher solicitous partner responses were associated with higher vulvovaginal pain intensity (β = 0.20, P = 0.03), and higher facilitative partner responses were associated with lower pain intensity (β = −0.20, P = 0.04). Controlling for sexual function, trait anxiety, and avoidance, higher facilitative partner responses were associated with higher sexual satisfaction (β = 0.15, P = 0.05). Conclusions.  Findings suggest that facilitative partner responses may aid in alleviating vulvovaginal pain and improving sexual satisfaction, whereas solicitous partner responses may contribute to greater pain.

Woman and partner-perceived partner responses predict pain and sexual satisfaction in vestibulodynia couples

Introduction.  Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that results in significant sexual dysfunction, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life. Although some intra-individual psychological factors have been associated with PVD, studies to date have neglected the interpersonal context of this condition. Aim.  We examined whether partner responses to women's pain experience—from the perspective of both the woman and her partner—are associated with pain intensity, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction. Methods.  One hundred ninety-one couples (M age for women = 33.28, standard deviation [SD] = 12.07, M age for men = 35.79, SD = 12.44) in which the woman suffered from PVD completed the spouse response scale of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, assessing perceptions of partners' responses to the pain. Women with PVD also completed measures of pain, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, depression, and dyadic adjustment. Main Outcome Measures.  Dependent measures were women's responses to: (i) a horizontal analog scale assessing the intensity of their pain during intercourse; (ii) the Female Sexual Function Index; and (iii) the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. Results.  Controlling for depression, higher solicitous partner responses were associated with higher levels of women's vulvovaginal pain intensity. This association was significant for partner-perceived responses (β = 0.29, P < 0.001) and for woman-perceived partner responses (β = 0.16, P = 0.04). After controlling for sexual function and dyadic adjustment, woman-perceived greater solicitous partner responses (β = 0.16, P = 0.02) predicted greater sexual satisfaction. Partner-perceived responses did not predict women's sexual satisfaction. Partner responses were not associated with women's sexual function. Conclusions.  Findings support the integration of dyadic processes in the conceptualization and treatment of PVD by suggesting that partner responses to pain affect pain intensity and sexual satisfaction in affected women.

Research note: amendments to the model for predicting age at sexual maturity for growing pullets of layer strains following changes in photoperiod

A model was published by Lewis et al. (2002) to predict the mean age at first egg (AFE) for pullets of laying strains reared under non-limiting environmental conditions and exposed to a single change in photoperiod during the rearing stage. Subsequently, Lewis et al. (2003) reported the effects of two opposing changes in photoperiod, which showed that the first change appears to alter the pullet's physiological age so that it responds to the second change as though it had been given at an earlier age (if photoperiod was decreased), or later age (if photoperiod was increased) than the true chronological age. During the construction of a computer model based on these two publications, it became apparent that some of the components of the models needed adjustment. The amendments relate to (1) the standard deviation (S.D.) used for calculating the proportion of a young flock that has attained photosensitivity, (2) the equation for calculating the slope of the line relating AFE to age at transfer from one photoperiod to another, (3) the equation used for estimating the distribution of AFE as a function of the mean value, (4) the point of no return when pullets which have started spontaneous maturation in response to the current photoperiod can no longer respond to a late change in photoperiod and (5) the equations used for calculating the distribution of AFE when the trait is bimodal.

Change in the effect of constant photoperiods on the rate of sexual maturation in modern genotypes of domestic pullet

1. Data for modern egg-type hybrids reared on constant daylengths show that, as expected, they mature more quickly than earlier genotypes. However, the constant photoperiod which gives earliest sexual maturity has not changed as a result of selection and is 10 h for both early and modern genotypes. 2. Further analysis showed that the rate of delay in sexual maturity for constant photoperiods above 10 h is similar for modern and for early hybrids ( +0.29 d for each incremental one hour of photoperiod), the response of modern hybrids below 10 h ( +4.22 d for each one-hour reduction in photoperiod) is more than double that of early hybrids ( +1.71 d/h).

Graceful remedies: understanding grace in the Catholic Church's treatment of clerical child sexual abuse

This article examines advocacy of Catholic restorative justice for clerical child sexual abuse from the standpoint of feminist criminological critiques of the use of restorative mediation in sexual offence cases. In particular, it questions the Catholic invocation of grace and forgiveness of survivors of abuse in light of critical feminist concerns about the exploitation of emotions in restorative practices, especially in regard to sexual and other gender-based offences. In the context of sexual abuse, the Catholic appeal to grace has the potential for turning into an extraordinary demand made of victims not only to rehabilitate offenders and the church in the eyes of the community, but also to work towards the spiritual absolution of the abuser. This unique feature of Catholic-oriented restorative justice raises important concerns in terms of feminist critiques of the risk of abuses of power within mediation, and is also incompatible with orthodox restorative justice theory, which, although it advocates a ‘spiritual’ response to crime, is concerned foremost with the rights, needs and experiences of victims.

Hypercapnic ventilatory response of anesthetized female rats subjected to neonatal maternal separation: Insight into the origins of panic attacks?

Neonatal maternal separation (NMS) is a form of stress that interferes with the regulation of the stress response, an effect that predisposes to the emergence of panic and anxiety related disorders. We previously showed that at adulthood, awake female (but not male) rats subjected to NMS show a hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR; 5% CO(2)) that is 63% greater than controls (Genest et al., 2007). To understand the mechanisms underlying the sex-specific effects of NMS on the ventilatory response to CO(2), we used two different anesthetized female rat preparations to assess central CO(2) chemosensitivity and contribution of sensory afferents (stretch receptors and peripheral chemoreceptors) that influence the HCVR. Data show that anesthesia eliminated the respiratory phenotype observed previously in awake females and CO(2) chemosensitivity did not differ between groups. Finally, the assessment of the ovarian hormone levels across the oestrus cycle failed to reveal significant differences between groups. Since anesthesia did not affect the manifestation of NMS-related respiratory dysfunction in males (including the hypercapnic ventilatory response) (Kinkead et al., 2005; Dumont and Kinkead, 2010), we propose that the panic or anxiety induced by CO(2) during wakefulness is responsible for enhancement of the HCVR in NMS females. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic associations of sexual precocity with growth traits and visual scores of conformation, finishing, and muscling in Nelore cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparação entre critérios de seleção de precocidade sexual e a associação destes com características de crescimento em bovinos Nelore

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo genético da precocidade sexual de novilhas em um rebanho Nelore

Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, estimar a herdabilidade (h²) para prenhez de novilhas e sua correlação genética (rg) com idade ao primeiro parto (IPP), em animais da raça Nelore. A prenhez de novilhas foi definida de três formas: prenhez aos 16 meses (Pr16) - para as novilhas que pariram com menos de 31 meses, atribuiu-se 1 (sucesso) e, para aquelas que pariram após 30,99 meses ou que não pariram, atribuiu-se 0 (fracasso); prenhez aos 24 meses (Pr24) - para as novilhas que pariram até 46 meses (incluindo as Pr16), foi atribuído 1 e, para aquelas que não pariram 0; e prenhez da novilha (PrN) - atribuiu-se classificação 2 para as que pariram com menos de 31 meses, 1 para as que pariram entre 31 e 46 meses e 0 para as que não pariram. Os arquivos, analisados pelo Método R e Inferência Bayesiana, continham registros de 30.802 novilhas desmamadas. As análises forneceram médias de estimativas de h² de 0,52, 0,12 e 0,16 para Pr16, Pr24 e PrN, respectivamente, pelo Método R. O valor médio obtido por Inferência Bayesiana foi de 0,45 para Pr16. A rg estimada entre Pr16 e IPP foi -0,32. Os resultados indicam que, para selecionar para precocidade sexual, é necessário expor todas as fêmeas em idades jovens e que a mensuração da taxa de prenhez por meio da Pr16 é pertinente, uma vez que esta característica apresenta variabilidade genética alta e deve responder eficientemente à seleção com possibilidades de rápido ganho genético. A análise indicou também que Pr16 e IPP são determinadas em grande parte por genes diferentes.

Comparison among three approaches for evaluation of sexual precocity in Nellore cattle

Restricted breeding seasons used in beef cattle produce censored data for reproduction traits measured in regard to these seasons. To analyze these data, adequate methods must be used. The objective of this paper was to compare three approaches aiming to evaluate sexual precocity in Nellore cattle. The final data set contained 6699 records of age at first conception (AFC14) (in days) and of heifer pregnancy (HP14) (binary) obtained from females exposed to the bulls for the first time at about 14 months of age. Records of females that did not calve in the following year after being exposed to a sire were considered censored (77.5% of total). The models used to obtain genetic parameters and expected progeny differences (EPDs) were a Weibull mixed and a censored linear model for AFC14 and threshold model for HP14. The mean heritabilities obtained were 0.76 and 0.44, respectively, for survival and censored linear models (for AFC14), and 0.58 for HP14. Ranking and Pearson correlations varied (in absolute values) from 0.54 to 0.99 (considering different percentages of sires selected), indicating moderate changes in the classification. Considering survival analysis as the best selection criterion (that would result in the best response to selection), it was observed that selection for HP14 would lead to a more significant decrease in selection response if compared with selection for AFC14 analysed by censored linear model, from which results were very similar to the survival analysis.

Associação genética entre precocidade sexual e características de crescimento e terminação em animais Nelore

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação do testículo e da cauda do epidídimo de carneiros na pré-puberdade, na maturidade sexual, no criptorquidismo e na insulação escrotal: concentrações de testosterona plasmática e tecidual, histamina, fator de necrose tumoral-alfa e óxido nítrico

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Sexual abuse and alcohol use among women in metropolitan Sao Paulo, Brazil: a general population study

OBJECTIVE:The present study aimed at estimating the prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse among women and at investigating its association with alcohol consumption.METHOD:Population-based survey conducted through a representative and stratified cluster sample of metropolitan São Paulo. GENACIS questionnaire was used. Sample unit was the home, and all residents aged 18 years and over were interviewed. The outcome was lifetime sexual abuse. The univariate statistical analysis used the Rao-Scott test. Logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis.RESULTS:The final sample totalized 1,216 women aged 18 years and over; the response rate was 75.0%. Most women were married (56.6%) and had less than 12 years of formal education (59.0%); 46.2% were aged between 25 and 44 years, and 44.4% had a low income. Of the respondents, 7.5% reported having suffered lifetime sexual abuse. Multiple logistic regression model showed an association between lifetime sexual abuse and being a heavy drinker (OR = 4.97) and being a former drinker (OR = 2.04).CONCLUSIONS:There are few population studies in Brazil investigating sexual abuse and its relation to alcohol use. Although the prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse in the present study was smaller than that observed in other studies, it is a highly expressive percentage on account of its social and economic impact, as well as its potential effect on the health system.

Estudo da filogenia dos anofelinos brasileiros do subgênero Nyssorhynchus e padronização da amplificação dos genes do receptor do peptídeo sexual (SPR) e do peptídeo sexual (SP)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Genética) - IBB

Sexual Risk Recognition Deficits: The Role of Prior Victimization and Emotion Dysregulation

Recent theoretical writings suggest that the ineffective regulation of negative emotional states may reduce the ability of women to detect and respond effectively to situational and interpersonal factors that increase risk for sexual assault. However, little empirical research has explored this hypothesis. In the present study, it was hypothesized that prior sexual victimization and negative mood state would each independently predict poor risk recognition and less effective defensive actions in response to an analogue sexual assault vignette. Further, these variables were expected to interact to produce particularly impaired risk responses. Finally, that the in vivo emotion regulation strategy of suppression and corresponding cognitive resource usage (operationalized as memory impairment for the vignette) were hypothesized to mediate these associations. Participants were 668 female undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to receive a negative or neutral film mood induction followed by an audiotaped dating interaction during which they were instructed to indicate when the man had “gone too far” and describe an adaptive response to the situation. Approximately 33.5% of the sample reported a single victimization and 10% reported revictimization. Hypotheses were largely unsupported as sexual victimization history, mood condition, and their interaction did not impact risk recognition or adaptive responding. However, in vivo emotional suppression and cognitive resource usage were shown to predict delayed risk recognition only. Findings suggest that contrary to hypotheses, negative mood (as induced here) may not relate to risk recognition and response impairments. However, it may be important for victimization prevention programs that focus on risk perception to address possible underlying issues with emotional suppression and limited cognitive resources to improve risk perception abilities. Limitations and future directions are discussed.