1,720,978 research outputs found
Adolescents and web porn: a new era of sexuality
Full text linkBackground: Pornography can affect the lifestyles of adolescents, especially in terms of their sexual habits and porn consumption, and may have a significant influence on their sexual attitudes and behaviors. Objective: The aim of this study was to understand and analyze the frequency, duration, and perception of web porn utilization by young Italians attending high school. Materials and methods: A total of 1565 students attending the final year of high school were involved in the study, and 1492 have agreed to fill out an anonymous survey. The questions representing the content of this study were: 1) How often do you access the web? 2) How much time do you remain connected? 3) Do you connect to pornographic sites? 4) How often do you access pornographic sites? 5) How much time you spend on them? 6) How often do you masturbate? and 7) How do you rate the attendance of these sites? Statistical analysis was performed by Fischer's test. Results: All young people, on an almost daily basis, have access to Internet. Among those surveyed, 1163 (77.9%) of Internet users admit to the consumption of pornographic material, and of these, 93 (8%) access pornographic websites daily, 686 (59%) boys accessing these sites perceive the consumption of pornography as always stimulating, 255 (21.9%) define it as habitual, 116 (10%) report that it reduces sexual interest towards potential real-life partners, and the remaining 106 (9.1%) report a kind of addiction. In addition, 19% of overall pornography consumers report an abnormal sexual response, while the percentage rose to 25.1% among regular consumers. Conclusion: It is necessary to educate web users, especially young users, to a safe and responsible use of the Internet and of its contents. Moreover, public education campaigns should be increased in number and frequency to help improve knowledge of Internet-related sexual issues both by adolescents and by parents
SIGNALING PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN THE APOPTOTIC ACTION OF OUABAIN IN TWO DIFFERENT CANCER CELL LINES
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Antiapoptotic and Proliferative Effects of Low Concentrations of 7 beta-Hydroxycholesterol in Human Endothelial Cells via ERK Activation
No full textThe atherogenic potential of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) has been correlated to their 7beta-hydroxycholesterol (7betaOHC) content; oxLDLs have a dual effect on endothelial cell viability, inducing apoptosis or proliferation depending on the concentration. Considering that 7betaOHC is apoptotic for endothelial cells at concentrations >/=20 mug/ml, a study on the effect of lower concentrations of 7betaOHC on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was undertaken. 7betaOHC (1-10 mug/ml) increased 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction of growth-factor-deprived HUVECs. This effect was due to the increased cell proliferation, determined by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, and the reduction of apoptosis, revealed by the decreased caspase-3 activation and annexin V staining. 7betaOHC also protected against staurosporine apoptosis. 7betaOHC induced an increase in intracellular ROS antagonized by N-acetylcysteine; however, HUVECs treatment with the antioxidant did not inhibit the effects of 7betaOHC. 7betaOHC produced an increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation that was blocked by inhibitors of store-operated calcium entry 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate and gadolinium. MEK inhibition with PD98059 or U0126 as well as store-operated calcium entry inhibition antagonized the effect of 7betaOHC. The results suggest that 7betaOHC promotes HUVECs survival and proliferation by a mechanism independent of ROS production and involving calcium-dependent activation of ERK
Spontaneous fertility and in vitro fertilization outcome: New evidence of human papillomavirus sperm infection
Full text linkObjective To evaluate the reproductive outcome of infertile couples undergoing assisted reproduction techniques (ART) with or without human papillomavirus (HPV) semen infection. Design Cross-sectional clinical study. Setting Units of andrology, reproductive medicine, and gynecology. Patient(s) A total of 226 infertile couples. Intervention(s) Male partners were evaluated by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for HPV on semen. After a diagnostic period, female partners underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Main Outcome Measure(s) Seminal parameters and FISH analysis for HPV in sperm head. Spontaneous or assisted pregnancies, live births, and miscarriages were recorded. Statistical analysis included unpaired Student t test and chi-square test. Result(s) Fifty-four male partners (23.9%) had HPV semen infection confined to sperm, confined to exfoliated cells, or in both cells. During the diagnostic period, noninfected couples showed spontaneous pregnancies. IUI and ICSI treatments were performed in, respectively, 60 and 98 noninfected and in 21 and 33 infected couples, with 38.4% and 14.2% cumulative pregnancy rates, respectively. The follow-up of pregnancies showed a higher miscarriage rate in infected couples (62.5% vs. 16.7%). Ongoing pregnancies of the latter group were characterized by HPV infection confined to exfoliated cells. Conclusion(s) A reduction in natural and assisted cumulative pregnancy rate and an increase in miscarriage rate are related to the presence of HPV at sperm level. Although the exact mechanism by which sperm infection is able to impair fertility remains unclear, this aspect is worthy of further investigations. If confirmed, these results could change the clinical and diagnostic approach to infertile couples
Sperm viral infection and male infertility: focus on HBV, HCV, HIV, HPV, HSV, HCMV, and AAV
No full textChronic viral infections can infect sperm and are considered a risk factor in male infertility. Recent studies have shown that the presence of HIV, HBV or HCV in semen impairs sperm parameters, DNA integrity, and in particular reduces forward motility. In contrast, very little is known about semen infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpesviruses (HSV), cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and adeno-associated virus (AAV). At present, EU directives for the viral screening of couples undergoing assisted reproduction techniques require only the evaluation of HIV, HBV, and HCV. However, growing evidence suggests that HPV, HSV, and HCMV might play a major role in male infertility and it has been demonstrated that HPV semen infection has a negative influence on sperm parameters, fertilization, and the abortion rate. Besides the risk of horizontal or vertical transmission, the negative impact of any viral sperm infection on male reproductive function seems to be dramatic. In addition, treatment with antiviral and antiretroviral therapies may further affect sperm parameters. In this review we attempted to focus on the interactions between defined sperm viral infections and their association with male fertility disorders. All viruses considered in this article have a potentially negative effect on male reproductive function and dangerous infections can be transmitted to partners and newborns. In light of this evidence, we suggest performing targeted sperm washing procedures for each sperm infection and to strongly consider screening male patients seeking fertility for HPV, HSV, and HCMV, both to avoid viral transmission and to improve assisted or even spontaneous fertility outcome
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