Limited Role of Body Satisfaction and Body Image Self-Consciousness in Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction in Pregnant Women

This cross-sectional study examined the role of maternal body image and body image self-consciousness in sexual satisfaction and intercourse frequency during pregnancy when controlling for satisfaction with partnership. Pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy (N = 150) participated in the study. Body image was measured by the Body Areas Satisfaction Scale (BASS) and Body Image Self-Consciousness Scale (BISC), while relationship satisfaction was measured by different subscales of the Perceived Quality of Marital Relationship (PQMR) Scale. Sexual satisfaction was also measured by one of the subscales of the PQMR (Intimate Relationship). The sexual behavior questionnaire comprised questions about frequency of sexual intercourse, desire, and other aspects of sexual functioning as well as the reasons that might prevent women from having intercourse during pregnancy. Findings suggested that satisfaction with body image and body image self-consciousness were related to sexual satisfaction. Nevertheless, other aspects of partnership, such as communication, appeared to be much more important predictors of sexual satisfaction than body image variables. The best predictor of sexual frequency was fear that intercourse might harm the fetus. Implications for education about sexuality issues in pregnancy are discussed.     

Effects of age and physical activity on response speed in knee flexor and extensor muscles

This study aims to determine the normalized response speed (V _rn) in vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles in different age groups using tensiomyography. Eighty-four male subjects were divided into four age groups: teenage subjects (T); undergraduate students (U), adult subjects (A), and the elderly group (E). Differences in V _rn were observed between E and T (p?=?0.000), E and U (p?=?0.000), and E and A (p?=?0.018) for right VL and between E and T (p?<?0.000) and U (p?=?0.003) for left VL; between T and U (p?=?0.010) and A (p?=?0.000) for right VL, and A (p?=?0.004) for left VL. V _rn in the BF displayed different behavior from that of the VL, increasing moderately or stabilizing and declining slightly in E, in right leg (p?=?0.020). The data obtained highlighted a decline in V _rn for the VL in both legs with increasing age and, declines in BF response speed were observed only in E.     

Building Social Capability for Economic Catch-up: The Experience and Prospects of the Post-socialist Countries

The post-socialist countries are, by the standards of the EU, poor countries. The major developmental task facing these countries is, therefore, that of catching up with their more prosperous neighbours. The scope for catch-up is defined in terms of the levels of social capability exhibited by these societies and their capacity to establish technological congruence with the leading firms from the advanced industrial economies. S&T systems in the broadest sense are shown to be key factors in relation to both social capability and technological congruence. Detailed analysis of the transition countries indicates that the catch-up process is hampered across the board by specific gaps in social capability and elements of technological incongruence. These can in turn be traced to specific structural trends, in particular in relation to foreign investment, and to specific weaknesses of institutional development, cutting across the public/private dividing line, notably in relation to R&D systems and banking systems. Consideration of all these factors suggests that there can be no assumption that the transition countries will automatically catch up with western Europe, and that some disfavoured transition countries may, indeed, continue to fall behind.     

Shiftwork tolerance and circadian rhythms in oral temperature and heart rate

Abstract

The study aimed at establishing differences in the circadian rhythm parameters of oral temperature and heart rate between three groups of workers matched by age: tolerant shiftworkers with good sleep quality and few psychosomatic and digestive complaints, intolerant shiftworkers with poor sleep quality and more psychosomatic and digestive complaints, and workers who had never worked in shifts. The study was performed at an oil refinery recreation centre where the subjects were isolated for three days. During that period they lived under constant conditions, i.e. their activities, timing and content of meals, ambient temperature and light were controlled. Hourly measurements of oral temperature and heart rate were performed over a 24-h period. The parameters of the physiological rhythms were estimated by means of the COSINA method. Generally, the differences between the groups were low and not statistically significant. The authors could find no difference in the amplitude and phase position between the tolerant shiftworkers unlike other authors. The difference between these results and those of others is likely to be due to the fact that earlier studies were performed in field conditions where many factors that could have masked the results were not controlled for.     

Is tolerance to shiftwork predictable from individual difference measures?

Abstract

This study was aimed at evaluating the most important relations between individual characteristics of shiftworkers and their subjective health complaints, obtained by cross-sectional and longitudinal procedures. A total of 604 shiftworkers and 185 young subjects who were going to enter shiftwork were examined by means of individual difference and subjective health questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered concurrently to the group of workers already involved in shiftwork. In the other group studied, the questionnaires were administered before they entered shiftwork, and subjective health was re-examined after the first and third year of work on shifts. More health complaints were reported by the group of older workers and those with longer shiftwork experience, with higher scores of neuroticism, hard-driving and competitiveness, speed and impatience, and rigidity of sleeping habits, and lower scores on relaxedness, efficiency and vigorousness. However, the correlations between these dimensions, when taken before entering shiftwork, and subjective health complaints obtained after a few years working on shifts were small or absent, indicating low validity of the individual difference measures for predicting subsequent health problems in shiftworkers.     

Vagus nerve stimulation for severe depression

Treatment-resistant depression is a serious problem with significant costs in terms of health care dollars and patients' well-being. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is one novel, device-based therapy that may be effective in this population. In this article, we review the evidence to date on the use of VNS in major depression and describe the process of VNS treatment initiation, device implantation, and dosage adjustment and monitoring. It is important for psychiatric nurses to understand the evidence base for and how VNS is used in treatment so they may enhance care of patients with treatment-resistant depression.     

Combination of a structured aerobic and resistance exercise improves glycaemic control in pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. A randomised controlled trial

Problem

Gestational diabetes mellitus, defined as any carbohydrate intolerance first diagnosed during pregnancy, is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes, both for the mother and her child.

Shiftwork tolerance and 24-h variations in moods

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify the differences in 24-h variations in moods between three groups of oil-refinery workers: tolerant shiftworkers, intolerant shiftworkers and workers who had never worked in shifts. Each group comprised 29 workers matched by age. The mood measurements were taken during a 24-h period every 2 h starting from 08:00 h. Results were scored for three scales: positive moods, negative moods and fatigue. The two-factor ANOVA revealed the significant main effect of groups for all three moods indicating differences at the average level of 24-h variations in all moods between workers who differed in the degree of tolerance to shiftwork. The significant main effect of time of day was also found for all moods while the reliable interaction between groups and time of day was observed for negative moods only, indicating a different shape of 24-h variations for non-shiftworkers in comparison to shiftworkers.     

Sleep and napping in young shiftworkers: A 5-year follow-up

Abstract

The present study examined sleep characteristics in young workers who entered rapidly rotating shiftwork for the first time and stayed on shifts for 5 years. Data were collected when the subjects had shiftwork experience of approximately 1.5, 3.5 and 5.5 years and a mean age of 22, 24 and 26 years. Data are presented showing significant differences in the main sleep durations between situations within the shift cycle and a small reduction in overall sleep over the observed period, primarily due to a sleep reduction on afternoon shift days. Data on sleep quality did not show any change over this early period of shiftwork exposure. In addition, napping strategies did not change, with the exception of a small increase in those taking naps on night-shift days between 1.5 years and 3.5 years of shiftwork exposure. At all the observed phases there were more young shiftworkers taking a nap on the morning shift days than on the night-shift days. The data suggested that reduced sleeps on morning and night-shift days were not compensated by taking a nap, but rather with an increase in main sleep duration on afternoon shift days and days off. A weak tendency for individuals to be relatively long or short sleepers irrespective of sleep conditions could be seen.     

Cultural elites and the institutionalization of ideas

Members of a multidisciplinary elite, specified by their involvement in the cultural definition of a complex, moral issue, brain death, are examined in terms of (1) their biographical, demographic, and organizational characteristics; and (2) their substantive contributions to the institutionalization of the concept of brain death. Since there are as yet no formal organizations or social roles of death definers, particular attention is addressed to participants' social identities, their reasons for involvement with this issue, and their emergent and formal social formations. Their work and social structure are compared with other cultural elites, intellectuals, and scientists. It is argued that the process of redefining death was a dialectical process of organization, production, reception, and response driven by conflict and opposition among the elite, rather than by consensus.