Effects of chronic unemployment and acute psychological stress on sexual arousal in men.

Ten unemployed (high-chronic-stress) and 9 employed (low-chronic-stress) men were exposed to 2 erotic videotapes (EVs) in the laboratory. Acute stress was induced by telling the Ss that they would have to give a talk on their own sexual behavior and fantasies. Half the Ss were told about the talk before seeing either EV; the other half were told in between the 2 EVs. The unemployed Ss achieved less penile tumescence than the employed Ss when stressed prior to erotic stimulation. Presentation of the stressor between the EVs produced no differences between employed and unemployed Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women HIV sexual risk takers: related behaviors, interpersonal issues, and attitudes

HIV and AIDS is a growing health risk for heterosexual women, particularly women of color (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997). Our research identified 5 types of HIV sexual risk taking in 3 independent samples of adult women from a New England Community: Group A women were noted by low to moderate levels of the 4 risk markers (i.e., unprotected vaginal sex, perceived partner-related risk, number of sexual partners, and unprotected anal sex); Group B women reported very high frequency of unprotected vaginal sex; Group C women were characterized by unprotected anal sex; Group D women had high perceived partner risk; and Group E women reported extremely high levels on all 4 HIV risk markers. Sexual risk groups were validated by demonstrating significant differences among groups on relevant behaviors, interpersonal experiences, and attitudes. Compared to other women, higher risk types reported greater behavioral risk practices (substance use, prostitution, diverse sexual experience), interpersonal risk experiences (sexual abuse, violence), initiation sexual assertiveness, and attitudinal risks (psychosocial distress). They reported less interpersonal assurance (surety of own and partner's HIV status), sexual assertiveness (for condom use and partner communication), psychosocial strengths (sexual self-acceptance), and transtheoretical readiness for change (condom use efficacy, readiness to consider condoms). Results provide additional support for the multifaceted model of HIV risk and the transtheoretical model. Suggestions for specifically focused interventions are given, depending on the pattern of sexual risk taking.     

A comparative evaluation of minimal therapist contact and 15-session treatment for female orgasmic dysfunction.

Compared a 4-session minimal therapist contact (MTC) program for treatment of lifelong global orgasmic dysfunction in women to a 15-session full therapist contact (FTC) program. 14 couples were treated in the MTC format, 29 couples in the FTC format. All spouses (aged 20–52 yrs) completed the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test, a sexual interaction inventory, and a sexual history form at intake, pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3-mo follow-up. Both programs were effective in producing female orgasm in masturbation, but the MTC program resulted in more frequent orgasms with vibrator stimulation. The programs were comparably effective in producing orgasm with the spouse both by manual stimulation and intercourse. Both programs resulted in improvements in satisfaction with the sexual relationship, and women in the MTC treatment reported greater happiness in marriage. It is concluded that for this sexual dysfunction, therapist contact time can be greatly reduced without loss of effectiveness. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health psychology and AIDS.

Discusses how acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) presents a unique opportunity for behavioral scientists, particularly health psychologists, to assume leadership in research and education. The importance of psychological issues implicated in AIDS have been neither fully acknowledged nor addressed by researchers or funding agencies. Behavioral scientist can best approach the research enterprise from a multidisciplinary perspective by applying models in prevention and education that are successfully utilized by social psychologists in smoking- and weight-reduction settings and in intervention studies with other serious medical illnesses, such as cancer. The researcher should view AIDS as a continuum from risk to being capable of transmitting the disease. Symptomatic stages range from constitutional symptoms to those clinical presentations that establish the diagnosis of AIDS. It is suggested that education and prevention research must also cast a broader net to capture audiences that are usually not considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extracellular Vesicles Secreted by Glioma Stem Cells Are Involved in Radiation Resistance and Glioma Progression

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive brain tumour with short survival, partly due to resistance to conventional therapy. Glioma stem cells (GSC) are likely to be involved in treatment resistance, by releasing extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing specific molecular cargoes. Here, we studied the EVs secreted by glioma stem cells (GSC-EVs) and their effects on radiation resistance and glioma progression. EVs were isolated from 3 GSCs by serial centrifugation. NanoSight measurement, cryo-electron microscopy and live imaging were used to study the EVs size, morphology and uptake, respectively. The non-GSC glioma cell lines LN229 and U118 were utilised as a recipient cell model. Wound healing assays were performed to detect cell migration. Colony formation, cell viability and invadopodium assays were conducted to detect cell survival of irradiated recipient cells and cell invasion post GSC-EV treatment. NanoString miRNA global profiling was used to select for the GSC-EVs’ specific miRNAs. All three GSC cell lines secreted different amounts of EVs, and all expressed consistent levels of CD9 but different level of Alix, TSG101 and CD81. EVs were taken up by both LN229 and U118 recipient cells. In the presence of GSC-EVs, these recipient cells survived radiation exposure and initiated colony formation. After GSC-EVs exposure, LN229 and U118 cells exhibited an invasive phenotype, as indicated by an increase in cell migration. We also identified 25 highly expressed miRNAs in the GSC-EVs examined, and 8 of these miRNAs can target PTEN. It is likely that GSC-EVs and their specific miRNAs induced the phenotypic changes in the recipient cells due to the activation of the PTEN/Akt pathway. This study demonstrated that GSC-EVs have the potential to induce radiation resistance and modulate the tumour microenvironment to promote glioma progression. Future therapeutic studies should be designed to interfere with these GSC-EVs and their specific miRNAs.     

Effects of sex guilt, repression, sexual "arousability," and sexual experience on female sexual arousal during erotica and fantasy.

Hypothesized that, among women who were asked to fantasize about sex, erotic preexposure would facilitate arousal during the fantasy, and arousal would be greater among those who had less sex guilt, those who were more arousable, those who were more experienced, and sensitizers. 62 female Ss (aged 18–53 yrs) were randomly assigned to view either an erotic or a nonerotic videotape. All Ss then imagined and wrote out a sexual fantasy. Sexual arousal was measured subjectively by self-report ratings and physiologically by continuous vaginal photoplethysmograph recording. Ss high in sex guilt reported less arousal but showed significantly greater physiological arousal during the erotic videotape than did Ss low in sex guilt. For the high sex-guilt Ss, the erotic videotape facilitated physiological arousal during fantasy. Ss low in sexual arousability and low in sexual experience followed a similar pattern. No significant differences were found for repression-sensitization. Results point toward a pattern of behavioral inhibition that facilitates increased response to forbidden erotica. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) for women: Development and validation.

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS), a measure of sexual assertiveness in women that consists of factors measuring initiation, refusal, and pregnancy-sexually transmitted disease prevention assertiveness. A total of 1,613 women from both university and community populations were studied. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the 3 factors remained stable across samples of university and community women. A structural model was tested in 2 samples, indicating that sexual experience, anticipated negative partner response, and self-efficacy are consistent predictors of sexual assertiveness. Sexual assertiveness was found to be somewhat related to relationship satisfaction, power, and length. The community sample was retested after 6 months and 1 year to establish test-retest reliability. The SAS provides a reliable instrument for assessing and understanding women's sexual assertiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)