Sexually transmitted infection testing rates among young men remain low, and their disengagement from sexual health services has been linked to enactments of masculinity that prohibit or truncate discussions of sexual health. Understanding how men align with multiple masculinities is therefore important for tailoring interventions that appropriately respond to their needs. We draw on 32 in-depth interviews with 15-24-year-old men to explore the discourses that facilitate or shut down sexual health communication with peers and sex partners. We employ a critical discourse analysis to explore how men's conversations about sexual health are constituted by masculine hierarchies (such as the ways in which masculinities influence men's ability to construct or challenge and contest dominant discourses about sexual health). Men's conversations about sexual health focused primarily around their sexual encounters - something frequently referred to as 'guy talk'. Also described were situations whereby participants employed a discourse of 'manning up' to (i) exert power over others with disregard for potential repercussions and (ii) deploy power to affirm and reify their own hyper-masculine identities, while using their personal (masculine) power to help others (who are subordinate in the social ordering of men). By better understanding how masculine discourses are employed by men, their sexual health needs can be advanced.

Stroke is the most debilitating cardiovascular event. It has a variety of causes that may be present simultaneously. In young or otherwise healthy people, the search for a patent foramen ovale (PFO) has become standard. In stroke of the elderly, atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation are in the foreground but the PFO should not be ignored. The risk of a PFO-related stroke over time is controversial and so is its prevention by device closure. The association of proximal aortic plaques in arteries subtending the brain and stroke is considered strong, ignoring that it is as putative as that of the PFO. Statins can prevent progression of such plaques. Antiplatelet agents in asymptomatic and surgical endarterectomy in symptomatic patients or highly ulcerated lesions are the treatment of choice. Stenting with protection devices was shown competitive in selected patients.

Background:The link between colorectal cancer (CRC) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) has been extensively studied. Although it is commonly accepted that T2D is a risk factor for CRC, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood.Research Design and Methods:Given that the genetic background contributes to both traits, it is conceivable that genetic variants associated with T2D may also influence the risk of CRC. We selected 26 T2D-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) previously identified by genome-wide association studies and assessed their association with CRC and their interaction with known risk factors (gender, T2D, and body mass index) of CRC. Selected SNP were genotyped in 1798 CRC cases and 1810 controls from the population-based Darmkrebs: Chancen der Verhütung durch Screening (DACHS) study (Germany).Results:Patients carrying the TCF7L2_rs7903146_T allele had an increased risk of CRC (P(trend)= 0.02), whereas patients harboring the IL13_rs20541_T allele had a reduced risk (P(trend)= 0.02). A further analysis revealed gender-specific effects: the TCF7L2_rs7903146_T allele was associated with an increased risk of CRC in women (P(trend)= 0.003) but not in men (P(interaction)= 0.06); the LTA_rs1041981_A allele was associated with a decreased risk for CRC in women (P(trend)= 0.02), with an opposite effect in men (P(trend)= 0.05; P(interaction)= 0.002); the CDKAL1_rs7754840_C allele was associated with a decreased risk for CRC in men (P(trend)= 0.03), with no effect in women (P(interaction)= 0.03). The risk associated with the presence of T2D was modified both by IGF2BP2_rs4402960 and PPARγ_rs1801282 SNP (P(interaction)= 0.04 and 0.04, respectively). None of the findings were significant after correction for multiple comparisons.Conclusions:These findings suggest that T2D-related variants modify CRC risk independently and/or in an interactive manner according to the gender and the presence or absence of T2D.

ATP Binding Cassette B1 (ABCB1) is a transporter with a broad substrate specificity involved in the elimination of several carcinogens from the gut. Several polymorphic variants within the ABCB1 gene have been reported as modulators of ABCB1-mediated transport. We investigated the impact of ABCB1 genetic variants on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. A hybrid tagging/functional approach was performed to select 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were genotyped in 1,321 Czech subjects, 699 CRC cases and 622 controls. In addition, six potentially functional SNPs were genotyped in 3,662 German subjects, 1,809 cases and 1,853 controls from the DACHS study. We found that three functional SNPs (rs1202168, rs1045642 and rs868755) were associated with CRC risk in the German population. Carriers of the rs1202168_T and rs868755_T alleles had an increased risk for CRC (P(trend) = 0.016 and 0.029, respectively), while individuals bearing the rs1045642_C allele showed a decreased risk of CRC (P(trend) = 0.022). We sought to replicate the most significant results in an independent case-control study of 3,803 subjects, 2,169 cases and 1,634 controls carried out in the North of Germany. None of the SNPs tested were significantly associated with CRC risk in the replication study. In conclusion, in this study of about 8,800 individuals we show that ABCB1 gene polymorphisms play at best a minor role in the susceptibility to CRC.

Pre-shaped hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) spheres have been synthesized through a facile anion exchanged route. An industrial polymeric anion-exchange resin with a hierarchical pore structure was used as the carbon precursor. Its high porosity was conserved using an aluminate/silicate precursor forming a hard support to prevent the structural collapse during the carbonization process. Physicochemical bulk and surface properties of the obtained HPC spheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, N(2) physisorption, and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Results obtained indicate that HPC keeps the abundant hierarchical porosity including meso- and macropores as well as the high surface area of the resin precursor. The as-synthesized HPC spheres were tested as a catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene. The oxygen-rich catalyst surface formed under reaction conditions shows a high catalytic performance and stability, making HPC to a potential catalyst for this type of reaction.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over a dozen loci associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Here we examined potential effect-modification between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 10 of these loci and probable or established environmental risk factors for CRC in 7,016 CRC cases and 9,723 controls from nine cohort and case-control studies. We used meta-analysis of an efficient empirical-Bayes estimator to detect potential multiplicative interactions between each of the SNPs [rs16892766 at 8q23.3 (EIF3H/UTP23); rs6983267 at 8q24 (MYC); rs10795668 at 10p14 (FLJ3802842); rs3802842 at11q23 (LOC120376); rs4444235 at 14q22.2 (BMP4); rs4779584 at15q13 (GREM1); rs9929218 at16q22.1 (CDH1); rs4939827 at18q21 (SMAD7); rs10411210 at19q13.1 (RHPN2); and rs961253 at 20p12.3 (BMP2)] and select major CRC risk factors (sex, body mass index, height, smoking status, aspirin/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, alcohol use, and dietary intake of calcium, folate, red meat, processed meat, vegetables, fruit, and fiber). The strongest statistical evidence for a gene-environment interaction across studies was for vegetable consumption and rs16892766, located on chromosome 8q23.3, near the EIF3H and UTP23 genes (nominal p-interaction =1.3x10-4; adjusted p-value 0.02). The magnitude of the main effect of the SNP increased with increasing levels of vegetable consumption. No other interactions were statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Overall, the association of most CRC susceptibility loci identified in initial GWAS appears to be invariant to the other risk factors considered; however, our results suggest potential modification of the rs16892766 effect by vegetable consumption.

We use low-cost hole-mask colloidal nanolithography to manufacture large-area resonant split-ring metamaterials and measure their infrared optical properties. This novel substrate is employed for antenna-assisted surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) measurements using octadecanethiol (ODT) and deuterated ODT, which demonstrates easy adjustability of our material to vibrational modes. Our method has the potential to make resonant plasmon-enhanced infrared spectroscopy a standard lab tool in biology, pharmacology, and medicine.

Computer-assisted methods were used to evaluate different variants of surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) in terms of bone repositioning, new bone formation in the osteotomy gap, and bone quality before and after surgery. Twenty-nine patients (18 male, 11 female) with a mean age of 29 years (16 to 44 years) were included in the study. Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion with Le Fort I osteotomy was performed in all patients studied. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) was carried out directly before and 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. After registration of the preoperative CT data on the postoperative data, 3D models were constructed and superimposed. New bone formation in the osteotomy gap was visualized by means of a visualization procedure developed specifically for this purpose. Bone quality was analyzed by dividing the models into different anatomical segments. A qualitative comparison of the data was accomplished using a direct volume rendering procedure with a special transfer function. A quantitative comparison was carried out based on the pre- and postoperative histograms of each region. Maxillary widening was confirmed in all patients by computer-assisted analysis. Four patients exhibited significant maxillary asymmetry after surgery. New bone formation within the osteotomy gap was irregular along the osteotomy lines but often symmetrical on both sides. The more symmetrical the osteotomy, the more symmetrical the new bone formation proved to be. In all but two cases, the postoperative qualitative and quantitative analyses showed a significant decrease in Hounsfield units, particularly in the vestibular bone. The differences in new bone formation in the osteotomy gap suggest that the type of surgical technique and distractor used influence the outcome. Our results indicate that SAME results in a decrease in bone quality, particularly in the vestibular bone. Computer-assisted analysis clearly results in an information gain.