ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: •  Depression is considered a factor that interferes with HIV prevention. •  Depression may reach 41% among low-income Chilean women. •  The current study analyzed the impact of Mano a Mano-Mujer, an HIV prevention intervention, on depressive symptoms among low-income Chilean women. •  Mano a Mano-Mujer provided significant benefits for women's depression symptoms. ABSTRACT: Worldwide, and in Chile, the number of women living with HIV is increasing. Depression is considered a factor that interferes with HIV prevention. Depression may reach 41% among low-income Chilean women. Depressed people are less willing to participate in behaviours that protect them against HIV. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of Mano a Mano-Mujer (MM-M), and HIV prevention intervention, on depressive symptoms among Chilean women. A quasi-experimental design was used for this study. The research was conducted in Santiago, Chile; a total of 400 women participated in the study (intervention group, n = 182; control group, n = 218). The intervention was guided by the social-cognitive model and the primary health care model. The intervention consists of six 2-h sessions delivered in small groups. Sessions covered: HIV prevention, depression, partner's communication, and substance abuse. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at baseline and at 3-month follow-up. Chilean women who participated in MM-M significantly decreased, at 3 months follow up, their reported depressive symptoms. MM-M provided significant benefits for women's depression symptoms. In this study nurses participated as leaders for the screening of depressive symptoms and as facilitators of community interventions.

Images obtained by the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) cameras onboard the Rosetta spacecraft reveal that asteroid 21 Lutetia has a complex geology and one of the highest asteroid densities measured so far, 3.4 ± 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter. The north pole region is covered by a thick layer of regolith, which is seen to flow in major landslides associated with albedo variation. Its geologically complex surface, ancient surface age, and high density suggest that Lutetia is most likely a primordial planetesimal. This contrasts with smaller asteroids visited by previous spacecraft, which are probably shattered bodies, fragments of larger parents, or reaccumulated rubble piles.

INTRODUCTION Physical exercise including pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training seems to improve the sexual function of women with urinary incontinence. This effect in postmenopausal women who are continent has not yet been determined. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a 3-month physical exercise protocol (PEP) on the sexual function and mood of postmenopausal women. METHODS Thirty-two sedentary, continent, sexually active women who had undergone menopause no more than 5 years earlier and who had follicle stimulating hormone levels of at least 40 mIU/mL were enrolled into this longitudinal study. All women had the ability to contract their PFMs, as assessed by vaginal bimanual palpation. Muscle strength was graded according to the Oxford Modified Grading Scale (OMGS). A PEP was performed under the guidance of a physiotherapist (M.M.F.) twice weekly for 3 months and at home three times per week. All women completed the Sexual Quotient-Female Version (SQ-F) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after the PEP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES SQ-F to assess sexual function, HASDS to assess mood, and OMGS to grade pelvic floor muscle strength. RESULTS Thirty-two women (24 married women, eight women in consensual unions) completed the PEP. Following the PEP, there was a significant increase in OMGS score (2.59 ± 1.24 vs. 3.40 ± 1.32, P < 0.0001) and a significant decrease in the number of women suffering from anxiety (P < 0.01), but there was no effect on sexual function. CONCLUSION Implementation of our PEP seemed to reduce anxiety and improve pelvic floor muscular strength in sedentary and continent postmenopausal women. However, our PEP did not improve sexual function. Uncontrolled variables, such as participation in a long-term relationship and menopause status, may have affected our results. We suggest that a randomized controlled trial be performed to confirm our results.

ABSTRACT Objective Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide with elevated expression in regions that control urogenital functions. Estrogen appears to modulate VIP expression in various organs, but this effect has not been demonstrated in the vaginal wall. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of estrogen status on VIP expression in vessels of the vaginal wall. Methods Surgical specimens were removed from the vaginal walls of 18 premenopausal women and 12 postmenopausal women who were given surgery for genital prolapse grade I or II. Vaginal specimens were stained with estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α) and VIP antibodies. Levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, prolactin, fasting glucose and serum thyroxine stimulating hormone were also measured. Estrogen status was assessed on the basis of FSH and ER-α scores. Results The vaginal walls of premenopausal women had significantly higher ER-α scores than those of menopausal women (premenopausal group, 3.6 ± 2.2; menopausal group, 1.4 ± 1.8; p = 0.01). Premenopausal women also had significantly higher levels of VIP in the vaginal wall than menopausal women (p = 0.02). Increasing age was associated with lower level of VIP staining (odds ratio 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.78-0.99). Conclusion Levels of ER-α and VIP expression in the posterior vaginal wall were higher in premenopausal than in menopausal women, but VIP expression was not associated with estrogen status. Age was an independent predictor of VIP staining in vaginal wall biopsies.

Rhyolite is the most viscous of liquid magmas, so it was surprising that on 2 May 2008 at Chaitén Volcano, located in Chile's southern Andean volcanic zone, rhyolitic magma migrated from more than 5 km depth in less than 4 hours (ref. 1) and erupted explosively with only two days of detected precursory seismic activity. The last major rhyolite eruption before that at Chaitén was the largest volcanic eruption in the twentieth century, at Novarupta volcano, Alaska, in 1912. Because of the historically rare and explosive nature of rhyolite eruptions and because of the surprisingly short warning before the eruption of the Chaitén volcano, any information about the workings of the magmatic system at Chaitén, and rhyolitic systems in general, is important from both the scientific and hazard perspectives. Here we present surface deformation data related to the Chaitén eruption based on radar interferometry observations from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) DAICHI (ALOS) satellite. The data on this explosive rhyolite eruption indicate that the rapid ascent of rhyolite occurred through dyking and that melt segregation and magma storage were controlled by existing faults.

OBJECTIVE In patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, standard practice is to transfuse packed red blood cells, often to an arbitrary level of hemoglobin or hematocrit (typically 10 g/dL and 30%, respectively) before endoscopy. Therefore, we aimed to determine first whether performing endoscopy in patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and a low hematocrit is safe and whether it predicts outcomes. METHODS This cohort study included patients with carefully defined upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage captured in our gastrointestinal Healthcare Registry who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Patients were placed into 2 groups: low hematocrit (<30%) or high hematocrit (>30%). Clinical variables and outcomes, including cardiovascular events, intensive care unit transfer, and death, were measured. RESULTS A total of 920 patients meeting entry criteria were identified. Baseline features among those with a low and high hematocrit were identical. Eight cardiovascular events occurred during or after esophagogastroduodenoscopy, including 5 of 587 (1%) in the less than 30% hematocrit group and 3 of 333 (1%) in the greater than 30% hematocrit group (P=.29). Blood transfusions were more common in the low hematocrit group (74% vs 24%, P<.001). However, correlation between the amount of blood transfused and hematocrit level was poor, and the number units of blood transfused was highly variable. There was no significant mortality difference in the 2 hematocrit groups. CONCLUSION Most patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage presented with a hematocrit less than 30%. Performing endoscopy in patients with a low hematocrit was clearly safe; these data strongly imply that waiting for the hematocrit to reach a certain level before endoscopy is not necessary.

BACKGROUND CA19-9 is a tumor marker for pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and other malignancies. However, its sensitivity and specificity is suboptimal in clinical practice, which we hypothesized limits its clinical utility. AIMS To evaluate the clinical utility and limitations of CA19-9 as a tumor marker. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of CA19-9 levels (U/ml) in 483 consecutive patients between 2006 and 2008 at two university hospitals. We abstracted clinical, radiographic, and pathological data and final diagnoses. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses were performed. RESULTS Patients presenting with jaundice had the highest CA19-9 (420) compared to other complaints (<20)(p<0.01). The indications with the highest CA19-9 had evidence of biliary obstruction (71), liver mass (54), and pancreatic head mass (27) compared to other indications (<15)(p<0.01). The diagnoses with the highest CA19-9 (p<0.01) were cholangiocarcinoma (476), pancreatic cancer (161), and choledocholithiasis (138). Using a receiver operator curve to evaluate CA19-9, the area under the curve was 0.7 when evaluating all patients for pancreatic cancer or cholangiocarcinoma or patients with pancreatic head mass for pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS This study found that for pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, CA19-9 had poor clinical utility as a tumor marker and did not change patient management. Elevations in CA19-9 were associated with biliary obstruction based on clinical history, laboratory data, and diagnoses.

Twenty Iberian gilts (20 kg body weight, BW) were fed diets containing no betaine or conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)(Control), 0.5% betaine, 1% CLA, or 0.5% betaine+1% CLA. Additionally, 5 pigs were killed at 20 kg BW for the initial points of the allometric equations. At 50 kg BW, left semicarcasses were cut into primal cuts, hams and shoulders trimmed and dissected. CLA alone did not affect any analyzed parameter. Betaine increased (23 and 21%, respectively) the yield of shoulder butt and spine and decreased allometric growth coefficient of belly and backfat, compared to Control diet. Tenderloins and trimmed hams of pigs fed CLA+betaine diet developed later and were heavier (22 and 5%, respectively) than Control pigs. Also, leaf fat developed earlier and had lighter weight (32%). Furthermore, pigs fed CLA+betaine diet had heavier lean (5%) and fat free lean (6%) of shoulders compared to Control pigs.

The effectiveness of pancreatic islet isolation must be maximized to make islet cell transplantation (ICT) a standard therapy. We have performed 100 human islet isolations at Baylor Research Institute including islet isolations for research, for clinical allogeneic transplantation, and for autologous islet transplantation. In this study, we analyzed the results of these isolations. First, we assessed 79 islet isolations using brain-dead donors to determine variables associated with successful islet isolation. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that seven variables influenced the success of islet isolation for allogeneic ICT: cause of death, mechanism of death, techniques for pancreas procurement and preservation, heavy fatty infiltration, collagenase type, dilution time, and islet purification method. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that only the current isolation protocol, the Baylor Islet Isolation Method (BIIM)-with its four required elements of pancreas procurement by the team, pancreatic ductal injection, the two-layer method with perfluorocarbon, and density-adjusted density gradient purification-had a significant positive impact on successful islet isolation (P = 0.02). Second, we compared allogeneic and autologous ICT using the BIIM. There were no significant differences in islet yields between allogeneic and autologous ICT using the BIIM; total islet yield after purification was 628 ± 84 × 10(3) IE in allogeneic ICT vs. 576 ± 49 × 10(3) IE in autologous ICT (P = 0.59). This retrospective study revealed that the BIIM provided favorable outcomes for both autologous and allogeneic ICT.