Characteristics Of Men Research Articles

Comparative Analysis on Injury Incidence and Characteristics in Men’s Collegiate Athletes between Combat and Ball Sports

PURPOSE: To identify the characteristics of injuries among male collegiate athletes in combat and ball sports during the 2021 season and to propose strategies for injury prevention.METHODS: A total of 143 participants (67 combat and 76 ball sports athletes) registered with the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee in 2021 participated in this study. Each athlete responded to a questionnaire based on the injury survey developed by the International Olympic Committee. The questionnaire collected information on four demographic characteristics and three aspects of sports injuries: injury location, type, and cause. The Chi-squared test was used to compare injuries and determine the association between the two types of sports.RESULTS: The practice injuries and athlete exposures (AEs) recorded were 328 and 141,076 in combat sports and 384 and 142,054 in ball sports, respectively. The injury incidence rates (IRs) were 2.14/1,000 AEs (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.89-2.39) and 2.02/1,000 AEs (95% CI, 1.75-2.29) in combat and ball sports, respectively. Furthermore, the most common location, type, and cause of injury associated with both combat and ball sports were the ankles (combat: n=105, 34.8%; ball: n=60, 20.9%), sprain/ligamentous ruptures (combat: n=83, 26.4%; ball: n=96, 28.3%), and overtraining (combat: n=133, 41.7%; ball: n=94, 27.3%), respectively. Combat and ball sports were significantly associated in terms of injury location (Chi-squared =334.771, p<.001), type (Chi-squared=205.099, p<.001), and cause (Chi-squared=40.278, p<.05).CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, implementing an injury surveillance system is crucial for identifying risk factors and developing strategies to prevent injuries in both combat and ball sports. Additionally, coaches, supervisors, and trainers can incorporate specific exercise programs into their training regimens to strengthen anatomy frequently affected by injuries.

Blood Morphological and Biochemical Indicator Characteristics in Men Performing Different Physical Activities in the Cold-A Preliminary Report.

This descriptive study determined whether winter swimming (WS) and outdoor amateur running (RUN) affect blood morphological and biochemical indicators in men during midseason winter swimming from November to April. There were three groups of participants, with 10 male amateurs each: RUN + WS, WS, and control. The research was performed in the middle of the winter swimming season of 2020/2021. This time period was chosen in consideration of the respondents' adaptation to winter conditions. The study involved only 10 male amateurs in each study group owing to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which confined people to their homes. In the RUN + WS group compared with the WS group, significant decreases in the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (within standard limits) (p = 0.04) and platelet distribution width (p = 0.006) were observed, with a significant increase in the red blood cell distribution width (p = 0.008) (within standard limits). The renal function, as expressed by the estimated glomerular filtration rate, was higher in the RUN + WS group (p = 0.02) (within standard limits) compared with the WS group, and the uric acid concentration was reduced (p = 0.01). In the RUN + WS group compared with the control group, significant decreases in the leukocyte count (p = 0.02) (within standard limits), monocyte count (p = 0.04) (within standard limits), and platelet distribution width (p = 0.005) were reported. The remaining indicators presented a p-value > 0.05. The two investigated forms of physical activity had no negative effect on blood morphological or biochemical indicators in male amateurs during the winter swimming midseason.

Locating perpetrators of violence against women in India: An analysis of married men's characteristics associated with intimate partner violence.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against married women is widely prevalent in India. Using recent data from NFHS-5, we analyzed the association between husbands' characteristics and IPV. Separate logistic regression models were developed for three distinct "husband characteristic groups" namely demographic, social and economic groups, and one final model including only statistically significant variables. IPV has been found to be significantly associated with men's age, age gap between husband and wife, men's educational level, religion, caste, region, number of daughters, wife's decision-making autonomy, men's IPV justifying attitude, alcoholism and substance abuse among men, type of work and wealth. We suggest shifting the policy gaze from women and prioritizing men's education, control on substance abuse and alcoholism among men as well as employment opportunities to tackle the violence against women.

Anthony Ashley Cooper Shaftesbury: Ja

The Self is the first Polish translation of an excerpt from Shaftesbury’s notebooks entitled Askêmata. The text proves that these notebooks not only complement the contents of his Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, the three-volume set which made Shaftesbury a famous and influential philosopher but is to be seen mainly as a kind of moral exercises and soliloquies in which Shaftesbury comments the works of the stoics: Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. In one of the previous issues of „Folia Philosophica” three other excerpts from the same set were published: Character and Conduct, Attention and Relaxation, and Improvement; the present one is a continuation of the series.

Abstract #1407491: Comorbidities and Characteristics of Men with Subsequent Osteoporotic Fracture: A Real-world Observational Study

Abstract #1407491: Comorbidities and Characteristics of Men with Subsequent Osteoporotic Fracture: A Real-world Observational Study

Employee's performance and Kaizen events' success: does supervisor behaviour play a moderating role?

PurposeThe study's goal was to identify the factors contributing to the practical completion of Kaizen events (KEs). The effect of the work-study man's characteristics, the supervisor's conduct and the autonomy of the Kaizen team are analysed in this study.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 249 respondents working in the manufacturing sector in India, mainly those who had been involved in Kaizen projects. Three-step procedures, namely, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and partial least squares, have been applied to test the research hypotheses through structural equational modelling.FindingsThe exploratory factor analysis extracted in-role performance, creative performance and human aspect as latent variables explaining work-study man's performance (eigenvalue = 1). The study's findings indicate that the performance of work-study man (in-role, creative and human) and supervisors' conduct is directly related to the success of KEs. It was shown that supervisors might influence the outcomes of KEs only by moderating the human aspects. Additionally, the degree of autonomy of the Kaizen team was found having a significant positive relationship with the success of KEs.Practical implicationsThe current study suggests that in-role and creative performance are prime assets of a work-study man. At the same time, the human aspect is a delicate issue that can affect the supervisor's behaviour. Therefore, the study implies that work-study men have the tactics and abilities to work with other co-workers to make a Kaizen project successful.Originality/valueAlthough the significance of Kaizen projects has been widely emphasised, past research has failed to establish what factors contribute to the success of Kaizen efforts. Similarly, the supervisor's critical role has been highlighted several times. However, it is unclear how their conduct influences the relationship between work-study man's performance and the effectiveness of Kaizen projects. This study contributes significantly to organisational culture and human resource management by answering these questions.

Male Characters in the works of Female Poets during Sangam Period

Men's characteristics have been mentioned in the perspective of women poets during the sangam period. When a men falls in love, to whom does he express it first, what are the efforts taken by the leader to win the love, the efforts of the men to see the heroine during the love period, what is the mood of men suffering from the excess of love, and the infamy that the men gets due to going along with heroine, for all these the love life of men gives answers. It is also said how the lust of a men is in a chastity life. And it can be known that a men's natural love is revealed when he is a father who shows true affection to his children and seeks the permission of his beloved in the act of doing. The habits and duties of men in daily life are also mentioned. It is also explained about the weakness of men and what are the activities that make men happy and sad. Who gets angry with men, the moments when men's anger is revealed, the way men reveal humor, and the moments when men are afraid have been explored and highlighted. Feminist poets have recorded in their songs about men's travel vehicle, entertainment, heroism, the way of exspressing the pain of separation, news about the heroine's father – brother and male workers. The news is known from male birds and animals, and also tells about the actions of a men who lived happily in his youth and also what he did after his ascetic life. This article is based to say all the above mentioned from the songs of sangam period womens.

Inclusive Leadership and Organisational Commitment: A Focus on the Role of Women

Diversity is a concept that cannot separate from the workplace setting that involves different people; each individual is diverse in gender, ethnicity, age, education, qualification, race, and personality, to mention a few. Individuals are members of different groups and gender, which highly influences values and self-concepts. This is coupled with the fact that Nigeria is a patriarchal country where males hold dominant power dominate in political leadership roles, authority, privileges and control of the property, thereby creating a glass ceiling for women in the workplace. However, workplace gender inclusion needs to make co-workers of all races, diverse teams, gender, ethnicities, and nationalities optimise various individuals' performance where employees feel included or excluded. This suggests that workplace gender inclusion that carefully includes all stakeholders' contributions in the organisation, which is a two-way relationship rather than one that depends on respect, recognition, responsiveness, responsibility, goal achievement, and interdependency amongst individuals, is needful. Thus, this study examined women's role in promoting inclusive leadership and organisational commitment in Nigeria, where stereotyping of women and men's characteristics and roles exist firmly in society, using relevant literature as the research method. The study found out that inclusive culture, open communication, favouritism and use of gendered language, amongst others, affect the effectiveness of inclusive leadership and organisational commitment. Therefore, the paper recommended that to get everybody included and committed irrespective of gender to optimise performance, women's behaviour and thinking patterns must change. Women should stop seeing managerial positions as "men's", and serve as role models to the younger generation of women by helping them understand themselves and their rapid changing roles in the new technological age and must be resilient & courageous.

Changes in Characteristics of Men with Lethal Prostate Cancer During the Past 25 Years: Description of Population-based Deaths

BackgroundAttempts to reduce prostate cancer (PC) mortality require an understanding of temporal changes in the characteristics of men with lethal PC. ObjectiveTo describe the diagnostic characteristics of and time trends for a nationwide population-based cohort of Swedish men who died from PC between 1992 and 2016. Design, setting, and participantsMen with PC as the underlying cause of death from 1992 to 2016 according to the Swedish Cause of Death Register were included in the study. Characteristics at diagnosis were collected via links to other nationwide registries using personal identity numbers. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisData on disease duration, age at death, and risk category were analyzed. Missing data for risk categories for men with an early date of PC diagnosis were imputed according to the method of chained equations. Results and limitationsBetween 1992 and 2016, age-standardized PC mortality decreased by 25%. Median PC disease duration increased from 3.3 yr (interquartile range [IQR] 1.6–6.3) to 5.9 yr (IQR 2.5–10.3) and the median age at death from PC increased from 78.9 yr (IQR 73.3–84.2) to 82.2 yr (IQR 75.2–87.5). The proportion of men with localized disease at diagnosis who died from PC increased from 34% to 48%, while the rate of distant metastases at diagnosis decreased from 56% to 42%. The rate of distant metastases at diagnosis was highest among the youngest men. Treatment trajectories could not be described owing to the large proportion of missing data before the start of registration in the National Prostate Cancer Registry. ConclusionAge-standardized PC mortality has decreased substantially since 1992. However, there is still a high proportion of men who die from PC who had localized disease at diagnosis, which indicates that more attention is needed to identify the underlying causes to prevent disease progression. Since the proportion of men with distant metastases at diagnosis remains high, early detection of lethal tumors is essential to further reduce PC mortality. Patient summaryWe investigated the characteristics of men who died from prostate cancer in Sweden between 1992 and 2016. We found that men with lethal prostate cancer live longer and are older when they die today in comparison to men who died at the beginning of the study period. However, the proportion of men with distant metastases at diagnosis remains high, which is why early detection of lethal tumors is essential to reduce mortality.

The pursuit of tech degrees for Black Men in the United States: Belonging and happiness, an individual differences study

How do the individual characteristics Black men possess, and the institutional characteristics encountered, influence IT degree pursuit and attainment? To address the research question, this work launched a qualitative interpretative investigation to identify factors affecting Black men pursuing IT degrees. A study was conducted in the mid-Atlantic and southern regions of the United States of America at three higher education institutions. The Individual Differences Theory of Gender and IT was used to analyze the lived experiences of 20 Black men beginning in 2013, and this analysis is ongoing. This manuscript focuses on a combined research question from the more extensive study. The result was a nuanced view of how Black men's characteristics (e.g., race, family, age, and IT identity) navigate obstacles and overcome roadblocks to enter the IT field. Specifically, this work identified the importance of acquiring relevant work experience before graduation through internships or undergraduate research experiences, as well as the often-overlooked role of advising, which is critical to retention of marginalized groups.

Shaftesbury, Third Earl of [Anthony Ashley Cooper

Shaftesbury, Third Earl of [Anthony Ashley Cooper

Characteristics of Men With Peyronie's Disease and Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Treatment Failure: Predictors of Surgical Intervention and Outcomes

BackgroundA subset of patients with Peyronie's disease (PD) treated with collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) experience persistent bother and some require surgery. AimWe characterize patients experiencing persistent bother after CCH treatment and identify associations and predictors of surgical intervention/outcomes. MethodsWe retrospectively identified patients with PD from October 2014 to October 2019 and identified those presenting with persistent bother after CCH treatment by other urologists. Intracavernosal injection and penile Doppler ultrasonography were performed, and subsequent interventions/outcomes were recorded. Baseline characteristics were compared with Student t-test and chi-square test. Predictors of surgical intervention and complications were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. OutcomesThe primary outcome was surgery after CCH treatment. Secondary outcomes included worsened erectile function, sensory deficits, and penile length change. ResultsOf 573, 67 (11.7%) patients with PD had undergone prior CCH treatment with median 6 injections (range 2–24). Mean post-CCH PD Questionnaire bother score was 10.1 (SD: 3.1), and total International Index of Erectile Function-5 was 15.3 (SD: 8.7). Mean PD duration was 27.8 (SD: 35.7) months, with a mean composite curvature (MCC) of 69.0° (SD: 33.8) measured after injection. Of 67, 44 (65.7%) patients had MCC >60°. Of 67, 52 (77.6%) patients had indent, narrowing, or hourglass and 26 (38.8%) had hinge effect (buckling of the erect penis with axial pressure) on examination. Calcification was identified in 26 of 67 (38.8%) patients, with grade 3 calcifications comprising 6 of 23 (26.1%) patients. Of 67, 33 (49.3%) patients underwent surgery, with 20 (60.1%) undergoing partial plaque excision and grafting with/without tunica albuginea plication, 6 (18.2%) undergoing tunica albuginea plication alone, and 7 (21.2%) undergoing penile prosthesis with plaque incision and grafting. Surgical patients had greater mean curvature (82.6 vs 55.4, P = .001) and were more likely to have hinge (54.5% vs 20.6%, P = .005). On multivariable analysis, MCC ≥60° predicted patient’s decision for surgery (odds ratio: 2.99, P < .01, 95% confidence interval: 1.62–4.35). There were no associations between surgical complications and number of injections or CCH-associated adverse events. Clinical ImplicationsPatients presenting with persistent bother after CCH treatment often have narrowing and calcifications (despite calcifications being a contraindication to CCH treatment), and those who have hinge or severe curvature are more likely to undergo surgery with low rates of complications. Strengths/LimitationsThis study's generalizability is limited by selection bias, but useful data are provided for patient counseling. ConclusionPatients with persistent bother after CCH treatment had high rates of indentation/narrowing, plaque calcifications, and MCC >60° at completion of CCH treatment. Surgical intervention is more common with hinge and is safe and feasible in these patients, with low rates of complications. These findings suggest possible negative prognostic factors for CCH treatment, which merit further investigation.Bajic P, Wiggins AB, Ziegelmann MJ, et al. Characteristics of Men With Peyronie's Disease and Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Treatment Failure: Predictors of Surgical Intervention and Outcomes. J Sex Med 2020;17:1005–1011.

Functional Balance and Gait Characteristics in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare gait characteristics and functional balance Babilities in men with LUTS secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to those of community-dwelling older adults under different conditions of increasing difficulties, and to aid health-care providers to identify those patients with decreased level of activity and increased risk of falls. We recruited a group of 43 men diagnosed with symptomatic BPH and a control group of 38 older men. Participants performed the timed up and go and 10-m walking tests under different conditions—namely, single task, dual-task motor, and dual-task cognitive. Time to complete the tests and spatial and temporal gait parameters were compared between groups and conditions via mixed-design ANOVA. Under dual-task conditions, individuals in both groups performed significantly worse compared to the single functional balance and walking tasks. As the complexity of the walking task increased—from dual-task motor to dual-task cognitive—significant differences between groups emerged. In particular, men with BPH performed worse than older adults in tasks demanding increased attentional control. Results suggest that dual-task decrements in functional balance and gait might explain decreased level of physical activity and increased risk of falls reported in men with LUTS. Health-care providers for men with LUTS due to BPH should assess for abnormal gait and remain vigilant for balance problems that may lead to decreased mobility and falls. The dual-task approach seems a feasible method to distinguish gait and balance impairments in men with BPH.

Understanding Bachelorhood in Poverty-stricken and High Sex Ratio Settings: An Exploratory Study in Rural Shaanxi, China.

Coupled with the social practice of female hypergamy, the male surplus within the never-married population means that today's Chinese marriage market is extremely tight in particular for men from a rural background and the least privileged socio-economic categories. Drawing on quantitative data from a survey conducted in 2014-2015, this article sheds light on the situation of single men who are past prime marriage age in three rural districts of Shaanxi particularly affected by this phenomenon. It compares single men's characteristics to those of their married counterparts and offers insights into the heterogeneity of single men with the aim of challenging some commonly accepted assumptions about bachelorhood in rural China. Results suggest a strong internalization of the various characteristics, centred on being able to offer social mobility to a potential wife, that a man is expected to have to be attractive to women in a context where women have more choice in mate selection. We conclude that mate selection is highly marked by class, social norms, social interactions, health, generation and age, and requires the mobilization of certain amounts of individual, social and economic resources. Unwanted bachelorhood would thus be better understood using an intersectional approach rather than mainly in numeric terms.

Abstract #529 Clinical Characteristics of Men with Azoospermia

Abstract #529 Clinical Characteristics of Men with Azoospermia

012 Incidence and Characteristics of Men at High Risk for Sleep Apnea in a High Volume Andrology Clinic

Approximately 30% of American men are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the diagnosis of which is confirmed by polysomnography (PSG) testing. The incidence of men presenting to men’s health clinics who are at risk for OSA is poorly understood. Here we determine the risk of OSA among men and evaluate the outcomes of those referred for PSG testing. Men presenting to a single andrology clinic between July 2017 and May 2018 were evaluated for risk of OSA using the validated STOP-BANG sleep apnea survey. STOP-BANG results were stratified by those at low/intermediate and high risk for OSA. Patient specific characteristics were recorded, including comorbidities and testosterone therapy (TTh) use. Distribution of variables was assessed with the Ryan-Joiner normality test. Student’s t-Test and Chi-Squared analysis were used to assess continuous and categorical variables, respectively, and R and ggplot2 were used to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals. Secondary analysis was performed to determine the PSG referral outcome and patient reported outcome of the referral process using an anonymous Survey Monkey survey.

Association between Sphingosine-1-Phosphate and Bone Characteristics in Men and Post-menopausal Women in Malaysia

Event Abstract Back to Event Association between Sphingosine-1-Phosphate and Bone Characteristics in Men and Post-menopausal Women in Malaysia Nasrin Shahifar1, Subashini C. Thambiah1, Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham1, Salmiah Md Said2, Swan S. Yeap3, 4, Fen L. Hew3, 4 and Intan Nureslyna Samsudin1* 1 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia 2 Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Putra Malaysia University, Malaysia 3 Puchong Specialist Clinic, Malaysia 4 Subang Jaya Medical Centre, Malaysia Background Prevention of osteoporotic fracture requires identification of individuals at high risk of fracture. There remains an inadequate predictive discrimination ability of current tools to identify those at risk. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) being a novel marker of bone metabolism may complement the current model. We determined the association between plasma S1P with sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, bone mineral density (BMD) and blood tests for bone profile among healthy adult residents of Puchong and Kajang, Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out involving Chinese subjects aged 50-90 years old with no previous history of osteoporosis who attended a health screening program in Puchong Specialist Clinic. Each subject had a BMD determined by a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Fasting blood samples were analysed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium, phosphate, procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP), carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks (CTX) and S1P. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests were used to determine the associations between S1P with sociodemographic factors and bone characteristic parameters. Results There were 45 (34.4%) males and 86 (65.6%) post-menopausal women with median age of 65 (IQR=17) years old. Osteopaenia and osteoporosis were noted in 46.6% and 29.0% of study subjects, respectively. The S1P levels in men (2.12±0.75 µmol/L) and post-menopausal women (1.96±0.68 µmol/L) were not statistically different (p=0.235). S1P had a moderate negative correlation with iPTH (r=-0.232; p=0.008) but not with the other laboratory parameters, age, body mass index and individual BMD values at various sites in both men and post-menopausal women. Conclusion Osteoporosis was diagnosed in almost 30% of subjects. S1P levels did not differ between genders. It did not correlate with either of the bone turnover markers (P1NP and CTX) nor with any BMD values at various sites. S1P levels in the subjects were however low which may suggest that the risk of future osteoporotic fracture is low. Keywords: Sphingosine-1-phosphate, Osteoporosis, osteopenia, Men, post-menopausal women Conference: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 3 Dec - 5 Feb, 2019. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Miscellaneous Citation: Shahifar N, Thambiah SC, Zahari Sham S, Md Said S, Yeap SS, Hew FL and Samsudin I (2019). Association between Sphingosine-1-Phosphate and Bone Characteristics in Men and Post-menopausal Women in Malaysia. Front. Pharmacol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphar.2019.63.00026 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 08 Nov 2018; Published Online: 17 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Dr. Intan Nureslyna Samsudin, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor Daruh Ehsan, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia, intanlyna@upm.edu.my Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nasrin Shahifar Subashini C Thambiah Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham Salmiah Md Said Swan S Yeap Fen L Hew Intan Nureslyna Samsudin Google Nasrin Shahifar Subashini C Thambiah Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham Salmiah Md Said Swan S Yeap Fen L Hew Intan Nureslyna Samsudin Google Scholar Nasrin Shahifar Subashini C Thambiah Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham Salmiah Md Said Swan S Yeap Fen L Hew Intan Nureslyna Samsudin PubMed Nasrin Shahifar Subashini C Thambiah Siti Yazmin Zahari Sham Salmiah Md Said Swan S Yeap Fen L Hew Intan Nureslyna Samsudin Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Circadian Rhythmic Characteristics in Men With Substance Use Disorder Under Treatment. Influence of Age of Onset of Substance Use and Duration of Abstinence.

There is evidence of the reciprocal influence between the alteration of circadian rhythms and Substance Use Disorders (SUD), and part of the success of the SUD treatment lays in the patient's rhythmic recovery. We aim to elucidate the effect of the SUD treatment in circadian rhythmicity considering, for the first time, the age of onset of substance use (OSU) and duration of abstinence. We registered the sleep-wake schedules, the chronotype and the distal skin temperature of 114 SUD patients with at least 3 months of abstinence, considering whether they had begun consumption at age 16 or earlier (OSU ≤ 16, n = 56) or at 17 or later (OSU ≥ 17, n = 58), and duration of abstinence as short (SA: 3 to 5 months, n = 38), medium (MA: 6 to 9 months, n = 35) or long (LA: more than 9 months, n = 41). Moreover, we compared the patients' distal skin temperature pattern with a similar sample of healthy controls (HC, n = 103). SUD patients showed a morningness tendency and higher night values, amplitude and stability, a better adjustment to the cosine model and lower minimum temperature and circadianity index in the distal skin temperature rhythm, in contrast to the HC group. The OSU ≥ 17 and LA groups showed a more robust distal skin temperature pattern, as well as milder clinical characteristics when compared to the OSU ≤ 16 and SA groups, respectively. The circadian disturbances associated to substance consumption seem to improve with treatment, although the age of OSU and the duration of abstinence are modulating variables. Our results highlight the need to include chronobiological strategies that boost circadian rhythmicity both in SUD prevention and rehabilitation programs. The measurement of distal skin temperature rhythm, a simple and reliable procedure, could be considered an indicator of response to treatment in SUD patients.

Rapid Increase in Gonorrhea Cases With Reduced Susceptibility to Azithromycin in Columbus, Ohio.

Body of Letter: National data show an increasing trend of reduced azithromycin susceptibility (AZM-RS) among Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) isolates, especially in the Midwest.1 Sentinel surveillance data from the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project, which examines isolates from men with urethritis from 27 sites across the United States, indicates that the proportion of AZM-RS Ng isolates (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] ≥2 μg/mL) increased 4-fold between 2013 (0.6%) and 2014 (2.5%).1 Most AZM-RS Ng infections occur in men who have sex with men.1,2 The Columbus Public Health STD clinic in Columbus, Ohio, has participated in the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project since 2012. We detected zero cases of AZM-RS Ng in 2015 and 5 cases in 2016 (April, June, July, August, and December). However, we identified 30 cases between January and July 2017; 25 isolates had an AZM MIC of 2 μg/mL and 5 had an MIC of 8 μg/mL. To improve local detection of AZM-RS Ng, we compared characteristics of men with AZM-susceptible Ng urethritis (n = 224) and those with AZM-RS Ng urethritis (n = 30) detected between January and July 2017 (Table 1). Most men with AZM-RS Ng urethritis were identified in the months of June (n = 8) and July 2017 (n = 10), suggesting an accelerating trend. Compared with men with AZM-susceptible Ng urethritis, men with AZM-RS Ng urethritis were more likely to be white (P = 0.02), to report intravenous drug use in the previous year (P = 0.008), and to be HIV-positive (P = 0.04). Although more than half (53%) of men with AZM-RS Ng were heterosexual, the proportion identifying as homosexual (47%) was much higher than the proportion of AZM-susceptible men identifying as homosexual (17%; P = 0.003). We observed no significant differences by age, lifetime or recent Ng history, symptoms, recent international travel, recent sex work exposure, recent non–injection drug use, or recent antibiotic use. Although there was one Ng isolate with an increased MIC value to cefixime (MIC, 0.250 μg/mL) and one to both cefixime (MIC, 0.250 μg/mL) and ceftriaxone (MIC, 0.125 μg/mL), neither of these had concomitant reduced susceptibility to AZM. Ninety-seven percent (n = 29) of men with AZM-RS Ng urethritis received single-dose ceftriaxone (250 mg) plus AZM (1 g), and 3% (n = 1) received single-dose ceftriaxone (250 mg) plus 7 days of doxycycline (100 mg twice per day).TABLE 1: Characteristics of Men With Ng Urethritis, Comparing Those With Azithromycin-Susceptible Ng (n = 224) to Those With Reduced Azithromycin-Susceptibility (n = 30), January to July 2017We report a rapid and alarming increase in cases of AZM-RS Ng urethritis in 2017 in Columbus, Ohio (12% of Ng isolates examined). In contrast to recent reports from King County, WA,2 more than half of our AZM-RS Ng infections occurred in heterosexual patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends dual therapy (ceftriaxone plus AZM) to treat Ng3; the importance of this approach is confirmed by our data, because none of our AZM-RS Ng isolates showed increased MICs to ceftriaxone. However, a genetically linked cluster of 8 Ng isolates with high-level AZM resistance by agar dilution (MIC, >16 μg/mL) was reported in Hawaii. Five of these isolates had simultaneous increased MICs to ceftriaxone (MIC, 0.125 μg/mL),4 further heightening public health concerns about the lack of alternative effective antibiotic options for the treatment of Ng. Expanded surveillance, rapid resistance testing, and new antibiotics are urgently needed in the face of rising Ng antibiotic resistance. Jose A. Bazan, DO Sexual Health Clinic Columbus Public Health Columbus, OH Division of Infectious Diseases The Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus, OHMysheika Williams Roberts, MD, MPH Sexual Health Clinic Columbus Public Health Columbus, OHOlusegun O. Soge, PhD Neisseria Reference Laboratory Harborview Medical Center University of Washington Seattle, WAElizabeth A. Torrone, PhD, MSPH Division of STD Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GAAmanda Dennison, MPH Ohio Department of Health Columbus, OHMelissa Ervin, MT, (ASCP) Sexual Health Clinic Columbus Public Health Columbus, OHSopheay Hun, MBA, MLS, (ASCP) Antimicrobial Resistance Regional Laboratory Washington State Department of Health Public Health Laboratories Shoreline, WAKaren S. Fields, MS, BSN, RN Sexual Health Clinic Columbus Public Health Columbus, OHAbigail N. Turner, PhD Division of Infectious Diseases The Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus, OH

Fostering transition to adulthood for young Australianmales: an exploratory study of Men's Sheds' intergenerational mentoring programmes.

Men's Sheds are community spaces where socialisation occurs alongside participation in meaningful activities. Shed activities and socialisation make them useful for supporting transition to adulthood of 'at-risk' young people through meaningful occupations. Many sheds have implemented intergenerational mentoring programmes. However, many programmes are established on an ad-hoc basis without specific attention to factors that may support effective and sustainable outcomes. We aimed to inform future programmes by exploring different programmes to provide insight into the purpose, design and programme characteristics that are perceived as beneficial for young males. Four Sydney-based sheds providing intergenerational mentoring programmes were selected. We interviewed shed coordinators, mentors and mentees to explore their perceptions of programme characteristics that supported mentees' transition to adulthood. Thematic analysis techniques were used to first analyse and understand the unique context of each programme and these were then merged and integrated to identify the most helpful aspects of these mentoring programmes. Mentor attitude towards the mentees, freedom to make independent choices and the nature and perceived usefulness of the project were considered the most significant characteristics of these programmes. This was the first known examination of the different characteristics of Men's Sheds intergenerational mentoring programmes. On the basis of our findings, we have made recommendations to help guide the planning and implementation of future programmes. While our findings largely support previous research on mentoring programmes, findings from this study suggest that 'expert skills' may not be as important as mentor attitude to working with the mentees.