Barriers to older adults seeking sexual health advice and treatment: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Sexual health is an integral part of overall health in older age. Research consistently reports that heterosexual and queer older people tend not to disclose sexual concerns and difficulties which increases the risks for sexually transmitted diseases. Older people are often absent from policies and information programmes and healthcare providers experience difficulties in initiating conversations around sexual health and history. OBJECTIVES: To identify what are the barriers that stop older people seeking sexual health advice and treatment. DESIGN AND METHOD: A scoping review methodology was employed. Published and unpublished literature was scoped through development of a research question, identification of potentially relevant studies, selection of relevant studies using an iterative team approach, charting data, collating, summarising and reporting findings, and considering the implications of study findings for further research. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases searches were run to identify published and unpublished literature, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ASSIA, Social Sciences, RCN and Cochrane Libraries. Additional studies were located through hand searching. RESULTS: Twelve studies from: the USA (n = 6); the UK (n = 3); Australia (n = 2); and one shared paper between New Zealand and UK met the inclusion criteria. Four barriers that stop older people seeking sexual health advice and treatment were identified, including (1) Cultural and societal views and beliefs toward sexual health; (2) Stigma, embarrassment and discrimination; (3) Lack of education and training of healthcare professionals; (4) Quality of relationship between patients and health professionals. CONCLUSION: Barriers to seeking and receiving advice and treatment for sexual health in later life clearly exist and are both related to cultural and social factors. Overall, the papers reviewed in this scoping review indicate that healthcare providers are reluctant to initiate conversations around sexual health or offer appropriate advice or clinical tests, and that older people tend to be hesitant to seek medical help. Later life age groups independently from their sexual orientation represent a hidden population and are absent from sexual health campaigns and government policies. Efforts need to be made by influential institutions and healthcare providers to recognise sexuality in older age and give older people the opportunity to open up regarding their sexual health and experiences.

[Thoracotomy and thoracoscopy in the treatment of patent arterial duct in infants weighing less than 2500 g].

BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic clipping of the patent ductus arteriosus is an alternative to conventional surgical closure via thoracotomy in low birth weight infants. The aim of this study is to compare of these two groups of patients for the last 11 years. METHODS: We reported the data of 127 small children's who underwent standard transaxillary thoracotomy (101 patients - Group I) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for patent ductus arteriosus clipping (26 patients - Group II). The two groups were compared for patients demographics, operative report and postoperative parameters. RESULTS: The groups were similar in terms of demographics and preoperative parameters. There was significant difference in mean operative time between open and thoracoscopic procedure (44.65 min vs 38.46 min; p<0.05). Duration of care in neonatal intensive unit and length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in the Group II (16.44 d vs 8.77 d; p<0.05 and 40.13 d vs 33.65 d; p<0.05). Early complication rates were equivalent between groups (6.93% vs 3.85%; p>0.05). Rate of long-term complications was dominated in the thoracotomy group (19.80% vs 0%; p=0127). CONCLUSION: Thoracoscopic ligation of the patent ductus arteriosus in infants less than 2500 g gave results better than open surgery.

[Anesthesiological provision of patients with tachyarrhythmias during radio-frequency ablations].

The paper presents the results of anesthesia in 55 patients aged 18 to 70 years during radio-frequency ablation for different types of tachycardias.

[Features of lipoxygenase from cells of Mortierella species mushrooms]. / Osobennosti lipoksigenzay iz kletok gribov roda Mortierella.

The specific activity of lipoxygenase from several strains of the zygomycete Mortierella varied from 1.02 to 2.02 microMol diene per min per mg protein). The enzyme equally used linoleic or arachidonic acid as a substrate. An increase in lipoxygenase activity was observed after adding corn oil to the culture medium. Tests with inhibitors having different chemical structures revealed that the lipoxygenase activity from Mortierella cells was inhibited only by esculetin, ethanol and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). NDGA inhibited the enzyme in vitro (IC50 = 142 microM), but its addition in the exponential phase of growth activated the enzyme.

[Microcirculatory changes in respiratory insufficiency]. / Izmeneniia mikrotsirkuliatornogo krovoobrashcheniia pri dykhatel'noi nedostatochnosti.

The paper describes the results of study of 71 patients with chronic diseases of the lungs. The methods of investigation were directed at eliciting changes in extravascular, vascular and intravascular factors of the microcirculatory system. Considerable disorders of the microcirculation have been found in respiratory insufficiency and their dependence of the stage of insufficiency. Comparison of the degree of microcirculatory shifts with the gaseous composition of the blood and the acid-base balance has been made. The stages of microcirculatory changes run parallel to the severity of respiratory insufficiency, and the causes leading to pathology of microcirculation in respiratory insufficiency are multifactorial in character, the main being changes in the gaseous composition of the blood.