Use of Gloves to Examine Intermittent Palm Cooling's Impact on Rowing Ergometry.

ABSTRACT: O'Brien, IT, Kozerski, AE, Gray, WD, Chen, L, Vargas, LJ, McEnroe, CB, Vanhoover, AC, King, KM, Pantalos, GM, and Caruso, JF. Use of gloves to examine intermittent palm cooling's impact on rowing ergometry. J Strength Cond Res 35(4): 931-940, 2021-The aim of this study was to examine the use of gloves on intermittent palm cooling's impact on rowing ergometry workouts. Our methods had subjects (n = 34) complete 3 rowing ergometer workouts of up to 8 2-minute stages separated by 45- or 60-second rests. They were randomized to one of the following treatments per workout: no palm cooling (NoPC), intermittent palm cooling as they rowed (PCex), or intermittent palm cooling as they rowed and post-exercise (PCex&post). Palm cooling entailed intermittent cold (initial temperature: 8.1° C) application and totaled 10 (PCex) and 20 (PCex&post) minutes, respectively. Workouts began with 8 minutes of rest after which pre-exercise data were obtained, followed by a ten-minute warm-up and the workout, and 20 minutes of post-exercise recovery. Numerous physiological and performance variables were collected before, during, and after workouts, and each was analyzed with either a two- or three-way analysis of variance. Our results include, with a 0.05 alpha and a simple effects post hoc, the distance rowed analysis produced a significant workout effect with PCex, PCex&post > NoPC. There were also significant interworkout differences for heart rate (HR) (NoPC > PCex) and blood lactate concentration (NoPC > PCex, PCex&post). We conclude that lower HRs and blood lactate concentrations from intermittent cooling caused subjects to experience less fatigue during those workouts and enabled more work to be performed. Continued research should identify optimal cooling characteristics to expedite body heat removal. Practical applications suggest that intermittent palm cooling administered with gloves enhance performance by abating physiological markers of fatigue.

Evaluation of Indicators of Female Sexual Dysfunction in Adult Entertainers.

INTRODUCTION: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) incorporates a wide range of sexual issues within the female population; however, it has not been evaluated among female adult entertainers. AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of FSD in women working in the adult entertainment industry. METHODS: A 53-question online survey was distributed to female adult entertainers via e-mail through collaboration with the Free Speech Coalition, the North American Trade Association of the Adult Industry. Surveys were sent by the Free Speech Coalition to those within the Performer Availability Screening Services database who met the criteria of having biological vaginas and having experience as adult entertainers. The surveys were answered anonymously. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata/IC 15.1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey acquired baseline characteristics, use of contraceptives, sexual activity, work vs home sexual satisfaction, and orgasm, in addition to evaluation of female sexual function using the Female Sexual Function Index survey, with a total score <26.55 indicative of FSD. RESULTS: Of the 147 respondents, 96 (65%) met inclusion criteria of adequately completing the survey, having a biological vagina, and working in the adult entertainment industry. The mean age was 34.1 ± 10.3 years (range 20-66). The average Female Sexual Function Index score was 28.7 ± 5.6, and 24.0% (23 of 96) of entertainers had scores indicative of FSD. Overall, women found their personal sex lives more satisfying when compared with their professional sex lives (3.99 ± 1.40 vs 3.08 ± 1.52, P < .01). When comparing women with FSD to those without FSD, women with FSD had less sexual satisfaction at home (2.8 ± 1.7 vs 4.4 ± 1.0, P < .01), fewer overall sexual events (7.0 ± 6.7 FSD vs 12.9 ± 10.0 non-FSD, P < .01), and fewer satisfying sexual events overall (3.3 ± 4.2 vs 10.7 ± 8.7, P < .01). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: FSD is prevalent among all women, including those within the adult entertainment industry, and must be addressed during patient interactions. STRENGTH & LIMITATION: This is the first study to evaluate the novel group of female adult entertainers. Despite this novel population, the study size is rather small and is susceptible to response bias. CONCLUSION: FSD appeared to be less prevalent among female adult entertainers than rates commonly quoted for the general population and was more often seen in the women with less satisfying personal sex lives. Dubin JM, Greer AB, Valentine C, et al. Evaluation of Indicators of Female Sexual Dysfunction in Adult Entertainers. J Sex Med 2019;16:621-623.

Erectile dysfunction among male adult entertainers: a survey.

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) has not been evaluated among male adult entertainers. Our goal was to evaluate the prevalence of ED and use of erectile aids among men working in the adult entertainment industry. METHODS: An online survey was distributed to male adult entertainers through collaboration with the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the North American Trade Association of the Adult Industry. Surveys were sent via email to those who met the criteria of being non-transgender men with biological penises and have experience as adult entertainers. The survey acquired baseline characteristics, use and frequency of erectile aids, and assessed erectile function using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) survey. Statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Of the 98 respondents, 62 met inclusion criteria. The median age was 36 (IQR 28.25-45) years. Of those included, 69.4% (43/62) used erectile aids. In men who used erectile aids, 58.1% (25/43) used for both work and personal reasons. Erectile aids were used most among young men aged 20-29 (84.2%). Overall, 38.7% (24/62) of men had ED as defined by the IIEF survey. Of note, 26.3% (5/19) of men aged 20-29 had moderate to severe ED. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate ED among adult male entertainers. Male entertainers between the ages of 20-29 had both the highest prevalence of moderate to severe ED and the highest erectile aid usage among all male adult entertainers.