The relationship of sexual abuse and HIV risk behaviors among heterosexual adult female STD patients.

Some effects of sexual abuse, for example, heightened sexual activity, are also risk factors for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Moreover, Social Cognitive theory suggests that the reduced self-esteem and increased sexual arousal that can result from abuse might alter self-efficacy for performing a behavior and expected outcomes of the behavior, making adoption of preventive behavior more difficult. Studies in the general population, adolescents, and male clients of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, have found associations between childhood sexual abuse and HIV risk behaviors. This study was designed to measure: (a) whatever the association persists among female STD clinic clients; and (b) whether sexual abuse is associated with self-efficacy for condom use or condom use outcome expectations. Among the 83 female STD clinic clients studied, those sexually abused before age 18 had more sexual partners (p < .05), more positive hedonic outcome expectations for condom use (p < .01), and fewer positive partner-related outcome expectations for condom use (p < .05) than those never forced to have sex against their will. In summary, HIV risk behavior among female STD clients varies with childhood sexual abuse and Social Cognitive Theory suggests future directions for prevention.

Macromolecular factor VIII complex: functional and structural heterogeneity observed in von Willebrand swine with transfusion.

The physiologic activities concerned with hemostasis and associated with the Factor VIII macromolecular complex were investigated in swine with von Willebrand's disease after infusion of cryoprecipitate, a lyophilized Factor VIII concentrate, or porcine serum. Immediately after each infusion the various activities antihemophilic factor, von Willebrand platelet aggregating factor, and Factor VIII-related antigen, were elevated in approximate proportion to dose and the bleeding time was shortened.There was a late secondary rise in antihemophilic factor. During the period after infusion, there was a differential fall-off of the various activities, with the bleeding time effect lost first, followed by the von Willebrand platelet aggregating factor and then by the Factor VIII-related antigen. The plasma from swine with von Willebrand's disease late after infusion contained high levels of antihemophilic factor without other detectable activities of the complex. Antihemophilic factor, free of the other components, obtained from plasma from swine with von Willebrand's disease either before or late after infusion eluted from agarose gel columns both as high and lower molecular weight material, unlike normal antihemophilic factor, which had a high molecular weight. In contrast, on ultracentrifugation the antihemophilic factor in these plasma sedimented slowly, even though chromatographically the plasmas contained both high and low molecular weight factor. All of the Factor VIII complex activities in normal porcine plasma sedimented rapidly. These studies demonstrate the heterogeneity of the Factor VIII complex and the apparent dependence of its chromatographic and sedimentation behavior on the functional activities associated with the complex.