Sexual adaptation among single young adults with cystic fibrosis.

The sexual adaptation of 48 single young adults with cystic fibrosis and a comparably aged single group without chronic disease was assessed using interviews and questionnaires. The patients were also compared to a previously studied group of married patients with cystic fibrosis. Single female patients with cystic fibrosis began dating later, dated less often, felt less attractive, had less sexual desire, and had more sexual problems than did physically healthy female subjects. Single male patients with cystic fibrosis seemed to fare far better than their female counterparts and approximated the healthy male group in all parameters studied. For both the single and married groups with cystic fibrosis, no significant relationship between the severity of disease and sexual health was evident. The single patients were diagnosed at a significantly earlier age and their general health scores were poorer than the married patients. The vulnerability of female patients with cystic fibrosis to psychosexual disruption suggests that attention be focused on the differential effects of other chronic illnesses upon male and female adult sexual adaptation.

The effects of coronary bypass surgery on female sexual, psychological, and vocational adaptation.

This paper reports the first study of female sexual, psychological, and vocational adaptation to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Semistructured interviews were used to obtain data on 17 women undergoing CABG. Four time periods were examined: prior to and after the onset of cardiac symptoms; four months and one year after CABG. Female sexual response differs from what is known about male adaptation to CABG in three ways: 1) women did not demonstrate a significant and profound decline in frequency of intercourse one year after surgery; 2) the component most vulnerable to disruption in women is desire, in men it is arousal; 3) women do not harbor the sexual fears commonly seen in men such as sudden death during intercourse or performance anxiety. Psychologically, women fared better than men, but were less likely to return to work. This indicates that more attention should be directed toward vocational counseling of working women undergoing CABG.

Thebaine variations between germplasm sources within one collection of Papaver bracteatum Lindl.

Plants of Papaver bracteatum Lindl. derived from different germplasm sources within one Iranian collection were grown for 18 and 37 weeks in the greenhouse and controlled environment chambers. Gas-chromatographic analyses showed significant differences between thebaine concentrations of root tissue for 18-week-old plants, but not for 37-week-old plants. The two age groups did not differ in thebaine yield per unit of dry weight of root tissue. However, due to more profuse root growth, the total yield of thebaine from roots of the older plants was about four times that of the younger plants. Shoot thebaine concentrations differed significantly for 18- and 37-week-old plants. The over-all mean thebaine concentration for shoots of older plants was nearly twice that of younger plants. The variation in thebaine concentrations in these plants suggested genetic differences between the germplasm sources. Thus, domestication of P. bracteatum will require selection of germplasm from within and between collections, for plants of the greatest economic potential.