Reasons for Having Unprotected Sex Among Adolescents and Young Adults Accessing Reproductive Health Services.

INTRODUCTION: Although research suggests that young people are more likely to have unprotected sex than adults, their reasons for doing so are not well-understood. Among a sample of young people accessing no-cost contraceptive services, we explored their reported reasons for having unprotected sex and their willingness to have unprotected sex in the future. METHODS: We recruited sexually active assigned female at birth youth at 10 family planning clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area (n = 212). Participants completed a self-administered survey reporting their reasons for having unprotected sex and willingness to do so in the future. We used bivariate analyses to assess associations between reasons for unprotected sex and age group (adolescents ages 14-19 vs. young adults ages 20-25) and willingness to have unprotected sex in the future. RESULTS: Most young people (69%) had recently engaged in unprotected sex and 41% were willing to in the future. The most common reported reasons for having unprotected sex included not planning to have sex, a preference for unprotected sex, and difficulty using contraception. Worrying about contraceptive side effects and a preference for unprotected sex were significantly associated with a willingness to have unprotected sex in the future (p < .01). Age group was not associated with most reasons for having unprotected sex. CONCLUSIONS: Person-centered care should give attention to the range of reasons that may influence young people's sexual and contraceptive decision-making.

Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Recruitment and Retention: Using Simulation to Teach a Trauma-Informed Interview.

ABSTRACT: Traditionally, sexual assault nurse examiner training focuses on examination skills and evidence collection. Gathering history and supporting the patient in a trauma-informed approach are equally important components of postassault care. Simulation is an established tool in healthcare education; however, there is limited research on applying simulation to the training of sexual assault nurse examiners. The Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Recruitment and Retention program developed and delivered standardized patient-simulated scenarios to teach elements of trauma-informed sexual assault interviews. Simulation allowed trainees the opportunity to practice interviews and receive direct feedback from the standardized patient actor and experienced examiners. Evaluation results showed that learners valued this opportunity, endorsing that it improved their ability to conduct a forensic interview. This innovative program introduced a framework for training new examiners on trauma-informed interview techniques, using standardized patients.

An Innovative Trauma-Informed Curriculum for Sexual Assault Care.

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is a pervasive public health concern. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommends that nursing education comprehensively address this topic, yet nursing schools are inconsistent in doing so. METHOD: An innovative, holistic curriculum that includes didactic and simulation exercises was developed to educate nurses on a trauma-informed approach to providing care for individuals who have experienced sexual violence. The 2-day course trained both advanced practice nurses and advanced practice nursing students. RESULTS: The course increased participants' knowledge of how to provide trauma-informed sexual assault care and increased interest in the field of sexual assault forensic nursing. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive sexual assault care curriculum and the use of standardized patients to develop trauma-informed communication skills are effective and acceptable to learners. This novel curriculum can serve as a model to incorporate sexual assault care training in nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(6):336-340.].

A Selective and Cell-Permeable Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter (MCU) Inhibitor Preserves Mitochondrial Bioenergetics after Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury.

Mitochondrial Ca2+ (mCa2+) uptake mediated by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) plays a critical role in signal transduction, bioenergetics, and cell death, and its dysregulation is linked to several human diseases. In this study, we report a new ruthenium complex Ru265 that is cell-permeable, minimally toxic, and highly potent with respect to MCU inhibition. Cells treated with Ru265 show inhibited MCU activity without any effect on cytosolic Ca2+ dynamics and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Dose-dependent studies reveal that Ru265 is more potent than the currently employed MCU inhibitor Ru360. Site-directed mutagenesis of Cys97 in the N-terminal domain of human MCU ablates the inhibitory activity of Ru265, suggesting that this matrix-residing domain is its target site. Additionally, Ru265 prevented hypoxia/reoxygenation injury and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction, demonstrating that this new inhibitor is a valuable tool for studying the functional role of the MCU in intact biological models.

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ruthenium-based Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Inhibitor.

We detail the synthesis and purification of a mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitor, [(OH2)(NH3)4Ru(µ-O)Ru(NH3)4(OH2)]5+. The optimized synthesis of this compound commences from [Ru(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 in 1 M NH4OH in a closed container, yielding a green solution. Purification is accomplished with cation-exchange chromatography. This compound is characterized and verified to be pure by UV-vis and IR spectroscopy. The mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitory properties are assessed in permeabilized HeLa cells by fluorescence spectroscopy.

Dinuclear nitrido-bridged ruthenium complexes bearing diimine ligands.

Reactions of K3[Ru2NCl8(H2O)2] with 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmbpy), and 4,4'-dimethoxy-2,2'-bipyridine (dmobpy) yielded the nitrido-bridged dinuclear complexes [Ru2N(L)2Cl5(DMF)] where L = bpy (1), dmbpy (2), and dmobpy (3). The crystal structures of these complexes reveal a linear Ru-N-Ru moiety with each ruthenium center bearing a bidentate diimine ligand. The complexes were further characterized by NMR, IR, and UV-vis spectroscopic methods and cyclic voltammetry. Because the compounds bear some structural similarities with the mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitor Ru360, the ability of these complexes to act in this capacity was evaluated. The results demonstrate that 1-3 all fail to block mitochondrial calcium uptake, revealing new facets of the structure-activity relationships for ruthenium-based mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitors.

Microsecond photocapacitance transients observed using a charged microcantilever as a gated mechanical integrator.

How light is converted to electricity in blends of organic donor and acceptor molecules is an unsettled question, partly because the spatial heterogeneity present in these blends makes them challenging to characterize. Although scanned-probe measurements have provided crucially important microscopic insights into charge generation and transport in these blends, achieving the subnanosecond time resolution needed to directly observe the fate of photogenerated charges has proven difficult. We use a charged microcantilever as a gated mechanical integrator to record photocapacitance indirectly by measuring the accumulated change in cantilever phase as a function of the time delay between precisely synchronized voltage and light pulses. In contrast with previous time-resolved scanned-probe photocapacitance measurements, the time resolution of this method is set by the rise and fall time of the voltage and light pulses and not by the inverse detection bandwidth. We demonstrate in an organic donor-acceptor blend the ability of this indirect, "phase-kick" technique to record multiexponential photocapacitance transients on time scales ranging from 40 µs to 10 ms. The technique's ability to measure subcycle, nanosecond charge dynamics is demonstrated by measuring the tens of nanosecond sample electrical charging time.

Synthetic Methods for the Preparation of a Functional Analogue of Ru360, a Potent Inhibitor of Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake.

The mixed-valent oxo-bridged ruthenium complex [(HCO2)(NH3)4Ru(µ-O)Ru(NH3)4(O2CH)]3+, known as Ru360, is a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial calcium uptake. Although this compound is useful for studying the role of mitochondrial calcium in biological processes, its widespread availability is limited because of challenges in purification and characterization. Here, we describe our investigations of three different synthetic methods for the preparation of a functional analogue of this valuable compound. We demonstrate that this analogue, isolated from our procedures, exhibits potent mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitory properties in permeabilized HeLa cells and in isolated mitochondria.