Dual method use among a sample of first-year college women.

Context: Dual method use-using one protective method to reduce the risk of STDs and another to prevent pregnancy-is effective but understudied. No prior studies have employed an event-level approach to examining characteristics associated with dual method use among college women.

Methods: In 12 consecutive monthly surveys conducted in 2009-2010, data on 1,843 vaginal intercourse events were collected from 296 first-year college women.

Female College Students' Media Use and Academic Outcomes: Results from a Longitudinal Cohort Study.

This longitudinal study describes women's media use during their first year of college and examines associations between media use and academic outcomes. Female students ( = 483, = 18.1 years) reported on their use of 11 media forms and their grade point average, academic behaviors, academic confidence, and problems affecting schoolwork.

Sexual hookups and adverse health outcomes: a longitudinal study of first-year college women.

"Hookups" are sexual encounters between partners who are not in a romantic relationship and do not expect commitment. We examined the associations between sexual hookup behavior and depression, sexual victimization (SV), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among first-year college women. In this longitudinal study, 483 women completed 13 monthly surveys assessing oral and vaginal sex with hookup and romantic partners, depression, SV, and self-reported STIs.

Do alcohol and marijuana use decrease the probability of condom use for college women?

Alcohol and marijuana use are thought to increase sexual risk taking, but event-level studies conflict in their findings and often depend on reports from a limited number of people or on a limited number of sexual events per person. With event-level data from 1,856 sexual intercourse events provided by 297 college women (M age = 18 years; 71% White), we used multilevel modeling to examine associations between alcohol and marijuana use and condom use as well as interactions involving sexual partner type and alcohol-sexual risk expectancies. Controlling for alternative contraception use, partner type, regular levels of substance use, impulsivity and sensation seeking, and demographics, women were no more or less likely to use condoms during events involving drinking or heavy episodic drinking than during those without drinking.

Hookah, cigarette, and marijuana use: a prospective study of smoking behaviors among first-year college women.

Better understanding of the temporal sequence of hookah, cigarette, and marijuana use will help to inform smoking prevention efforts. To address this gap in the literature, we assessed all three of these smoking behaviors in a sample of 424 first-year college women. Using a longitudinal design, we investigated whether hookah use predicts initiating/resuming cigarette and/or initiating marijuana use, and whether cigarette and/or marijuana use predicts initiating hookah use.

Predictors of sexual hookups: a theory-based, prospective study of first-year college women.

Hooking up, or engaging in sexual interactions outside of committed relationships, has become increasingly common among college students. This study sought to identify predictors of sexual hookup behavior among first-year college women using a prospective longitudinal design. We used problem behavior theory (Jessor, 1991) as an organizing conceptual framework and examined risk and protective factors for hooking up from three domains: personality, behavior, and perceived environment.

Acceptability of sexually transmitted infection testing using self-collected vaginal swabs among college women.

Objective: To assess the acceptability of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing using self-collected vaginal swabs (SCVS) among college women.

Participants: First-year female students (N=483).

Methods: Participants were offered free testing for 3 STIs using SCVS in April 2010 and later completed a survey regarding their testing decision and experiences.

Are hookups replacing romantic relationships? A longitudinal study of first-year female college students.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and frequency of sexual hookups across the first year of college and to compare rates of hookups and romantic relationship sex.

Methods: We surveyed 483 first-year female college students (mean age, 18.1 years; range, 18-21 years, 64% white) monthly over the first year of college about the frequency of sexual behavior in the context of hookups and romantic relationships.

Characterization of G12 sandwich ELISA, a next-generation immunoassay for gluten toxicity.

In this work, a monoclonal antibody called G12, raised against the most immunotoxic peptide to celiac disease patients, was used to develop a sandwich ELISA. Preliminary results on cross-reactivities, recoveries, and extraction methods of the new assay are presented. The assay calibration was performed using material from the Prolamin Working Group.

Integrating behavioral health services into a university health center: patient and provider satisfaction.

The goals of this study were to (a) describe an Integrated Behavioral Health Care (IBHC) program within a university health center and (b) assess provider and patient acceptability and satisfaction with the IBHC program, including behavioral health screening and clinical services of integrated behavioral health providers (BHPs). Fifteen providers (nine primary care providers and six nurses) and 79 patients (75% female, 65% Caucasian) completed program ratings in 2010. Providers completed an anonymous web-based questionnaire that assessed satisfaction with and acceptability of behavioral health screening and the IBHC program featuring integrated BHPs.

Predictors of initiation of hookah tobacco smoking: a one-year prospective study of first-year college women.

Hookah tobacco smoking has become increasingly prevalent among American college students over the past decade. Hookah smoking is associated with poor health outcomes and exposes users to high levels of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and smoke. Research on the correlates of hookah use has begun to emerge, but all studies thus far have been cross-sectional.

Changes in women's condom use over the first year of college.

Most college students are sexually active, engage in serially monogamous relationships, and use condoms inconsistently. Little is known about how condom use changes during college, and even less about variables predicting changes in use. Latent growth modeling (LGM) was used to examine changes in condom use during the first year of college among 279 women (mean age = 18.

Prevalence, frequency, and initiation of hookah tobacco smoking among first-year female college students: a one-year longitudinal study.

Hookah tobacco smoking has become increasingly prevalent among college students, but little is known about frequency of use or patterns of use over time, including during the transition to college. The goals of this longitudinal cohort study were to assess the: (a) lifetime prevalence, (b) current prevalence, (c) frequency of use, and (d) pattern of initiation of hookah tobacco smoking among female students during the first year of college. First-year female college students (N=483) at a large private university in upstate New York completed 13 monthly online surveys about their hookah tobacco use from August 2009 to August 2010.

Sexual risk reduction interventions for patients attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in the United States: a meta-analytic review, 1986 to early 2009.

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) patients are more likely to experience a future STD including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of behavioral interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior and incident STDs among patients attending STD clinics in the United States. A meta-analysis of 32 studies with 48 separate interventions targeting STD patients (N = 67,538) was conducted.

Predictors and consequences of sexual "hookups" among college students: a short-term prospective study.

"Hookups," sexual interactions between partners who do not expect a romantic commitment, are believed to be common among adolescents and young adults. Most existing research is cross-sectional and has not investigated the antecedents or consequences of hookups. To our knowledge, this study provides the first prospective investigation of the hypothesized predictors of penetrative sex hookups (i.

Stress management interventions for HIV+ adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 1989 to 2006.

Objective: Numerous studies document that stress accelerates disease processes in a variety of diseases including HIV. As a result, investigators have developed and evaluated interventions to reduce stress as a means to improve health among persons living with HIV. Therefore, the current meta-analysis examines the impact of stress-management interventions at improving psychological, immunological, hormonal, and other behavioral health outcomes among HIV+ adults.

An approach to investigating the importance of high potency polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the induction of lung cancer by air pollution.

Evidence suggests that people living in urban areas have an increased risk of lung cancer due to higher levels of air pollution in these areas. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is currently used as the main indicator of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air pollution, but there is concern that B[a]P may not be the ideal surrogate of choice for PAH mixtures since higher potency PAHs have recently been identified which could potentially contribute more and variably to the overall carcinogenicity. Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA) and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) are estimated to have carcinogenic potencies 10 or more times greater than B[a]P but data on their presence and formation in the environment are limited.

Approaches to carcinogenic risk assessment for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a UK perspective.

This paper reviews the approaches to carcinogenic risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air pollution with emphasis on high potency PAHs such as dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P). The potency of DB[a,l]P may be 100-fold greater than benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P); thus the B[a]P surrogate approach currently used to monitor for compliance with UK air pollution standards may not be appropriate. It is suggested that an approach based on potency equivalency factors (PEFs) could be developed to include highly potent PAHs provided an appropriate reference data set for relevant PAHs using a route acceptable for inhalation risk assessment is selected.

Local lymph node assay - validation, conduct and use in practice.

The validation of alternative methods is a relatively new activity in toxicology. The local lymph node assay (LLNA), a novel method for the identification of chemicals that have the potential to cause skin sensitization, was the first test to pass through the formal regulatory validation process established in the USA under the auspices of ICCVAM, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods. ICCVAM approved the LLNA as an alternative to guinea pig tests for the identification of skin sensitisation hazards.

IPCS conceptual framework for evaluating a mode of action for chemical carcinogenesis.

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) is leading an activity to harmonize approaches to cancer risk assessment as a part of its larger project on the Harmonization of Approaches to the Assessment of Risk from Exposure to Chemicals. Through a series of workshops and the evaluation of case studies, a number of key components of risk assessments relating to harmonization were identified: transparency, terminology, weight of evidence, flexibility, and accessibility/communication. A major impediment to harmonization identified in the consideration of weight of evidence was the evaluation of mode of action.

Mouse-specific carcinogens: an assessment of hazard and significance for validation of short-term carcinogenicity bioassays in transgenic mice.

1. The International Conference on the Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for human use (ICH) has agreed that bioassay data from only one species, the rat, supported by appropriate mutagenicity and pharmacokinetic data and also information from new (unvalidated) short term in vivo screening tests for potential carcinogenicity, could be used for the licensing of human medicines. This proposal has been supported by reviews of the utility of testing pharmaceuticals in the mouse which have concluded that the mouse bioassay contributes little to regulatory decisions.