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Several studies reported a progressive decrease in sexual activity, interest and enjoyment throughout pregnancy. These changes in sexual life are influenced by changes in body image, alterations in the neurological, vascular, endocrine and other systems, as well as psychological and emotional disturbances that may affect the couple’s sexual relationship. The aim of our study is to understand the effect of pregnancy on sexual activity in a Middle-Eastern population, and to understand, as healthcare providers, the patient’s perception of sexual activity during pregnancy. A modified Pregnancy Sexual Response Inventory questionnaire was filled by 60 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic or the pre-admission unit in one public and two private Lebanese hospitals. The results showed decreased levels of sexual activity, sexual desire, frequency of orgasm in women and decreased level of partnered sexual activity of the spouse during pregnancy as compared to prior to pregnancy. Pain during sexual intercourse was unchanged prior to and during pregnancy. Our study highlighted the many concerns pregnant women had about their sexual life during pregnancy. Those concerns should not be ignored by the obstetricians who should discuss sexual health matters during the antenatal visits.

Introduction The biopsychosocial paradigm recognizes that sexual development and sexual difficulties may have multifactorial etiologies related to physical, psychological, and social factors. While physical and psychological factors are acknowledged and identified, the influence of social factors often receive less attention in clinical settings. Aim This study aims to determine how social, cultural, and religious factors and media influence may influence sexual development, sexual relationships, and sexual function. Method Review of the most recent literature addressing social and cultural factors related to sexuality was conducted. Conclusions The impact of culture should be recognized and addressed and clinical recommendations are provided.

In this opinion piece, Derek Judge, senior director for alliances and channel APAC at MapR Technologies discusses how Big Data can help align sales and marketing, resulting in improving effectiveness. Furthermore, optimisation of pricing strategies through Big Data allows sales and marketing teams to collaborate long term as pricing is never simply a constant and changes as the political, economic and social climates of the area change. By maintaining a high level of customer responsiveness...

To reach the lymphatics, migrating dendritic cells (DCs) need to interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Heparanase, a mammalian endo-β-D-glucuronidase, specifically degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycans ubiquitously associated with the cell surface and ECM. The role of heparanase in the physiology of bone marrow-derived DCs was studied in mutant heparanase knock-out (Hpse-KO) mice. Immature DCs from Hpse-KO mice exhibited a more mature phenotype; however their transmigration was significantly delayed, but not completely abolished, most probably due to the observed upregulation of MMP-14 and CCR7. Despite their mature phenotype, uptake of beads was comparable and uptake of apoptotic cells was more efficient in DCs from Hpse-KO mice. Heparanase is an important enzyme for DC transmigration. Together with CCR7 and its ligands, and probably MMP-14, heparanase controls DC trafficking.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental mechanism in tissue and cell homeostasis. It was long suggested that apoptosis regulates the cell number in diverse cell populations; however no clear mechanism was shown. Neutrophils are the short-lived, first-line defense of innate immunity, with an estimated t = 1/2 of 8 hours and a high turnover rate. Here we first show that spontaneous neutrophil constitutive PCD is regulated by cell concentrations. Using a proteomic approach, we identified the S100 A8/9 complex, which constitutes roughly 40% of cytosolic protein in neutrophils, as mediating this effect. We further demonstrate that it regulates cell survival via a signaling mechanism involving MEK-ERK via TLR4 and CD11B/CD18. This mechanism is suggested to have a fine-tuning role in regulating the neutrophil number in bone marrow, peripheral blood, and inflammatory sites.