The beliefs and willingness of men who have sex with men to comply with a one-year blood donation deferral policy: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration ended the lifetime blood donation deferral for men who have sex with men (MSM) and replaced it with a 1-year deferral period. It is currently unknown how many MSM may meet the new deferral policy and how many are willing to comply with it. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An anonymous survey was shared on MSM-focused social media sites between May and July 2016 and enrolled self-identified American MSM who were at least 18 years old. The survey assessed the willingness of MSM to donate blood, donation history, and knowledge regarding current blood donation needs and testing limitations. RESULTS: A total of 764 men met criteria to be included in the final data set. Only 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9%-10.9%) met the current 12-month deferral criteria, yet 90.6% (95% CI, 88.5%-92.7%) were interested in donating. Among men interested in donating blood, 57.9% (95% CI, 54.3%-61.4%) would consider donating blood without meeting the 12-month deferral criteria. Overall, 26.7% (95% CI, 23.6%-29.8%) admitted to donating blood at least once in the past despite not meeting deferral criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Few MSM met the current deferral criteria, yet many were interested in donating, even without meeting deferral criteria. Possible motivations to donate without meeting deferral criteria may include a perceived shortage of donated blood and infallibility of current blood testing technology to detect human immunodeficiency virus. If the current 1-year deferral is maintained, it is essential that there is outreach to the MSM community to explain and educate why this policy exists.

The Demographics and Rates of Tattoo Complications, Regret, and Unsafe Tattooing Practices: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Tattoos have become increasingly common in the United States; however, there are limited data on the rates of tattoo complications and tattoo regret. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of infectious and allergic complications after tattooing, rates of tattoo regret, the perception of dermatologists among people with tattoos, and the demographics of people with tattoos. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An 18-question cross-sectional survey was fielded in New Orleans in January 2015. Participants had to be at least 18 years old, have at least 1 tattoo, and reside within the United States. RESULTS: In total, 501 participants from 38 American states were enrolled. Of all participants, 3.2% had a history of an infected tattoo, 3.8% had a history of a painful tattoo, and 21.2% had a history of a pruritic tattoo; 16.2% of participants regret a current tattoo and 21.2% are interested in having 1 or more tattoos removed; 21.2% received a tattoo while intoxicated and 17.6% had a tattoo placed somewhere other than at a tattoo parlor; and 78.9% believe dermatologists are knowledgeable about the infectious and allergic complications of tattoos. CONCLUSION: Given the rates of pruritic tattoos and tattoo regret, there is an opportunity, and trust among people with tattoos, for dermatologists to manage these complications.

The rates, perceptions, and willingness of men who have sex with men to donate blood.

BACKGROUND: Since 1983 in the United States, any man who has had sex with another man (MSM) at any time since 1977 has been deferred from donating blood for life. Although there has been a push to change the deferral, there is a paucity of information on both the rates of MSM blood donation and the willingness of MSMs to donate if the deferral were changed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A 15-question survey was given at two lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender festivals in Chicago and New Orleans. Participants were asked about a previous history of blood donation and whether they would be willing to donate were the lifetime deferral changed. Participants were also asked to determine whether it was safe for hypothetical MSMs with varying sexual practices to donate blood and whether they believed that it was safe for them to donate their own blood. RESULTS: Our study found that 42.0% of all participants had not complied with the deferral policy and have donated blood at least once, with a mean number of donations of 4.84. Additionally, 85.9% of participants would be willing to donate blood if the deferral were changed. CONCLUSION: Despite the lifetime deferral, many MSMs have previously donated blood, and many more are willing to donate. Given this, along with the safe implementation of temporary deferral policies in other nations, the United States should consider adopting a temporary deferral policy for MSMs.

Effects of mutations in the highly conserved DRY motif on binding affinity, expression, and G-protein recruitment of the human angiotensin II type-2 receptor.

The signaling pathways for the seven transmembrane G-protein coupled angiotensin II receptors (AT(1) and AT(2)) are just beginning to be understood. While these receptors play an important role in the development and differentiation of many tissues, including the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, information about amino acid motifs involved in angiotensin II-mediated signaling is only available for the AT(1) receptor subtype. In the present study, we mutated the conserved DRY(141-143) motif in the AT(2) receptor, which is thought to be involved in G-protein recruitment. Expression of wild type and mutant receptors in CHO-K1 cell plasma membranes was confirmed using radioligand binding analyses. Our findings indicate a significant change in the binding affinities (kD) and capacities (B(max)) of the mutant receptors relative to wild type. Alanine substitutions of D(141) and DRY(141-143) resulted in a significant decrease of binding affinity for both Sar(1)Ile(8)-angiotensin II (SarIle-Ang II) (mixed agonist/antagonist) and angiotensin II (agonist). The binding affinities following alanine substitutions of R(142) and Y(143) were not significantly different from wild type receptor. Interestingly, the R(142)-A and Y(143)-A mutants revealed a significant decrease in binding levels from wild type with SarIle-Ang II, but not angiotensin II. The effect of GTPgammaS on angiotensin II binding affinity between wild type and mutant receptors was similarly significant. The D(141)-A, Y(143)-A, and DRY(141-143)-AAA mutant receptors showed a marked decrease in GTPgammaS-induced angiotensin II affinity shift. The R(142)-A GTPgammaS binding affinity shift was not different from the wild type receptor. Our results support the hypothesis that the DRY motif plays a significant role in the binding affinity, structural stability and G-protein recruiting of the AT(2) receptor.