Kiwi in Pregnancy: Benefits, Side Effects, and More

Allergies To Dental Materials

Suspected allergies in dentistry should be confirmed by an allergy test conducted by a dermatologist or allergist, due to the potential for a life threatening allergic reaction or the development of a long-term occupational disability. When an allergy test to a certain dental material is found to be positive, the dental team should take appropriate precautions to eliminate the use of the offending allergen by using alternative materials, for example, latex-free gloves or nickel-free alloys.

Research demonstrates that there are numerous potential allergens in everyday dental practice. However, currently there is not enough evidence to indicate that use of popular dental materials should be discontinued. Nevertheless, the dental team should remain vigilant and acutely aware of the potential of the many available dental materials and products to cause allergic hypersensitivity within the mild to severe range, both intra-orally and at unrelated parts of the body. Materials that warrant particular awareness include latex, nickel, methacrylate, eugenol and polyether impression materials.

References available from the author on wiltshir@cc.Umanitoba.Ca.

Box 1: Test yourself

1. What proportion of orthodontic patients with pierced ears is allergic to nickel?

A. 60% B. 20% C. 30%

2. When did latex allergy become more common?

A. 21st century B. 1980s C. 1940s

3. A Type IV reaction is:

A. Delayed B. Immediate C. Fatal

ANSWERS: 1C, 2B, 3A.

How To Tell If You're Allergic To Semen Because, Yep, That's A Thing

What puts someone at risk for either sensitivity in the first place isn't totally clear, just as we don't always know why some people are born with any other kind of allergy. And much like you can develop food or seasonal allergies later in life, it's possible to become hypersensitive to semen if you once weren't, or even to experience a reaction when having sex with one partner and not with another, though experts don't quite know why. Researchers think that certain events involving a hormonal change—like getting an IUD, having a hysterectomy, or going through menopause—might be involved for some.

There's also some evidence that people with a penis may react to their own semen—a condition called postorgasmic illness syndrome, which involves flu-like symptoms after ejaculation. But a 2023 study found that an allergic response (at least, one including the development of IgE antibodies) is probably not in play here, and psychological factors are more likely the culprit.

How do you know if you have a semen allergy?

Unfortunately, a lot of things can leave your vagina raging, so it's easy to mistake a semen allergy for something else. The main sign is a painful burning sensation in or around your vagina and vulva that starts during or right after unprotected sex, Dr. Bernstein says. (It can last anywhere from a half hour to several hours.) You should also look out for any of the whole-body allergy symptoms above, like hives, wheezing, and so forth. An important note: You likely won't experience symptoms of a semen allergy if you wear a condom (and strangely, it's uncommon to get a rash around your mouth even if you have oral sex). If the pain only shows up when you do use a condom, a latex allergy could be to blame.

Another way to tell is by doing a little process of elimination, Alyssa Dweck, MD, FACOG, a New York–based gynecologist, tells SELF. She usually evaluates her patients for more common causes of vaginal pain first by looking for things like discharge (a symptom of both a yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis, a.K.A. BV) and a fishy or foul odor (typical for BV and some STIs). From there, she'd also ask if they used any new product in that general vicinity—a lubricant, spermicide, douche, wipe, pad, massage oil, or body soap could also be the culprit of an allergic reaction, particularly if it's scented or dyed in any way, Dr. Dweck adds. If she can rule out all of the above, a semen allergy becomes a more likely trigger to consider, she says.

To officially get a diagnosis, though, you may need to see an allergist, who can do a skin prick test with proteins separated out from your partner's semen—yes, they'll need to provide a semen sample for it. (Basically, the doctor will use a tiny needle to introduce a small bit of the substance into your system, and if your skin reacts, it indicates an allergy.) But, as noted above, if you're one of the folks who experience a localized allergic reaction—your vagina reacts, but nothing else happens—you still might not respond to a skin test, at which point your doctor may also diagnose you by ruling out alternatives.

So what's the best way to deal with a semen allergy?

The simplest thing you can do? Avoid making contact with the stuff by wearing a condom during sex (and by "during," we mean for the whole shebang, since precum is a thing). But in some scenarios, that's not ideal—the most obvious one being if you're trying to get pregnant, but also just if you can't (or don't want to!) use a condom for any reason.

Type 1 Error: Definition, False Positives, And Examples

What Is a Type I Error? In simple terms, a type I error is a false positive result. If a person was diagnosed with a medical condition that they do not have, this would be an example of a type I error. Similarly, if a person was convicted of a crime, a type I error occurs if they were innocent. Within the field of statistics, a type 1 error is when the null hypothesis— the assumption that no relationship exists between different variables—is incorrectly rejected. In the event of a type I error, the results are flawed if a relationship is found between the given variables when in fact no relationship is present. Key Takeaways A type I error is a false positive leading to an incorrect rejection of the null hypothesis. The null hypothesis assumes no cause-and-effect relationship between the tested item and the stimuli applied during the test. A false positive can occur if something other than the stimuli causes the outcome of the test. How Does a Type I Error Occur? A type I error can result across a wide range of scenarios, from medical diagnosis to statistical research, particularly when there is a greater degree of uncertainty. In statistical research, hypothesis testing is designed to provide evidence that the hypothesis is supported by the data being tested. To do so, it starts with a null hypothesis, which is the assumption that there is no statistical significance between two data sets, variables, or populations. In many cases, a researcher generally tries to disprove the null hypothesis. For example, consider a null hypothesis that states that ethical investment strategies perform no better than the S&P 500. To analyze this, an analyst would take samples of data and test the historical performance of ethical investment strategies to determine if they outperformed the S&P 500. If they conclude that ethical investment strategies outperform the S&P 500, when in fact they perform no better than the index, the null hypothesis would be rejected and a type I error would occur. These wrongful conclusions may have resulted from unrelated factors or incorrect data analysis. Often, researchers will determine a probability of achieving their results, called the significance level. Typically, the significance level is set at 5%, meaning the likelihood of obtaining your result is 5% in the case that the null hypothesis is valid. Going further, by reducing the significance level, it reduces the odds of a type I error from occurring. Ideally, a null hypothesis should never be rejected if it's found to be true. However, there are situations when errors can occur. Examples of Type I Errors Let's look at a couple of hypothetical examples to show how type I errors occur. Criminal Trials Type I errors commonly occur in criminal trials, where juries are required to come up with a verdict of either innocent or guilty. In this case, the null hypothesis is that the person is innocent, while the alternative is guilty. A jury may come up with a type I error if the members find that the person is found guilty and is sent to jail, despite actually being innocent. Medical Testing In medical testing, a type I error would cause the appearance that a treatment for a disease has the effect of reducing the severity of the disease when, in fact, it does not. When a new medicine is being tested, the null hypothesis will be that the medicine does not affect the progression of the disease. Let's say a lab is researching a new cancer drug. Their null hypothesis might be that the drug does not affect the growth rate of cancer cells. After applying the drug to the cancer cells, the cancer cells stop growing. This would cause the researchers to reject their null hypothesis that the drug would have no effect. If the drug caused the growth stoppage, the conclusion to reject the null, in this case, would be correct. However, if something else during the test caused the growth stoppage instead of the administered drug, this would be an example of an incorrect rejection of the null hypothesis (i.E., a type I error). How Does a Type I Error Arise? A type I error occurs when the null hypothesis, which is the belief that there is no statistical significance or effect between the data sets considered in the hypothesis, is mistakenly rejected. The type I error should never be rejected even though it's accurate. It is also known as a false positive result. What Is the Difference Between a Type I and Type II Error? Type I and type II errors occur during statistical hypothesis testing. While the type I error (a false positive) rejects a null hypothesis when it is, in fact, correct, the type II error (a false negative) fails to reject a false null hypothesis. For example, a type I error would convict someone of a crime when they are actually innocent. A type II error would acquit a guilty individual when they are guilty of a crime. What Is a Null Hypothesis? A null hypothesis occurs in statistical hypothesis testing. It states that no relationship exists between two data sets or populations. When a null hypothesis is accurate and rejected, the result is a false positive or a type I error. When it is false and fails to be rejected, a false negative occurs. This is also referred to as a type II error. What's the Difference Between a Type I Error and a False Positive? A type I error is often called a false positive. This occurs when the null hypothesis is rejected even though it's correct. The rejection takes place because of the assumption that there is no relationship between the data sets and the stimuli. As such, the outcome is assumed to be incorrect. The Bottom Line Type I errors, which incorrectly reject the null hypothesis when it is in fact true, are present in many areas, such as making investment decisions or deciding the fate of a person in a criminal trial. Most commonly, the term is used in statistical research that applies hypothetical testing. In this method, data sets are used to either accept or determine a specific outcome using a null hypothesis. Although we often don't realize it, we use hypothesis testing in our everyday lives to determine whether the results are valid or an outcome is true.

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