Diagnostic performance of an automated microscopy and pH test for diagnosis of vaginitis.

Vaginitis is a common gynecological problem, nevertheless, its clinical evaluation is often insufficient. This study evaluated the performance of an automated microscope for the diagnosis of vaginitis, by comparison of the investigated test results to a composite reference standard (CRS) of wet mount microscopy performed by a specialist in vulvovaginal disorders, and related laboratory tests. During this single-site cross-sectional prospective study, 226 women reporting vaginitis symptoms were recruited, of which 192 samples were found interpretable and were assessed by the automated microscopy system.

'Luckily, I don't believe in statistics': survey of women's understanding of chance of success with futile fertility treatments.

Research Question: Why are women who face poor prognoses for success in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment choosing to pursue procedures using their own eggs, despite receiving information that their chances of success are very low.

Design: Cross-sectional study based on an anonymous questionnaire distributed to women aged between 43 and 45 years, undergoing ART using their own oocytes, at six public outpatient fertility clinics and three public in-hospital IVF units in Israel between 2015 and 2016. The main outcome measure was personal estimation of chance to achieve a live birth after the current ART treatment cycle and the cumulative estimated rate after all the treatment cycles the patient intended to undergo.

Correction: Population screening for BRCA1/BRCA2 founder mutations in Ashkenazi Jews: proactive recruitment compared with self-referral.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Newborn infant urinary cotinine and birth outcomes in the Jerusalem Environment Mother and Child Cohort Study.

Background: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during pregnancy can cause preterm delivery and childhood cancer. The aim of this study was to measure ETS exposure in pregnant women and in newborn infants in Israel using urinary cotinine measurements, to assess predictors of ETS exposure in these vulnerable groups, and to assess associations with birth effects (birth weight, birth length, head circumference) in newborn infants.

Methods: We analyzed urinary cotinine and creatinine in 265 non-smoking pregnant women and 97 newborns, and analyzed associations with self-reported exposure to ETS, paternal smoking, sociodemographic variables and with birth outcomes (birth weight, birth length, head circumference).

Decreasing urinary organophosphate pesticide metabolites among pregnant women and their offspring in Jerusalem: Impact of regulatory restrictions on agricultural organophosphate pesticides use?

Introduction: Maternal urinary levels of dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites of organophosphate pesticides (OP) during pregnancy are associated with adverse outcomes in the offspring. Between 2012 and 2014, eighteen active OP ingredients were restricted or banned in Israel for agricultural use.

Aim: We aimed to study trends of urinary DAP metabolites among pregnant women and their offspring in the era of the new regulations.