Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances May Be Correlated With Chlamydia trachomatis: Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2016.

Objective: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) alter immune function increasing infectious diseases risk. We examined the relationship between PFAS and chlamydia.

Methods: A total of 3965 nonpregnant adults ages 18-39 years from the National Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2016 cycles were included.

Fetal Sexual Dimorphism and Preeclampsia Among Twin Pregnancies.

Background: In singleton pregnancies, fetal sexual dimorphism has been observed in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, particularly preeclampsia, a morbid syndrome that increases the risk of adult-onset cardiovascular disease for mothers and their offspring. However, few studies have explored the effect of fetal sex on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among twin pregnancies.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1032 twin pregnancies between 2011 and 2022 using data from a perinatal database that recruits participants from 3 hospitals in Houston, TX.

Functional interferon-epsilon gene polymorphisms and sexually transmitted infections of the endometrium.

Problem: Interferon-epsilon (IFNε) is the only type I IFN constitutively expressed in the female reproductive tract and fluctuates across the menstrual cycle in humans. Mouse models show that IFNε protects against Chlamydia trachomatis, Herpes Simplex Virus, HIV, and Zika in mice, but human studies are limited. Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI) can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and subsequent infertility.

Foreign-born status and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus by years of residence in the United States.

To explore the association between acculturation among foreign-born (FB) women, gestational diabetes (GDM) and GDM-associated adverse birth outcomes, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 34,696 singleton pregnancies from Houston, TX, between 2011 and 2022. FB women (n = 18,472) were categorized based on years of residence in US (0-5, 6-10, and > 10 years), while US-born women (n = 16,224) were the reference group. A modified Poisson regression model determined the association between acculturative level and GDM within the entire cohort and stratified by race/ethnicity.

Evaluating the Impact of Fetal Sex on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Following Interaction with Maternal Characteristics.

Fetal-sex-specific changes to placental immunity and metabolism occur in response to obesity. Few studies have determined if fetal sex interacts with maternal characteristics to alter risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Among 43,727 singleton pregnancies, we examined the association between male fetal sex and GDM using log-binomial logistic regression to calculate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Sexually transmitted infections and risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) result in maternal morbidity and mortality but are rarely examined in perinatal studies of sexually transmitted infections. We examined associations between common sexually transmitted infections and HDP among 38,026 singleton pregnancies. Log-binomial regression calculated relative risk (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations with gestational hypertension, preeclampsia with severe features, mild preeclampsia, and superimposed preeclampsia.

Disparities in Prenatal Sexually Transmitted Infections among a Diverse Population of Foreign-Born and US-Born Women.

This study examined association between foreign-born (FB) status and a sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, or syphilis among a cohort of expecting mothers, and stratified by race/ethnicity. As a secondary analysis, subsequent adverse birth outcomes following STIs were examined. We used data from a large perinatal database to conduct a retrospective cohort study of 37,211 singleton births.

Interferon epsilon and preterm birth subtypes; a new piece of the type I interferon puzzle during pregnancy?

Problem: Interferon epsilon (IFNε) is a unique type I IFN that is expressed in response to sex steroids. Studies suggest that type I IFNs regulate inflammation-induced preterm birth (PTB), but no study has examined the role of IFNε in human pregnancy.

Method Of Study: We used stored vaginal swabs between 8 and 26 weeks of gestation from the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) biobank and measured IFNε by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Patient Risk Factors for Violent Restraint Use in a Children's Hospital Medical Unit.

Background And Objectives: To inform efforts to reduce violent restraint use, we examined risk factors for restraint use among hospitalized children with known behavior concerns.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of restraint events in all hospitalizations from 2017 to 2019 on a 10-bed medical-surgical unit with dedicated mental health clinician support. We examined characteristics of restraint events, used adjusted logistic regression models to identify independent risk factors for restraint use, and used an adjusted Poisson regression model to determine the adjusted rate of restraint events per hospital day.