Cervicovaginal microbiome and natural history of Chlamydia trachomatis in adolescents and young women.

This study investigated the cervicovaginal microbiome's (CVM's) impact on Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection among Black and Hispanic adolescent and young adult women. A total of 187 women with incident CT were matched to 373 controls, and the CVM was characterized before, during, and after CT infection. The findings highlight that a specific subtype of bacterial vaginosis (BV), identified from 16S rRNA gene reads using the molBV algorithm and community state type (CST) clustering, is a significant risk factor for CT acquisition.

TRiCit: A High-Throughput Approach to Detect from ITS1 Amplicon Sequencing.

Trichomoniasis, caused by (TV), is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide, affecting over 174 million people annually and is frequently associated with reproductive co-morbidities. However, its detection can be time-consuming, subjective, and expensive for large cohort studies. This case-control study, conducted at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center in New York City, involved 36 women with prevalent TV infections and 36 controls.

molBV reveals immune landscape of bacterial vaginosis and predicts human papillomavirus infection natural history.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a highly prevalent condition that is associated with adverse health outcomes. It has been proposed that BV's role as a pathogenic condition is mediated via bacteria-induced inflammation. However, the complex interplay between vaginal microbes and host immune factors has yet to be clearly elucidated.

Impact of COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Inner-City Female Youth in New York City.

Purpose: New York City (NYC) was the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. A "shelter in place" mandate was issued in March 2020. The effect on vulnerable populations of adolescent and young adult females has not been well documented.

Anti-HPV16 Antibody Titers Prior to an Incident Cervical HPV16/31 Infection.

The goal of this study was to investigate the serological titers of circulating antibodies against human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 (anti-HPV16) prior to the detection of an incident HPV16 or HPV31 infection amongst vaccinated participants. Patients were selected from a prospective post-HPV vaccine longitudinal cohort at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center in Manhattan, NY. We performed a nested case-control study of 43 cases with incident detection of cervical HPV16 ( = 26) or HPV31 ( = 17) DNA who had completed the full set of immunizations of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV).

Incidence and Types of Human Papillomavirus Infections in Adolescent Girls and Young Women Immunized With the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine.

Importance: Rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have decreased since the introduction of HPV vaccines in populations with high vaccine uptake. Data are limited for adolescent and young adult populations in US metropolitan centers.

Objective: To determine HPV infection rates in adolescent girls and young women aged 13 to 21 years in New York City following HPV vaccination.

Neighborhood Profiles and Body Mass Index Trajectory in Female Adolescents and Young Adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify distinct neighborhood profiles patterned by key structural, physical, and social characteristics and test whether living in different profiles are associated with body mass index trajectories during adolescence in racial/ethnic minority female youth.

Methods: Participants were 1,328 sexually active female adolescents and young adults aged 14-23 years, predominately Hispanic and black, enrolled in an human papillomavirus type 4 vaccine (Gardasil) surveillance study at a large adolescent health clinic in New York City between 2007 and 2018. Body mass index was calculated from weight and height every 6 months.

Using School-Based Health Programs to Prevent Human Trafficking: The Mount Sinai Experience.

Unlabelled: This article describes how school-based health centers can serve as human trafficking prevention sites.

Setting: School-based health centers are available to all students attending a school and are often located in schools whose students have risk factors associated with human trafficking: those with a history of running away from home; unstable housing or homelessness; a history of childhood maltreatment or substance use; LGBTQ-identification; physical or developmental disabilities, including students who have Individualized Education Programs and need special education; gang involvement; and/or a history of involvement in child welfare or the juvenile justice system. The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center provides a model of the types of service school clinics can offer, including integrated medical, sexual, and reproductive health, health education, and behavioral and mental health.

Changes in cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol use among sexually active female adolescents and young adults over a twelve-year period ending in 2019.

Background: The United States has experienced an increasing divergence in cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol use among adolescents and young adults (AYA). We assessed the changes in cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use in an inner-city population of predominantly minority AYA females attending a large adolescent-specific health center in New York City.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study of AYA women recruited and followed over a twelve-year period between 2007 and 2019.

Profiles of Childhood Maltreatment: Associations with Sexual Risk Behavior during Adolescence in a Sample of Racial/Ethnic Minority Girls.

This study examines associations between childhood maltreatment and developmental trajectories of sexual risk behaviors (SRBs) in a sample of 882 sexually active adolescent girls, predominantly Hispanic or Black, assessed every 6 months between 13 and 23 years. Latent profile analyses revealed four distinct maltreatment profiles: Low Maltreatment (76%), Moderate Emotional Neglect Only (15%), Severe Physical/Emotional Abuse (3%), and Severe Sexual Abuse (6%). Multilevel growth analyses showed the Moderate Emotional Neglect Only and Severe Sexual Abuse profiles exhibited more SRBs starting in late adolescence, and the Severe Sexual Abuse profile also exhibited a faster increase than the Low Maltreatment profile.

The interaction between pubertal timing and childhood maltreatment on the risk of human papillomavirus infection among adolescent girls and young women.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of pubertal timing, and its interaction with prior childhood maltreatment, on the risk of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) among sexually active adolescent minority female adolescents and young adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 842 adolescent girls and young women (aged 12 to 20 years; predominately Black and Hispanic) enrolled in an HPV vaccine surveillance study at a large adolescent health clinic in New York City between 2007 and 2016. Pubertal timing was assessed by self-reported age at menarche at baseline, with "early" and "late" defined as one standard deviation below (<11 years) or above (>13 years) the mean.

Effect of child abuse and neglect on risk behaviors in inner-city minority female adolescents and young adults.

Background: Over six million children each year are referred to child protective services for child abuse (sexual, physical and emotional) and neglect (physical and emotional).

Objective: While the relationship between child sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections has been documented, there has been little research regarding the effects of other forms of maltreatment.

Participants And Setting: 882 inner-city females aged 12-20 years of age seen at a large adolescent and young adult (AYA) health center in New York City between 2012-2017.

Risk of Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Sexually Active Female Adolescents Receiving the Quadrivalent Vaccine.

Importance: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, and oral HPV infection is associated with increased risk of oropharyngeal cancer.

Objective: To describe the risk factors for oral HPV in sexually active female adolescents receiving the quadrivalent vaccine.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Longitudinal cohort study involving repeated collection of oral rinse specimens from sexually active female adolescents conducted between October 19, 2007, and March 9, 2017, at a large adolescent health center in New York, New York, that provides free health care, including HPV vaccination.

Featured counter trafficking program: Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.

This invited article is one of several comprising part of a special issue of Child Abuse and Neglect focused on child trafficking and health. The purpose of each invited article is to describe a specific program serving trafficked children. Featuring these programs is intended to raise awareness of innovative counter-trafficking strategies emerging worldwide and facilitate collaboration on program development and outcomes research.

Emergency Contraception Use in School-Based Health Centers: A Qualitative Study.

Study Objective: To understand contraceptive behaviors and decision-making in school-based health center (SBHC) female patients who have used emergency contraception (EC).

Design: Qualitative interviews and questionnaires.

Setting: SBHCs.

Health Care Use and Status Among Abused Young People.

Background: Childhood abuse negatively affects young people's health. Little is known about its effect on health care usage patterns or on perception of health status during a life stage when learning to use care independently is a key developmental task.

Objectives: In nonclinical study settings, abuse has been found to be associated with disorganized use of care and perceived poorer health.

Comparison of Modes of Administration of Screens to Identify a History of Childhood Physical Abuse in an Adolescent and Young Adult Population.

Background: Childhood physical abuse is a major public health issue with negative consequences to health and well-being manifested in childhood and adolescence, and persisting into adulthood. Yet much childhood physical abuse is not identified when it occurs and little is known about how to screen for it.

Methods: To address this gap, the effectiveness of 4 modes of administration of screens to identify childhood physical abuse were compared in a sample of 506 adolescents and young adults aged 12-24 years seeking general health services at a primary care clinic.

Risk of Delayed Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Inner-City Adolescent Women.

Background:  Uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the United States is slow, and the effectiveness of the vaccine has not been assessed in high-risk adolescent populations.

Methods:  We conducted a longitudinal study of 1139 sexually active, inner-city adolescent women receiving the 3-dose quadrivalent (4vHPV) vaccine. Cervical and anal specimens collected semiannually were tested using an L1-specific polymerase chain reaction assay.

Distinct Ecological Niche of Anal, Oral, and Cervical Mucosal Microbiomes in Adolescent Women.

Human body sites represent ecological niches for microorganisms, each providing variations in microbial exposure, nutrient availability, microbial competition, and host immunological responses. In this study, we investigated the oral, anal, and cervical microbiomes from the same 20 sexually active adolescent females, using culture-independent, next-generation sequencing. DNA from each sample was amplified for the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and sequenced on an Illumina platform using paired-end reads.

Knowledge about Human Papillomavirus and Time to Complete Vaccination among Vulnerable Female Youth.

Objective: To examine the association of knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) on the time to completion of the 3-dose quadrivalent vaccine series in an inner-city population of adolescent female subjects at high risk for infection.

Study Design: We prospectively followed 139 female subjects aged 14-20 years enrolled in a vaccine surveillance study in New York City during a period of at least 24 months. Participants were given a 30-item true or false survey on HPV at enrollment and ranked according to the number of correct responses.

Increased Body Mass Index Associated with Increased Risky Sexual Behaviors.

Study Objective: The increasing prevalence of adolescent obesity has led to consideration of the potential effect of obesity on risky sexual behaviors. In the current study we examined whether body mass index (BMI) was related to age at sexual debut, type of sexual behavior, partner number, and condom use in a population of adolescent women at high risk for obesity and risky sexual behaviors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cross-sectional examination of 860 sexually active, predominantly minority, adolescent women who received medical care at an urban health center from 2007 through 2013.

Association Between Cumulative Psychosocial Risk and Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Female Adolescents in a Free Vaccination Program.

Objective: This study investigated the association of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with cumulative psychosocial risk reflecting family disadvantage, psychological distress, and unhealthy lifestyle.

Methods: The sample (N = 745) comprised sexually active female adolescent patients (12-19 yr), primarily ethnic minorities, enrolled in a free HPV vaccination program. Subjects completed questionnaires and provided cervical swabs for HPV DNA testing.

Strategies for conducting adolescent health research in the clinical setting: the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center HPV experience.

Background: Clinical research with adolescents can be challenging due to issues of informed consent, parental involvement, institutional review board requirements, and adolescent psychosocial development. These requirements present a dilemma, particularly in the area of sexual health research, as adolescents are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV). To successfully conduct adolescent research in the clinical setting, one requires an awareness of state statutes regarding adolescent confidentiality and consent for medical care, and a close partnership with the IRB.

Child maltreatment, dating perpetration of physical assault, and cortisol reactivity among disadvantaged female adolescents.

Objective: Few studies have examined hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress reactivity and its relationship to histories of child maltreatment and physical aggression. We examined the relation of a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and perpetration of dating violence to patterns of cortisol change before (resting) and after (reactivity) exposure to a laboratory stressor.

Methods: In a sample of 40 disadvantaged sexually active female adolescent patients (ages 14-17 years), we collected self-reports of lifetime child maltreatment (5 types) and past-year female perpetration of physical assault (PA) acts toward a romantic partner.