Skeletal muscle adaptations and post-exertional malaise in long COVID.

When acute SARS-CoV-2 infections cause symptoms that persist longer than 3 months, this condition is termed long COVID. Symptoms experienced by patients often include myalgia, fatigue, brain fog, cognitive impairments, and post-exertional malaise (PEM), which is the worsening of symptoms following mental or physical exertion. There is little consensus on the pathophysiology of exercise-induced PEM and skeletal-muscle-related symptoms.

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial fragmentation predicts age-associated decline in physical capacity.

Ageing substantially impairs skeletal muscle metabolic and physical function. Skeletal muscle mitochondrial health is also impaired with ageing, but the role of skeletal muscle mitochondrial fragmentation in age-related functional decline remains imprecisely characterized. Here, using a cross-sectional study design, we performed a detailed comparison of skeletal muscle mitochondrial characteristics in relation to in vivo markers of exercise capacity between young and middle-aged individuals.

Natural menopause timing and menopause symptoms among lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual women in the Nurses' Health Study II.

Objective: This study aimed to examine sexual orientation differences in natural menopause timing and symptoms between lesbian and bisexual women compared with heterosexual women.

Methods: We used longitudinal questionnaire data (1989-2015) from 92,314 women (858 lesbian, 375 bisexual) in the Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Women were 24-44 yr old at baseline and biennially reported their menopause status, including reasons for cessation of menstrual periods.

Sexual orientation-related disparities in perinatal mental health among a prospective cohort study.

Sexually minoritized women (SMW) may be at an increased risk of adverse perinatal mental health, though prior research is limited. We examined sexual orientation-related differences in perinatal mental health (i.e.

Effective and inclusive mentorship in the field of epidemiology.

Quality mentoring improves outcomes across career stages, including a sense of belonging, persistence, and productivity. However, the status quo in mentorship culture-including in epidemiology-is an ad hoc approach. This pervasive culture adversely affects individual mentees and the entire scientific research enterprise.

Sexual Orientation-Specific Policies Are Associated With Prenatal Care Use in the First Trimester Among Sexual Minority Women: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Previous research has shown sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely to report multiple maternal and infant health outcomes compared to heterosexual women and that these outcomes are moderated by the policy environment. Little is known, however, about prenatal care use disparities or the social determinants of prenatal care use for SMW.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between sexual orientation-specific policies that confer legal protections (e.

Sexual orientation disparities in gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Background: Sexual minority (SM) individuals (e.g., those with same-sex attractions/partners or who identify as lesbian/gay/bisexual) experience a host of physical and mental health disparities.

Addressing Gaps in Access to LGBTQIA + Health Education Resources: A Novel E-Learning Platform.

Objectives: To reduce health inequities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all sexually and gender diverse (LGBTQIA+) people, healthcare professionals need increased access to education and training resources on LGBTQIA + health. Web-based, asynchronous, electronic learning (e-learning) resources are critical for expanding the availability of LGBTQIA + health programs. This article presents the design and utilization outcomes of a novel e-learning platform for engaging healthcare professionals in LGBTQIA + health online continuing education.

Health Care Utilization and Care-seeking Behavior Among Vulnerabilized Sexual Minority Women: A Social-ecological Approach.

Sexual minority women (SMW) experience worse health than their heterosexual counterparts but have largely been omitted from health services research. To address this gap, we conducted 25 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with SMW. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis, and findings were organized using a modified socioecological framework.

Disparities in cancer incidence by sexual orientation.

Introduction: Cancer risk factors are more common among sexual minority populations (e.g., lesbian, bisexual) than their heterosexual peers, yet little is known about cancer incidence across sexual orientation groups.

Adverse Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes Among Birthing People in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Relationships in Louisiana.

We investigated sexual orientation disparities in several obstetric and perinatal outcomes in Louisiana and examined whether these disparities differed among Black, Latine, and White populations. We analyzed cross-sectional vital records data on singleton live births in Louisiana (2016-2022). Same-sex relationships (SSR) vs.

Differences in medically assisted reproduction use by sexual identity and partnership: a prospective cohort of cisgender women.

Study Question: Does medically assisted reproduction (MAR) use among cisgender women differ among those with same-sex partners or lesbian/bisexual identities compared to peers with different-sex partners or heterosexual identities?

Summary Answer: Women with same-sex partners or lesbian/bisexual identities are more likely to utilize any MAR but are no more likely to use ART (i.e. IVF, reciprocal IVF, embryo transfer, unspecified ART, ICSI, and gamete or zygote intrafallopian transfer) compared to non-ART MAR (i.

Disparities in Mortality by Sexual Orientation in a Large, Prospective Cohort of Female Nurses.

Importance: Extensive evidence documents health disparities for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women, including worse physical, mental, and behavioral health than heterosexual women. These factors have been linked to premature mortality, yet few studies have investigated premature mortality disparities among LGB women and whether they differ by lesbian or bisexual identity.

Objective: To examine differences in mortality by sexual orientation.

Characterising information gains and losses when collecting multiple epidemic model outputs.

Background: Collaborative comparisons and combinations of epidemic models are used as policy-relevant evidence during epidemic outbreaks. In the process of collecting multiple model projections, such collaborations may gain or lose relevant information. Typically, modellers contribute a probabilistic summary at each time-step.

Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening by Sexual Orientation Among Low-Income Women in North Carolina.

We sought to examine cervical cancer screening barriers by sexual orientation among low-income women in North Carolina. The MyBodyMyTest-3 Trial recruited low-income women (< 250% of federal poverty level) aged 25-64 years who were 1+ year overdue for cervical cancer screening. We compared perceptions of cervical cancer screening among those who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ; n = 70) to straight/heterosexual women (n = 683).

Trajectories of Mental Distress Among US Women by Sexual Orientation and Racialized Group During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To describe longitudinal trends in the prevalence of mental distress across the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020‒April 2021) among US women at the intersection of sexual orientation and racialized group. Participants included 49 805 cisgender women and female-identified people from the COVID-19 Sub-Study, a cohort of US adults embedded within the Nurses' Health Studies 2 and 3 and the Growing Up Today Study. We fit generalized estimating equation Poisson models to estimate trends in depressive and anxiety symptoms by sexual orientation (gay or lesbian, bisexual, mostly heterosexual, completely heterosexual); subsequent models explored further differences by racialized group (Asian, Black, Latine, White, other or unlisted).

Restrictive abortion legislation and adverse mental health during pregnancy and postpartum.

Purpose: To determine the impact of abortion legislation on mental health during pregnancy and postpartum and assess whether pregnancy intention mediates associations.

Methods: We quantified associations between restrictive abortion laws and stress, depression symptoms during and after pregnancy, and depression diagnoses after pregnancy using longitudinal data from Nurses' Health Study 3 in 2010-2017 (4091 participants, 4988 pregnancies) using structural equation models with repeated measures, controlling for sociodemographics, prior depression, state economic and sociopolitical measures (unemployment rate, gender wage gap, Gini index, percentage of state legislatures who are women, Democratic governor).

Results: Restrictive abortion legislation was associated with unintended pregnancies (β = 0.

Breast and cervical cancer screenings across gender identity: results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: Although national medical organizations often neglect to include trans and gender diverse (TGD) people in their breast and cervical cancer screening recommendations, the World Profession Association of Transgender Health recommends that TGD people who are at risk for these cancers follow existing guidelines for cisgender women. Despite WPATH's recommendations, TGD people are less likely to get screened in large part due to discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited access to cancer screenings among cisgender people, but it is unknown how this has impacted TGD people.