Associations Between Perceived Stress and Cortisol Biomarkers in Predominantly Latino Adolescents.

Objective: The relationship between cortisol and perceived stress is poorly understood. We sought to determine whether perceived stress is associated with cortisol biomarkers in adolescents.

Methods: We examined 229 adolescents (mean age = 15.

APOE ε4 and Dietary Patterns in Relation to Cognitive Function: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.

Context: Carrying the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE ε4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. There is some evidence suggesting that APOE ε4 may modulate the influence of diet on cognitive function.

Objective: This umbrella review of systematic reviews evaluates the existing literature on the effect of dietary interventions on cognitive and brain-imaging outcomes by APOE status.

Progesterone therapy for prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth in a minority patient population: a retrospective study.

Background: Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The burden of prematurity underscores the need for effective risk reduction strategies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of progesterone therapy, both intramuscular 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (IM 17-OHPC) and vaginal progesterone, in the prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB).

GDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

GDF15, a hormone acting on the brainstem, has been implicated in the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, including its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), but a full mechanistic understanding is lacking. Here we report that fetal production of GDF15 and maternal sensitivity to it both contribute substantially to the risk of HG. We confirmed that higher GDF15 levels in maternal blood are associated with vomiting in pregnancy and HG.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers and dysregulation of MicroRNA expression in humans and animals-A systematic review.

Background: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals characterized by their environmental persistence. Evidence suggests that exposure to POPs, which is ubiquitous, is associated with microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation. miRNA are key regulators in many physiological processes.

Cochlear implantation in Waardenburg syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition associated with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The aim of this review is to characterize cochlear implant (CI) outcomes in patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of WS.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.

Fetally-encoded GDF15 and maternal GDF15 sensitivity are major determinants of nausea and vomiting in human pregnancy.

Human pregnancy is frequently accompanied by nausea and vomiting that may become severe and life-threatening, as in hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), the cause of which is unknown. Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF15), a hormone known to act on the hindbrain to cause emesis, is highly expressed in the placenta and its levels in maternal blood rise rapidly in pregnancy. Variants in the maternal gene are associated with HG.

Effects of parity on preterm delivery in twin gestations conceived with in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To determine the relationship between prior obstetrical history and gestational age at delivery in a twin pregnancy.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using the United States Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcomes Reporting System database.

Setting: Clinic-based data.

Mind- and Body-Based Interventions Improve Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Only 51% of patients with type 2 diabetes achieve the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) <7% target. Mind and body practices have been increasingly used to improve glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes, but studies show inconsistent efficacy. The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between mind and body practices, and mean change in HbA1c and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Embryo morphology and live birth in the United States.

Objective: To determine the best-fit live birth rate per embryo based on maternal age, embryo stage, and embryo morphology.

Design: Retrospective data analysis.

Setting: Fertility clinics.

Association Study between Polymorphisms in DNA Methylation-Related Genes and Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Risk.

Background: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT), histologically classified as seminomas and nonseminomas, are believed to arise from primordial gonocytes, with the maturation process blocked when they are subjected to DNA methylation reprogramming. SNPs in DNA methylation machinery and folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism genes have been postulated to influence the proper establishment of DNA methylation.

Methods: In this pathway-focused investigation, we evaluated the association between 273 selected tag SNPs from 28 DNA methylation-related genes and TGCT risk.

Patterns of Use and Self-reported Effectiveness of Cannabis for Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

There is limited research on effective treatment of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), the most extreme version of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP). This paper examines current patterns of use and self-reported effectiveness of cannabis/cannabis-based products (CBP) to treat HG. The study employed a 21-question survey to gather information on demographics, antiemetic prescription use, and experience with cannabis/CBPs among individuals who experienced extreme nausea and vomiting or HG during their pregnancy.

Epigenetic Dysregulation of Trophoblastic Gene Expression in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease.

Gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTDs) have not been investigated for their epigenetic marks and consequent transcriptomic changes. Here, we analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation and transcriptome data to reveal the epigenetic basis of disease pathways that may lead to benign or malignant GTDs. RNA-Seq, mRNA microarray, and Human Methylation 450 BeadChip data from complete moles and choriocarcinoma cells were bioinformatically analyzed.

Marijuana use and perinatal outcomes in obstetric patients at a safety net hospital.

Objective: To characterize the association between antepartum marijuana exposure and maternal and neonatal outcomes at our institution.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review identified an obstetric cohort of singleton gestations. Women with self-reported marijuana use were compared with non-users.

Identification of 22 susceptibility loci associated with testicular germ cell tumors.

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) are the most common tumor in young white men and have a high heritability. In this study, the international Testicular Cancer Consortium assemble 10,156 and 179,683 men with and without TGCT, respectively, for a genome-wide association study. This meta-analysis identifies 22 TGCT susceptibility loci, bringing the total to 78, which account for 44% of disease heritability.

What is the optimal timing of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) after EGG retrieval? A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To determine if oocyte denudation and ICSI at 36.5 versus 39 h post HCG and/or Lupron trigger (2.5 h versus 5 h post-oocyte retrieval) influences fertilization and blastulation rates in good prognosis couples METHODS: We performed a prospective, randomized controlled trial of 12 patients undergoing IVF with ICSI at an academic fertility center, resulting in 206 MII oocytes analyzed.

Incident testicular cancer in relation to using marijuana and smoking tobacco: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

Background: Recent epidemiologic studies identified credible associations between marijuana smoking and risk of nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), but did not distinguish exposure to cannabinoid compounds from exposure to other constituents of smoke.

Methods: We implemented a systematic review of scholarly literature followed by random effects meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize published data relating incident TGCT to each of 2 exposure histories: ever using marijuana, and ever smoking tobacco.

Results: We identified four epidemiologic studies of marijuana use and 12 of tobacco smoking.

A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Preclinical Models of Lung Cancer Drugs.

Preclinical cell models are the mainstay in the early stages of drug development. We sought to explore the preclinical data that differentiated successful from failed therapeutic agents in lung cancer. One hundred thirty-four failed lung cancer drugs and twenty seven successful lung cancer drugs were identified.

Role of sex steroid hormones in pelvic organ prolapse.

Objective: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects a significant percentage of women and contributes to major healthcare costs both in the United States and worldwide. This review examines the current understanding of the role of sex steroid hormones (estrogens, androgens, and progesterone) in POP in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women.

Methods: We reviewed the relevant studies on POP related to estrogens, androgens, and progesterone in both animal models and humans.

Neonatal hypoglycemia after initiation of late preterm antenatal corticosteroids.

Objective: To compare the frequency and severity of neonatal hypoglycemia in pregnancies treated with and without late preterm antenatal corticosteroids.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of late preterm deliveries at LAC + USC (2015-2018). Neonatal outcomes were compared between pregnancies treated with and without corticosteroids.