Discordance Between Triglycerides, Remnant Cholesterol and Systemic Inflammation in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Background/objectives: Hypertriglyceridaemia and systemic inflammation are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Although elevated triglycerides (TGs) and remnant cholesterol are linked to inflammation in the general population and individuals with metabolic syndrome, whether they are associated in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear.

Methods: Fasting levels of TG, cholesterol (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and remnant cholesterol)), and markers of systemic inflammation including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), leukocyte counts and their differentials (neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes) were determined in 147 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia on long-term antipsychotic regimens and compared with 56 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

"It was a foregone conclusion": a qualitative study of women's experiences and meaning-making of later-in-life abortion in Belgium.

Abortion is an indispensable healthcare service for women of all reproductive ages. Research on abortion is often focused on younger women, neglecting those who are closer to the end of their reproductive lifespan. This study presents findings from qualitative interviews with Belgian women who had an abortion at the age of 40 or older, conducted between May 2022 and April 2023.

The emotions, concerns and reactions of sperm donor candidates to their rejection by a sperm bank.

Purpose: To explore the emotions, concerns and reactions of sperm donor candidates to their rejection by the sperm bank.

Methods: An online questionnaire was administered at Cryos International in the USA and Denmark to sperm donor candidates who had received notification that they were ineligible to donate.

Results: A total of 101 rejected donor candidates completed the questionnaire.

Donor sperm: only for the rich and straight.

Although single women and lesbian couples are given access to donor spermatozoa, all kinds of restrictions limit their actual use of donor insemination. These restrictions are frequently justified by the increase in safety (lowering the genetic risk) or well-being of donor-conceived persons. However, these restrictions directly result in stratified reproduction in which only the rich (those with the necessary financial means) and the straight (those who conform to dominant views of parenthood) are allowed to reproduce.