Patient-perceived barriers to early initiation of prenatal care at a large, urban federally qualified health center: a mixed-methods study.

Background: Early initiation of prenatal care is widely accepted to improve the health outcomes of pregnancy for both mothers and their infants. Identification of the various barriers to entry into care that patients experience may inform and improve health care provision and, in turn, improve the patient's ability to receive necessary care.

Aim: This study implements a mixed-methods approach to establish methods and procedures for identifying barriers to early entry to prenatal care in a medically-vulnerable patient population and areas for future quality improvement initiatives.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with treating hypertension in pregnancy at different thresholds.

Introduction: In the United States, there has been controversy over whether treatment of mild-to-moderate hypertension during pregnancy conveys more benefit than risk.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare risks and benefits of treatment of mild-to-moderate hypertension during pregnancy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 11,871 pregnant women with mild-to-moderate hypertension as defined by blood pressure (BP) values from three Kaiser Permanente regions between 2005 and 2014.

Paradoxical Effects of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 1 Deficiency on HLA-B27 and Its Role as an Epistatic Modifier in Experimental Spondyloarthritis.

Objective: We undertook this study to examine the functional basis for epistasis between endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) and HLA-B27 in experimental spondyloarthritis (SpA).

Methods: ERAP1-knockout rats were created using genome editing and bred with HLA-B27/human β -microglobulin-transgenic (HLA-B27-Tg) rats and HLA-B7-Tg rats. The effects of ERAP1 deficiency on HLA allotypes were determined using immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting, flow cytometry, allogeneic T cell proliferation assays, and gene expression analyses.

Breastfeeding history and adenomyosis risk using a novel case-control study design.

Objective: To evaluate the association between breastfeeding history, including lifetime exclusive breastfeeding, and risk of adenomyosis.

Design: We used data from a case-control study designed with 2 control groups to address the challenge of selecting noncases for a valid epidemiologic study when cases are identified by hysterectomy. The case-control study was conducted among premenopausal and postmenopausal enrollees aged 18-59 years in a large, integrated health care system in western Washington state.

Identifying hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a comparison of two epidemiologic definitions.

Introduction: Studies of hypertension in pregnancy that use electronic health care data generally identify hypertension using hospital diagnosis codes alone. We sought to compare results from this approach to an approach that included diagnosis codes, antihypertensive medications and blood pressure (BP) values.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,45,739 pregnancies from 2009 to 2014 within an integrated healthcare system.

Novel roles for RNA binding proteins squid, hephaesteus, and Hrb27C in Drosophila oogenesis.

Background: Reproductive capacity in many organisms is maintained by germline stem cells (GSCs). A complex regulatory network influences stem cell fate, including intrinsic factors, local signals, and hormonal and nutritional cues. Posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms ensure proper cell fate transitions, promoting germ cell differentiation to oocytes.

Acute cytokine treatment stimulates glucose uptake and glycolysis in human keratinocytes.

During inflammation, cellular glucose uptake and glycolysis are upregulated to meet an increased energy demand. For example, keratinocyte glycolysis is essential for progression of psoriasis. Therefore, understanding the regulation of glucose metabolism in keratinocytes is of importance.

How did communities in North West England respond to the COVID-19 lockdown? Findings from a diary study.

Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government and public health leaders advocated for community level responses to support vulnerable people. This activity could be planned and co-ordinated, however much was informal and developed organically. The effects on the individuals who were involved in providing and receiving informal support and implications for their communities have not been widely explored.

System resilience and neighbourhood action on social determinants of health inequalities: an English Case Study.

Aims: This article seeks to make the case for a new approach to understanding and nurturing resilience as a foundation for effective place-based co-produced local action on social and health inequalities.

Methods: A narrative review of literature on from a public health perspective was conducted and a new concept of was developed. This then shaped the development of a practical programme of action research implemented in nine socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in North West England between 2014 and 2019.

Key socio-demographic characteristics of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: A British Isles surveillance study.

The present research used linked surveillance systems (British Paediatric Surveillance Unit; and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System) over a 19 month period (1 November 2011-31 May 2013) to notify of young people (4-15.9 years) presenting to secondary care (paediatrics or child and adolescent mental health services) or specialist gender services with features of gender dysphoria (GD). A questionnaire about socio-demographic, mental health, and GD features was completed.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes of antihypertensive treatment in pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare maternal and infant outcomes with different antihypertensive medications in pregnancy.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Kaiser Permanente, a large healthcare system in the United States.

'A lot of small things make a difference'. Mental health and strategies of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The social and economic consequences of COVID-19 have the potential to affect individuals and populations through different pathways (e.g., bereavement, loss of social interaction).

Public perspectives of social prescribing.

Background: There is a strong national drive within the UK government and National Health Service for social prescribing. Previous research studies have mainly focused on service user perspectives and evaluating their experiences. There is limited evidence on how the general public perceive and understand what social prescribing is and how these views could influence service planning and delivery.

The enigmatic role of HLA-B*27 in spondyloarthritis pathogenesis.

Establishing a clear role for HLA-B*27 in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis continues to be challenging. Aberrant properties of the heavy chain as well as a potential role presenting arthritogenic peptides continue to be pursued as plausible mechanisms. Recent studies implicate HLA-B*27 in aberrant bone formation.

Gestational weight gain and adverse pregnancy outcomes by pre-pregnancy BMI category in women with chronic hypertension: A cohort study.

Objectives: It is important to understand relationships of gestational weight gain with adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with chronic hypertension, given their high baseline risk of adverse outcomes. We assessed associations of gestational weight gain with adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with chronic hypertension by pre-pregnancy body mass index categories.

Study Design: We identified 14,369 women with chronic hypertension using electronic health records from 3 integrated health care delivery systems (2005-2014).

Identifying hypertension in pregnancy using electronic medical records: The importance of blood pressure values.

Objective: To incorporate blood pressure (BP), diagnoses codes, and medication fills from electronic medical records (EMR) to identify pregnant women with hypertension.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of singleton pregnancies at three US integrated health delivery systems during 2005-2014.

Main Outcome Measures: Women were considered hypertensive if they had any of the following: (1) ≥2 high BPs (≥140/90 mmHg) within 30 days during pregnancy (High BP); (2) an antihypertensive medication fill in the 120 days before pregnancy and a hypertension diagnosis from 1 year prior to pregnancy through 20 weeks gestation (Treated Chronic Hypertension); or (3) a high BP, a hypertension diagnosis, and a prescription fill within 7 days during pregnancy (Rapid Treatment).

Use of multiple failure models in injury epidemiology: a case study of arrest and intimate partner violence recidivism in Seattle, WA.

Background: Single-failure survival models are commonly used in injury research. We aimed to demonstrate the application of multiple failure survival models in injury research by measuring the association between arrest and IPV recidivism.

Methods: We used data from a population-based cohort of 5466 male-female couples with a police-reported, male-perpetrated incident of IPV against their female partners that occurred in Seattle, WA during 1999-2001.

Gender Dysphoria in looked-after and adopted young people in a gender identity development service.

This research investigated the prevalence of looked-after and adopted young people within a case file review of 185 young people referred to a UK gender identity development service over a 2-year period (1 April 2009 to 1 April 2011). Data were extracted from referral letters, clinical notes and clinician letters. Looked-after young people were found to represent 4.

Leisure centre entrance charges and physical activity participation in England.

Reducing or eliminating the cost to the public of using leisure facilities is one tool that local authorities have available to reduce inequalities in physical activity (PA). There is limited evidence about the effect of leisure entrance charges and their impact on participation. This study aimed to ascertain how facility pricing influenced the decisions people made about how to pay and what to pay for and how, in turn, these decisions impacted on participation for different groups.

Using local authority entrance charges to tackle inequalities in physical activity? A qualitative study of leisure and public health perspectives.

Background: Reducing or eliminating entrance charges for the public use of leisure facilities is one potential tool that local authorities (LA) have to reduce inequalities in physical activity (PA). Facility charges are likely to be a greater barrier to access for those who have lower incomes.

Methods: Semi-structured 1-to-1 and group interviews were conducted with 33 leisure and public health professionals in seven LAs in north-west England.

Local policies to tackle a national problem: Comparative qualitative case studies of an English local authority alcohol availability intervention.

Cumulative impact policies (CIPs) are widely used in UK local government to help regulate alcohol markets in localities characterised by high density of outlets and high rates of alcohol related harms. CIPs have been advocated as a means of protecting health by controlling or limiting alcohol availability. We use a comparative qualitative case study approach (n=5 English local government authorities, 48 participants) to assess how CIPs vary across different localities, what they are intended to achieve, and the implications for local-level alcohol availability.

Psychological Support, Puberty Suppression, and Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria.

Introduction: Puberty suppression by gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) is prescribed to relieve the distress associated with pubertal development in adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) and thereby to provide space for further exploration. However, there are limited longitudinal studies on puberty suppression outcome in GD. Also, studies on the effects of psychological support on its own on GD adolescents' well-being have not been reported.

Early-life factors and endometriosis risk.

Objective: To study early-life factors in relation to endometriosis risk in adulthood.

Design: Population-based case-control study.

Setting: Integrated healthcare system.

Fatty acid-binding protein 5 limits the anti-inflammatory response in murine macrophages.

The beginning stages of liver damage induced by various etiologies (i.e. high fat diet, alcohol consumption, toxin exposure) are characterized by abnormal accumulation of lipid in liver.