Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and transgender people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights globally. However, little is known about the experiences of people with disabilities accessing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this community-engaged qualitative study, we examined COVID-related impacts on access to SRH services for people with disabilities.

Preconception health disparities among reproductive-aged women with and without disabilities in Canada.

Objectives: Preconception health (PCH), which describes the health status of reproductive-aged individuals, can influence reproductive, maternal, and fetal/neonatal outcomes. PCH disparities have been observed in certain populations, prompting the development of tailored resources. Our objective was to compare the PCH characteristics of women with and without disabilities.

Pregnancy Outcomes in Canadian Women With Disabilities: Results From Linked Survey and Health Administrative Data.

We compared maternal, labour/delivery, and birth outcomes in women with versus without disabilities using a linkage of 2003-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and 2003-2017 Discharge Abstract Database data. Modified Poisson regression was used to compare 15-49-year-old women with (n = 2430) and without (n = 10 375) disabilities with a singleton birth ≤5 years after their CCHS interview. Women with disabilities were at elevated risk of prenatal hospitalization (10.

The pursuit of clinical recognition: Aesthetics, care, and music therapy in North American hospitals.

This article examines the making of clinical care by tracing how music therapists integrate their work within North American hospitals. Situated on the margins of the clinic, music therapists are in pursuit of clinical recognition-to be perceived and understood as valuable to biomedicine. The pursuit of clinical recognition illustrates how the configuration of care is an aesthetic concern, negotiated not only through processes of reasoning and rationalization but also through sensory-affective experiences.

Contraception use among female youth with disabilities: Secondary analysis of a Canadian cross-sectional survey.

Background: Non-use of contraception among sexually active youth is an important contributor to unintended pregnancy, but contraception use among disabled youth is poorly understood.

Objective: To compare contraception use in female youth with and without disabilities.

Methods: We used data from the 2013-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey on sexually active 15 to 24-year-old females with (n = 831) and without (n = 2,700) a self-reported functional or activity limitation, who reported that it was important to them to avoid getting pregnant.

Coital frequency and condom use in age-disparate partnerships involving women aged 15 to 24: evidence from a cross-sectional study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Objective: This study examines the role of age-disparate partnerships on young women's HIV risk by investigating coital frequency and condom use within age-disparate partnerships involving women aged 15 to 24.

Design: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted.

Setting: Participants were randomly selected using a two-stage random sampling method in uMgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, between June 2014 and June 2015.

Age-disparate partnerships and HSV-2 among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: implications for HIV infection risk.

Objective: There is an urgent need to understand high HIV-infection rates among young women in sub-Saharan Africa. While age-disparate partnerships have been characterised with high-risk sexual behaviours, the mechanisms through which these partnerships may increase HIV-risk are not fully understood. This study assessed the association between age-disparate partnerships and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infection, a factor known to increase HIV-infection risk.

Machine Learning-Augmented Propensity Score-Adjusted Multilevel Mixed Effects Panel Analysis of Hands-On Cooking and Nutrition Education versus Traditional Curriculum for Medical Students as Preventive Cardiology: Multisite Cohort Study of 3,248 Trainees over 5 Years.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) annually claims more lives and costs more dollars than any other disease globally amid widening health disparities, despite the known significant reductions in this burden by low cost dietary changes. The world's first medical school-based teaching kitchen therefore launched CHOP-Medical Students as the largest known multisite cohort study of hands-on cooking and nutrition education versus traditional curriculum for medical students.

Methods: This analysis provides a novel integration of artificial intelligence-based machine learning (ML) with causal inference statistics.

HIV Risk Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Age-Disparate Partnerships: Evidence From KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Background: Evidence on the role of age-disparate partnerships in high HIV-infection rates among young women in sub-Saharan Africa remains inconclusive. This study examined the HIV-infection risk associated with age-disparate partnerships among 15- to 24-year-old women in a hyperendemic setting in South Africa.

Methods: Face-to-face questionnaire, and laboratory HIV and viral load data were collected during 2014-2015 among a representative sample (15-49 years old) in KwaZulu-Natal.

HIV Prevalence and ART Use Among Men in Partnerships with 15-29 Year Old Women in South Africa: HIV Risk Implications for Young Women in Age-Disparate Partnerships.

This study assesses whether men's ART use mitigates HIV-risk within age-disparate partnerships. Using data from the 2012 South African National HIV survey, we analyzed differences in HIV prevalence and ART use between men in age-disparate and age-similar partnerships with young women aged 15-29 using multiple logistic regression analyses. Within partnerships involving women 15-24 years old, men in age-disparate partnerships were more likely to be HIV-positive (5-9 year age-gap: aOR 2.

Petroleum hydrocarbon persistence following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as a function of shoreline energy.

An important aspect of oil spill science is understanding how the compounds within spilled oil, especially toxic components, change with weathering. In this study we follow the evolution of petroleum hydrocarbons, including n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs, on a Louisiana beach and salt marsh for three years following the Deepwater Horizon spill. Relative to source oil, we report overall depletion of low molecular weight n-alkanes and PAHs in all locations with time.

An in-depth survey of the oil spill literature since 1968: Long term trends and changes since Deepwater Horizon.

In order to characterize the state of oil spill research and describe how the field has changed since its inception in the 1960s and since the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, we examined approximately 10% of oil spill literature (1255 of over 11,000 publications) published from 1968 to 2015. We find that, despite its episodic nature, oil spill research is a rapidly expanding field with a growth rate faster than that of science as a whole. There is a massive post-Deepwater Horizon shift of research attention to the Gulf of Mexico, from 2% of studies in 2004-2008 to 61% in 2014-2015, thus ranking Deepwater Horizon as the most studied oil spill.

Sexual Behaviour of Men and Women within Age-Disparate Partnerships in South Africa: Implications for Young Women's HIV Risk.

Background: Age-disparate partnerships are hypothesized to increase HIV-risk for young women. However, the evidence base remains mixed. Most studies have focused only on unprotected sex among women in the partnership.

HIV Risk Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, Women Who Have Sex With Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations in South Africa: A Mini-Review.

Background: The HIV epidemic in South Africa is characterized mainly by heterosexual transmission. Recently, the importance of targeting key populations and marginalized groups, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, has been added to the national agenda.

Objectives: This mini-review explores the current state of empirical research on HIV risk and MSM, women who have sex with women (WSW), lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations in South Africa in order to assess the current state of research and identify gaps in the literature.

The association between psychological distress, alcohol use and physical non-communicable diseases in a nationally representative sample of South Africans.

This study examines the associations between symptoms of mental disorders and diabetes and hypertension in a nationally representative sample of South Africans. We examined unadjusted and adjusted associations of socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol use and psychological distress with diabetes and hypertension. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that hypertension is significantly associated with age, while diabetes is significantly associated with age, population group and psychological distress.

New insights into HIV epidemic in South Africa: key findings from the National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey, 2012.

This article presents key findings from the 2012 HIV prevalence, incidence and behaviour survey conducted in South Africa and explores trends in the HIV epidemic. A representative household based survey collected behavioural and biomedical data among people of all ages. Chi-squared test for association and formal trend tests (2002, 2005, 2008 and 2012) were used to test for associations and trends in the HIV epidemic across the four surveys.

HIV Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners Among Sexually Active People Living with HIV in South Africa: Results from the 2012 National Population-Based Household Survey.

This paper explores the prevalence and correlates of HIV seropositive status disclosure to sexual partners by people living with HIV (PLHIV) in South Africa. Secondary analysis of the 2012 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey was conducted on data obtained from 934 sexually active PLHIV aged 15 years and older who responded to the question about HIV seropositive status disclosure. Overall, a large majority of respondents (77.

Does marital status matter in an HIV hyperendemic country? Findings from the 2012 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey.

South Africa has experienced declining marriage rates and the increasing practice of cohabitation without marriage. This study aims to improve the understanding of the relationship between marital status and HIV in South Africa, an HIV hyperendemic country, through an analysis of findings from the 2012 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey. The nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey collected data on HIV and socio-demographic and behavioural determinants in South Africa.

Gender differences in public perceptions on National Health Insurance.

Background: Implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) commenced recently. With the promise of addressing drastic inequalities in the health sector, NHI has the potential to positively transform the health system . In particular, NHI could have a significant positive impact on females, who are disadvantaged under the current system, with higher rates of poor health and lower rates of medical scheme membership compared with males.

The impact of oral health on the quality of life of young patients with congenital cardiac disease.

The purposes of our study were, first, to determine the prevalence of dental caries in young patients with congenital cardiac disease, second, to determine the effect of oral health in their quality of life, third, to examine parental knowledge about associations between oral health and cardiac health, and fourth, to examine parental perceptions regarding access to dental care. A standardized questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of parents of 43 children with cardiac disease and 43 healthy controls from 12 to 71 months of age. In every patient, we performed a dental examination.

SirT1 regulates energy metabolism and response to caloric restriction in mice.

The yeast sir2 gene and its orthologues in Drosophila and C. elegans have well-established roles in lifespan determination and response to caloric restriction. We have studied mice carrying two null alleles for SirT1, the mammalian orthologue of sir2, and found that these animals inefficiently utilize ingested food.