Publications by authors named "Mindy Goldman"
The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship include recommendations for screening, evaluation, and treatment of psychosocial and physical problems resulting from adult-onset cancer and its treatment. They also include recommendations to promote healthy behaviors and immunizations in survivors and provide a framework for care coordination. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel's current recommendations regarding sexual health and fertility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Canadian Blood Services defers donors during and for 4 months after oral pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) because of concerns about altered viral kinetics. We assessed the impact of the switch from a time-based deferral for men who have sex with men (MSM) to sexual risk behaviour criteria on PrEP/PEP deferrals.
Materials And Methods: Data on PrEP/PEP deferral codes were extracted from our National Epidemiology Database for the 22 months before (Period 1) and after (Period 2) the criteria change.
Article Synopsis
- Canadian blood donors played a critical role in tracking anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the pandemic, allowing researchers to compare vaccination rates between donors and the general population.
- A study involving 165,240 blood donors in Canada showed that while the general population initially vaccinated at a higher rate, by mid-2021, blood donors had a higher percentage of vaccination antibodies.
- Survey results indicated that a significant portion of blood donors believed in the importance of vaccination, with 83.5% recognizing the seriousness of COVID-19 and 77.8% believing even those previously infected should get vaccinated.
Article Synopsis
- - The Canadian blood suppliers, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, shifted from a time-based deferral for men who have sex with men to a risk-based assessment focusing on sexual behaviors starting in 2022.
- - A study assessed the impact of these changes by monitoring HIV rates before and after implementation and found no significant difference in HIV-positive donations (0.27/100,000 pre-implementation vs. 0.28/100,000 post).
- - The deferral rate for donors due to new or multiple sexual partners was low (0.17%) and primarily affected first-time and younger donors, indicating the new screening process maintained safety while allowing more inclusive donor participation.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 viruses in Canadian blood donors and identify demographic risk factors associated with infection from 1990 to 2022.
- Analysis involved testing blood samples from first-time donors across Canada (except Quebec) and conducting risk factor interviews with identified cases and matched controls.
- Results showed a low prevalence of HTLV-1/2 (12 per 100,000), higher odds in females, older age groups, and those from certain regions, while highlighting that infection likely occurs both overseas and within Canada.
Article Synopsis
- Several high-income countries have ended the practice of deferring gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood, moving towards a gender-neutral donor selection approach.
- An international symposium held in April 2023 brought together experts to discuss the impacts of this shift on transfusion safety and the challenges of implementing such policies.
- Findings indicate that most countries adopted similar strategies for this transition, which were positively received by stakeholders and showed reassuring safety data, although further research on HIV risks is needed.
Article Synopsis
- Hepatitis B is transmitted through sexual contact, blood exposure, and from mother to child, with higher chronic infection rates found in immigrants and their Canadian-born children.
- A study analyzing data from over 1.5 million Canadian blood donors identified a chronic hepatitis B prevalence of 47.5 cases per 100,000, particularly among males, older individuals, and those from lower-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods.
- The research underscores the need for better diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis B, especially in low-risk populations who may not be aware of their infection status.
Article Synopsis
- - The increasing global demand for plasma protein products has raised concerns in various countries that rely on imports, emphasizing the need for effective recruitment and retention strategies for diverse plasma donors to support local donation systems.
- - A series of three systematic reviews will analyze existing qualitative and survey-based literature to identify barriers and enablers to source plasma donation and evaluate which strategies effectively encourage donation.
- - The methodology includes searching multiple electronic databases for relevant studies, with a focus on different study designs, and will employ various analysis techniques, including meta-analyses, to synthesize findings across the reviews.
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) encompasses the symptoms of estrogen deprivation in the vaginal, vulva, and bladder areas. Because many cancer treatments induce a hypoestrogenic state, GSM is common in cancer survivors. The number of cancer survivors is increasing, and the unique aspects of GSM management for cancer survivors, such as the safety of hormonal therapies, is important to understand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMSM and blood donation: shifting to individualized risk assessment.
Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program
December 2023
Deferring donors at higher risk for transfusion transmissible infections is an important part of ensuring blood safety. The deferral for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) was implemented in the 1980s in many countries, since they were identified as a high-risk group for AIDS/HIV. With the introduction of increasingly sensitive HIV antibody testing, augmented by nucleic acid testing, the window period for HIV infection-when a donor may be infectious but have negative test results-has shrunk dramatically.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * Some blood centers defer donors based on medication use to protect product quality and minimize risks of transmissible diseases.
- * The impact of a one-time exposure to medication in donated blood is significantly different from continuous medication use, making the likelihood of negative effects on recipient safety quite low.
Article Synopsis
- - The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship aim to assist healthcare providers in meeting the diverse needs of cancer survivors by offering screening and treatment suggestions for issues stemming from adult-onset cancer and its treatments.
- - They also promote healthy behaviors and provide guidance on immunizations for cancer survivors to enhance their overall well-being.
- - The latest updates focus on addressing sleep disorders, fatigue, and cognitive function among cancer survivors, based on discussions and insights from expert panels.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) on change in bone mineral density (BMD) in women aged 34-50 years with pathogenic variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2 ( BRCA1 /2).
Methods: The PROSper (Prospective Research of Outcomes after Salpingo-oophorectomy) study is a prospective cohort of women aged 34-50 years with BRCA1 or two germline pathogenic variants that compares health outcomes after RRSO to a non-RRSO control group with ovarian conservation. Women aged 34-50 years, who were planning either RRSO or ovarian conservation, were enrolled for 3 years of follow-up.
Background: In 2021, Canada implemented a pilot plasma program allowing some sexually active men who have sex with men (including but not limited to gay and bisexual men; gbMSM) to donate plasma. Changes to plasma donation policy could help address inequities in access to plasma donation and increase Canada's domestically collected plasma supply if more gbMSM donate as a result. We aimed to (1) examine views regarding plasma donation and the pilot program prior to implementation and (2) identify modifiable theory-informed predictors of gbMSM's intention to donate plasma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: In Canada, the time deferral for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) to donate blood has gradually decreased. In September 2022, this deferral was replaced with sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors. We investigate how data from targeted research programmes addressed knowledge gaps to support this change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In Canada the time deferral for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) was progressively shortened (lifetime, 5 years, 1 year, 3 months). Here we describe trends in syphilis rates (a potential sexual risk marker) and risk behaviors from blood donors in the past 12 years.
Study Design And Methods: Syphilis positivity in 10,288,322 whole blood donations (January 1, 2010-September 10, 2022) and gbMSM deferral time periods, donation status, age, and sex were analyzed with logistic regression.
Background: Canada has incrementally reduced restrictions to blood and plasma donation that impact men who have sex with men, gay, bisexual, and queer men, and some Two Spirit, transgender and non-binary individuals (MSM/2SGBTQ+). Prior to the launch of a pilot program in 2021 enabling some MSM/2SGBTQ + to donate source plasma, we explored the acceptability of the program among individuals who could become eligible to donate in the program.
Methods: We invited men identifying as MSM/2SGBTQ + to participate in two consecutive semi-structured interviews to explore their views on blood and plasma donation policy, plasma donation, and the proposed Canadian plasma donation program.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on how the distribution of rare red blood cell types varies among different racial and ethnic groups, emphasizing that donors with similar genetic backgrounds to patients may provide better compatibility.
- Over 95% of blood donors answered a voluntary question about their race/ethnicity, leading to the testing of 715 samples and the addition of 25 rare donors to the database, including specific rare phenotypes.
- The initiative was positively received and helped identify potential rare blood donors, which can assist patients with unique blood needs and enhance the understanding of red blood cell genetics in Canada.