Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and is associated with the development of genital warts, precancerous lesions, and cancers of the oropharynx, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and cervix. HPV-associated diseases are preventable through vaccination. An Australian nationwide vaccination program will effectively eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern by the year 2035.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
June 2024
Background: Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a tumor marker overexpressed in ovarian cancer and is commonly utilized to aid with diagnosis of an adnexal mass. HE4 levels vary based on pregnancy, age, menopausal status, and tobacco use.
Objective(s): The objective of this study was to evaluate population-based data to examine factors that affect HE4 among adult women in the United States and stratify levels of HE4 by demographic and gynecologic factors.
Electronic patient portals facilitate communication between providers and patients, but they can complicate the art of breaking bad news. Nearly half of oncology patients will view their diagnosis on a patient portal before speaking with a provider. Physicians and advanced practice providers receive training on how to deliver bad news in person and over the telephone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted virus that infects over 13 million people every year. Over 80% of sexually active adults will acquire HPV at some point in their lives, which is concerning since certain high-risk strains of HPV can cause six types of cancer. Vaccination against HPV is safe and effective, but despite high vaccine efficacy, vaccination rates are low among both service members and civilians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Impostor Phenomenon (IP) describes feelings of distrust in one's own capabilities or accomplishments. This experience exists across many professional settings, affecting men and women across diverse backgrounds. IP has not been studied within a military health system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo increase Soldiers' access to HPV vaccination, we evaluated the feasibility and sustainability of a nurse-led intervention to integrate HPV vaccination into medical processing procedures for Soldiers. We partnered with nursing staff to introduce HPV vaccine into existing vaccination services at a nurse-led clinic that serves Soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In addition to stocking the vaccine, the intervention included training nursing staff ( = 11) strategies for recommending HPV vaccination for Soldiers ages 18-26.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Optimal cytoreduction to no residual disease (R0) correlates with improved disease outcome for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients. Treatment of HGSOC patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, however, may select for tumor cells harboring alterations in hallmark cancer pathways including metastatic potential. This study assessed this hypothesis by performing proteomic analysis of matched, chemotherapy naïve and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT)-treated HGSOC tumors obtained from patients who had suboptimal (R1, n = 6) versus optimal (R0, n = 14) debulking at interval debulking surgery (IDS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess gaps in human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge and current attitudes toward HPV vaccination among active duty soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC, and to evaluate the impact of the instruction intervention on knowledge and attitudes regarding HPV vaccination.
Methods: A six-question assessment was administered to soldiers presenting for appointments through the Epidemiology and Disease Control (EDC) Clinic at Fort Bragg in January 2020. Questions included five multiple choice knowledge assessments and a Likert scale attitude question regarding HPV vaccination.
Aims: To examine if (1) there is a positive association between drinking volume in young men and life-time risk of alcohol dependence (AD) and (2) there are other associations between young adulthood factors and life-time risk of AD.
Design: Prospective cohort study of sons of fathers with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and matched low-risk controls without paternal AUD. Setting and participants A total of 204 men, who were assessed at baseline in 1979 at age 19-20 years, were followed through record linkage with Danish registers and consecutive psychiatric interviews at the ages of 33, 43 and 53 years.
Providers who care for women at risk for hereditary gynecologic cancers must consider the impact of these conditions on reproductive and hormonal health. This document reviews potential options for cancer prevention, family building, genetic testing and management of surgical menopause in this patient population. Capsule: Women predisposed to hereditary gynecologic cancer have options for fertility preservation, preimplantation genetic testing to select embryos without pathogenic variants, pregnancy through gestational carriers after hysterectomy and hormone replacement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProviders who care for women at risk for hereditary gynecologic cancers must consider the impact of these conditions on reproductive and hormonal health. This document reviews potential options for cancer prevention, family building, genetic testing and management of surgical menopause in this patient population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures at our institution were complicated by perioperative hypothermia despite use of the standard of care forced-air convective warming device (the BairHugger, Augustine Medical Inc, Eden Prairie, MN, USA). To remedy this problem, we initiated a quality improvement process that investigated the use of a conductive warm water-circulating device (the Allon ThermoWrap, Menen Medical Corporation, Trevose, PA, USA), and hypothesized that it would decrease the incidence of perioperative hypothermia.
Methods: We compared two different intraoperative warming devices using a historic control.
Chronic alcohol use alters adaptive immunity and cytokine activity influencing immunological and hormone responses, inflammation, and wound healing. Brain cytokine disturbances may impact neurological function, mood, cognition and traits related to alcoholism including impulsiveness. We examined the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and self-rated psychiatric symptoms in 40 adult males (mean age 51 ± 6 years; range 33-58 years) with current alcohol dependence and 30 control males (mean age 48 ± 6 years; range 40-58 years) with no history of alcoholism using multiplex sandwich immunoassays with the Luminex magnetic-bead based platform.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Severe alcoholism can be associated with significant nutritional and vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin B1 (thiamine) which is associated with neurological deficits impacting mood and cognition. Alcohol consumption was reduced among female but not male alcoholics after supplementation with the high potency thiamine analog benfotiamine (BF). We examined the relationship between lifetime alcoholism severity, psychiatric symptoms and response to BF among the alcohol dependent men from this cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The () gene, located on the X chromosome, contains a common polymorphism involving cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats, which impacts disease and could contribute to the unequal sex ratio in alcoholism. CAG repeats in the gene are known to correlate with impulsivity in males. We report the first preliminary study examining the association between the number of CAG repeats and measures of impulsivity in females with chronic alcoholism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlcohol dependence is associated with severe nutritional and vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency erodes neurological pathways that may influence the ability to drink in moderation. The present study examines tolerability of supplementation using the high-potency thiamine analog, benfotiamine (BF), and BF's effects on alcohol consumption in severely affected, self-identified, alcohol dependent subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Psychiatric comorbidities are common among psychiatric patients and typically associated with poorer clinical prognoses. Subjects of a large Danish birth cohort were used to study the relation between mortality and co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses.
Method: We searched the Danish Central Psychiatric Research Registry for 8109 birth cohort members aged 45 years.
Background: All female mammals with 2 X chromosomes balance gene expression with males having only 1 X by inactivating one of their X chromosomes (X chromosome inactivation [XCI]). Analysis of XCI in females offers the opportunity to investigate both X-linked genetic factors and early embryonic development that may contribute to alcoholism. Increases in the prevalence of skewing of XCI in women with alcoholism could implicate biological risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To describe the factors and attributes that obstetrics and gynecology fellowship directors use in selecting applicants for interview and ranking.
Methods: Anonymous questionnaires were completed by obstetrics and gynecology fellowship directors using a web-based survey (adapted from a previously published questionnaire) before match day 2011. Fellow selection practices were evaluated and included importance of prematch preparations, screening of applications, interview processes, and recommendations given to applicants.
Background: Few population-based studies have investigated associations between parental history of alcoholism and the risk of alcoholism in offspring. The aim was to investigate in a large cohort the risk of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in the offspring of parents with or without AUD and with or without hospitalization for other psychiatric disorder (OPD).
Methods: Longitudinal birth cohort study included 7,177 men and women born in Copenhagen between October 1959 and December 1961.
Objective: A large Danish birth cohort was used to test the independent and joint effects of perinatal measures associated with premature birth as predictors of the development of alcoholism in male and female subjects.
Method: Subjects were born at the Copenhagen University Hospital between 1959 and 1961 (N = 9,125). A comprehensive series of measures was obtained for each of the 8,109 surviving and eligible infants before birth, during birth, shortly after birth, and at 1 year.