Pre-infection anticoagulant exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes - Differential mortality by age.

Background: The risk of thrombosis increases after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aimed to assess associations between pre-infection anticoagulant exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection-related outcomes in a population-based cohort.

Methods: Members of the "Meuhedet" health maintenance organization aged >45 years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (03/2020-04/2022) were followed.

Associations between common contraceptive use and circulating inflammatory biomarkers.

Ovarian cancer incidence has declined in recent decades, due in part to oral contraceptive (OC) use and tubal ligation. However, intrauterine device (IUD) use has increasingly replaced OC use. As ovarian cancer is an inflammation-related disease, we examined the association of OC use, IUD use, and tubal ligation with plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6, and soluble tumor necrosis factor α receptor 2 in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII.

The Burden of Pelvic Pain Associated With Endometriosis Among Women in Selected European Countries and the United States: A Restricted Systematic Review.

Objective: To evaluate the burden of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain (EAPP) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among women living in similar socio-economic conditions.

Data Sources: Searches were performed in PubMed and Embase on September 26, 2022. The review was performed in conformity with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol (PRISMA-P) and was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023370363).

Plasma microRNA expression in adolescents and young adults with endometriosis: the importance of hormone use.

Introduction: Prior studies have investigated the diagnostic potential of microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles for endometriosis. However, the vast majority of previous studies have only included adult women. Therefore, we sought to investigate differential expression of miRNAs among adolescents and young adults with endometriosis.

Low ALT Is Associated with IBD and Disease Activity: Results from a Nationwide Study.

: Sarcopenia is underdiagnosed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Low alanine transaminase (ALT) is associated with sarcopenia. We evaluated the association between low ALT and the presence of IBD and disease activity.

Subgroups of pelvic pain are differentially associated with endometriosis and inflammatory comorbidities: a latent class analysis.

Chronic pelvic pain is heterogeneous with potentially clinically informative subgroups. We aimed to identify subgroups of pelvic pain based on symptom patterns and investigate their associations with inflammatory and chronic pain-related comorbidities. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified subgroups of participants (n = 1255) from the Adolescence to Adulthood (A2A) cohort.

Pelvic pain symptoms and endometriosis characteristics in relation to oxidative stress among adolescents and adults with and without surgically-confirmed endometriosis.

While the majority of reproductive-aged females will experience pelvic pain during their lives, biological mechanisms underlying pelvic pain are not well understood. We investigated associations between pelvic pain symptoms and oxidative stress among people with and without surgically-confirmed endometriosis. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we measured 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine samples and corrected for creatinine levels in 434 surgically-confirmed endometriosis participants compared to 605 participants never diagnosed with endometriosis.

[TEN-HOUR INTERMITTENT FASTING PLUS MEDITERRANEAN DIET VERSUS MEDITERRANEAN DIET ALONE FOR TREATMENT OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD)].

Introduction: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has become the leading cause of liver morbidity. The Mediterranean diet can improve NAFLD and may be offered as treatment. Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve aspects of the metabolic syndrome, but its effect on NAFLD is inconclusive.

Visualized peritoneal fluid variation in adolescents and young adults with endometriosis: is there more to it?

Background: Peritoneal fluid is a medium for endometriosis-associated biomarker discovery from which the local peritoneal environment and pathophysiologic pathways are often inferred. Therefore, we evaluated the associations between peritoneal fluid color and volume at time of endometriosis-related laparoscopic surgery with patient characteristics, endometriosis type and lesion location in adolescents and young adults with endometriosis.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 545 patients undergoing surgery for endometriosis who enrolled in the Women's Health Study: from Adolescence to Adulthood cohort study.

Weaker SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with advanced liver fibrosis.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses that could harbor potential risks to chronic liver diseased patients.

Aims: To assess immune response following Pfizer's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with different liver fibrosis severities of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: Clinical and histological (NAS-score and fibrosis stage) characteristics of NAFLD patients before vaccine were correlated with serologic vaccine responses of two doses of the BNT162b2.

Patients with low ALT levels are at increased risk for severe COVID-19.

Introduction: Frailty is a known risk factor for many diseases, including COVID-19. However, many frail patients are undiagnosed as the diagnosis can be cumbersome. Alanine transaminase (ALT) is found not only in the liver but also in the muscle tissue, and multiple studies show that frail sarcopenic patients have lower ALT.

Quantitative somatosensory testing of the abdomen: establishing initial reference values across developmental age and biological sex.

Abdominal pain is a common symptom of several debilitating conditions (eg, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and endometriosis) and affects individuals throughout their lifespan. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) reference values exist for many body sites but not the abdomen. Using a QST battery adapted from the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain, we collected QST data on the upper and lower abdomen in 181 pain-free participants, ages 12 to 50 years, to establish reference values by age and biological sex.

Real-Life Comparison of Fosfomycin to Nitrofurantoin for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Women.

In this study, we compared the failure rates of fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. We used Meuhedet Health Services' large database to collect data on all female patients, older than 18 years, who were prescribed either antibiotic during 2013-2018. Treatment failure was a composite endpoint of hospitalization, emergency-room visit, IV antibiotic treatment, or prescription of a different antibiotic, within seven days of the initial prescription.

Estimated Ovulatory Years Prior to Menopause and Postmenopausal Endogenous Hormone Levels.

Background: Lifetime ovulatory years (LOY) is estimated by the difference between ages at menopause and menarche subtracting time for events interrupting ovulation. We tested whether LOY influences sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women with at least one intact ovary not using hormones.

Methods: Estradiol, estrone, estrone sulfate, total testosterone, dehydroepiandrostendione sulfate, prolactin, and sex hormone binding globulin were measured in 1,976 postmenopausal women from the Nurses' Health Study.

The genetic basis of endometriosis and comorbidity with other pain and inflammatory conditions.

Endometriosis is a common condition associated with debilitating pelvic pain and infertility. A genome-wide association study meta-analysis, including 60,674 cases and 701,926 controls of European and East Asian descent, identified 42 genome-wide significant loci comprising 49 distinct association signals. Effect sizes were largest for stage 3/4 disease, driven by ovarian endometriosis.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine alleviates disease burden and severity in liver transplant recipients even with low antibody titers.

Background And Aims: We retrospectively assessed the clinical Pfizer's mRNA SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccination outcomes and the serologic impact on liver transplant (LT) recipients.

Patients And Methods: One hundred and sixty-seven LT cases followed between March 1, 2020 and September 25, 2021, and were stratified into two groups: (1) 37 LT recipients after SARS-CoV-2 infection before vaccine era and (2) 130 LT recipients vaccinated with 2 doses without earlier SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Serum SARS-CoV-2 spike immunoglobulins (anti-S) were assessed 7 days following vaccination (Liaison assay).

Trends in pelvic pain symptoms over 2 years of follow-up among adolescents and young adults with and without endometriosis.

We described trends in pelvic pain characteristics over 2 years of follow-up among adolescents and adults with and without endometriosis participating in the longitudinal observational cohort of the Women's Health Study: From Adolescence to Adulthood, using data reported at baseline and at years 1 and 2 of follow-up. Participants completed a questionnaire at baseline (between November 2012 and May 2019) and annually thereafter that included validated measures of severity, frequency, and life interference of dysmenorrhea, acyclic pelvic pain, and dyspareunia. Our study population included 620 participants with surgically confirmed endometriosis (rASRM stage I/II = 95%) and 671 community-based and hospital-based controls, with median age = 19 and 24 years, respectively.

Cohort profile: The Endometriosis pain QUality aftEr Surgical Treatment (EndoQUEST) Study.

Endometriosis affects reproductive-aged females and varies considerably in terms of symptom presentation, morphologic features, and treatment response. Most studies investigating symptom recurrence after an endometriosis-related surgery have been conducted among adults. The Endometriosis pain QUality aftEr Surgical Treatment (EndoQUEST) Study was established to assess characteristics and biomarkers that are associated with pain remediation and improved quality of life after an endometriosis-related surgery among adolescents and young adults.

The Association Between Proton Pump Inhibitors and COVID-19 is Confounded by Hyperglycemia in a Population-Based Study.

There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and the risk of acquisition and severity of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To evaluate the association between PPI exposure and infection and development of severe disease in patients infected with SARS-CoV2in a large population-based historical cohort. Data were extracted from a health maintenance organization database in Israel that insures over 1,200,000 individuals from across the country.

Advanced Liver Fibrosis Correlates With Impaired Efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Medical Employees.

The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine has been offered to nonallergic ≥16-year-old Israeli adults since December 19, 2020. Data regarding factors associated with vaccine ineffectiveness are limited. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of hepatic fibrosis on the efficacy of the BioNTech vaccine.

Association Between Laparoscopically Confirmed Endometriosis and Risk of Early Natural Menopause.

Importance: Early natural menopause (ENM) has been associated with reduced reproductive span, cardiovascular disease risk, and early mortality. The potential adverse implications of endometrioma surgery for ovarian reserve are known, yet the association of endometriosis with menopausal timing remains understudied.

Objective: To investigate the association between endometriosis and risk for ENM.