Background: Gonadal hormones can modify immune function, which may impact susceptibility to infectious diseases, including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). There is limited knowledge about how hormonal contraceptives (HC) influence the immune response during the course of use. The CHIME study aims to evaluate the effect of long-acting progestin-based hormonal contraceptives (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, etonogestrel implant, and levonorgestrel intrauterine device) on immunologic changes in the female genital tract (FGT) and systemic compartment.
Methods: CHIME is an observational cohort study where participants attend 2 visits prior to initiating the HC method of their choice, and then attend 6 visits over 12 months with biological sampling (vaginal swabs, cervicovaginal lavage, cytobrush and blood) for immunological, bacteriological, and virological analyses at each visit. Immune profiling will be evaluated by multi-color flow cytometry to determine how different T-cell subsets, in particular the CD4 T-cell subsets, change during the course of contraceptive use and whether they have different profiles in the FGT compared to the systemic compartment. The study aims are (1) to characterize the alterations in FGT and systemic immune profiles associated with three long-acting progestin-only HC and (2) to evaluate the vaginal microenvironment, determined by 16 s rRNA sequencing, as an individual-level risk factor and moderator of genital and systemic immune profile changes following exposure to three commonly used HC. Data collection started in March 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in October 2024.
Discussion: The CHIME study aims to contribute to the body of research designed to evaluate the comparative impact of three long-acting progestin-only HC on innate and adaptive immune functions to understand how immunologic effects alter STI and HIV susceptibility.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-02053-w | DOI Listing |
JMIR Res Protoc
January 2025
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Background: Wheelchair users live predominantly sedentary lifestyles and have a substantially higher risk for cardiometabolic disease and mortality compared to people without disabilities. Exercise training has been found to be effective in improving cardiometabolic health (CMH) outcomes among people without disabilities, but research on wheelchair users is limited and of poor quality.
Objective: The primary aim of this study is to examine the immediate and sustained effects of a 24-week, telehealth, movement-to-music cardiovascular (M2M-C) exercise program on core indicators of CMH among adult wheelchair users compared to an active control group.
Children (Basel)
November 2024
School of Rural Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia.
Mental health concerns among youth represent a critical global public health issue. Research has found that youth with mental health concerns are often reliant on their caregivers while being isolated from peers. Guided by the recovery model of mental health care, this study investigates the often-overlooked role of caregivers in fostering 'connectedness' in youth; Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine caregivers of youth with mental health issue; Results: Thematic analysis underscored three tasks in the role of caregivers in promoting connectedness in youth: (a) understanding the nature and quality of social networks, (b) supporting readiness to engage in social relationships, and (c) promoting their youth's social problem solving and self-efficacy; Discussion: These tasks highlight the complex dialectics faced by caregivers in supporting youth recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNature
January 2025
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
J Public Health (Oxf)
December 2024
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
Background: The Covid-19 pandemic showed higher infection, severity and death rates among those living in poorer socioeconomic conditions. We use syndemic theory to guide the analyses to investigate the impact of social adversity and multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) on Covid-19 mortality.
Methods: The study sample comprised 154 725 UK Biobank participants.
Public Health Res (Southampt)
December 2024
Peninsula Technology Assessment Group (PenTAG), University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Background: Children and young people with experience of being in care (e.g. foster care, kinship care, residential care or at home with a supervision requirement order) are at higher risk of adverse mental health and well-being outcomes compared to the general population.
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