Women's Health Commons^™

Blm Overexpression As A Predictive Biomarker For Chk1 Inhibitor Response In Parp Inhibitor-Resistant Brca-Mutant Ovarian Cancer, Nitasha Gupta, Tzu-Ting Huang, Jayakumar R Nair, Daniel An, Grant Zurcher, Erika J Lampert, Ann Mccoy, Ashley Cimino-Mathews, Elizabeth M Swisher, Marc R Radke, Christina M Lockwood, Jonathan B Reichel, Chih-Yuan Chiang, Kelli M Wilson, Ken Chih-Chien Cheng, Darryl Nousome, Jung-Min Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) have changed the treatment paradigm in breast cancer gene (BRCA)–mutant high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). However, most patients eventually develop resistance to PARPis, highlighting an unmet need for improved therapeutic strategies. Using high-throughput drug screens, we identified ataxia telangiectasia and rad3-related protein/checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) pathway inhibitors as cytotoxic and further validated the activity of the CHK1 inhibitor (CHK1i) prexasertib in PARPi-sensitive and -resistant BRCA-mutant HGSC cells and xenograft mouse models. CHK1i monotherapy induced DNA damage, apoptosis, and tumor size reduction. We then conducted a phase 2 study (NCT02203513) of prexasertib …

The Impact Of Period Poverty On Low-Income Adolescents In The United States, Makayla Olson

University Honors Theses

Period poverty is an issue that impacts menstruators globally. This creates a significant health disparity for menstruators, including difficulties accessing menstrual products, inadequate menstrual and puberty health education, and shame and stigma that come from societal misunderstandings and misinformation regarding menstruation. This paper examines the effects of period poverty on low-income adolescents in the United States. It looks at the current literature that addresses how the financial and accessibility barriers that cause period poverty, as well as how these causes impact school-aged menstruators. It aims to address the role that schools play in creating safe environments for menstruators, including staff …

Development Of A Definition Of Postacute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Tanayott Thaweethai, Sarah E Jolley, Elizabeth W Karlson, Emily B Levitan, Bruce Levy, Grace A Mccomsey, Lisa Mccorkell, Girish N Nadkarni, Sairam Parthasarathy, Upinder Singh, Tiffany A Walker, Caitlin A Selvaggi, Daniel J Shinnick, Carolin C M Schulte, Rachel Atchley-Challenner, George A Alba, Radica Alicic, Natasha Altman, Khamal Anglin, Urania Argueta, Hassan Ashktorab, Gaston Baslet, Ingrid V Bassett, Lucinda Bateman, Brahmchetna Bedi, Shamik Bhattacharyya, Marie-Abele Bind, Andra L Blomkalns, Hector Bonilla, Hassan Brim, Patricia A Bush, Mario Castro, James Chan, Alexander W Charney, Peter Chen, Lori B Chibnik, Helen Y Chu, Rebecca G Clifton, Maged M Costantine, Sushma K Cribbs, Sylvia I Davila Nieves, Steven G Deeks, Alexandria Duven, Ivette F Emery, Nathan Erdmann, Kristine M Erlandson, Kacey C Ernst, Rachael Farah-Abraham, Cheryl E Farner, Elen M Feuerriegel, Judes Fleurimont, Vivian Fonseca, Nicholas Franko, Vivian Gainer, Jennifer C Gander, Edward M Gardner, Linda N Geng, Kelly S Gibson, Minjoung Go, Jason D Goldman, Halle Grebe, Frank L Greenway, Mounira Habli, John Hafner, Jenny E Han, Keith A Hanson, James Heath, Carla Hernandez, Rachel Hess, Sally L Hodder, Matthew K Hoffman, Susan E Hoover, Beatrice Huang, Brenna L Hughes, Prasanna Jagannathan, Janice John, Michael R Jordan, Stuart D Katz, Elizabeth S Kaufman, John D Kelly, Sara W Kelly, Megan M Kemp, John P Kirwan, Jonathan D Klein, Kenneth S Knox, Jerry A Krishnan, Andre Kumar, Adeyinka O Laiyemo, Allison A Lambert, Margaret Lanca, Joyce K Lee-Iannotti, Brian P Logarbo, Michele T Longo, Carlos A Luciano, Karen Lutrick, Jason H Maley, Gail Mallett, Jai G Marathe, Vincent Marconi, Gailen D Marshall, Christopher F Martin, Yuri Matusov, Alem Mehari, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Robin Mermelstein, Torri D Metz, Richard Morse, Jarrod Mosier, Christian Mouchati, Janet Mullington, Shawn N Murphy, Robert B Neuman, Janko Z Nikolich, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Elizabeth Ojemakinde, Anna Palatnik, Kristy Palomares, Tanyalak Parimon, Samuel Parry, Jan E Patterson, Thomas F Patterson, Rachel E Patzer, Michael J Peluso, Priscilla Pemu, Christian M Pettker, Beth A Plunkett, Kristen Pogreba-Brown, Athena Poppas, John G Quigley, Uma Reddy, Rebecca Reece, Harrison Reeder, W B Reeves, Eric M Reiman, Franz Rischard, Jonathan Rosand, Dwight J Rouse, Adam Ruff, George Saade, Grecio J Sandoval, Jorge L Santana, Shannon M Schlater, Frank C Sciurba, Fitzgerald Shepherd, Zaki A Sherif, Hyagriv Simhan, Nora G Singer, Daniel W Skupski, Amber Sowles, Jeffrey A Sparks, Fatima I Sukhera, Barbara S Taylor, Larissa Teunis, Robert J Thomas, John M Thorp, Paul Thuluvath, Amberly Ticotsky, Alan T Tita, Katherine R Tuttle, Alfredo E Urdaneta, Daisy Valdivieso, Timothy M Vanwagoner, Andrew Vasey, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, Zachary S Wallace, Honorine D Ward, David E Warren, Steven J Weiner, Shelley Welch, Sidney W Whiteheart, Zanthia Wiley, Juan P Wisnivesky, Lynn M Yee, Sokratis Zisis, Leora I Horwitz, Andrea S Foulkes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with persistent, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects occurring after acute infection, termed postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. Characterizing PASC requires analysis of prospectively and uniformly collected data from diverse uninfected and infected individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a definition of PASC using self-reported symptoms and describe PASC frequencies across cohorts, vaccination status, and number of infections.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective observational cohort study of adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection at 85 enrolling sites (hospitals, health centers, community organizations) located in 33 states plus Washington, DC, …

Women Physicians And Medical Conferences: A Pilot Survey Study Of Participation Challenges And Options To Optimize Wellness And Work-Life Integration, Marah N. Kays, Ekas Singh Abrol, Ariela L. Marshall

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Women physicians experience challenges in career advancement, work-life integration (WLI), and wellness. Participation (attending and speaking) at academic conferences is one way for women physicians to advance their careers, but barriers to physical participation (travel, WLI) pose challenges. Virtual participation options may enhance career advancement. In this pilot study, we explored women physicians’ conference participation patterns and preferences regarding virtual participation options.

Methods: In this cross-sectional pilot study of 70 women physicians from the Physician Women in Leadership (PWL) and Physician Moms Group (PMG) Facebook groups, we collected demographic, burnout, and WLI data, information on barriers to …

Parabens Promote Protumorigenic Effects In Luminal Breast Cancer Cell Lines With Diverse Genetic Ancestry, Jazma L. Tapia, Jillian C. Mcdonough, Emily L. Cauble, Cesar G. Gonzalez, Dede K. Teteh, Lindsey S. Treviño

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Context

One in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Yet, the burden of disease is greater in Black women. Black women have a 40% higher mortality rate than White women, and a higher incidence of breast cancer at age 40 and younger. While the underlying cause of this disparity is multifactorial, exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in hair and other personal care products has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Parabens are known EDCs that are commonly used as preservatives in hair and other personal care products, and Black women are disproportionately exposed …

Medicaid Expansion, Chemotherapy Delays, And Racial Disparities Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Mariana Chavez-Macgregor, Xiudong Lei, Catalina Malinowski, Hui Zhao, Ya-Chen Shih, Sharon H Giordano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act extends eligibility for participating states and has been associated with improved outcomes by facilitating access to care. Delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with worse outcomes among patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC). The impact of Medicaid expansion in narrowing delays by race and ethnicity has not been studied, to our knowledge.

METHODS: This was a population-based study using the National Cancer Database. Patients diagnosed with primary early-stage BC between 2007 and 2017 residing in states that underwent Medicaid expansion in January 2014 were included. Time to chemotherapy initiation and proportion …

Early Postpartum Hba1c After Hyperglycemia First Detected In Pregnancy-Imperfect But Not Without Value, Ankia Coetzee, David R Hall, Mari Van De Vyver, Magda Conradie

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: South African women of childbearing age are disproportionally affected by obesity and at significant risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Unless pregnant, they do not readily undergo screening for T2DM. With a local focus on improved antenatal care, hyperglycemia is often first detected in pregnancy (HFDP). This may erroneously be attributed to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in all without considering T2DM. Glucose evaluation following pregnancy is essential for early detection and management of women with T2DM in whom persistent hyperglycemia is to be expected. Conventional testing with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is cumbersome, prompting investigation for …

Parental Characteristics And Experience Of Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Women In Ibadan, Nigeria, Omowumi O. Okedare, Mobolaji M. Salawu, Olufunmilayo I. Fawole

Journal of Health Research

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a global public health problem. This study examined the influence of parental background on the experience of IPV by young women in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the five Local Government Areas of Ibadan metropolis. One thousand and fifty young women aged between 18 and 24 years were selected using a multistage sampling method to participate in the study. Data was collected using a 28-item semi-structured questionnaire. The independent variables were the parents’ education, marital status, occupation, and mother’s experience of victimization. The dependent variable was previous experience of physical, …

Refugee Women’S Receptiveness For Virtual Engagement On Reproductive Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heike Thiel De Bocanegra, Zahra Goliaei, Nossin Khan, Sereen Banna, Rawnaq Behnam, Sheila K Mody

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC Public Health Program

BACKGROUND: Refugee women who leave their country due to persecution and violence have multiple barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The COVID-19 pandemic added an additional barrier to in-person reproductive health education, dialogue, and clinical care. This study aimed to assess the potential of using virtual group meetings as a forum for refugee women to learn about and discuss reproductive health concerns such as cervical cancer screening, family planning, childbirth, and postpartum care.

METHOD: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 refugee women and stakeholders to assess factors that impact refugee women's receptiveness for virtual platforms to obtain information …

Trends Of Ovarian Cancer Incidence And Mortality In Mississippi Between 2003 And 2020, Angel Walker

Honors Theses

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, accounting for more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer (Arora et al., 2023). Over the past few decades, there have been several advancements in treating the disease. However, improvements in survival rates for ovarian cancer are not seen equally among women. For White women, the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer has improved, while for Black women, it has worsened (Karanth et al., 2019). To further understand how ovarian cancer affects women, we aim to describe the trends of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality for White and Black …

The Development Of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules For Cal Poly Students, Alexa J. Asson, Dillan Chiewpanich, Amanda Hodges, Tanya Patil

Biological Sciences

Purpose: Sexual health education continues to be a taboo topic underrepresented in young adult health education. Many high school students do not receive the sexual health education they need. One study found that 34% of girls and 42% of boys left high school without education on birth control methods (Wong et al., 2019). Furthermore, students entering college have varying, often inadequate, levels of sexual health knowledge. After examining sexual health data at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Cal Poly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Lab found that students engage in risky sexual behaviors. For example, nearly one quarter …

The Development Of Sexual Health Educational Canvas Modules For Cal Poly Students, Alexa Jordan Asson, Dillan Isabella Chiewpanich, Amanda Hodges, Tanya Patil

Kinesiology and Public Health

Purpose: Sexual health education continues to be a taboo topic underrepresented in young adult health education. Many high school students do not receive the sexual health education they need. One study found that 34% of girls and 42% of boys left high school without education on birth control methods (Wong et al., 2019). Furthermore, students entering college have varying, often inadequate, levels of sexual health knowledge. After examining sexual health data at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Cal Poly Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Lab found that students engage in risky sexual behaviors. For example, nearly one quarter …

Phase Ii Trial Of Nelipepimut-S Peptide Vaccine In Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Anne E O'Shea, Guy T Clifton, Na Qiao, Brandy M Heckman-Stoddard, Malgorzata Wojtowicz, Eileen Dimond, Isabelle Bedrosian, Diane Weber, Judy E Garber, Alexander Husband, Ricardo Pastorello, J Jack Lee, Mike Hernandez, Diane D Liu, Lana A Vornik, Powel H Brown, Gheath Alatrash, George E Peoples, Elizabeth A Mittendorf

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: NeuVax is a vaccine comprised of the HER2-derived MHC class I peptide E75 (nelipepimut-S, NPS) combined with GM-CSF. We completed a randomized trial of preoperative vaccination with NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The primary objective was to evaluate for NPS-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. Patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2-positive DCIS were enrolled and randomized 2:1 to NeuVax versus GM-CSF alone and received two inoculations prior to surgery. The number of NPS-specific CTL was measured pre-vaccination, at surgery, and 1 and 3 to 6 months post-operation by dextramer assay. Differences in …

Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Cervical Cancer Stage At Diagnosis: Mediating Effects Of Neighborhood-Level Socioeconomic Deprivation, Itunu O Sokale, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Jane R Montealegre, Aaron P Thrift

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Mortality from cervical cancer has declined steadily in the United States over the past several decades due to widespread screening for precancerous and early-stage cervical cancer (ECC), which are significantly easier to treat compared with late-stage cervical cancer (LCC). Unequal screening access continues to cause significant racial/ethnic disparities in cervical cancer diagnosis stage. This study examined the underlying role of neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage as a potential mediator of the association between race/ethnicity and cervical cancer diagnosis stage.

METHODS: We analyzed Texas Cancer Registry data for cervical cancer cases diagnosed among women ages 18 or older from 2010 to 2018. …

The Tgf-Β Superfamily As Potential Therapeutic Targets In Pancreatic Cancer, William A Grobman, Grecio J Sandoval, Torri D Metz, Tracy A Manuck, Rebecca G Clifton, Brenna L Hughes, George R Saade, Monica Longo, Amber Sowles, Kelly Clark, Hyagriv N Simhan, Dwight J Rouse, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Jennifer L Bailit, Maged M Costantine, Harish M Sehdev, Alan T N Tita, George A Macones

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether preterm birth rates changed in relation to the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether any change depended on socioeconomic status.

METHODS: This is an observational cohort study of pregnant individuals with a singleton gestation who delivered in the years 2019 and 2020 at 1 of 16 U.S. hospitals of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. The frequency of preterm birth for those who delivered before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (ie, in 2019) was compared with that of those who delivered after its onset (ie, in 2020). Interaction analyses were performed for …

A Phase Ii Study Of Neoadjuvant Atezolizumab And Nab-Paclitaxel In Patients With Anthracycline-Resistant Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Clinton Yam, Elizabeth A Mittendorf, Haven R Garber, Ryan Sun, Senthil Damodaran, Rashmi K Murthy, David Ramirez, Meghan Karuturi, Rachel M Layman, Nuhad Ibrahim, Gaiane M Rauch, Beatriz E Adrada, Rosalind P Candelaria, Jason B White, Elizabeth Ravenberg, Alyson Clayborn, Qing Qing Ding, W Fraser Symmans, Sabitha Prabhakaran, Alastair M Thompson, Vicente Valero, Debu Tripathy, Lei Huo, Stacy L Moulder, Jennifer K Litton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Neoadjuvant anti-PD-(L)1 therapy improves the pathological complete response (pCR) rate in unselected triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Given the potential for long-term morbidity from immune-related adverse events (irAEs), optimizing the risk-benefit ratio for these agents in the curative neoadjuvant setting is important. Suboptimal clinical response to initial neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is associated with low rates of pCR (2-5%) and may define a patient selection strategy for neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade. We conducted a single-arm phase II study of atezolizumab and nab-paclitaxel as the second phase of NAT in patients with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC)-resistant TNBC (NCT02530489).

Methods: Patients …

Effects Of Using An Application For Postpartum Contraceptive Use In Family Planning Counseling During Pregnancy, Lia Nurcahyani, Dyah Widiyastuti, Arief Tarmansyah Iman, Yanti Cahyati, Yeni Fitrianingsih

Kesmas

A decision-making tool for family planning flipchart is used for contraceptive counseling, but the use of this flipchart is suboptimal. In this study, primary study resulted in innovative decision-making tools for family planning applications. “Si KB Pintar” was also developed, a tool that women can use to discuss contraceptives with their husbands after family planning counseling. This study analyzed the effectiveness of family planning counseling during pregnancy by applying postpartum contraceptive use. Analytical quantitative quasi-experimental methods were used with a control group design. The sampling method was two-stage sampling. In the first stage, from 22 primary health care (PHC) in …

The Vitamin D Serum Levels In Pregnant Women Affected By Covid-19: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Luiza Szarpak, Stepan Feduniw, Michal Pruc, Michal Ciebiera, Basar Cander, Mansur Rahnama-Hezavah, Łukasz Szarpak

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Vitamin D can modulate immune responses, and its deficiency is linked to increased autoimmunity and susceptibility to infection. In the general population, it has been observed that serum vitamin D levels are connected with the risk of COVID-19 and its severity. Our study aims to examine reported findings on the effect of vitamin D serum levels on infection of COVID-19 during pregnancy. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies. Serum vitamin D serum levels in COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative pregnant women were 24.61 ± 20.86 ng/mL and 24.12 ± 17.33 ng/mL, respectively. In mild vs. …

Challenges In The Clinical Understanding Of Genetic Testing In Birth Defects And Pediatric Diseases, Tina O Findley, Jacqueline G Parchem, Aarti Ramdaney, Sarah U Morton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Advances in prenatal/neonatal genetic screening practices and next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have made the detection of molecular causes of pediatric diseases increasingly more affordable, accessible, and rapid in return of results. In the past, families searching for answers often required diagnostic journeys leading to delays in targeted care and missed diagnoses. Non-invasive prenatal NGS is now used routinely in pregnancy, significantly altering the obstetric approach to early screening and evaluation of fetal anomalies. Similarly, exome sequencing (ES) and genome sequencing (GS) were once only available for research but are now used in patient care, impacting neonatal care and the …

Trends And Determinants Of Modern Contraceptive Utilisation Among Adolescent Girls Aged 15-19 Years In Sierra Leone: An Analysis Of Demographic And Health Surveys, 2008-2019, Emmanuel Olal, Fassou Mathias Grovogui, Ritah Nantale, Quraish Sserwanja, Chola Nakazwe, Lilian Nuwabaine, David Mukunya, Eric Nzirakaindi Ikoona, Lenka Benova

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background

Modern contraceptives are effective interventions for preventing unwanted pregnancies, but their use remain low among adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa. First, we aimed to assess the trends of modern contraceptive use among adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in Sierra Leone in the period 2008-2019. Second, we explored how individual and contextual determinants of their use changed during this period.

Methods

We used a combined sample of 8,774 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years from the 2008, 2013, and 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Surveys (SLDHS), respectively, to estimate the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (MCPR) and unmet need for family …