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BackgroundPreterm birth complicates almost all triplet pregnancies and no preventive strategy has proven effective.ObjectiveTo determine, using individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis, whether the outcome of triplet pregnancy is affected by prophylactic administration of 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHPc).Search strategyWe searched literature databases, trial registries and references in published articles.Selection criteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) of progestogens versus control that included women with triplet pregnancies.Data collection and analysisInvestigators from identified RCTs collaborated on the protocol and contributed their IPD. The primary outcome was a composite measure of adverse perinatal outcome. The secondary outcome was the rate of birth before 32 weeks of gestation. Other pre-specified outcomes included randomisation-to-delivery interval and rates of birth at

Linda M Williams1, Jane E Alderman2, Garry Cussell3, John Goldston4, Neal Hamilton5, Adrian C Lim6, Greg J Goodman7, Michael B Halstead8, John D Rogers81Artisan Rejuvenation Clinic, Fortitude Valley, Queensland; 2The Clinic for Essential Beauty, Adelaide, South Australia; 3The Facial Rejuvenation Clinic, Sydney, New South Wales; 4MacKay Skin Clinic, MacKay, Queensland; 5Concept Cosmetic Medicine, Drummoyne, New South Wales; 6Republic Cosmetic Skin and Laser Clinic, Sydney, New South Wales; 7Dermatology Institute of Victoria, South Yarra, Victoria; 8Allergan Australia, Gordon, New South Wales, AustraliaBackground: An interactive software program (HOYS) has been developed utilizing a database of digital images depicting various aspects and degrees of aging of exposed skin across seven geographic regions, representing a total of 35 facial and extrafacial subregions. A five-point photonumeric rating scale, which portrays age-related skin changes across five decades for each of these subregions, underpins this patient-based interactive self-assessment program. Based on the resulting outputs from this program, an individualized treatment prioritization list is generated for each region where significant differences between the patient's chronological and esthetic ages exist. This provides guidance for the patient and the treating physician on treatment options.Methods: To evaluate the utility of HOYS in the clinic, relative to education programs currently used in Australian private esthetic clinics, a total of 95 esthetically-orientated patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter study.Results: Compared with a prospective cohort of patients completing a standard education program commonly utilized in Australian esthetic clinics, patients receiving the HOYS education program reported greater empowerment through improved knowledge of specific age-related skin changes. This was associated with a clearer understanding of treatment options available to them, and a perceived ability to participate in the selection of the treatments potentially administered to improve their appearance. These differences between the two education groups were highly significant.Conclusion: Patients completing the HOYS patient education program have an improved understanding of age-related changes to exposed skin of their face, neck, décolletage, and hands. Due to the patient-specific nature of the program, these patients perceive a greater role in the deciding which esthetic treatments should be subsequently administered to enhance their appearance, through an improved understanding of the rationale for these treatments and indeed how they should be prioritized to achieve the best outcome for them.Keywords: patient education, age-related skin changes, HOYS, photonumeric scale, randomized, controlled

Objective: To estimate whether administration of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate can prevent neonatal morbidity in multiple pregnancies by reducing the preterm birth rate.Methods: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial in 55 obstetric clinics in the Netherlands. Women with a multiple pregnancy were randomized to weekly injections of either 250 mg 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or placebo, starting between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation and continuing until 36 weeks of gestation. The main outcome measure was adverse neonatal outcome. Secondary outcome measures were gestational age at delivery and delivery before 28, 32, and 37 weeks of gestation.Results: We randomized 671 women. A composite measure of adverse neonatal outcome was present in 110 children (16%) born to mothers in the 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate group, and in 80 children (12%) of mothers in the placebo group (relative risk [RR] 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-1.89). The mean gestational age at delivery was 35.4 weeks for the 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate group and 35.7 weeks for the placebo group (P=.32). Treatment with 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate did not reduce the delivery rate before 28 weeks (6% in the 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate group compared with 5% in the placebo group, RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.56-1.94), 32 weeks (14% compared with 10%, RR 1.37; 95% CI 0.91-2.05), or 37 weeks of gestation (55% compared with 50%, RR 1.11; 95% CI 0.97-1.28).Conclusion: 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate does not prevent neonatal morbidity or preterm birth in multiple pregnancies.Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN Register, www.isrctn.org, ISRCTN40512715. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate whether physical function and quality of life was influenced by discharge on the same-day after a total laparoscopic hysterectomy., Design: Multicentre non-inferiority randomised controlled trial., Setting: Five teaching hospitals and two university hospitals in the Netherlands., Population: Patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign or premalignant disease., Methods: Following informed consent, participants were allocated 1:1 either to same-day discharge (SDD) or next-day discharge (NDD)., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was physical function at 7 days after surgery measured by the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function short Form 10A. Secondary outcomes were physical function and quality of life at 1 and 3 days and 6 weeks after surgery measured with PROMIS short Form 10A and the EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L)., Results: Two hundred and five patients were included of whom 105 were allocated to SDD and 100 to NDD. Physical function 7 days after surgery was 35.95 in the SDD group and 35.63 in the control group (mean difference 0.32; 95% CI [0.07-0.57]). As the upper limit of the 95% CI does not exceed the non-inferiority margin of 4 points, non-inferiority of SDD could be demonstrated. No difference in physical function nor quality of life on Days 1 and 3 and 6 weeks could be found., Conclusion: This research demonstrates same-day discharge after laparoscopic hysterectomy is non-inferior to next day discharge in physical function 7 days after surgery., (© 2024 The Author(s). BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Research suggests that increased financial exploitation vulnerability due to declining decision making may be an early behavioral manifestation of brain changes occurring in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. One of the earliest documented brain changes during the preclinical phase is neurodegeneration in the entorhinal cortex. The objective of the current study was to examine the association between a measure of financial exploitation vulnerability and thickness in the entorhinal cortex in 97 cognitively unimpaired older adults. We also investigated financial exploitation vulnerability associations with frontal regions typically associated with decision making (e.g. dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortices), and additionally examined the interactive effect of age and cortical thickness on financial exploitation vulnerability. Results showed that greater financial exploitation vulnerability was associated with significantly lower entorhinal cortex thickness. There was a significant interaction between age and entorhinal cortex thickness on financial exploitation vulnerability, whereby lower entorhinal cortex thickness was associated with greater financial exploitation vulnerability in older participants. When the group was divided by age using a median split (70+ and <70 years old), lower entorhinal cortex thickness was associated with greater vulnerability only in the older group. Collectively, these findings suggest that financial exploitation vulnerability may serve as a behavioral manifestation of entorhinal cortex thinning, a phenomenon observed in suboptimal brain aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study examined the interactive effect of subjective age on the relationship between global cognition and susceptibility to scams. Sixty-five participants underwent an assessment of global cognition (Mini Mental State Examination; MMSE), reported their perceived age (i.e., subjective age), and responded to a self-report questionnaire assessing scam susceptibility. A main effect of global cognition on scam susceptibility was found ( p = .028); there was no main effect of subjective age ( p = .819). An interaction between global cognition and subjective age was found ( p = .016). Examination of conditional effects demonstrated that the relationship between cognition and scam susceptibility was not significant amongst those with subjective ages below one standard deviation of the mean, but was significant for those whose subjective ages fell around or above the mean. Findings suggest that individuals with older subjective ages may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of lower cognition on scam susceptibility., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Reports of financial exploitation have steadily increased among older adults. Few studies have examined neuropsychological profiles for individuals vulnerable to financial exploitation, and existing studies have focused on susceptibility to scams, one specific type of financial exploitation. The current study therefore examines whether a general measure of financial exploitation vulnerability is associated with neuropsychological performance in a community sample. Methods : A sample ( n  = 116) of adults aged 50 or older without dementia completed a laboratory visit that measures physical and psychological functioning and a neuropsychological assessment, the Uniform Data Set-3 (UDS-3) and California Verbal Learning Test-II. Results: After covarying for demographics, current medical problems, financial literacy, and a global cognition screen, financial exploitation vulnerability was negatively associated with scores on the Multilingual Naming Test, Craft Story Recall and Delayed Recall, California Verbal Learning Test-II Delayed Recall and Recognition Discriminability, Phonemic Fluency, and Trails B. Financial exploitation vulnerability was not associated with performance on Digit Span, Semantic Fluency, Benson Complex Figure Recall, or Trails A. Conclusions: Among older adults without dementia, individuals at higher risk for financial exploitation demonstrated worse verbal memory, confrontation naming, phonemic fluency, and set-shifting. These tests are generally sensitive to Default Mode Network functioning and Alzheimer's Disease neuropathology. Longitudinal studies in more impaired samples are warranted to further corroborate and elucidate these relationships.

Background: B-cell maturation antigen is a pivotal therapeutic target for multiple myeloma (MM). Membrane-bound BCMA can be cleaved by γ-secretase and shed as soluble BCMA (sBCMA). sBCMA can act as a neutralizing sink to compete with drug, as well as serve as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker for MM. Antibody-capture based methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoaffinity-liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring (IA-LC-MRM), have been reported and well adopted to measure sBCMA in clinical samples. However, both methods are biased by capturing antibodies., Methods: We have used various LC-MS workflows to characterize and quantify endogenous sBCMA in MM patient samples, including bottom-up peptide mapping, intact analysis, IA-based, and reagent-free (RF)-LC-MRM quantitation., Results: We have confirmed that sBCMA contains a variable N-terminus and a C-terminus that extends to the transmembrane domain, ending at amino acid 61. Leveraging an in-house synthesized G-1-61 sBCMA recombinant standard, we developed a RF-LC-MRM method for unbiased sBCMA quantitation in MM patient samples. By comparing the results from RF-LC-MRM with ELISA and IA-LC-MRM, we demonstrated that RF-LC-MRM measures a more complete pool of endogenous sBCMA compared to the antibody-based methods., Conclusions: This work fills the knowledge gap of the exact sequence of endogenous sBCMA for the first time, which differs from the current commercially available standard. Additionally, this work highlights the necessity of identifying the actual sequence of an endogenous soluble target such as sBCMA, both for bioanalytical purposes and to underpin pharmacodynamic measurements., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine.)

Background: Hysteroscopic resection is the first-choice treatment for symptomatic type 0 and 1 fibroids. Traditionally, this was performed under general anesthesia. Over the last decade, surgical procedures are increasingly being performed in an outpatient setting under procedural sedation and analgesia. However, studies evaluating safety and effectiveness of hysteroscopic myomectomy under procedural sedation are lacking. This study aims to investigate whether hysteroscopic myomectomy under procedural sedation and analgesia with propofol is noninferior to hysteroscopic myomectomy under general anesthesia., Methods and Findings: This was a multicenter, randomized controlled noninferiority trial conducted in 14 university and teaching hospitals in the Netherlands between 2016 and 2021. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years, maximum number of 3 type 0 or 1 fibroids, maximum fibroid diameter 3.5 cm, American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1 or 2, and having sufficient knowledge of the Dutch or English language. Women with clotting disorders or with severe anemia (Hb < 5.0 mmol/L) were excluded. Women were randomized using block randomization with variable block sizes of 2, 4, and 6, between hysteroscopic myomectomy under procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) with propofol or under general anesthesia (GA). Primary outcome was the percentage of complete resections, assessed on transvaginal ultrasonography 6 weeks postoperatively by a sonographer blinded for the treatment arm and surgical outcome. Secondary outcomes were the surgeon's judgment of completeness of procedure, menstrual blood loss, uterine fibroid related and general quality of life, pain, recovery, hospitalization, complications, and surgical reinterventions. Follow-up period was 1 year. The risk difference between both treatment arms was estimated, and a Farrington-Manning test was used to determine the p-value for noninferiority (noninferiority margin 7.5% of incomplete resections). Data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle, including a per-protocol analysis for the primary outcome. A total of 209 women participated in the study and underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy with PSA (n = 106) or GA (n = 103). Mean age was 45.1 [SD 6.4] years in the PSA group versus 45.0 [7.7] years in the GA group. For 98/106 women in the PSA group and 89/103 women in the GA group, data were available for analysis of the primary outcome. Hysteroscopic resection was complete in 86/98 women (87.8%) in the PSA group and 79/89 women (88.8%) in the GA group (risk difference -1.01%; 95% confidence interval (CI) -10.36 to 8.34; noninferiority, P = 0.09). No serious anesthesiologic complications occurred, and conversion from PSA to GA was not required. During the follow-up period, 15 serious adverse events occurred (overnight admissions). All were unrelated to the intervention studied. Main limitations were the choice of primary outcome and the fact that our study proved to be underpowered., Conclusions: Noninferiority of PSA for completeness of resection was not shown, though there were no significant differences in clinical outcomes and quality of life. In this study, hysteroscopic myomectomy for type 0 and 1 fibroids with PSA compared to GA was safe and led to shorter hospitalization. These results can be used for counseling patients by gynecologists and anesthesiologists. Based on these findings, we suggest that hysteroscopic myomectomies can be performed under PSA in an outpatient setting., Trial Registration: The study was registered prospectively in the Dutch Trial Register (NTR 5357; registration date: 11 August 2015; Date of initial participant enrollment: 18 February 2016)., Competing Interests: No support from any organization for the submitted work was received, apart from the grant that was received from The Dutch organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW), as described in our funding statement; HvV received fees from Medtronic on an hourly basis for consultancy and lecturing on hysteroscopic morcellation. All the fees were donated to a foundation which promotes research in obstetrics and gynecology. NS received fees from Applied Medical for vNOTES courses and proctorship. These industries were not involved in the design, performance, analysis of this study nor the content or approval of this manuscript. All other authors report no financial relationships with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; SC is a board member of the Dutch gynaecologic endoscopy working party ‘Werkgroep gynaecologische endoscopie’. All other authors report no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright: © 2023 van der Meulen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Racial and ethnic minoritized groups are disproportionately at risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), but are not sufficiently recruited in AD neuroimaging research in the United States. This is important as sample composition impacts generalizability of findings, biomarker cutoffs, and treatment effects. No studies have quantified the breadth of race/ethnicity representation in the AD literature., Methods: This review identified median race/ethnicity composition of AD neuroimaging US-based research samples available as free full-text articles on PubMed. Two types of published studies were analyzed: studies that directly report race/ethnicity data (i.e., direct studies), and studies that do not report race/ethnicity but used data from a cohort study/database that does report this information (i.e., indirect studies)., Results: Direct studies (n = 719) have median representation of 88.9% white or 87.4% Non-Hispanic white, 7.3% Black/African American, and 3.4% Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, with 0% Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native, Multiracial, and Other Race participants. Cohort studies/databases (n = 44) from which indirect studies (n = 1745) derived are more diverse, with median representation of 84.2% white, 83.7% Non-Hispanic white, 11.6% Black/African American, 4.7% Hispanic/Latino, and 1.75% Asian American participants. Notably, 94% of indirect studies derive from just 10 cohort studies/databases. Comparisons of two time periods using a median split for publication year, 1994-2017 and 2018-2022, indicate that sample diversity has improved recently, particularly for Black/African American participants (3.39% from 1994-2017 and 8.29% from 2018-2022)., Conclusions: There is still underrepresentation of all minoritized groups relative to Census data, especially for Hispanic/Latino and Asian American individuals. The AD neuroimaging literature will benefit from increased representative recruitment of ethnic/racial minorities. More transparent reporting of race/ethnicity data is needed., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This study examined the cognitive correlates of financial literacy using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, and whether education modifies the relationship between cognition and financial literacy., Methods: Sixty-six participants completed sociodemographic questionnaires, an assessment of financial literacy, and a neuropsychological assessment. Multiple linear regression models that controlled for age, sex, and education examined the main effects of cognitive measures that showed a significant bivariate association with financial literacy., Results: After correcting for multiple comparisons, the Crystallized Composite score ( p  = .002) and the Picture Vocabulary test ( p  = .002) from the NIH Toolbox, and the Multilingual Naming Test ( p > .001) from the Uniform Data Set 3 were associated with financial literacy. Contrary to our hypothesis, education did not interact with cognitive measures when considering financial literacy scores., Conclusions: Findings suggest that vocabulary knowledge and semantic memory may play an important role in financial literacy in older age., Clinical Implications: Assessing vocabulary knowledge and semantic processes may help to identify older adults with lower financial literacy skills. Additionally, financial literacy interventions may consider targeting individuals with lower vocabulary knowledge and semantic processing skills.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to test whether interpersonal dysfunction, characterized by loneliness and/or dissatisfaction with relationships, is an imminent predictor of financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) among adults age 50+ within a 6-month observation period. This study also tests whether FEV prospectively predicts interpersonal dysfunction., Methods: Twenty-six adults aged 50 or older completed a study involving baseline data collection and 13 follow-ups over 6 months. Linear mixed models were used for primary analyses., Results: After adjustment for demographic, psychological and cognitive covariates, there were between-person effects of FEV and interpersonal dysfunction across follow-ups, suggesting that those with generally higher interpersonal dysfunction compared to other participants also reported greater FEV ( B ( SE ) = 1.09(.33), p = .003). There was a within-person effect ( B ( SE ) = .08(.03), p = .007) of elevated interpersonal dysfunction predicting greater FEV two weeks later across all follow-ups. Within-person effect of FEV was not predictive of interpersonal dysfunction ( B ( SE ) = .25(.15), p = .10). There was also a significant effect of age ( B ( SE ) = -.06(.02), p = .007), such that older individuals had lower FEV throughout follow-ups., Conclusion: Among adults age 50+, individuals with higher interpersonal dysfunction relative to others in the study reported greater FEV throughout the 6-month observation period. Increased loneliness and social dissatisfaction, relative to one's average level, predicts subsequent increases in FEV, and may be an imminent risk factor for exploitation.

Purpose: We tested a novel dot survey methodology at our clinic that provides sexual health services to youth ages 13 to 24. We conducted two interactive dot surveys to assess their feasibility and acceptability while gaining insight into patients' attitudes about mental health., Methods: We adapted a dot survey approach to assess youths' familiarity with mental health and attitudes toward related services. We also assessed their attitudes toward participating in this survey method. All patients with scheduled appointments were eligible to participate. Participants used dot stickers to indicate their responses on survey posters displayed in the waiting room., Results: Three hundred patients participated between June and September 2021 (150 participants/survey). About 95% of participants liked seeing others' responses to the dot surveys, and over 70% reported that the surveys made them think more about mental health. Over 90% would participate in future dot surveys at the clinic. Survey items with the most consensus among participants included that 74.5% "really agree" youth face barriers to accessing mental health services (n = 141, mean = 4.61, standard deviation = 0.79) and 87.1% "really agree" primary care providers should ask youth about their mental health (n = 139, mean = 4.81, standard deviation = 0.59)., Discussion: The dot surveys were effective at assessing patients' attitudes about mental health and feasible to conduct in our waiting room. Results confirmed that this survey method was well received among patients. Dot surveys can be adapted by other clinical settings to engage youth regarding their health-related attitudes., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) face difficulties accessing sexual and reproductive health services. These difficulties were exacerbated for a variety of reasons by the COVID-19 pandemic. We document strategies and outcomes implemented at an urban youth sexual health clinic in Florida that allowed uninterrupted provision of services while protecting against spread of COVID-19., Methods: The plan-do-study-act (PDSA) model was used to implement COVID-19 interventions designed to allow continued service delivery while protecting the health and safety of staff and patients. This method was applied to clinic operations, community referral systems and community outreach to assess and refine interventions within a quick-paced feedback loop., Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes made via PDSA cycles to clinical/navigation services, health communications and youth outreach/engagement effectively responded to AYA needs. Although overall numbers of youth served decreased, all youth contacting the clinic for services were able to be accommodated. Case finding rates for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV were similar to pre-pandemic levels., Conclusions: Quality improvement PDSA initiatives at AYA sexual health clinics, particularly those for underserved youth, can be used to adapt service delivery when normal operating models are disrupted. The ability for youth sexual health clinics to adapt to a changing healthcare landscape will be crucial in ensuring that under-resourced youth are able to receive needed services and ambitious Ending the HIV Epidemic goals are achieved., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Neuropathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) begins to accumulate years to decades before cognitive changes are clinically detectable on standard neuropsychological tests. This presents a challenge for early intervention efforts and has spurred research on the identification of behavioral correlates of early neuropathological changes. Recent evidence suggests that financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) due to impaired decision making may serve as an early behavioral manifestation of AD neuropathology, thereby indicating an increased likelihood for subsequent cognitive decline. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms of FEV is therefore warranted for the identification of individuals at risk for cognitive decline due to AD, and for empowering and protecting older adults vulnerable to financial exploitation. In the current review, we first highlight the devastating consequences of financial exploitation of older adults. We then summarize research on the cognitive, neuroimaging, and neuropathological correlates of FEV in older adults without dementia and propose a theoretical model in which early accumulation of AD pathology manifests as FEV. We conclude with clinical implications and directions for future research., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Cross-sectional studies show that endometriosis-related pain is associated with affect. Measuring these symptoms in real-time in a longitudinal perspective yields the ability to analyze the temporal relationship between variables. The aim was to evaluate the association between affect and abdominal pain, using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) as a real-time, randomly repeated assessment., Methods: Thirty-four endometriosis patients and 31 healthy subjects completed up to 10 real-time self-assessments concerning abdominal pain and affective symptoms during seven consecutive days., Results: Endometriosis patients experienced more abdominal pain and negative affective symptoms, and scored lower on positive affect compared to healthy controls. A significant association was found between abdominal pain and both positive and negative affect in endometriosis patients. For healthy controls, less strong or non-significant associations were found. When looking at abdominal pain as a predictor for affect and vice versa, we found that only in endometriosis patients, pain was subsequently accompanied by negative affect, and positive affect may alleviate pain in these patients., Conclusions: This study confirms a concurrent and temporal relationship between affect and abdominal pain in endometriosis patients and supports the use of real-time symptom assessment to interpret potential influencers of abdominal complaints in patients with endometriosis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated circumstances that place older adults at higher risk for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Identifying characteristics of elder abuse during COVID-19 is critically important. This study characterized and compared elder abuse patterns across two time periods, a one-year period during the pandemic, and a corresponding one-year period prior to the start of the pandemic., Methods: Contacts (including social media contacts, and email; all referred to as "calls" for expediency) made to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) resource line were examined for differences in types of reported elder abuse and characteristics of alleged perpetrators prior to the pandemic (Time 1; March 16, 2018 to March 15, 2019) and during the pandemic (Time 2; March 16, 2020 to March 15, 2021). Calls were examined for whether or not abuse was reported, the types of reported elder abuse, including financial, physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect, and characteristics of callers, victims, and alleged perpetrators. Chi-square tests of independence compared frequencies of elder abuse characteristics between time periods., Results: In Time 1, 1401 calls were received, of which 795 calls (56.7%) described abuse. In Time 2, 1009 calls were received, of which 550 calls (54.5%) described abuse. The difference between time periods in frequency of abuse to non-abuse calls was not significant ([Formula: see text]). Time periods also did not significantly differ with regard to caller, victim, and perpetrator characteristics. Greater rates of physical abuse ([Formula: see text] and emotional abuse ([Formula: see text] were reported during Time 2 after adjustment for multiple comparisons. An increased frequency of multiple forms of abuse was also found in Time 2 compared to Time 1 ([Formula: see text]., Conclusions: Findings suggest differences in specific elder abuse subtypes and frequency of co-occurrence between subtypes between time periods, pointing to a potential increase in the severity of elder abuse during COVID-19., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The essential oil of Backhousia citriodora , commonly known as lemon myrtle oil, possesses various beneficial properties due to its richness in bioactive compounds. This study aimed to characterize the chemical profile of the essential oil isolated from leaves of Backhousia citriodora (BCEO) and its biological properties, including antioxidant, antibacterial, and antibiofilm activities. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, 21 compounds were identified in BCEO, representing 98.50% of the total oil content. The isomers of citral, geranial (52.13%), and neral (37.65%) were detected as the main constituents. The evaluation of DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power showed that BCEO exhibited strong antioxidant activity at IC 50 of 42.57 μg/mL and EC 50 of 20.03 μg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial activity results showed that BCEO exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis ) than against Gram-negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae ). For the agar disk diffusion method, S. epidermidis was the most sensitive to BCEO with an inhibition zone diameter of 50.17 mm, followed by S. aureus (31.13 mm), E. coli (20.33 mm), and K. pneumoniae (12.67 mm). The results from the microdilution method showed that BCEO exhibited the highest activity against S. epidermidis and S. aureus , with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 6.25 μL/mL. BCEO acts as a potent antibiofilm agent with dual actions, inhibiting (85.10% to 96.44%) and eradicating (70.92% to 90.73%) of the biofilms formed by the four tested bacteria strains, compared with streptomycin (biofilm inhibition, 67.65% to 94.29% and biofilm eradication, 49.97% to 89.73%). This study highlights that BCEO can potentially be a natural antioxidant agent, antibacterial agent, and antibiofilm agent that could be applied in the pharmaceutical and food industries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report, on the antibiofilm activity of BCEO against four common nosocomial pathogens.

Outbreaks of virulent and/or drug-resistant bacteria have a significant impact on human health and major economic consequences. Genomic islands (GIs; defined as clusters of genes of probable horizontal origin) are of high interest because they disproportionately encode virulence factors, some antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) genes, and other adaptations of medical or environmental interest. While microbial genome sequencing has become rapid and inexpensive, current computational methods for GI analysis are not amenable for rapid, accurate, user-friendly and scalable comparative analysis of sets of related genomes. To help fill this gap, we have developed IslandCompare, an open-source computational pipeline for GI prediction and comparison across several to hundreds of bacterial genomes. A dynamic and interactive visualization strategy displays a bacterial core-genome phylogeny, with bacterial genomes linearly displayed at the phylogenetic tree leaves. Genomes are overlaid with GI predictions and AMR determinants from the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD), and regions of similarity between the genomes are also displayed. GI predictions are performed using Sigi-HMM and IslandPath-DIMOB, the two most precise GI prediction tools based on nucleotide composition biases, as well as a novel blast-based consistency step to improve cross-genome prediction consistency. GIs across genomes sharing sequence similarity are grouped into clusters, further aiding comparative analysis and visualization of acquisition and loss of mobile GIs in specific sub-clades. IslandCompare is an open-source software that is containerized for local use, plus available via a user-friendly, web-based interface to allow direct use by bioinformaticians, biologists and clinicians (at https://islandcompare.ca).

Background: Cholinergic neurotransmitter system dysfunction contributes to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease and other syndromes. However, the specific cholinergic mechanisms and brain structures involved, time course of alterations, and relationships with specific cognitive deficits are not well understood., Methods: This study included 102 older adults: 42 cognitively unimpaired (CU), 28 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 32 with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Each participant underwent a neuropsychological assessment. Regional brain α4β2 nicotinic cholinergic receptor binding (V T /fp) was measured using 2-[ 18 F]fluoro-3-(2(S)azetidinylmethoxy)pyridine (2FA) and PET imaging. Voxel-wise analyses of group differences were performed. Relationships between receptor binding and cognition, age, and cholinesterase inhibitor medication use were assessed using binding values in six prespecified regions of interest., Results: SPM analysis showed the group V T /f p binding differences in the bilateral entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, insula, anterior cingulate, thalamus, and basal ganglia (p < .05, FWE-corrected). Pairwise comparisons revealed lower binding in the AD group compared to the CU group in similar regions. Binding in the entorhinal cortex was lower in the MCI group than in the CU group; binding in the hippocampus was lower in the AD group than in the MCI group. AD participants taking cholinesterase inhibitor medication had lower 2FA binding in the bilateral hippocampus and thalamus compared to those not taking medication. In the CU group, age was negatively associated with 2FA binding in each region of interest (r s  = - .33 to - .59, p < .05 for each, uncorrected). Attention, immediate recall, and delayed recall scores were inversely associated with 2FA binding in most regions across the full sample. In the combined group of CU and MCI participants, attention was inversely associated with 2FA binding in most regions, beyond the effect of hippocampal volume., Conclusions: Nicotinic cholinergic receptor binding in specific limbic and subcortical regions is lower in MCI and further reduced in AD dementia, compared to CU older adults, and is related to cognitive deficits. Cognitive decline with age may be a consequence of reduced cholinergic receptor density or binding affinity that may also promote vulnerability to other Alzheimer's processes. Contemporary modification of the "cholinergic deficit" of aging and AD may reveal opportunities to prevent or improve clinical symptoms., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Endometriosis stage is not directly related to the burden of symptoms, and recurrence of symptoms occurs frequently. It is suggested that symptoms are associated with psychological distress, as in depression and anxiety disorders. Our aim was to explore the strength of the associations between endometriosis and depression or anxiety and to review correlating factors. Materials and Methods: A literature search was carried out using the electronic databases Embase, PubMed, Web-of-science, and PsycINFO. Search terms related to depression, anxiety, and endometriosis were combined resulting in 1,837 records. Articles were included when describing an association between patients with endometriosis and symptoms of depression or anxiety assessed by validated tools, structured psychiatric interviews, or a documented diagnosis. With 47 articles a systematic qualitative review was performed. Seventeen studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Results: Endometriosis patients experienced significantly more symptoms of depression (standardized mean difference [SMD] of 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36-1.06)) and anxiety (SMD 0.60 (95% CI 0.35-0.84)) compared with healthy controls, but no differences were found comparing endometriosis patients with other chronic pelvic pain patients (SMD -0.01 [95% CI -0.17 to 0.15] for depression and SMD -0.02 [95% CI -0.22 to 0.18] for anxiety). Besides the effect of pain, other correlating factors included age, quality of life, quality of sleep, fatigue, sexual function, gastrointestinal symptoms, comorbidity, self-esteem, emotional self-efficacy, coping style, social adjustment, pain imagery, and pain sensitization. Conclusion: This systematic review supports the assumption that symptoms of depression and anxiety occur frequently in endometriosis patients and are related to chronic pain. Correlating factors should further be investigated.

Background: Older age is associated with an increase in altruistic behaviors such as charitable giving. However, few studies have investigated the cognitive correlates of financial altruism in older adults., Objective: This study investigated the cognitive correlates of financial altruism measured using an altruistic choice paradigm in a community-based sample of older adults., Methods: In the present study, a sample of older adults (N = 67; M age = 69.21, SD = 11.23; M education years = 15.97, SD = 2.51; 58.2% female; 71.6% Non-Hispanic White) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and an altruistic choice paradigm in which they made decisions about allocating money between themselves and an anonymous person., Results: In multiple linear regression analyses that controlled for age, education, and sex, financial altruism was negatively associated with performance on cognitive measures typically sensitive to early Alzheimer's disease (including word list learning and recall, delayed story recall, and animal fluency)., Conclusion: Findings of this study point to a negative relationship between financial altruism and cognitive functioning in older adults on measures known to be sensitive to Alzheimer's disease. Findings also point to a potential link between financial exploitation risk and Alzheimer's disease in older age.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue with detrimental consequences for women's reproductive, mental, and physical health. In Haiti, IPV is a major obstacle to women's development. Yet, the determinants of IPV victimization are still not well understood. In this study, we utilized the 2016-2017 Haiti Demographic and Health Survey to determine the prevalence of IPV victimization and its subtypes (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) among married or cohabiting women ( N = 3,805) of reproductive age (15-49) by their current husband/partner. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the association between IPV and household, individual, husband/partner, and relationship characteristics. The prevalence of IPV victimization was 32.5% with the majority reporting emotional (24.7%) followed by physical (16.8%) and sexual (10.5%) violence. Increased odds of IPV victimization were found among women with children in the household (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 2.02]), with attitudinal acceptance of wife-beating (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI = [1.05, 2.02]), and those who witnessed their father beating their mother (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI = [1.18, 2.67]). Higher odds of reporting IPV victimization were also found among women whose partner drank alcohol (AOR = 2.89, 95% CI = [2.29, 3.65]), who were in a polygynous relationship (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI = [1.23, 2.40]), and displayed one or more controlling behaviors (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = [1.42, 2.59]). Women who reported being afraid of their partner had greater odds of IPV victimization (AOR = 16.22, 95% CI = [8.38, 31.39]). Decreased odds of reporting IPV were associated with women living in rural areas (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = [0.53, 1.00]) and those unmarried, but living with their partner (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI = [0.43, 0.90]). Our findings identify subgroups of women in Haiti that may be vulnerable to IPV victimization. Thus, we recommend a differentiated approach to IPV prevention strategies and interventions that consider women's family structure in the household as well as individual, partner, and relationship characteristics.

Introduction: Preterm birth is one of the main problems in obstetrics, and the most important cause of neonatal mortality, morbidity and neurodevelopmental impairment. Multiple gestation is an important risk factor for preterm birth, with up to 50% delivering before 37 weeks. Progesterone has a role in maintaining pregnancy and is frequently prescribed to prevent (recurrent) preterm birth and improve pregnancy outcomes in high-risk patients. However, little is known about its long-term effects in multiple gestations. The objective of this follow-up study is to assess long-term benefits and harms of prenatal exposure to progesterone treatment in multiple gestations on child development., Methods and Analysis: This is a follow-up study of a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial (AMPHIA trial, ISRCTN40512715). Between 2006 and 2009 women with a multiple gestation were randomised at 16-20 weeks of gestation to weekly injections 250 mg 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or placebo, until 36 weeks of gestation or delivery. The current long-term follow-up will assess all children (n=1355) born to mothers who participated in the AMPHIA trial, at 11-14 years of age, with internationally validated questionnaires, completed by themselves, their parents and their teachers., Main Outcomes Are Child Cognition and Behaviour: Additional outcomes are death (perinatal and up to age 14), gender identity, educational performance and health-related problems. We will use intention-to-treat analyses comparing experimental and placebo group. To adjust for the correlation between twins, general linear mixed-effects models will be used., Ethics and Dissemination: Amsterdam UMC MEC provided a waiver for the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (W20&#95;234#20.268). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and summaries shared with stakeholders, patients and participants. This protocol is published before analysis of the results., Trial Registration Number: NL8933., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Keratinized mucosa around implants is considered essential for maintaining peri-implant health. Clinicians may find it necessary to augment keratinized tissue after implant loading when complications arise. Immobilizing the graft can be challenging when there is a complete absence of attached gingiva or when the vestibule is shallow creating an opportunity for muscle forces to move the graft. To overcome these limitations, various stents have been created aimed at improving the stability of soft-tissue grafts around implants; however, many of these stents have drawbacks. This case report presents a novel approach for improving free gingival graft immobility and success around implants that utilizes a completed implant restoration.

Background: Findings have been mixed as to whether brief intervention (BI) is appropriate and effective for individuals with more severe alcohol use problems. Motivation to change drinking has been supported as a mechanism of behavior change for BI. This exploratory study examined aspects of motivation as mechanisms of clinical response to BI and alcohol problem severity as a moderator of treatment effects., Methods: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers (average age = 35 years; 57% male) were randomized to receive BI (n = 27) or attention-matched control (n = 24). Three indices of motivation to change were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: importance, confidence, and readiness. Moderated mediation analyses were implemented with treatment condition as the focal predictor, changes in motivation as mediator, 1-month follow-up drinks per day as the outcome, and an alcohol severity factor as second-stage moderator., Results: Analysis of importance displayed a significant effect of intervention condition on importance (p < 0.003) and yielded a significant index of moderated mediation (CI - 0.79, - 0.02), indicating that the conditional indirect effect of treatment condition on drinking through importance was stronger for those with higher alcohol severity. For all motivation indices, alcohol severity moderated the effect of post-intervention motivation levels on drinking (p's < 0.05). The direct effect of treatment condition on drinking was not significant in any model., Conclusions: Findings highlight the relevance of considering one's degree of alcohol problem severity in BI and alcohol screening efforts among non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers. These nuanced effects elucidate both potential mechanisms and moderators of BI response. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04710095. Registered January 14, 2021-retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04710095 ., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: There is a strong bidirectional relationship between the use of alcohol and cigarettes which results in various challenges for treating those who co-use both substances. While varenicline and naltrexone each have FDA-approval for nicotine and alcohol use disorder, respectively, there is evidence that their clinical benefit may extend across the two disorders. Critically, the effect of combined varenicline and naltrexone on neural reactivity to alcohol cues among heavy drinking smokers has not yet been studied. Probing the effect of the combination therapy on alcohol cue-reactivity may give insight to the mechanisms underlying its efficacy., Methods: Forty-seven heavy drinking smokers enrolled in two medication studies were randomized to receive varenicline alone (n = 11), varenicline plus naltrexone (n = 11), or placebo (n = 25). Participants completed an fMRI alcohol cue-reactivity task and rated their in-scanner alcohol craving. Whole-brain analyses examined the effect of medication on alcohol cue-elicited neural response., Results: Varenicline plus naltrexone attenuated alcohol cue-elicited activation in mesolimbic regions relative to varenicline alone and to placebo (Z > 2.3, p < 0.05). The combination varenicline and naltrexone group also endorsed lower in-scanner alcohol craving relative to varenicline alone group (p = 0.04)., Conclusions: These findings provide evidence for the benefit of combined therapy of varenicline and naltrexone over varenicline alone for the attenuation of alcohol cue-elicited neural activation. This study provides a preliminary proof-of-mechanism for this combination pharmacotherapy and suggests that naltrexone may be driving the reductions in cue-elicited alcohol craving in the brain. Further clinical studies using the combined therapy to treat heavy drinking smokers are warranted., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of the endometrial sample obtained by office endometrial aspiration when performed before or after saline contrast sonohysterography (SCSH) in women with postmenopausal bleeding and a thickened endometrium. To conduct a complete, minimally invasive and cost-effective diagnostic workup in women with postmenopausal bleeding and a thickened endometrium, ideally both the office endometrial sampling and SCSH are performed. However, it is not known whether both tests affect each other when performed one after another., Material and Methods: Women with postmenopausal bleeding and an endometrial thickness >4 mm were eligible. Women were randomized into two groups: one group received endometrial aspiration before SCSH, the other group received SCSH before endometrial aspiration. The primary outcome was the proportion of sufficient endometrial samples. Reliability of the SCSH images and pain during procedures were secondary outcomes., Results: During the inclusion period, 513 eligible women with postmenopausal bleeding visited the participating hospitals, 293 of whom received information about the study. Of these women, 232 (79%) agreed to participate. In the SCSH-aspiration group, 65 women (59%) had a sufficient endometrial sample compared with 70 (67%) in the aspiration-SCSH group (odds ratio 1.46, 95% CI 0.83-2.54, P = .19). The proportion of reliable sonographic images was significantly higher in the SCSH-aspiration group (n = 88, 87%) compared with the aspiration-SCSH group (n = 71, 74%) (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.38-4.99, P = .02) in the per protocol analysis., Conclusions: This study shows that the quality of an endometrial sample in women with postmenopausal bleeding is not affected by SCSH. Both procedures can be performed in one outpatient visit to perform an optimal diagnostic workup., (© 2021 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).)

Durability of high-energy throughput batteries is a prerequisite for electric vehicles to penetrate the market. Despite remarkable progresses in silicon anodes with high energy densities, rapid capacity fading of full cells with silicon-graphite anodes limits their use. In this work, we unveil degradation mechanisms such as Li + crosstalk between silicon and graphite, consequent Li + accumulation in silicon, and capacity depression of graphite due to silicon expansion. The active material properties, i.e. silicon particle size and graphite hardness, are then modified based on these results to reduce Li + accumulation in silicon and the subsequent degradation of the active materials in the anode. Finally, the cycling performance is tailored by designing electrodes to regulate Li + crosstalk. The resultant full cell with an areal capacity of 6 mAh cm -2 has a cycle life of >750 cycles the volumetric energy density of 800 Wh L -1 in a commercial cell format.

Introduction: Previous studies have highlighted a strong bidirectional relationship between cigarette and alcohol consumption. To advance our understanding of this relationship the present study uses a behavioral economic approach in a community sample (N = 383) of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers., Aims and Methods: The aims were to examine same-substance and cross-substance relationships between alcohol and cigarette use, and latent factors of demand. A community sample of nontreatment seeking heavy drinking smokers completed an in-person assessment battery including measures of alcohol and tobacco use as well as the Cigarette Purchase Task and the Alcohol Purchase Task. Latent factors of demand were derived from these hypothetical purchase tasks., Results: Results revealed a positive correlation between paired alcohol and cigarette demand indices (eg, correlation between alcohol intensity and cigarette intensity) (rs = 0.18-0.46, p ≤ .003). Over and above alcohol factors, cigarette use variables (eg, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and cigarettes per smoking day) significantly predicted an additional 4.5% (p < .01) of the variance in Persistence values but not Amplitude values for alcohol. Over and above cigarette factors, alcohol use variables predicted cigarette Persistence values (ΔR2 = .013, p = .05), however, did not predict Amplitude values., Conclusions: These results advance our understanding of the overlap between cigarette and alcohol by demonstrating that involvement with one substance was associated with demand for the other substance. This asymmetric profile-from smoking to alcohol demand, but not vice versa-suggests that it is not simply tapping into a generally higher reward sensitivity and warrants further investigation., Implications: To our knowledge, no study to date has examined alcohol and cigarette demand, via hypothetical purchase tasks, in a clinical sample of heavy drinking smokers. This study demonstrates that behavioral economic indices may be sensitive to cross-substance relationships and specifically that such relationships are asymmetrically stronger for smoking variables affecting alcohol demand, not the other way around., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: Sustained heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a range of neurocognitive deficits. Yet, past research centers on a severe profile of alcohol use disorder (AUD), with persons recruited from in-patient settings. The current project aims to compare neurocognitive performance between individuals seeking AUD outpatient treatment with healthy comparisons while considering the association between performance, disorder severity, and sex., Methods: Enrollment included two matched groups (N = 125; 34 % female): 77 treatment-seeking individuals with AUD; 48 healthy comparison individuals with low drinking patterns. Neurocognitive performance on NIH Toolbox subtests measuring attention, inhibition, episodic memory, working memory, language, and processing speed were compared across groups. Within the AUD group, analyses examined the relationship between performance, disorder severity, recent alcohol consumption, and sex., Results: AUD group did not perform significantly lower than healthy comparisons on neurocognition subtests assessed. Within AUD group, females displayed significantly higher processing speeds than males (p = .007). Disorder severity and alcohol consumption were not significantly related to performance. However, a significant interaction between disorder severity and sex emerged (p = .010), with higher severity associated with poorer performance in males but not females, on a subtest measuring attention and inhibition., Conclusions: Effect of heavy alcohol use on neurocognitive performance was not detected in this outpatient AUD sample. Weaknesses in domains of attention and inhibition may be correlated with AUD severity among males, but not females. Further research on AUD severity and sex in understanding individual differences in neurocognition is warranted, particularly using novel tools for large scale phenotyping, such as the NIH Toolbox., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background : Emerging evidence suggests that opioid receptor antagonists, such as naltrexone, are effective pharmacotherapies for alcohol, opioid, and possibly stimulant use disorders. It is posited that naltrexone exerts its effects, in part, by increasing functional connectivity between neural reward circuitry and frontal systems implicated in executive function. Yet no studies had examined whether executive function moderates these effects. Objectives : This study examined whether a composite measure of executive function (EF) moderates the effect of naltrexone on craving for methamphetamine and subjective responses following infusion of the drug. Methods : Individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (N = 30; 27% female) completed baseline neurocognitive assessments of premorbid and executive function, and an executive function factor was computed. Participants then underwent a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study of titration with naltrexone and placebo. Participants then received a 30-mg intravenous methamphetamine infusion and completed subjective response questionnaires at 8 times in the 120 minutes post-infusion. Results : Multilevel mixed models indicated a significant EF × medication interaction, reflecting greater effects of naltrexone to decrease "desire to access the drug", "want more of the drug", "crave the drug", "feel drug effects" and "feel high" in participants with low EF compared to those with high EF (Bs = .36-1.29, SEs = .14-.17, ps <0.01). These effects remained significant after controlling for premorbid cognitive functioning, baseline responses to methamphetamine, severity of methamphetamine use, and methamphetamine-related functional problems. Conclusion : Naltrexone may be especially effective in methamphetamine-dependent individuals with low EF. Neuropsychological assessments may also provide predictive clinical utility not captured by traditional measures of substance use severity.

Introduction: Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease with a high disease burden and significant, multifaceted impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and sexual quality of life (SQoL)., Aim: To explore which patient- and disease-specific characteristics were independently associated with SQoL., Methods: A literature search was carried out to identify characteristics with an evidence-based or hypothesized effect on SQoL. Subsequently, data on HRQoL in women with endometriosis (n = 224), collected between 2013 and 2018 in a prospective longitudinal Dutch cohort study performed in 7 referral centers, were used to perform a cross-sectional cohort study. Data were collected using an online self-administered survey including the validated Endometriosis Health Profile-30. Inclusion criteria were recently diagnosed endometriosis patients or newly referred patients with a clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. Patients were excluded in case of incomplete answers on the SQoL questions. Univariate analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were performed., Outcomes: SQoL, measured by the 5-item "sexual intercourse" dimension score of the modular Endometriosis Health Profile-30 questionnaire, was the primary outcome with scores ranging from 0 to 100 (0 indicating the best and 100 indicating the worst health status)., Results: Based on a literature search, 29 characteristics potentially associated with SQoL were selected from the survey and included in the analyses. In total, 192 women (mean age 36 years) met the inclusion criteria. The majority of women (86.5%) had had intercourse in the period before completing the survey and the study population showed a mean SQoL score of 47.5 ± 29.6, indicating moderate SQoL. Worse SQoL was independently associated with dyspareunia (P < .001), worse HRQoL (P = .001), severity of dysmenorrhea (P = .017), and unemployed work status (P = .022)., Conclusion: In a cohort of women with endometriosis, worse SQoL was significantly and independently associated with the presence of dyspareunia, more severe dysmenorrhea, worse HRQoL, and unemployed work status. van Poll M, van Barneveld E, Aerts L, et al. Endometriosis and Sexual Quality of Life. Sex Med 2020;8:532-544., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Human laboratory paradigms are a pillar in medication development for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Neuroimaging paradigms, in which individuals are exposed to cues that elicit neural correlates of alcohol craving (e.g., mesocorticolimbic activation), are increasingly utilized to test the effects of AUD medications. Elucidation of the translational effects of these neuroimaging paradigms on human laboratory paradigms, such as self-administration, is warranted. The current study is a secondary analysis examining whether alcohol cue-induced activation in the ventral striatum is predictive of subsequent alcohol self-administration in the laboratory., Methods: Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers of East Asian descent (n = 41) completed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover experiment on the effects of naltrexone on neuroimaging and human laboratory paradigms. Participants completed 5 days of study medication (or placebo); on day 4, they completed a neuroimaging alcohol taste cue-reactivity task. On the following day (day 5), participants completed a 60-minute alcohol self-administration paradigm., Results: Multilevel Cox regressions indicated a significant effect of taste cue-elicited ventral striatum activation on latency to first drink, Wald χ 2  = 2.88, p = 0.05, such that those with higher ventral striatum activation exhibited shorter latencies to consume their first drink. Similarly, ventral striatum activation was positively associated with total number of drinks consumed, F(1, 38) = 5.90, p = 0.02. These effects were significant after controlling for alcohol use severity, OPRM1 genotype, and medication. Other potential regions of interest (anterior cingulate, thalamus) were not predictive of self-administration outcomes., Conclusions: Neuroimaging alcohol taste cue paradigms may be predictive of laboratory paradigms such as self-administration. Elucidation of the relationships among different paradigms will inform how these paradigms may be used synergistically in experimental medicine and medication development., (© 2020 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.)