Operative Complications, Vaginal Bleeding, and Practice Considerations for Patients on Testosterone Undergoing Gender-Affirming Hysterectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate operative complications and healthcare utilization in transgender patients on testosterone undergoing minimally invasive gender-affirming hysterectomy compared to control patients. DESIGN: We performed a retrospective cohort study. Operative reports were used to gather information on intraoperative complications. We collected information on postoperative complications, electronic medical record (EMR) messages, phone calls, emergency department utilization, and clinic visits through a 90-day postoperative period. Healthcare utilization reasons were categorized as vaginal bleeding, pain, vaginal discharge, dysuria, urinary retention, bowel concern, incision concern, or other. SETTING: Tertiary care academic medical center. PATIENTS: Patients aged 18 to 55 who underwent a benign minimally invasive hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy performed between January 2014 and December 2022. The testosterone-using cohort consisted of patients who had a gender identity of male, transgender male, genderqueer, or nonbinary with documented testosterone use prior to surgery (n = 88). The control cohort consisted of patients who identified as female, genderqueer, or nonbinary with no documented testosterone use (n = 242). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients using testosterone were younger, had a lower body mass index, lower American Society of Anesthesiologists class, and were more likely to be nulliparous. The median time patients used testosterone was 2.5 years (1.5-5.0). Patients on testosterone are at increased risk of intraoperative perineal lacerations requiring repair (RR 3.3, CI 95% [1.03-10.5]). A higher number of patients on testosterone reported vaginal bleeding via EMR message or phone call (RR 1.74 CI 95% [1.1-2.7]) compared to controls. No difference in reasons for emergency department visits was noted. The use of postoperative vaginal estrogen started at the postoperative visit was more frequent in the testosterone-using patients (7 [8.0%] vs 4 [1.7%], p = .01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that testosterone use preoperatively may increase risk of intraoperative vaginal laceration requiring repair. Testosterone use also correlates with increased reports of vaginal bleeding through EMR message, phone call, and clinic visit. These results contribute new evidence to include in preoperative counseling and support existing evidence surrounding the safety of gender-affirming hysterectomy.

A social network analysis model approach to understand tuberculosis transmission in remote rural Madagascar.

BACKGROUND: Quality surveillance data used to build tuberculosis (TB) transmission models are frequently unavailable and may overlook community intrinsic dynamics that impact TB transmission. Social network analysis (SNA) generates data on hyperlocal social-demographic structures that contribute to disease transmission. METHODS: We collected social contact data in five villages and built SNA-informed village-specific stochastic TB transmission models in remote Madagascar. A name-generator approach was used to elicit individual contact networks. Recruitment included confirmed TB patients, followed by snowball sampling of named contacts. Egocentric network data were aggregated into village-level networks. Network- and individual-level characteristics determining contact formation and structure were identified by fitting an exponential random graph model (ERGM), which formed the basis of the contact structure and model dynamics. Models were calibrated and used to evaluate WHO-recommended interventions and community resiliency to foreign TB introduction. RESULTS: Inter- and intra-village SNA showed variable degrees of interconnectivity, with transitivity (individual clustering) values of 0.16, 0.29, and 0.43. Active case finding and treatment yielded 67%-79% reduction in active TB disease prevalence and a 75% reduction in TB mortality in all village networks. Following hypothetical TB elimination and without specific interventions, networks A and B showed resilience to both active and latent TB reintroduction, while Network C, the village network with the highest transitivity, lacked resiliency to reintroduction and generated a TB prevalence of 2% and a TB mortality rate of 7.3% after introduction of one new contagious infection post hypothetical elimination. CONCLUSION: In remote Madagascar, SNA-informed models suggest that WHO-recommended interventions reduce TB disease (active TB) prevalence and mortality while TB infection (latent TB) burden remains high. Communities' resiliency to TB introduction decreases as their interconnectivity increases. "Top down" population level TB models would most likely miss this difference between small communities. SNA bridges large-scale population-based and hyper focused community-level TB modeling.

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and placental abnormalities.

Objectives Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) may be associated with placental abnormalities including placenta previa, umbilical cord abnormalities, and placental abruption. Our study evaluates the relationship between ART and placental abnormalities compared with spontaneously conceived controls. Methods An IRB-approved cohort study was conducted including women who delivered between January 2013 and December 2018. We excluded delivery prior to 23 weeks and known fetal anomalies. Patients were matched with controls (2:1) for parity, age, and mode of delivery. Controls were women who had spontaneously conceived and delivered immediately preceding and following the index delivery. The primary outcome was placental abnormalities found on both antenatal ultrasound and pathology in ART gestations compared with spontaneously conceived gestations. Results There were 120 ART pregnancies and 240 matched control pregnancies identified. The groups were similar for parity, BMI, comorbidities, number of multiples, mode of delivery, and female newborns. The ART group had a higher maternal age (37.1±5 y vs. 30.0±5 y; p<0.001), greater preterm birth (29 vs. 6%; p<0.001), and lower BW (2,928±803 g vs. 3,273±586 g; p<0.001). The ART group had a higher incidence of placenta previa on ultrasound (4.0 vs. 0.4%, p=0.01), adherent placentas at delivery (3 vs. 0% p=0.014), placental abruption (2 vs. 0%; p=0.04), as well as an increased rate of velamentous cord insertion (12 vs. 3%, p<0.001) and marginal cord insertion (28 vs. 15%, p=0.002). ART demonstrated a two-fold likelihood of abnormal placental pathology. Conclusions ART is associated with increased rate of placental abnormalities, including abnormal umbilical cord insertion and increased rates of adherent placentation. This information may be beneficial in planning and surveillance in patients with ART pregnancies.

Incidence of cough from acute exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Madagascar: A pilot study.

Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a known risk to respiratory health, causing chronic lung impairment. Yet, the immediate, acute effects of PM2.5 exposure on respiratory symptoms, such as cough, are less understood. This pilot study aims to investigate this relationship using objective PM2.5 and cough monitors. Fifteen participants from rural Madagascar were followed for three days, equipped with an RTI Enhanced Children's MicroPEM PM2.5 sensor and a smartphone with the ResApp Cough Counting Software application. Univariable Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models were applied to measure the association between hourly PM2.5 exposure and cough counts. Peaks in both PM2.5 concentration and cough frequency were observed during the day. A 10-fold increase in hourly PM2.5 concentration corresponded to a 39% increase in same-hour cough frequency (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.74). The strength of this association decreased with a one-hour lag between PM2.5 exposure and cough frequency (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.44) and was not significant with a two-hour lag (IRR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.23). This study demonstrates the feasibility of objective PM2.5 and cough monitoring in remote settings. An association between hourly PM2.5 exposure and cough frequency was detected, suggesting that PM2.5 exposure may have immediate effects on respiratory health. Further investigation is necessary in larger studies to substantiate these findings and understand the broader implications.

Latent tuberculosis infection prevalence in rural Madagascar.

BACKGROUND: Understanding latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) prevalence is crucial for the design of TB control strategies. There are no data on LTBI in rural Madagascar. METHODS: Tuberculin skin tests were performed in 98 adults aged >15 y in five rural villages in the Ifanadiana district, Madagascar. RESULTS: Of adults, 78.6% were positive for LTBI, ranging between 28.6% and 95.0% among villages. The majority (65.3%) showed an induration reaction of >15 mm. CONCLUSIONS: LTBI prevalence is high in rural Madagascar. Long-term TB control strategies including LTBI testing and treatment must account for high and heterogeneous prevalence in remote, underdeveloped areas.