Interpersonal Abortion Conversations: Communication Characteristics Post-Roe.

Abortion is a politicized and stigmatized health procedure that has received considerable attention in popular discourse in the past year. The present study investigated how often people (N = 235) talk about abortion throughout their lifespan and within the past 12 months, with whom they have these conversations, and which conversations were most memorable. Key findings from the present study, framed through the Theory of Memorable Messages and the Social Ecological Model, include that most participants had at least one conversation about abortion in the past 12 months. Within the past 12 months, the most common conversation partners for abortion-related communication were friends, followed by mothers and romantic partners. Over the lifespan, but prior to the past 12 months, a majority of participants had at least one conversation about abortion. Similarly, friends were the most frequent source of abortion-related communication over the lifespan, followed by mothers and romantic partners. Many of the conversations within the past 12 months focused heavily on the overturn of Roe v. Wade or navigating a post-Roe world with a body that could become pregnant, or as someone who cared about people who could become pregnant. Prior to the past 12 months, participants characterized abortion communication as tense, religious, pro-choice, descriptive of the women who might have abortions, relating to specific abortion disclosures, or political. Within the past 12 months, memorable conversations about abortion were personal or relational, and were often prompted by discussions surrounding Roe.

Multiple reaction monitoring assays for large-scale quantitation of proteins from 20 mouse organs and tissues.

Mouse is the mammalian model of choice to study human health and disease due to its size, ease of breeding and the natural occurrence of conditions mimicking human pathology. Here we design and validate multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) assays for quantitation of 2118 unique proteins in 20 murine tissues and organs. We provide open access to technical aspects of these assays to enable their implementation in other laboratories, and demonstrate their suitability for proteomic profiling in mice by measuring normal protein abundances in tissues from three mouse strains: C57BL/6NCrl, NOD/SCID, and BALB/cAnNCrl. Sex- and strain-specific differences in protein abundances are identified and described, and the measured values are freely accessible via our MouseQuaPro database: http://mousequapro.proteincentre.com . Together, this large library of quantitative MRM-MS assays established in mice and the measured baseline protein abundances represent an important resource for research involving mouse models.

Surveillance after childhood cancer: are survivors with an increased risk for cardiomyopathy regularly followed-up?

BACKGROUND: We aimed to study adherence to cardiac screening in long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS) at high risk of cardiomyopathy. METHODS: This study involved 976 5-year CCS at high risk for cardiomyopathy from the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Determinants of adherence to recommended surveillance were studied using multivariable logistic regression models. Association of attendance to a long-term follow-up (LTFU) visit with completion of an echocardiogram was estimated using a Cox regression model. RESULTS: Among participants, 32% had an echocardiogram within the 5 previous years. Males (adjusted RR [aRR] 0.71, 95% CI 0.58-0.86), survivors aged 36-49 (aRR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64-0.98), Neuroblastoma (aRR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.91) and CNS tumour survivors (aRR 0.43, 95% CI 0.21-0.89) were less likely to adhere to recommended surveillance. Attendance to an LTFU visit was associated with completion of an echocardiogram in patients who were not previously adherent to recommendations (HR 8.20, 95% CI 5.64-11.93). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of long-term survivors at high risk of cardiomyopathy did not adhere to the recommended surveillance. Attendance to an LTFU visit greatly enhanced the completion of echocardiograms, but further interventions need to be developed to reach more survivors.

Predictive factors of long-term follow-up attendance in very long-term childhood cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Long-term follow-up (LTFU) clinics have been developed but only some childhood cancer survivors (CCS) attend long-term follow-up (LTFU). OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that influence LTFU attendance. METHODS: Five-year CCS treated for a solid tumor or lymphoma in Gustave Roussy before 2000, included in the FCCSS cohort (French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study), aged >18 years and alive at the date of the LTFU Clinic opening (January 2012) were invited to a LTFU visit. Factors associated with attendance at the LTFU clinic between 2012 and 2020 were estimated using logistic regression analyses. Analyses included different types of factors: clinical (tumor characteristics, cancer treatments, late effects), medical (medical expenses were used as a proxy of survivor's health status), social (deprivation index based on census-tract data relating to income, educational level, proportion of blue-collar workers, and unemployed people living in the area of residence), and spatial (distance to the LTFU clinic). RESULTS: Among 2341 CCS contacted (55% males, mean age at study, 45 years; SD ± 10 years; mean age at diagnosis, 6 years; SD ± 5 years), 779 (33%) attended at least one LTFU visit. Initial cancer-related factors associated with LTFU visit attendance were: treatment with both radiotherapy and chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR], 4.02; 95% CI, 2.11-7.70), bone sarcoma (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.56-3.78), central nervous system primitive tumor (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.02-2.67), and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.34-3.20). Late effects (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.31-2.20), highest medical expenses (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.22-2.22), living in the most advantaged area (OR vs. the most deprived area = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.15-2.22), and shorter distance from LTFU care center (<12 miles) also increased attendance. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who are apparently healthy as well as socially disadvantaged and living far away from the center are less likely to attend LTFU care. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Among 2341 adult childhood cancer survivors contacted between 2012 and 2020, 33% attended at least one long-term follow-up visit. Clinical factors related to attendance were multimodal treatment of first cancer (combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy), stem cell transplant, type of diagnosis (bone tumor and central nervous system primitive tumor), late effects (at least one disease among second malignancy, heart disease, or stroke), and highest medical expenses. In addition, the study identified social and spatial inequalities related to attendance, with independent negative effects of distance and social deprivation on attendance, even though the medical costs related to the long-term follow-up examinations are covered by the French social security system.

The scalable precision medicine open knowledge engine (SPOKE): a massive knowledge graph of biomedical information.

MOTIVATION: Knowledge graphs (KGs) are being adopted in industry, commerce and academia. Biomedical KG presents a challenge due to the complexity, size and heterogeneity of the underlying information. RESULTS: In this work, we present the Scalable Precision Medicine Open Knowledge Engine (SPOKE), a biomedical KG connecting millions of concepts via semantically meaningful relationships. SPOKE contains 27 million nodes of 21 different types and 53 million edges of 55 types downloaded from 41 databases. The graph is built on the framework of 11 ontologies that maintain its structure, enable mappings and facilitate navigation. SPOKE is built weekly by python scripts which download each resource, check for integrity and completeness, and then create a 'parent table' of nodes and edges. Graph queries are translated by a REST API and users can submit searches directly via an API or a graphical user interface. Conclusions/Significance: SPOKE enables the integration of seemingly disparate information to support precision medicine efforts. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The SPOKE neighborhood explorer is available at https://spoke.rbvi.ucsf.edu. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

A Preliminary Investigation into Intersections of Sexual Communication in Bondage, Domination, Sadomasochism and Disability.

Extending prior research on the communicative intersections of bondage, domination, and sadomasochism (BDSM) and disability communities, the present article presents preliminary findings on sexual and boundary-setting communication overlaps in relational minority groups and partnerships with disabilities. Both disability and BDSM communities engage in preparatory, open, and boundary-setting sexual communication that prioritizes shifting physical, emotional, and relational needs. Highlighting reflections from partnerships navigating chronic illness, pain, and neurodivergence, our findings extend previous recommendations for boundary-setting to focus on relationships with disability, identifying intersections as including (1) reflecting upon needs and boundaries amidst shifting symptomatology, (2) (re)write sexual and intimate scripts to prioritize (dis)ability, (3) (re)negotiate relational needs and set expectations, and (4) bring awareness to the role of mental health and medication. Findings focus on implications for disability and sexual communication, the disruption of traditional sexual scripts, and therapeutic and clinical application. Limitations and future research are discussed.

STRETCH: Stinging tree exposures to Cairns Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the burden of disease, investigate the treatment and response to treatment caused by exposure to stinging tree plants presenting to Cairns Hospital over a 3-year period. Our secondary aim was to examine the benefit from treating such exposures with topical dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients presenting to Cairns ED over a 3-year period because of stinging tree exposure. Symptoms, signs, treatment and outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: There were 48 presentations, all having immediate pain after contact with the stinging tree, with 87% describing the pain as moderate or severe. Nearly all were stung on limbs (96%). There were 13 different treatments prior to presentation. In hospital, 60% needed opioid analgesia and a median oral morphine dose equivalent of 15 mg. Of the 29 receiving HCl nine patients reported good relief or complete relief. CONCLUSIONS: Stinging tree exposure results in significant presentations to the Cairns ED each year. Pain is immediate and severe and there are no clear first aid or definitive treatment recommendations. Further work is needed to ascertain the best first aid and definitive treatment including a formal trial of dilute HCl.

"Wish I Would Have Known that before I Started Using It": Contraceptive Messages and Information Seeking among Young Women.

In recent decades, women's use of contraception has evolved. Women not only utilize contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, but also to manage menstruation and other factors related to their personal agency. Despite an abundance of available contraceptive options, many women struggle to navigate and address their contraceptive needs. A hundred and thirty-four female participants responded to an open-ended questionnaire about contraceptive messages and decision making in an online survey. Using Uncertainty Management Theory as a framework, we illustrate how the women make sense of and manage uncertainty from multiple contraceptive messages. Results highlighted the absence of desired information, and identified messages that women wish they had received from healthcare providers and others. Our findings suggest that women's understanding of contraceptives' side effects is a communicative process in which anecdotal evidence is often treated as medical fact and healthcare providers are viewed as ineffective and dismissive in relaying and addressing information about contraception. In the absence of satisfying healthcare interactions, women seek information elsewhere to make their contraceptive choices.

Extending the Roots of Memorable Messages: A Comprehensive Review and Forecast of Memorable Message Literature and Theory.

Five years ago, we reviewed the state of memorable message scholarship in communication, with special attention to the utility of memorable message research in health communication. Since then, works advancing the theoretical and practical applicability of the construct have continued to emerge. In this article, we discuss the trends in published memorable message research over the last five years. Since 2017, thirty-four additional peer-reviewed articles focusing on memorable messages as a central concept have been published. Health communication as a subset of the field (as well as the journal Health Communication) see a higher concentration of these publications than other areas. In this review, we concentrate on the use of theory within recent memorable message work. Although much of the memorable message research continues to be atheoretical, more work utilizing control theory, the theory of memorable messages, and communicated narrative sense-making characterize the recent literature. Additionally, more research has emerged that highlights the theoretically driven investigations about the nature of memorable messages. We review the scholarship utilizing these and other theories and suggest avenues for future research.

Long-term hospitalisations in survivors of paediatric solid tumours in France.

The late effects of treatments for childhood cancers may lead to severe and multiple health conditions requiring hospitalisation. We aimed to estimate the hospitalisation rate among childhood cancer survivors (CCS) in France, to compare them with the general population and to investigate the associated factors. We matched total of 5439 5-year solid CCS diagnosed before the age of 21 between 1945 and 2000 by sex, birth year and region of residence to 386,073 individuals of the French general population. After linkage with the national hospital discharge database, we estimated the relative hospitalisation rate (RHR), the absolute excess risks (AERs) and the relative bed-day ratio (RBDR) during 2006-2018. We used generalised linear models to estimate associations between hospitalisation and survivor characteristics. Overall, the RHR was 2.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.46-2.52) and the RBDR was 3.49 (95% CI 3.46-3.51). We found that neoplasm-related hospitalisations had the highest AER (105.8 per 1000 person-years), followed by genitourinary system diseases (34.4 per 1000 person-years) and cardiovascular diseases (19.2 per 1000 person-years). In adjusted analysis, CCS treated with chemotherapy (risk ratio [RR] 1.62, 95% CI 1.53-1.70), radiotherapy (RR 2.11, 95% CI 1.99-2.24) or both (RR 2.59, 95% CI 2.46-2.73) had a higher risk of hospitalisation than the ones who had not received any of these treatments. CCS treated during the past decades by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy now had a higher hospitalisation risk for all main categories of diagnosis than the general population. Prevention strategies and medical surveillance programmes may promote a long-term decrease in the hospitalisation rate among CSS.

A biomedical open knowledge network harnesses the power of AI to understand deep human biology.

Knowledge representation and reasoning (KR&R) has been successfully implemented in many fields to enable computers to solve complex problems with AI methods. However, its application to biomedicine has been lagging in part due to the daunting complexity of molecular and cellular pathways that govern human physiology and pathology. In this article we describe concrete uses of SPOKE, an open knowledge network that connects curated information from 37 specialized and human-curated databases into a single property graph, with 3 million nodes and 15 million edges to date. Applications discussed in this article include drug discovery, COVID-19 research and chronic disease diagnosis and management.

The Psychological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adults Treated for Childhood Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the general population, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) could be at greater risk of psychological distress following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study assessed the psychological consequences of COVID-19 on the mental health of CCS. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire, 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. METHODS: We first compared the mental health score of CCS with that observed in the French general population of the same age and gender. Subsequently, we studied predictors of the mental health score of CCS. RESULTS: External comparisons revealed that the mental health score of CCS was similar to that of the general population. Among CCS, almost 42% stated that their psychological state had been worse during the lockdown. Predictors of poorer mental health included, among others, female gender, reporting a change in the occupational situation, having a relative who had been hospitalized or had died following COVID-19, and a greater perceived infection risk. INTERPRETATION AND IMPLICATIONS: Given the pre-existing vulnerability of some CCS to mental distress, the additional psychological consequences of COVID-19 in vulnerable survivors should receive attention from health care providers.

Health care expenditures among long-term survivors of pediatric solid tumors: Results from the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) and the French network of cancer registries (FRANCIM).

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may require lifelong medical care due to late effects of cancer treatments. Little is known about of their healthcare utilization and expenditures at long-term especially in publicly funded health care system. We aim to estimate and describe the health care expenditures among long-term CCS in France. METHODS: A total of 5319 five-year solid CCS diagnosed before the age of 21 between 1945 and 2000 in France were identified in the French Childhood Cancer Survivors Study cohort (FCCSS) and the French cancer registry. Information about health care expenditure was taken from the French national health data system between 2011 and 2016, and was described according to survivors' characteristics. Generalized linear models were used to determine associations between health care expenditures and survivors' characteristics. RESULTS: Mean annual amount of healthcare expenditures was € 4,255. Expenditures on hospitalizations and pharmacy represents 60% of total expenditures. Mean annual of healthcare expenditures were higher at increasing age, among women survivors (€ 4,795 vs € 3,814 in men) and in central nervous system (CNS) tumor survivors (€ 7,116 vs € 3,366 in lymphoma and € 3,363 in other solid tumor survivors). CONCLUSIONS: Childhood cancer survivorship is associated with a substantial economic burden in France. We found that female gender and CNS primary cancer were associated with increased healthcare expenditures.

Risk perceptions and health care use in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in adults treated for childhood cancer.

PURPOSE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may have felt more at risk of having severe consequences of COVID-19 and therefore may have been more likely to defer their health care use. We aimed to assess the risk perceptions of CCS related to COVID-19 (perceived infection risk, perceived risk of experiencing a severe illness in the event of infection), and their forgoing of health care during the year 2020. METHODS: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. Combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes, we studied predictors of perceived risks related to COVID-19 and forgoing health care. RESULTS: Overall, 60% of respondents stated that COVID-19 could have severe consequences for their health if infected. Survivors with a cardiovascular disease and those who felt more at risk of being infected were more likely to think that COVID-19 could have severe health consequences for them. Moreover, 30% of respondents seeking care declared they had forgone at least one medical appointment in 2020. Forgoing medical appointments was more common among CCS who reported a deterioration in their financial situation in 2020 and those who felt more at risk of being infected. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a considerable proportion of survivors had forgone medical appointments because of the pandemic; forgoing care was more frequent among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study presents data hitherto absent in the literature and suggests the need to develop telehealth to ensure appropriate long-term follow-up of CCS.

"It Strengthened My Core Relationships, and Filtered Out the Rest:" Intimacy Communication During COVID-19.

Informed by scripting theories and Relational Dialectics Theory, this qualitative study used interviews, focus groups, and friendship pods conducted during the summer of 2020 in the COVID-19 pandemic to explore how 29 cisgender women and gender minorities made sense of, communicated about, and maintained their intimate relationships during COVID-19. Findings reveal a discourse of scripted intimacy reflecting normative relational patterns such as the heterosexual life script and the discourse of co-created intimacy, both of which legitimized and challenged the existing relational scripts by generating new ideas of what intimacy could look like in a relationship. Sub-themes included tensions of stability v. growth, comfort v. discomfort, and physical risk v. relational risk. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

Whose mental health declines during economic downturns?

Prior research shows that economic downturns are associated with increases in mental illness. However, we know little about whose mental health is most negatively affected. Is it the young or old, men or women, employed or non-employed, rich or poor? Using an 18-year panel dataset of Australians, we contribute to this understanding by estimating the impact of changes in unemployment on mental health, separately by population subgroups. Our mental health measure captures psychological distress and emotional difficulties, which are often missed by infrequent event indicators such as suicides. We find that young women suffer most during economic downturns. Men and women of older ages are not significantly affected. The effects for young women are driven by those in insecure employment, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Our results suggest that public health programs should emphasize the mental health of young women during economic downturns.

Emergent Health Communication Scholarship from and about African American, Latino/a/x, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Peoples.

It is a privilege and honor to welcome you to this special issue of Health Communication which is based on scholarship that advances various divergent health issues pertinent to African American, Latino/a/x, and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) peoples. The vision for this special issue which is a microcosm of the impactful research literature emerging from our field by Black, Latino/a/x, and American Indian peoples was to call attention to and acknowledge the breath of theoretically grounded and methodologically appropriate research in health communication. The 16 original articles featured in this issue reflect a robust compilation of topics from medical mistrust to tribal and elder leaders as health communicators and health promoters. The vision for the issue is that these articles serve as a platform that starts a meaningful and needed dialog within the field of health communication about the need for accessible and diverse scholarship from often-absent voices and/or narratives.

Protein biomarkers in serum as a conservation tool to assess reproduction: a case study on brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Monitoring the reproductive characteristics of a species can complement existing conservation strategies by understanding the mechanisms underlying demography. However, methodology to determine important aspects of female reproductive biology is often absent in monitoring programs for large mammals. Protein biomarkers may be a useful tool to detect physiological changes that are indicative of reproductive state. This study aimed to identify protein biomarkers of reproductive status in serum collected from free-ranging female brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Canada, from 2001 to 2018. We hypothesized that the expression of proteins related to reproduction in addition to energetics and stress can be used to answer specific management-focused questions: (i) identify when a female is pregnant, (ii) detect if a female is lactating, (iii) determine age of sexual maturity (i.e. primiparity) and (iv) assess female fertility (i.e. reproduction rate). Furthermore, we investigated if silver spoon effects (favourable early life conditions provide fitness benefits through adulthood) could be determined using protein expression. A target panel of 19 proteins with established relationships to physiological function was measured by peptide-based analysis using liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry and their differential expression was evaluated using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. We found biomarkers of pregnancy (apolipoprotein B-100 and afamin), lactation (apolipoprotein B-100 and alpha-2-macroglobulin) and sexual maturity (corticosteroid-binding globulin), but there were no statistically significant relationships with protein expression and fertility. The expression of proteins related to reproduction (afamin) and energetics (vitamin-D binding protein) was associated with the nutritional quality of the individual's present habitat rather than their early life habitat. This study highlights potential biomarkers of reproductive status and provides additional methods for monitoring physiological function in wildlife to inform conservation.

Results of the patient report of intermittent catheterization experience (PRICE) study.

AIMS: Patient satisfaction is paramount to health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) outcomes. High quality, quantitative data from the US describing patients' actual experiences, difficulties, and HR-QoL while on an intermittent self-catheterization (ISC) regimen is very scarce. Our objective was to better understand patient practices with and attitudes towards ISC. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, multi-centered, clinical study of adult men and women performing ISC in the United States. Data collected included demographics, medical history, catheter characteristics, specific self-catheterization habits and two validated HR-QoL questionnaires: The Intermittent Self-Catheterization Questionnaire (ISC-Q) and the Intermittent Catheterization Difficulty Questionnaire (ICDQ). RESULTS: Two hundred participants were recruited from six sites; 70.0% were male, 73.5% were Caucasian with a median age was 51.0 years (range 19-90 years). The ISC-Q showed that the vast majority of participants reported ease with ISC (82.0% satisfaction score) had confidence in their ability to perform ISC (91.9% satisfaction score); yet, many felt self-conscious about doing so (58.3% satisfaction score) and had concerns about long-term adverse effects (58.1% satisfaction score). The ICDQ indicated little to no difficulty for most participants with all routine ISC practices. A small minority of participants reported some difficulty with a "blocking sensation" during initiation of catheterization, leg spasticity, and painful catheterization. Multivariate linear regression results are also reported. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Participants are confident with ISC and have little overall difficulty, which may be a product of successful education and/or catheter design. urinary tract infections (UTIs) were common (yet variable) and may contribute to the noted long-term ISC concerns. Limitations exist including various selection biases leading to concerns of external validity. Future educational interventions in this population may further improve HR-QoL, optimize UTIs prevention, and diminish concerns with long-term ISC.