A Data-Based Approach to Evaluating Representation by Gender and Affiliation in Key Presentation Formats at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research.

The annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) is a major forum for sharing new research and promoting the career development of participants. Because of this, evaluating representation in key presentation formats is critical. For the 3,257 presentations identified at the 2015-2017 SER annual meetings, we evaluated presenter characteristics, including gender, affiliation, subject area, and h-index, and representation in 3 highlighted presentation formats: platform talks (n = 382), invited symposium talks (n = 273), and chairing a concurrent contributed session or symposium (n = 188). Data were abstracted from SER records, abstract booklets, and programs. Gender was assessed using GenderChecker software, and h-index was determined using the Scopus application programming interface. Log-binomial models were adjusted for participant characteristics and conference year. In adjusted models, women were less likely than men to present an invited symposium talk (relative risk = 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.45, 0.81) compared with all participants with accepted abstracts. Researchers from US public universities, US government institutions, and international institutions were less likely to present a symposium talk or to chair a concurrent contributed session or symposium than were researchers from US private institutions. The research areas that were most represented in platform talks were epidemiologic methods, social epidemiology, and cardiovascular epidemiology. Our findings suggest differences in representation by gender, affiliation, and subject area after accounting for h-index.

Vitamin D is associated with bioavailability of androgens in eumenorrheic women with prior pregnancy loss.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have reported mixed results regarding relationships between vitamin D, androgens, and sex hormone-binding globulin in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. However, less is known regarding these associations in eumenorrheic, premenopausal women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to study the relationships between serum vitamin D and androgen biomarkers in eumenorrheic women with a history of pregnancy loss who were attempting pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: This was an analysis of a cohort of 1191 participants from the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction trial (2006-2012). Participants were attempting to conceive, aged 18-40 years, with 1-2 documented prior pregnancy losses and no history of infertility, and recruited from 4 academic medical centers in the United States. Serum vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) and hormone concentrations were measured at baseline. RESULTS: Vitamin D concentration was negatively associated with free androgen index (percentage change [95% confidence interval, -5% (-8% to -2%)] per 10 ng/mL increase) and positively associated with sex hormone-binding globulin (95% confidence interval, 4% [2-7%]), although not with total testosterone, free testosterone, or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking status, race, income, education, physical activity, and season of blood draw. CONCLUSION: Overall, vitamin D was associated with sex hormone-binding globulin and free androgen index in eumenorrheic women with prior pregnancy loss, suggesting that vitamin D may play a role in the bioavailability of androgens in eumenorrheic women. We are limited in making assessments regarding directionality, given the cross-sectional nature of our study.

Risk perception and use of personal care products by race and ethnicity among a diverse population.

Personal care products can contain phthalates, parabens and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals. However, information on perception of risks from personal care product use and how use varies by race and ethnicity is limited. We evaluated differences in personal care product use and risk perception in a diverse sample of participants recruited from a US college campus and online. A self-administered questionnaire captured information on sociodemographic factors, personal care product use trends and perception of risk associated with them. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine differences in personal care product use and risk perception by race and ethnicity. Ordered logistic regressions were performed to measure associations between personal care product use frequency across racial/ethnic categories. Participant (n = 770) mean age was 22.8 years [standard deviation ± 6.0]. Daily use of make-up (eye = 29.3%; other = 38.0%; all = 33.7%) and skincare products (55%) was most frequently reported among Middle Eastern and North African participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants reported the highest daily use of hairstyling products (52%) and lotion (78%). Daily make-up use was more frequently reported among females (41%) than males (24.6%). Levels of agreement were similar across racial and ethnic groups, that personal care product manufacturers should be required to list all ingredients (≥87%). There were significant associations between the frequency of use of some personal care products and racial/ethnic categories when the use frequencies of participants from other racial/ethnic categories were compared to the use frequency of non-Hispanic White participants. There were significant differences in daily use frequency, levels of trust, perception of safety and health risks associated with personal care products by race and ethnicity, underscoring that there may be different sources of exposure to chemicals in personal care products by race and ethnicity.

Urinary Phytoestrogens and Relationship to Menstrual Cycle Length and Variability Among Healthy, Eumenorrheic Women.

CONTEXT: Phytoestrogens may influence fecundability, although biological mechanisms remain elusive. Since it is hypothesized that phytoestrogens may act through influencing hormone levels, we investigated associations between phytoestrogens and menstrual cycle length, a proxy for the hormonal milieu, in healthy women attempting pregnancy. DESIGN: A population-based prospective cohort of 326 women ages 18 to 40 with self-reported cycles of 21 to 42 days were followed until pregnancy or for 12 months of attempting pregnancy. METHODS: Urinary genistein, daidzein, O-desmethylangolensin, equol, enterodiol, and enterolactone were measured upon enrollment. Cycle length was determined from fertility monitors and daily journals. Linear mixed models assessed associations with continuous cycle length and were weighted by the inverse number of observed cycles. Logistic regression models assessed menstrual regularity (standard deviation > 75th vs ≤ 75th percentile). Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, race, creatinine, exercise, supplements, lipids, lead, cadmium, cotinine, parity, alcohol, and other phytoestrogens. RESULTS: Individual phytoestrogens were not associated with cycle length, although total phytoestrogens were associated with shorter cycles (-0.042 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.080 to -0.003, per 10% increase). Each 1 nmol/L increase in enterolactone (odds ratio [OR] 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.97) and total lignans (OR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.95) was associated with reduced irregularity, and each 1 nmol/L increase in genistein with irregularity (OR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.38). CONCLUSION: Phytoestrogens were not meaningfully associated with cycle length but may be associated with menstrual regularity, among women with self-reported regular cycles. These results highlight differences between isoflavones and lignans and are reassuring for women attempting pregnancy.