'How come they don't talk about it in school?' Identifying adolescent barriers to PrEP use.

Although 21% of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses in the United States are in youth aged 13-24 years, adolescent awareness and uptake of the HIV prevention medication pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are low. This study explores the attitudes and challenges that adolescents face while taking PrEP. Thirty interviews were conducted with Black and Latine (we use the gender-inclusive term Latine rather than Latinx for more appropriate Spanish pronunciation) students aged 15-17 who received care at school-based health centers (SBHCs) in the Bronx, NY. Transcripts were coded inductively and deductively using thematic analysis. Most participants were unaware of PrEP, but nearly all were enthusiastic when informed about it; a majority denied that they would feel any stigma when taking PrEP. Despite this high receptivity, multiple barriers were identified, particularly confidentiality from parents, low perceived need of PrEP and concerns about daily adherence and side effects. Adolescents overall were enthusiastic about the availability of PrEP and felt it empowered them to have control over their health. SBHCs were considered trusted sources of confidential, accessible care, and we believe that they can be uniquely positioned to mitigate barriers to PrEP distribution in the future.

Role of Ultrasound in Managing Cervical Polyps During Pregnancy.

No definitive management guidelines exist for cervical polyps during pregnancy. Ultrasound can aid in creating a treatment plan by assessing the type of polyp and source of symptomatology. Three pregnant patients in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy presented with polyps. On examination, the polyps ranged from 2 to 6 cm in size. In all cases, the origin of the cervical polyps was first identified on ultrasound. Polypectomies were performed with no complications. All patients subsequently had uncomplicated normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries at term. Ultrasounds can help localize the source of symptomatology to polyps versus placental pathology. Additionally, ultrasound can determine the origin and type of polyp for creating an individualized, safe treatment plan during pregnancy.

Safety of long-term intrathecal methotrexate in progressive forms of MS.

BACKGROUND: There are few treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with advanced disability [expanded disability status scale (EDSS) ⩾ 6.0]. In 2010, we reported initial results of using intrathecal methotrexate (ITMTX) in patients with progressive MS. We now report on long-term use of ITMTX. We performed a retrospective chart analysis of patients who have had 18 or more treatments to establish the ongoing safety and tolerability of ITMTX. Thus, the objective of this study was to establish the safety and tolerability of long-term therapy with (ITMTX) in patients with treatment-resistant, progressive forms of MS. METHODS: We studied 83 patients (67 secondary and 16 primary progressive) who received ITMTX 12.5 mg every 8-11 weeks for 3-10 years (range: 18-57 treatments). All patients were evaluated neurologically, and their EDSS was assessed at every treatment. In addition, all adverse events, frequency of infections, and any hospitalizations, were noted. RESULTS: There were no deaths, hospitalizations, or other serious adverse effects related to ITMTX. Headaches occurred at least once in 12% of patients, and transient fatigue occurred in 53% of patients. As determined by EDSS, there was no significant change from baseline status to post-treatment scores in both primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed ITMTX was well tolerated for up to 10 years in PPMS patients with no serious adverse effects. Although this was an open-label, retrospective analysis, and efficacy could not be studied, there was evidence of disease stabilization in many patients receiving ITMTX. It appears that long-term ITMTX is a safe therapeutic option in advanced progressive MS.