Expedited Scheduling of Interval Tubal Ligation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether expedited scheduling for permanent contraception increases the proportion of patients completing interval tubal ligation within 6 months of delivery. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with unfulfilled immediate postpartum tubal ligation requests to standard scheduling after a postpartum office visit or an expedited process in which we scheduled the interval tubal ligation surgery before discharge from the hospital. The primary outcome was proportion of participants undergoing tubal contraceptive procedures within 6 months of delivery. Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction with the scheduling process, repeat pregnancy rates, and surgical outcomes. We estimated that 122 patients (61 per group) would provide greater than 80% power to identify a 25% difference favoring expedited scheduling in the primary outcome (one-sided α of 0.05). RESULTS: Between September 2016 and June 2018, 239 patients requested tubal ligation at the time of delivery; 155 were not completed. Of these, 126 patients were eligible for the study. We stopped the study at the prespecified 50% enrollment point after 67 patients enrolled, with 34 and 33 assigned to the standard and expedited arms, respectively. Fifteen participants in the expedited group, and two in the standard group completed tubal ligation within 6 months (50% vs 9%; odds ratio 10.0, CI 2.0-50.2). Delivery-to-surgery interval was 49 days in the expedited group, compared with 121 days in the standard group (P=.05). Seventeen participants in the expedited group and three in the standard group reported being very satisfied with the scheduling process (57% vs 13%, P=.03). The only two interim pregnancies both occurred in the standard group (P=.09). There were no surgical complications in any of the 17 completed tubal procedures. CONCLUSION: Expedited scheduling significantly improves tubal contraceptive surgery completion and patient satisfaction. Laparoscopic or hysteroscopic tubal ligation or salpingectomy can be performed 4-6 weeks after delivery with minimal interval outpatient follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02875483.

Pathways to Abortion at a Tertiary Care Hospital: Examining Obesity and Delays.

CONTEXT: Advancing gestational age can increase the cost of an abortion and is a significant risk factor for complications. While obesity is not associated with increased risks, anecdotal evidence suggests that obese women seeking services at freestanding abortion clinics are often referred for hospital-based care, which can lead to delays. METHODS: In 2016, a cross-sectional survey collected data on the experiences of 201 women who had obtained abortions at a hospital-based clinic in Philadelphia; rates of medical complications were determined from hospital records. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess if obesity was associated with whether patients had been referred from freestanding abortion clinics or reported other paths to care. Differences in wait time and up-front out-of-pocket costs were examined by women's referral status. RESULTS: No difference in rates of abortion complications was found between patient groups. Women who were severely obese (body mass index of at least 40 kg/m2 ) were more likely than normal-weight individuals to have been referred from a freestanding abortion clinic (odds ratio, 7.5). The median wait time to get an abortion was 28 days for referred patients and 12 days for others. Multivariable analysis confirmed that referred patients waited twice as long as other patients (rate ratio, 2.0) and paid 66% more in up-front costs. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is needed to determine whether obese women seeking abortions are being referred despite evidence that they do not require hospital-based care. If obese women are suffering delays because of referral, strategies to help overcome delay should also be explored.

Postpartum adolescents' contraceptive counselling preferences.

OBJECTIVES: The optimal approach for provision and timing of postpartum contraceptive counselling for adolescents has not been established. To reduce repeat pregnancies from current USA levels of nearly 20%, a better understanding is needed of postpartum adolescent females' preferences regarding contraceptive counselling and delivery. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 30 USA postpartum teens (97% Black) explored pregnancy prevention and contraceptive counselling. Transcripts were independently coded by two researchers and inter-rater reliability calculated using Kappa coefficients. With a standard content analysis approach, common themes were identified, coded and summarized. RESULTS: Findings indicated pregnancy prevention was important - two thirds of subjects reported becoming pregnant 'too soon', almost all did not desire another child for at least 6 years and most indicated that pregnancy prevention was either 'very' or 'extremely' important right now. The subjects described doctors and their prenatal clinic as their most accurate sources of contraception information, but stated that doctors and parents were the most helpful sources. All were comfortable discussing contraception with providers and had a desire for shared decision making. While many had received written materials, most preferred in-person contraceptive counselling. Optimally, participants suggested that contraceptive counselling would be provided by a physician, begin antepartum and almost all preferred to leave the hospital with their chosen method of contraception. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy prevention is important for postpartum adolescents as most desired to delay future childbearing. In-person contraceptive counselling should begin in the antepartum period and include provision of contraception prior to discharge.

Targeting the giant cell tumor stromal cell: functional characterization and a novel therapeutic strategy.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a benign, locally destructive neoplasm, with tumors comprised of mesenchymal fibroblast-like stromal cells; monocytic, mononuclear cells of myeloid lineage; and the characteristic osteoclast-like, multinucleated giant cells. Hampering the study of the complex interaction of its constituent cell types is the propensity of longstanding, repeatedly passaged cell cultures to undergo phenotypic alteration and loss of osteoclast-inducing capacities. In this study, we employed a novel, single-step technique to purify freshly harvested stromal cells using a CD14-negative selection column. Using 9 freshly harvested GCTB specimens and the purified stromal cell component, we performed analyses for markers of osteoblast lineage and analyzed the capacity of the stromal cells to undergo osteoblastic differentiation and induce osteoclastogenesis in co-cultures with monocytic cells. Successful purification of the CD14-negative stromal cells was confirmed via flow cytometric analysis and immunocytochemistry. Osteogenic media upregulated the expression of osteocalcin, suggesting an osteoblastic lineage of the GCTB stromal cells. The effects of the Wnt pathway agonist, SB415286, and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 on osteoblastogenesis varied among samples. Notably, osteogenic media and SB415286 reversed the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression ratio resulting in diminished osteoclastogenic capacity. Recombinant human BMP2 had the opposite effect, resulting in enhanced and sustained support of osteoclastogenesis. Targeting the giant cell tumor stromal cell may be an effective adjunct to existing anti-resorptive strategies.