Qualitative Assessment of Vulvovaginal Health Information on Social Media.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Adolescents and young adults use vulvovaginal hygiene practices, products, and treatments. Access to social media platforms allows health information, including gynecologic care, to be easily disseminated and more accessible. Our objective was to characterize and assess vulvovaginal health information available on a popular video-sharing social media platform. METHODS: In this cross-sectional analysis study, search terms related to vulvovaginal health were included to assess the top videos appearing on June 15, 2022. Descriptive statistics, uploader demographic characteristics, and content characteristics were recorded for each video. Information quality was evaluated using the DISCERN instrument. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-four videos met the study criteria with a combined total of over 500 million views, over 1.5 million shares, and nearly 60 million likes. Over 90% of videos consisted of educational content or product advertisements, and nearly 70% of videos provided information on general vulvovaginal hygiene and health. Seventy-five percent of videos were uploaded by private companies and nonmedical individuals. The mean DISCERN score was 1.6 out of 5. Medical providers scored significantly better than other uploaders on 12 of 16 DISCERN items, and mean overall publication quality scores were significantly higher for videos created by medical providers than nonmedical individuals and private companies (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Social media platforms are a popular medium for vulvovaginal health information, accumulating over half a billion views within a short timeframe. Although medical providers had fewer shortcomings in their videos, the overall quality of health information shared was low, with serious or extensive shortcomings.

Histologic analysis of gonadal tissue in patients with Turner syndrome and Y chromosome material.

This study investigates gonadal histology in individuals with Turner syndrome assigned female at birth and Y-chromosome material (TS+Y) who underwent prophylactic gonadectomy. Despite case reports suggesting spontaneous menarche and pregnancies in TS+Y, this research reveals the absence of germ cells, indicating low fertility likelihood. Germ cell neoplasia in-situ was present in some patients, emphasizing a non-negligible risk of cancer precursor. As no malignancies were found even in older individuals, the study challenges the immediate need for prophylactic gonadectomy upon TS+Y diagnosis. Limited fertility benefits are suggested, emphasizing the need for further research on optimal timing and criteria for the procedure.

Loneliness and Cultural Hyphenation.

Forever a Work in Progress is a painting that explores complexities of isolation as one consequence of navigating a culturally hyphenated identity.

Botulinum Toxin Injections as a Treatment of Refractory Vulvodynia in Adolescents: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Vulvodynia involves vulvar discomfort that occurs in the absence of an identifiable cause. Because vulvodynia is often accompanied by myofascial pain and pelvic floor tension, transvaginal botulinum toxin (BT) injection into the pelvic floor has been proposed as a possible treatment. METHODS: Retrospective case series RESULTS: Three adolescents with vulvodynia had a suboptimal response to treatment with several interventions, including neuromodulators (oral and topical), tricyclic antidepressants (oral and topical), and pelvic floor physical therapy. Subsequently, these patients underwent BT injections to the pelvic floor as treatment with varying responses. CONCLUSION: In select adolescent patients with vulvodynia, transvaginal BT injection into the pelvic floor can be an effective treatment. Further studies are needed to assess the optimal dosing, frequency, and sites of BT injections in the treatment of vulvodynia in pediatric and adolescent patients.

Current Public Trends in the Discussion of Dry Eyes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Popular Content on TikTok.

Introduction Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular pathology with significant impacts on both quality of life and visual function. One platform where individuals are receiving healthcare information is TikTok, the world's fastest-growing social media platform. Though used by more than one billion users, current literature is not established to assess the quality of information on TikTok. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of DED-related medical information present on TikTok. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of DED content on TikTok, utilizing the search term #DryEye to assess the top 150 videos appearing on December 20, 2021. Included videos were analyzed for descriptive statistics, including views, likes, uploader profession, and the number of uploader followers. Videos were assessed utilizing DISCERN, a tool used to appraise consumer health information. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistical significance groups. Results A total of 101 videos were included in the final analysis. When comparing content creators, physicians received a significantly greater number of views and higher DISCERN scores (p<0.05) than non-physician medical providers and non-medical individuals. The content of the videos were educational content (n=39, 38.6%) or treatment information (n=37, 36.6%), followed by home remedies (n=10, 9.9%) and personal anecdotes (n=8, 7.9%). Videos with rich supplementary visuals (multiple images/moving images) had higher DISCERN scores compared to videos with no supplementary visuals or one supplementary visual (p<0.01). Conclusion With the growing popularity of TikTok, it is important to provide high-quality information to ensure the dissemination of medically accurate information and reduce the prevalence of disinformation. Our results demonstrate that while TikTok is a powerful platform, the quality of videos can still be vastly improved. Content creators, regardless of profession, can improve their DISCERN through listing sources, comparing treatments, and discussing risks/outcomes of various treatment modalities.