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Reproductive Age Women (reproductive + age_woman)

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Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Phosphatidylethanol and Alcohol Consumption in Reproductive Age Women

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2010
Scott H. Stewart
Background:, Fetal alcohol disorders are preventable, but self-reported alcohol consumption can be misleading and impede effective treatment. Biomarkers represent an alternative method for assessing alcohol use, and this study evaluated the relationship between blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth) and alcohol use in a sample of reproductive age women. Methods:, Alcohol use was estimated by validated self-report methods in 80 nonpregnant women ages 18 to 35. PEth was measured by a contracted laboratory using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay. Regression methods appropriate for the distribution of PEth were used to define its relationship to alcohol consumption during the prior 2 weeks and explore the effects of drinking patterns on this association. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to estimate the sensitivity of PEth for various drinking levels at 95% specific cutoffs. Results:, PEth had a positive linear association with grams of alcohol consumed (p < 0.001), and was detectable in 93% of subjects consuming an average of 2 or more drinks per day. The relationship between total alcohol consumption and PEth may be stronger in women with recent heavy drinking days. The relationship between drinking and PEth varied considerably between individuals, and sensitivity for a certain amount of drinking was low at a highly specific cutoff concentration. Conclusions:, PEth is a highly sensitive indicator of moderate and heavy alcohol consumption in reproductive age women and may complement the use of self-report alcohol screens when additional objective markers of alcohol use are desirable. However, choosing a highly valid cutoff concentration for PEth to differentiate various levels of alcohol consumption may not be feasible. [source]

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Comparison of Serum Markers for Thrombophilia and Autoimmune Disease in Reproductive Age Women with and without False Positive Rapid Plasma Reagin Tests

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Yael Swica
Problem, The rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) is performed frequently in clinical practice, particularly among reproductive age women. The phenomenon of the biologic false positive RPR is well-recognized, but its clinical significance is poorly characterized. Our objective was to assess the relationship between the false positive RPR and several established clinical and biological markers for thrombophilia and/or autoimmune disease. Method of study, We conducted a clinic-based, case,control study of 41 healthy, reproductive age women with history of a biologic false positive RPR and 30 control women with a negative RPR to assess the relationship between the false positive RPR and several established clinical and biological markers for thrombophilia and/or autoimmune disease. We used t -tests and constructed frequency tables for case,control comparisons. Results, Cases were significantly more likely than controls to have lupus anticoagulant present in serum, have a positive ANA, and a positive ANA with a titer of 1:320 or greater. Cases were also more likely to be positive for anticardiolipin antibodies and have a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, but the CIs for those point estimates included the null value. Eight participants tested positive for both lupus anticoagulant and ANA. All eight were in the case group. Conclusion, These results suggest that the RPR test might be used to identify a subset of women who warrant further testing for autoimmune and/or thromboembolic disease. [source]

Phosphatidylethanol and Alcohol Consumption in Reproductive Age Women

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2010
Scott H. Stewart
Background:, Fetal alcohol disorders are preventable, but self-reported alcohol consumption can be misleading and impede effective treatment. Biomarkers represent an alternative method for assessing alcohol use, and this study evaluated the relationship between blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth) and alcohol use in a sample of reproductive age women. Methods:, Alcohol use was estimated by validated self-report methods in 80 nonpregnant women ages 18 to 35. PEth was measured by a contracted laboratory using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay. Regression methods appropriate for the distribution of PEth were used to define its relationship to alcohol consumption during the prior 2 weeks and explore the effects of drinking patterns on this association. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to estimate the sensitivity of PEth for various drinking levels at 95% specific cutoffs. Results:, PEth had a positive linear association with grams of alcohol consumed (p < 0.001), and was detectable in 93% of subjects consuming an average of 2 or more drinks per day. The relationship between total alcohol consumption and PEth may be stronger in women with recent heavy drinking days. The relationship between drinking and PEth varied considerably between individuals, and sensitivity for a certain amount of drinking was low at a highly specific cutoff concentration. Conclusions:, PEth is a highly sensitive indicator of moderate and heavy alcohol consumption in reproductive age women and may complement the use of self-report alcohol screens when additional objective markers of alcohol use are desirable. However, choosing a highly valid cutoff concentration for PEth to differentiate various levels of alcohol consumption may not be feasible. [source]

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Comparison of Serum Markers for Thrombophilia and Autoimmune Disease in Reproductive Age Women with and without False Positive Rapid Plasma Reagin Tests

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Yael Swica
Problem, The rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) is performed frequently in clinical practice, particularly among reproductive age women. The phenomenon of the biologic false positive RPR is well-recognized, but its clinical significance is poorly characterized. Our objective was to assess the relationship between the false positive RPR and several established clinical and biological markers for thrombophilia and/or autoimmune disease. Method of study, We conducted a clinic-based, case,control study of 41 healthy, reproductive age women with history of a biologic false positive RPR and 30 control women with a negative RPR to assess the relationship between the false positive RPR and several established clinical and biological markers for thrombophilia and/or autoimmune disease. We used t -tests and constructed frequency tables for case,control comparisons. Results, Cases were significantly more likely than controls to have lupus anticoagulant present in serum, have a positive ANA, and a positive ANA with a titer of 1:320 or greater. Cases were also more likely to be positive for anticardiolipin antibodies and have a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, but the CIs for those point estimates included the null value. Eight participants tested positive for both lupus anticoagulant and ANA. All eight were in the case group. Conclusion, These results suggest that the RPR test might be used to identify a subset of women who warrant further testing for autoimmune and/or thromboembolic disease. [source]