Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2014
Relationship between poor physical function, inflammatory markers, and comorbidities in HIV-infected women on antiretroviral therapy.
HIV-infected individuals may be at increased risk of poor physical function. Chronic inflammation has been associated with decreased physical function in the elderly and may also influence physical function in HIV-infected individuals. ⋯ Twenty percent of women aged 40 and older with well-treated HIV had poor physical-function performance, which was associated with the high burden of comorbidities in this population and with increased IL-6. However, it is unclear from this cross-sectional study whether increased inflammation was related to poor physical function or to other factors, such as age and medical comorbidities.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2014
Maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States: where are we now?
This article provides a brief overview of the work conducted by the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on severe maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. The article presents the latest data and trends in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, as well as on maternal substance abuse and mental health disorders during pregnancy, two relatively recent topics of interest in the Division, and includes future directions of work in all these areas.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2013
Association between body mass index, sexually transmitted infections, and contraceptive compliance.
Recent studies have examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sexual behaviors, but little information exists on this relationship among racially diverse, low-income women using objectively measured clinical data. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between BMI and sexual behaviors, rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy, and contraceptive adherence among adolescent and young adult women. ⋯ STI history and contraceptive compliance did not vary by BMI. Therefore, all women should receive equal contraceptive counseling (including condoms) to reduce the risk of unplanned pregnancy and STIs.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2013
Subclinical impairment of ovarian reserve in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with normal menstruation not using alkylating therapy.
Disease activity is a major factor in menstrual disorders in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients not receiving alkylating therapy. However, the ovarian reserve of SLE women with normal menstruation is still unclear. ⋯ SLE patients not receiving alkylating therapy who had normal menstruation and short illness duration still had an impaired ovarian reserve.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2013
Absence of gender-based differences in outcome of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia.
The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the association between gender and clinical outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) since data thus far are controversial. ⋯ In ICU patients with pneumonia, female gender was not associated with worse outcomes or increased resource utilization compared to male gender. Further studies are needed to evaluate menopausal status and outcomes in women with pneumonia.