Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · May 2013
ReviewRevival of a core public health function: state- and urban-based maternal death review processes.
This article reviews some of the current challenges for maternal death review in the United States, describes key findings from an assessment of U. S. capacity for conducting maternal death reviews, and introduces a new Maternal Mortality Initiative that aims to develop standardized guidelines for state- or city-based maternal deaths review processes.
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Journal of women's health · May 2013
Body mass index at age 20 and subsequent childbearing: the Adventist Health Study-2.
Some epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory studies suggest that underweight and obesity impact fertility. ⋯ Obesity and, to a lesser extent, underweight at age 20 increases the nulliparity rate. The results underscore the importance of a healthy weight in young women.
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Journal of women's health · May 2013
Gender differences in myocardial perfusion defect in asymptomatic postmenopausal women and men with and without diabetes mellitus.
To compare the results of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) of asymptomatic postmenopausal women and age-matched men and to investigate the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on gender differences and the risk estimation of coronary heart disease (CHD). ⋯ The results of this preliminary study suggest that asymptomatic postmenopausal women had more abnormalities in MPI and those with DM had a higher SSS and SDS than age-matched men. The risk of CAD may still be underestimated by the UKPDS.
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Journal of women's health · May 2013
Comparative StudyRacial and ethnic differences in the association between obesity and depression in women.
It is generally accepted that obesity and depression are positively related in women. Very little prior research, however, has examined potential variation in this relationship across different racial/ethnic groups. This paper examines the association between obesity and depression in non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American women. ⋯ The results reveal that the association between obesity and depression varies by racial/ethnic categorization. White, but not Black or Mexican American women showed a positive association. Next research steps could include examination of factors that vary by race/ethnicity that may link obesity to depression.
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Journal of women's health · May 2013
Comparative StudyPositive association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and C-reactive protein is confounded by hormonal contraceptive use.
Studies of the relationship between vitamin D and inflammation are equivocal. This may be due to unaccounted confounding. Hormonal contraceptive (HC) use is associated with elevated circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in Caucasians and African-Americans, but its effects on 25(OH)D in other ethnicities are unclear. HC use is associated with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory biomarker. Our objectives were to assess the effect of HC use on 25(OH)D across ethnic groups, and to examine the association between HC, 25(OH)D and CRP in an ethnically diverse population of young adults. ⋯ HC use and 25(OH)D were positively associated across ethnic groups. We found no association between 25(OH)D and CRP when HC use was accounted for. HC use confounds the association between 25(OH)D and CRP.