Thinking in a foreign tongue : The problem of English language dominance in social research

Non peer reviewe

Biochemical Changes During the First Year of Feminizing Hormone Therapy in Transfeminine Individuals

BACKGROUND: Persons with assigned male sex at birth (AMAB) might wish to obtain feminization and/or demasculinization according to the person's gender identity and are therefore treated with estradiol and/or antiandrogens. AIM: The aim was to evaluate biochemical changes and side effects in AMAB individuals treated with guideline-based feminizing hormone treatment (FHT). METHODS: Medical charts of 99 AMAB individuals ≥ 18 years referred to the Center for Gender Identity; Aalborg University hospital, Denmark, between January 2017 and July 2019 were reviewed to identify adverse side effects. Furthermore, data from the laboratory information system (Labka II) were retrieved to obtain biochemical parameters. Biochemical plasma concentrations after initiation of FHT were compared to concentrations prior to FHT and to existing guidelines. OUTCOMES: After 11–19 months, 29% of the trans feminine individuals had plasma estradiol concentrations within the treatment target. RESULTS: The plasma concentration of estradiol varies greatly during FHT. Plasma levels of estrogen were within the treatment target after 11–19 months of treatment, whereas 100% had concentrations within the reference range for premenopausal cis-women. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of lipids and hematological parameters approached female reference ranges after 11 months of FHT. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The target levels of plasma estradiol concentrations during FHT could be expanded, making the wanted physiological changes easier to obtain. STRENGTHS & LIMITATION: This cohort study included 99 AMAB individuals and biochemical evaluation was possible in 67 individuals. Only one individual was lost during follow-up. However, the follow-up period was limited making evaluation of long-term side effects impossible. CONCLUSION: Plasma concentration of estradiol varies greatly during guideline based FHT, making plasma estradiol levels within the target level difficult to attain. JA Hojbjerg, AD Højgaard, A-M Hvas. Biochemical Changes During the First Year of Feminizing Hormone Therapy in Transfeminine Individuals. Sex Med 2021;10:100472

Mammary Hidradenitis Suppurativa Lesions – A Suggestion for Phenotyping

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an under-diagnosed chronic inflammatory skin disease of the pilosebaceous unit of apocrine gland-rich parts of the body. The mammary area is the fourth most HS-affected area and, as typical lesions include non-fluctuating nodules, abscesses, and tunnels/sinus tracts, mammary HS is often mistaken for other mammary “boils”, such as sub-areolar and granulomatous non-lactating breast abscesses. Our objective was to present a spectrum of mammary HS lesions, explore a possible classification, and expose mammary HS as a possible differential diagnosis to non-lactational breast abscesses. Methods: A cross-sectional study on current and newly-referred patients treated for HS affecting the mammary area. Anamnestic information, subjective outcome measures, and lesion counts including anatomical location were collected. Patients with similar morphologies were grouped, and characteristics for the groups were investigated. Limitations: We were not aware of the number of morphologies we would find, and as a result the study did not have sufficient power to show significant differences after correction for multiple testing. Results: We found three morphologically different subtypes of mammary HS; the Sternal, the Frictional, and the Nodule types. These groups differed in anatomical lesion characteristics and other patient characteristics. Furthermore, we found a fourth Mixed type – a combination of the other three. Conclusion: Differential diagnosis between mammary HS and sub-areolar or granulomatous non-fluctuating non-lactating breast abscess is most easily performed by assessing the precise anatomical location of the lesion and determining if the mammary lesion is the only lesion present or if similar lesions exist in other HS-specific ar

A population-based survey on family intentions and fertility awareness in women and men in the United Kingdom and Denmark

BACKGROUND: Across several European countries family formation is increasingly postponed. The aims of the study were to investigate the desire for family building and fertility awareness in the UK and Denmark. METHODS: A population-based internet survey was used among women (n = 1,000) and men (n = 237) from the UK (40%) and Denmark (60%). Data covered socio-demographics, family formation, and awareness of female age-related fertility. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis for studying associations between low fertility awareness and desired family formation. RESULTS: The majority of all participants desired two or three children. Two-thirds of the childless participants desired a first child at 30+ years, and one-fifth of the women and one-third of the men desired a last child at age 40. Overall, 83% of women and 73% of men were aware that female fertility starts to decline around 25–30 years. Men had significantly lower fertility awareness. Women who underestimated the impact of age on female fertility were significantly more likely to have a desire or attempted their first child at a higher age. CONCLUSION: Even though the majority were aware of the age-related decrease in female fertility, most desired having children at an age when female fertility has declined. Women who were not sufficiently aware of the impact of advanced age were significantly more likely to have their first child at a higher age. There is a need for developing educational programs for women and men in order to increase the population’s knowledge of fertility and risk factors for infertility

Narrative sense-making and prospective social action: methodological challenges and new directions

The ways in which humans narratively make sense of their lives shape how they navigate the future. At least, that is what prominent philosophers like Sartre, Ricoeur and MacIntyre proposed. Philosophically this idea has roots in the long-standing thesis of mimesis; like art imitates life and life imitates art in the Aristotelian sense, so do life and stories imitate each other (Bruner, 1987). Despite the tenacity of the idea, relatively little research has explored the relationship empirically. How does narrative sense-making shape prospective social action? How can we best study the interplay between stories told and lives lived? What kind of methodologies can provide the means for social scientists to address questions concerning the future? In this special issue of International Journal of Social Research Methodology we turn our attention to these challenges in recognition of how fundamentally important these questions are. If stories actually shape what we do, then not only individual life trajectories but also collective futures depend upon it

Concomitant Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Eruptive Xanthomas Presenting with Phimosis – The Importance of Timely Diagnosis

A 49-year-old man diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) was referred to us for treatment of xanthoma elements. Physical examination revealed widespread confluent yellow firm papules on his fingers, toes, arms, legs, and back. The diagnosis of eruptive xanthoma (EX) was clinically confirmed. During the examination of scar tissues, tombstone comedones and an inflammatory nodule was noted on his abdominal folds and right groin. These are diagnostic signs of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a condition the patient had reportedly suffered for 15 years without being diagnosed. The patient’s HS nodule was treated with intralesional triamcinolone injection, and prophylactic resorcinol was initiated, and he was referred to endocrinologists for xanthoma management. Three weeks later he returned due to newly developed lesions on his preputium, which caused a painful phimosis. Both HS and EX are correlated with MetS and causes increased all-cause cardiovascular mortality. As the average diagnostic delay of HS is 7.2 years, it is likely that timely diagnosis of HS would have identified the patient as being at risk of developing MetS. With proper preventive measures, the resulting EX lesions and increase in cardiac mortality could have been avoide

Concomitant Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Eruptive Xanthomas Presenting with Phimosis – The Importance of Timely Diagnosis

A 49-year-old man diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) was referred to us for treatment of xanthoma elements. Physical examination revealed widespread confluent yellow firm papules on his fingers, toes, arms, legs, and back. The diagnosis of eruptive xanthoma (EX) was clinically confirmed. During the examination of scar tissues, tombstone comedones and an inflammatory nodule was noted on his abdominal folds and right groin. These are diagnostic signs of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a condition the patient had reportedly suffered for 15 years without being diagnosed. The patient’s HS nodule was treated with intralesional triamcinolone injection, and prophylactic resorcinol was initiated, and he was referred to endocrinologists for xanthoma management. Three weeks later he returned due to newly developed lesions on his preputium, which caused a painful phimosis. Both HS and EX are correlated with MetS and causes increased all-cause cardiovascular mortality. As the average diagnostic delay of HS is 7.2 years, it is likely that timely diagnosis of HS would have identified the patient as being at risk of developing MetS. With proper preventive measures, the resulting EX lesions and increase in cardiac mortality could have been avoide