The acceptability of vaginal smear self-collection for screening for cervical cancer: a systematic review

Cervical cancer is a major cause of death in adult women. However, many women do not undergo cervical cancer screening for the following reasons: fear, shame, physical limitations, cultural or religious considerations and lack of access to health care services. Self-collected vaginal smears maybe an alternative means of including more women in cervical cancer screening programs. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the acceptability of vaginal smear self-collection for cervical cancer screening. We selected articles from PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase that were published between January 1995 and April 2016. Studies written in English, French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish that involved women between 18 and 69 years of age who had engaged in sexual intercourse were included in this review. The review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Nineteen studies were ultimately evaluated in this review. Most of the included studies (n=17) demonstrated that the self-collection method exhibited outstanding acceptability among women with respect to cervical cancer screening, and only two studies indicated that self-collection exhibited low acceptability among women in this context. The acceptability of self-collection was determined subjectively (without standardized questionnaires) in 10 studies (53%) and via structured and validated questionnaires in the remaining studies. The results of our review suggest that the self-collection method is well-accepted and may therefore encourage greater participation in cervical cancer screening programs. However, additional studies are required to verify these results

Association between mannose-binding lectin and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphisms and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis

Objective The influence of functional polymorphisms in the genes coding for mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) were examined in an urban Brazilian population. Methods DNA was isolated from buccal swabs of 100 women with RVVC and 100 control women and tested by gene amplification for a single nucleotide polymorphism in codon 54 of the MBL2 gene and for a length polymorphism in intron 2 of the IL1RN gene. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared between groups. Results The frequency of the variant MBL2 B allele, associated with reduced circulating and vaginal MBL concentrations, was 27.0% in RVVC and 8.5% in control women (p < .0001). The MBL2 B, B genotype was present in 12% of RVVC patients and 1% of controls (p = .0025). The IL1RN 2 allele frequency, associated with the highest level of unopposed IL-1 beta activity, was 24.0% in RVVC and 23.4% in controls. The IL1RN genotype distribution was also similar in both groups. Conclusion Carriage of the MBL2 codon 54 polymorphism, but not the IL1RN length polymorphism, predisposes to RVVC in Brazilian women

Associação entre a Incisura Diastólica das Artérias Uterinas e a Histologia do Leito Placentário em Grávidas com Pré-eclâmpsia Association between Diastolic Notch of Uterine Artery and the Histology of the Placental Bed in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Objetivo: avaliar a associação entre a presença da incisura diastólica nas artérias uterinas maternas e as alterações histopatológicas dos vasos útero-placentários. Métodos: estudo transversal incluindo 144 pacientes com gestação única interrompida por via abdominal entre a 27ª e a 41ª semana. Destas, 84 gestações estavam associadas à pré-eclâmpsia e 60 não apresentaram intercorrências clínicas. Neste grupo realizou-se dopplerfluxometria de ambas as artérias uterinas e biópsia do leito placentário. Resultados: das 144 pacientes, 88 (61%) tiveram o fragmento da biópsia considerado representativo do leito placentário. A incisura diastólica estava presente em 40 (70%) dos casos de alterações fisiológicas inadequadas e ausente em 28 (90%) dos casos de alterações fisiológicas presentes (p=0,05). A dopplerfluxometria apresentou sensibilidade de 70%, especificidade de 90% e valores preditivos positivo e negativo de 44 e 97%, respectivamente. A associação entre a presença de incisura diastólica bilateral das artérias uterinas e arteriopatia decidual também foi significativa (dos 25 casos de arteriopatia decidual a incisura estava presente em 24, p=0,05). A sensibilidade da dopplerfluxometria foi de 96%, especificidade de 70% e valores preditivos positivo e negativo de 26 e 99%, respectivamente, ao passo que para a arteriolosclerose a dopplerfluxometria apresentou sensibilidade de 80%, especificidade de 55% e valores preditivos positivo e negativo de 17 e 96%, respectivamente. Conclusões: a incisura diastólica nas artérias uterinas maternas é indicador seguro de vasculopatia no leito placentário. A adequada invasão trofoblástica do leito placentário, revelada por histologia típica de alterações fisiológicas, resulta na ausência de incisura diastólica bilateral das artérias uterinas maternas.<br>Purpose: to evaluate the association between the presence of diastolic notch in the maternal uterine arteries, and the histopathological changes of the uteroplacental vessels. Methods: transversal study of 144 women with single pregnancy interrupted by cesarean section between 27 and 41 weeks. In this sample, 84 had pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and the other 60 were normal. In this group, Doppler study of both uterine arteries and placental bed biopsy was performed. Results: of the total of 144 patients, 88 patients (61%) had a biopsy fragment that was considered representative of the placental bed. The diastolic notch was present in 40 patients (70%) of the total of cases with inadequate physiologic alterations and absent in 28 patients (90%) of the total of cases with physiologic alterations (p=0.0000). The Doppler study showed 70% sensitivity, 90% specificity, 44% positive predictive value and 97% negative predictive value. The association between bilateral diastolic notch of uterine arteries and acute atherosis in the placental bed was also significant (24 out of 25 cases -- p=0.000). The Doppler study showed 96% sensitivity, 70% specificity, 26% positive predictive value and 99% negative predictive value, while for arteriolosclerosis its results were 80% sensitivity, 55% specificity, 17% positive predictive value and 96% negative predictive value. Conclusions: the diastolic notch in the maternal uterine is a safe indicator of pathological vessel alteration in the placental bed. The adequate trophoblast migration into the myometrium, revealed by physiologic changes, results in the absence of bilateral diastolic notch of the maternal uterine arteries

Líquen escleroso vulvar: descrição de cinco casos de sucesso com laser Erbium-YAG 2940

Líquen escleroso é dermatose crônica com predileção pela região genital. Acomete, principalmente, a raça branca, sendo mais frequente em mulheres. O tratamento-padrão é feito com corticosteroides tópicos de alta potência. Tratamentos com propionato de testosterona, imunomoduladores tópicos, terapia fotodinâmica, crioterapia, antibioticoterapia e laserterapia são citados na literatura. Neste artigo são relatados cinco casos de pacientes com liquen escleroso vulvar, sem sucesso com o clobetasol tópico, submetidas ao tratamento com Laser Erbium YAG 2940 fracionado. Os resultados foram bastante satisfatórios, sugerindo a laserterapia como opção no tratamento do líquen escleroso, incluídos casos de insucesso com o uso corticoides tópicos

CONSUMO DE NUTRIENTES, DIGESTIBILIDADE IN VIVO E IN VITRO DE DIETAS PARA CÃES CONTENDO POLPA DE CITRUS E FOLHA DE ALFAFA

Determinaram-se os consumos de nutrientes e a digestibilidade aparente, in vivo e in vitro, em dez cadelas submetidas a uma dieta controle (R0) acrescida de 10 (R10) e 20% (R20) de uma mistura contendo polpa de citros (PC) e folhas de feno de alfafa. A digestibilidade foi estimada pela coleta total de fezes e pelo uso das cinzas insolúveis em ácido. Quando expressos em % do peso vivo, os consumos de água, de matéria seca (MS), de matéria orgânica (MO) e de proteína bruta (PB) diminuiram à medida que os níveis de fibra aumentaram. Entretanto, a digestibilidade da MS, da PB, da fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e do extrato etéreo (EE) aumentou com o acréscimo do consumo das fontes fibrosas. A digestibilidade estimada pelos dois métodos resultou em valores cuja diferença não ultrapassou 5 unidades. Houve diferenças nos valores de digestibilidade in vitro quanto à origem do inóculo fecal e os maiores valores foram para as amostras dos ingredientes fibrosos incubados com inóculo oriundo dos animais que estavam ingerindo as dietas contendo as fontes de fibra. A polpa de citros resultou na maior digestibilidade in vitro, enquanto que a ração controle, na menor

The acceptability of vaginal smear self-collection for screening for cervical cancer: a systematic review

Cervical cancer is a major cause of death in adult women. However, many women do not undergo cervical cancer screening for the following reasons: fear, shame, physical limitations, cultural or religious considerations and lack of access to health care services. Self-collected vaginal smears maybe an alternative means of including more women in cervical cancer screening programs. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the acceptability of vaginal smear self-collection for cervical cancer screening. We selected articles from PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase that were published between January 1995 and April 2016. Studies written in English, French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish that involved women between 18 and 69 years of age who had engaged in sexual intercourse were included in this review. The review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Nineteen studies were ultimately evaluated in this review. Most of the included studies (n=17) demonstrated that the self-collection method exhibited outstanding acceptability among women with respect to cervical cancer screening, and only two studies indicated that self-collection exhibited low acceptability among women in this context. The acceptability of self-collection was determined subjectively (without standardized questionnaires) in 10 studies (53%) and via structured and validated questionnaires in the remaining studies. The results of our review suggest that the self-collection method is well-accepted and may therefore encourage greater participation in cervical cancer screening programs. However, additional studies are required to verify these results