No abstract

Shortly after the identification of a novel coronavirus, the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, a global pandemic was declared. There have been conflicting data about the severity of COVID-19 disease course in pregnant women, with most US data suggesting an increase in severity and increased need for hospitalization and intubation in obstetric patients. In the general population, the disease is more common among racial and ethnic minority populations, and severity is increased with comorbid conditions and obesity. The purpose of this study is to characterize COVID-19 infection in pregnancy in a population of women getting prenatal care at an urban safety-net hospital. Beginning in April, 2020, all women were tested at admission for delivery, and additionally as an outpatient if presenting with COVID-19 symptoms. In three months, there were 208 discrete women tested and 23 (11.1%) who were positive for COVID-19. The incidence of COVID-19 was 5.1% in asymptomatic women being screened upon admission to the hospital. There was a high prevalence of obesity (68.2%) and other comorbid conditions (43.5%) in this population, and all patients were racial/ethnic minorities. Despite these risk factors, the patients uniformly had either mild or asymptomatic disease. No symptomatic patients required hospitalization for their infection. In this population of pregnant women at high risk for severe COVID-19 infection, only mild disease was observed.

Nutrition across the first 2000 days of life, from conception to age five, is critical in shaping lifelong nutrition and health outcomes • A rapid review, policy mapping and key stakeholder interviews identified policy, programmatic and research opportunities regarding nutrition across the first 2000 days in Victoria, Australia • The findings, which have applicability in other jurisdictions, show that more joined-up action and greater program and policy coherence is needed, with a funded capacity to facilitate delivery of coordinated and integrated services to address nutrition across the first 2000 days

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, and rated the second most common cancer and a significant cause of death in females in the Sudan. This study aims to identify tumor protein that elicits humoral immune responses in breast cancer patient in comparison to tissues from healthy individuals as well as from normal tissues of the cancer patient. Serum samples and breast cancer tissue specimens were collected from breast cancer patients (n = 9) and from healthy individuals (n = 5) at Khartoum Teaching Hospital. Breast cancer tissues were homogenized in PBS, centrifuged and the supernatants were lysed in 2X SDS-PAGE sample buffer. The preparation then boiled and the resulting supernatants were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot analysis. Total proteins were separated on SDS-PAGE and transferred to the nitrocellulose paper, then analyzed by immunoblotting for total proteins and serum antibodies using serum from patients with breast cancer and from healthy individuals to enhance humoral immune responses. The SDS-PAGE analysis showed an increase in size of protein bands in the normal control tissues than from breast cancer patients. The Western blot analysis of breast cancer tissues with the serum from breast cancer patients specifically detected major bands than in the normal tissues from the healthy tissues of cancer patients or from healthy individuals. Beside the major bands, additional bands have been detected in breast cancer tissues with the serum from breast cancer patients. The reactive auto-antibodies in patient's tissues bound to the circulating tumor antigen in patient's serum and immune complexes would result by Western blotting indication of strong immune response to these proteins. The present study demonstrated that there was a clear decline in the expression of some proteins among breast cancer patients which has been confirmed by strong immune reactions in the Western blotting analysis.

e18018 Background: Focus on fertility preservation has overshadowed other aspects of reproductive health including sexuality and contraception in cancer care. Regardless of future childbearing interest, the first 18-months post-diagnosis of cancer are considered suboptimal for childbearing. We have coined the term, oncocontraception, for the application of contraception in cancer care. To address this need at our institution, we used the novel Family Planning Quotient/Reproductive Life Index (FPQ/RepLI) which allows providers to better understand patients’ reproductive health goals and counsel them towards appropriate family planning services. These tools aid providers in implementing clinical care to prevent pregnancy during this critical time. They are routinely utilized at Stroger Hospital in the Family Planning Clinic for women within the reproductive age, between the ages of 18 and 55. Methods: FPQ and RepLI were adapted for use with oncology patients. They were used to visually depict and quantify a woman’s reproductive life plan and assist health care providers in speaking to a woman regarding family planning as it pertains to and aligns with her cancer treatment. Results: During our study period, 36 reproductive aged women were seen in our family planning clinic after a cancer diagnosis. Our study population was comprised of mostly Hispanic/Latino women (58.3.0%) and 50.0% were between the ages of 31-40. The majority of the study group had breast cancer (77.8%) and were being treated with chemotherapy (52.8%). Among the study population, 80.6% received a form of contraception (44.8% short-term, 55.2% long-term). Conclusions: We established a link between the Oncology and Family Planning Clinics to incorporate contraceptive counseling as an essential piece of comprehensive cancer care. Approximately 45% of the women newly diagnosed with cancer are in the reproductive age range. With improvements in treatments and prognosis, quality of life factors are of increasing importance for these women. With this essential clinical relationship, patient counseling and provider-patient communication regarding contraceptive care in the context of cancer diagnosis will continue to grow and improve.