The classification of endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) has been refined and aided by the discovery of various recurrent gene translocations. Low-grade ESS (LG-ESS) is most commonly characterized by JAZF1-SUZ12 fusions followed by rearrangements involving PHD finger protein-1 (PHF1) and multiple fusion partners, including JAZF1, EPC1, EPC2, and MEAF6. In the present study, integrating anchored polymerase chain reaction and paired-end next-generation ribonucleic acid sequencing, we identified the presence of a novel malignant brain tumor domain-containing 1 (MBTD1)-PHF1 gene fusion in a case of LG-ESS. MBTD1 belongs to the Polycomb gene group, and its fusion with PHF1 is predicted to mediate tumorigenesis through aberrant transcriptional repression. Histology and immunohistochemical studies demonstrated conventional morphology for LG-ESS and clinical follow-up showed no progression of disease after 6 months. These findings help expand the current knowledge on the spectrum of gene rearrangements in the diagnosis of ESS.
BackgroundMultiple studies have suggested a relationship between adult exposures to environmental organochlorines and fecundability. There is a paucity of data, however, regarding fetal exposure to organochlorines via the mother’s blood and fecundability of adult female offspring.MethodsData from a two-generation cohort of maternal fisheaters was investigated to assess female offspring fecundability. Serum concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethene (DDE) in Michigan female anglers were serially measured between 1973 and 1991 and used to estimate in utero exposure in their female offspring using two different methods. The angler cohort included 391 women of whom 259 provided offspring information. Of 213 daughters aged 20–50, 151 participated (71 %) and provided information for time intervals of unprotected intercourse (TUI). The daughters reported 308 TUIs (repeated observations), of which 288 ended in pregnancy. We estimated the fecundability ratio (FR) for serum-PCB and serum-DDE adjusting for confounders and accounting for repeated measurements. An FR below one indicates a longer time to pregnancy.ResultsCompared to serum-PCB of <2.5 μg/L, the FR was 0.60 for serum-PCB between 2.5–7.4 μg/L [95 % confidence intervals (CI) 0.36, 0.99], and 0.42 [95 % CI 0.20, 0.88] for serum-PCB >7.4 μg/L. Similar results were obtained using the alternative statistical method to estimate in utero serum-PCB. The association was stronger for TUIs when women planned a baby; FR = 0.50 for serum-PCB between 2.5–7.4 μg/L, [95 % CI 0.29, 0.89], and 0.30 [95 % CI 0.13, 0.68] for serum-PCB >7.4 μg/L. There was no relationship between in utero exposure to DDE and fecundability in daughters.ConclusionsDecreased fecundability in female offspring of fisheaters was found to be associated with PCB exposure in utero, possibly related to endocrine disruption in the oocyte and/or other developing organs influencing reproductive capacity in adulthood.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12940-016-0175-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Background People use the internet as a primary source for learning about medical procedures and their associated safety profiles and risks. Although abortion is one of the most common procedures worldwide among women in their reproductive years, it is controversial and highly politicized. Substantial scientific evidence demonstrates that abortion is safe and does not increase a woman’s future risk for depressive disorders or infertility. The extent to which information found on the internet reflects these medical facts in a trustworthy and unbiased manner is not known. Objective The purpose of this study was to collate and describe the trustworthiness and political slant or bias of web-based information about abortion safety and risks of depression and infertility following abortion. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of internet websites using 3 search topics: (1) is abortion safe?, (2) does abortion cause depression?, and (3) does abortion cause infertility? We used the Google Adwords tool to identify the search terms most associated with those topics and Google’s search engine to generate databases of websites related to each topic. We then classified and rated each website in terms of content slant (pro-choice, neutral, anti-choice), clarity of slant (obvious, in-between, or difficult/can’t tell), trustworthiness (rating scale of 1-5, 5=most trustworthy), type (forum, feature, scholarly article, resource page, news article, blog, or video), and top-level domain (.com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov, or international domain). We compared website characteristics by search topic (safety, depression, or infertility) using bivariate tests. We summarized trustworthiness using the median and IQR, and we used box-and-whisker plots to visually compare trustworthiness by slant and domain type. Results Our search methods yielded a total of 111, 120, and 85 unique sites for safety, depression, and infertility, respectively. Of all the sites (n=316), 57.3% (181/316) were neutral, 35.4% (112/316) were anti-choice, and 7.3% (23/316) were pro-choice. The median trustworthiness score was 2.7 (IQR 1.7-3.7), which did not differ significantly across topics (P=.409). Anti-choice sites were less trustworthy (median score 1.3, IQR 1.0-1.7) than neutral (median score 3.3, IQR 2.7-4.0) and pro-choice (median score 3.7, IQR 3.3-4.3) sites. Anti-choice sites were also more likely to have slant clarity that was “difficult to tell” (41/112, 36.6%) compared with neutral (25/181, 13.8%) or pro-choice (4/23, 17.4%; P<.001) sites. A negative search term used for the topic of safety (eg, “risks”) produced sites with lower trustworthiness scores than search terms with the word “safety” (median score 1.7 versus 3.7, respectively; P<.001). Conclusions People seeking information about the safety and potential risks of abortion are likely to encounter a substantial amount of untrustworthy and slanted/biased abortion information. Anti-choice sites are prevalent, often difficult to identify as anti-choice, and less trustworthy than neutral or pro-choice sites. Web searches may lead the public to believe abortion is riskier than it is.
This article explores how social media users in Turkey conceptualize and navigate free speech challenges in the wake of recent government crackdowns on media institutions. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 40 social media users in Istanbul, including people from LGBTQ, feminist, Kurdish, journalist, activist, and academic communities, who have been on the front lines of free speech struggles in Turkey. Informants' comments converged around a theme of transmit‐trap dynamics, which emphasizes user experiences in the context of “networked authoritarianism,” and speaks to the ways Turkish social media users find themselves simultaneously empowered by and targeted within social media platforms.
Objectives We analyzed Twitter tweets and Twitter-provided user data to give geographical, temporal and content insight into the use of social media in the Planned Parenthood video controversy. Methodology We randomly sampled the full Twitter repository (also known as the Firehose) (n=30,000) for tweets containing the phrase “planned parenthood” as well as group-defining hashtags “#defundpp” and “#standwithpp.” We used demographic content provided by the user and word analysis to generate charts, maps and timeline visualizations. Chi-square and t tests were used to compare differences in content, statistical references and dissemination strategies. Results From July 14, 2015, to January 30, 2016, 1,364,131 and 795,791 tweets contained “#defundpp” and “#standwithpp,” respectively. Geographically, #defundpp and #standwithpp were disproportionally distributed to the US South and West, respectively. Word analysis found that early tweets predominantly used “sensational” words and that the proportion of “political” and “call to action” words increased over time. Scatterplots revealed that #standwithpp tweets were clustered and episodic compared to #defundpp. #standwithpp users were more likely to be female [odds ratio (OR) 2.2, confidence interval (CI) 2.0–2.4] and have fewer followers (median 544 vs. 1578, p<.0001). #standwithpp and #defundpp did not differ significantly in their usage of data in tweets. #defundpp users were more likely to link to websites (OR 1.8, CI 1.7–1.9) and to other online dialogs (mean 3.3 vs. 2.0 p<.0001). Conclusion Social media analysis can be used to characterize and understand the content, tempo and location of abortion-related messages in today’s public spheres. Further research may inform proabortion efforts in terms of how information can be more effectively conveyed to the public. Implications This study has implications for how the medical community interfaces with the public with regards to abortion. It highlights how social media are actively exploited instruments for information and message dissemination. Researchers, providers and advocates should be monitoring social media and addressing the public through these modern channels.
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