Background and Objectives: Pregnant women are more likely to develop a more severe course of COVID-19 than their non-pregnant peers. There are many arguments for the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review concerning the approach of pregnant women towards vaccination against COVID-19, with particular regard to determinants of vaccination acceptance. Materials and Methods: Articles were reviewed in which the aim was to evaluate—via a survey or questionnaire—the acceptance and decision to undergo vaccination against COVID-19. The articles were subjected to review according to recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement (PRISMA). Results: In various studies, the percentage of pregnant women accepting the COVID-19 vaccine was between 29.7% and 77.4%. The strongest factors co-existing with the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy were trust in the importance and effectiveness of the vaccine, explicit communication about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women, acceptance of other vaccinations such as those for influenza, belief in the importance of vaccines/mass vaccination in one’s own country, anxiety about COVID-19, trust in public health agencies/health science, as well as compliance to mask guidelines. The remaining factors were older age, higher education, and socioeconomic status. Conclusions: This review allowed us to show that geographic factors (Asian, South American countries) and pandemic factors (different threats and risks from infection) significantly influence the acceptance of vaccines. The most significant factors affecting acceptance are those related to public awareness of the risk of infection, vaccine safety, and the way in which reliable information about the need and safety of vaccines is provided. Professional and reliable patient information by obstetricians and qualified medical personnel would significantly increase the level of confidence in vaccination against COVID-19.
Background: In vitro and observational epidemiological studies suggest that vitamin D may play a role in cancer prevention. However, the relationship between vitamin D and ovarian cancer is uncertain, with observational studies generating conflicting findings. A potential limitation of observational studies is inadequate control of confounding. To overcome this problem, we used Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration and risk of ovarian cancer. Methods: We employed SNPs with well-established associations with 25(OH)D concentration as instrumental variables for MR: rs7944926 (DHCR7), rs12794714 (CYP2R1) and rs2282679 (GC). We included 31 719 women of European ancestry (10 065 cases, 21 654 controls) from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, who were genotyped using customized Illumina Infinium iSelect (iCOGS) arrays. A two-sample (summary data) MR approach was used and analyses were performed separately for all ovarian cancer (10 065 cases) and for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (4121 cases). Results: The odds ratio for epithelial ovarian cancer risk (10 065 cases) estimated by combining the individual SNP associations using inverse variance weighting was 1.27 (95% confidence interval: 1.06 to 1.51) per 20 nmol/L decrease in 25(OH)D concentration. The estimated odds ratio for high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (4121 cases) was 1.54 (1.19, 2.01). Conclusions: Genetically lowered 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were associated with higher ovarian cancer susceptibility in Europeans. These findings suggest that increasing plasma vitamin D levels may reduce risk of ovarian cancer.
Human exposure to carcinogenic Cr(VI) compounds is found among workers in a large number of professional groups, and it can also occur through environmental pollution. A significant number of toxic waste sites contain Cr as a major contaminant. In this paper we summarize our efforts to apply measurements of DNA-protein cross-links (DPC) as test for biologically active doses of Cr(VI). DPC were found at elevated levels in lymphocytes in several human populations with low to medium Cr exposures. At high exposure to Cr(VI), exemplified by a group of Bulgarian chromeplaters, DPC plateaued and adducts' levels were similar to those found in environmentally exposed individuals. Lymphocytic DPC correlated strongly with Cr levels in erythrocytes that are indicative of Cr(VI) exposure. DPC in lymphocytes were not confounded by such variables as smoking, age, body weight, gender, or ethnicity. A new version of the cross-link assay offers improved sensitivity and requires a small amount of biologic material. Preliminary results indicate that the ability of DPC to reach detectable levels at low levels of Cr exposure could be related to a lack of repair of these lesions in lymphoid cells. Cr(III)-mediated cross-links of DNA with peptide glutathione or single amino acids were mutagenic in human cells, with a relationship of higher molecular weight of the peptide/amino acid correlating with a more potent mutagenic response. We speculate that bulky DPC could also have a significant promutagenic effect. The current methodology does not allow specific determination of Cr-induced DPC; however, demonstrated sensitivity of DPC measurements and the assay's large sample capacity may allow this assay to be used as the initial screening test for the occurrence of DNA damage in Cr(VI)-exposed populations.
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