European Women Research Articles

Validation of the IOTA ADNEX Model Among Japanese Women Performed by Gynecology Trainees and Ultrasound Specialists: A Retrospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

This study aimed to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX) model in Japanese women, population with a distinct adnexal mass distribution compared with European women, and to evaluate the model's utility by gynecology trainees and ultrasound specialists. This single-center, retrospective study analyzed ultrasound data from January 2017 to March 2020 of 206 women with adnexal masses. Patients who underwent ultrasonography and serum CA-125 measurement and received postsurgery histological diagnosis were included. The ADNEX model's diagnostic performance was evaluated by two trainees and two specialists using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and measures of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for overall performance and each examiner. Of the 206 included Japanese women, the prevalence of malignancy was 30.1%, including borderline cases. The overall AUC for distinguishing malignancy was 0.848 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.817-0.880). The AUC for each examiner ranged from 0.791 to 0.898, with Specialist 2 showing the highest accuracy and sensitivity varying between 0.677 and 0.839. A moderate degree of agreement was noted among the four examiners (Fleiss' kappa was 0.586). The performance of trainees and specialists differed significantly in evaluating the solid tissue and the papillary projections in both malignant and benign groups (P < .001). The IOTA ADNEX model effectively differentiates benign and malignant adnexal masses in Japanese women. Although the accuracy matched up moderately among the four examiners, better accuracy is expected with training in evaluating solid tissue and papillary projections.

Our Boy Whitey: Middle-Aged Women’s Happy Object on TikTok

This article provides an example of how middle-aged women rediscover and express emotions in digital media, mainly sexual desire but also the joy they feel among like-minded women of the same age. The ethnographic case is a community of European and North American women aged around 40 to 60 years who sexually desire 20-year-old TikTok celebrity William White. White went viral when he began lip-syncing to 1980s hits, particularly Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” while performing his flirtatious signature moves: the smile, the wink, and the eye roll. This study is based on 6 months of daily lurking in a digital community the women call Whiteyynation, structured around White’s accounts on various digital platforms. In trying to understand the meaning and function of a young male TikTok’er in the lives of middle-aged women, with Sara Ahmed’s theory of emotions, I describe how happy objects align individuals in a social community toward happiness. Specifically, I analyze how White, through a playful capitalization of 1980s music combined with a certain flirtatious look, functions as a happy object that is multiplied, magnified, and circulated in Whiteyynation. I explore the circumstances and conditions surrounding Whiteyynation as an affective space and affective economy, such as the production and distribution of self-produced content, gifting as a strategy for increased reciprocity, and the various currencies at play.

МEANS OF PERSUASION IN JOURNAL DISCOURSE

The article is devoted to one of topical problems of modern linguistics – to the study of strategies and tactics of persuasion in various types of discourse. Modern scientists consider linguistic means of achieving the goal of influence. The purposefulness of speech actions is a topical phenomenon in political, advertising, tourism, journalism and other types of discourse. The most obvious potential of the persuasive impact is manifested in the journal discourse, which is an implicit model of social interaction. The choice of the French women’s magazine discourse as an object of research is due to the special form of the social role of the Western European woman. It is established that gender-marked speech portraits are manifested in women’s magazine discourse. Subject of research includes the title of the text of the French women’s magazine article from the point of view of the ways of linguistic implementation of the media discourse’s persusive function. The pragmaorientation of the title of the journal text, which has a special strategy for the implementation of the main goals and objectives of the journal discourse, is noted. The article considers the evolution of strategies and tactics of the persuasion of the French women’s journal discourse, due to the transformation of the role of women in the French linguistic and cultural community. The article concludes that the subject matter and linguistic organisation of the headlines of French women’s magazines of the present and before the 1960s partially coincide, but are of different potential for the realisation of persuasion.

Gentlemen, husbandmen, and industrious wives: The role of gender in imagining Indian agriculture

The Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India (AHSI), founded in 1820, remains the most important producer of English-language knowledge regarding the cultivation of plants in colonial India. Members included missionaries, colonial officials, tea and indigo planters, merchants and bankers, as well as the Bengali bhadralok elites of Calcutta and some Indian princes. The writings it produced were highly gendered. Often they focus on how “improving” the political economy and agricultural productivity would create masculine identities, such as gentlemen landowners and industrious peasant husbandman. Yet I also argue that women’s agricultural work was fundamental in imagining this path towards “improvement.” Using descriptions of Indian farming and labor practices from the Society’s meeting minutes and published transactions, as well as additional writings by its members and missionary founders, I show how many European members of the Society viewed women working outside of domestic pursuits as a sign of Indian inferiority. At the same time, many argued for the benefits of women’s work, which they viewed as fundamental in making Indian households more productive. Women and their labor were a lynchpin in creating the idea of the effeminate Indian man as well as the solution for improving him. It was this intersection of race with gender which helped to define agriculture as a discipline much closer to practical knowledge than abstract science. While some European women were able to participate in the Society’s production of scientific knowledge because of agriculture’s practical nature, Indian knowledge (whether from men or women) tended to be openly dismissed as tradition or habit rather than truly practical. The overlap of gender with race consequently helped to create a hierarchy between practical knowledge and tradition.

Echocardiographic monitoring of myocardial function in a female patient with right heart Loeffler endocarditis at thrombotic stage after Epstein-Barr-virus infection

BackgroundTransthoracic echocardiography is usually the first non-invasive imaging modality for the detection of Loeffler endocarditis at thrombotic stage. In the recent decade 3D echocardiography and deformation imaging already proved as a helpful tool for the monitoring of left and right ventricular heart disease.Case presentationThe present case illustrates the diagnostic role of 3D echocardiography and deformation imaging in the acute stage of right sided Loeffler endocarditis in a 70-year-old Western European (German) woman. This case proves that myocardial involvement due to inflammation can be detected at subclinical stages by speckle tracking echocardiography. Acute deterioration of left and right ventricular function and the early response to prednisolone therapy can objectively be monitored. In addition, alterations of effective stroke volume can quantitatively be assessed by 3D right ventricular volumetry with exclusion of thrombus formation in the volume measurements.ConclusionThis case underlines the importance of 3D echocardiography and deformation imaging as a helpful diagnostic tool in disease management in the acute phase of Loeffler endocarditis at thrombotic stage.

Integrated women's football teams can attract larger stadium crowds

ABSTRACT Research Question Women's sports have seen a trend of diversification recently, with women's and men's teams merging to form integrated football clubs. While such integrated clubs (e.g. Paris Saint-Germain), in particular, have determined the media headlines with record attendances, governing bodies have begun drafting policies to accelerate such strategic integrations. However, empirical evidence on whether integrated women's football teams (which may benefit from brand spillover effects, among other things) attract larger crowds to their stadiums is limited at best. Naturally, this raises the question of whether being an integrated football club matters for women's football stadium attendance demand. Research Method Using ordinary least squares regression with season-level fixed effects with a dataset of 1,506 games played over 11 seasons before and after the COVID pandemic in Germany, France, and Sweden, we are the first to present robust evidence on the association between being an integrated football clubs and stadium attendance demand for European women’s football across multiple markets. Results and Findings We find that integrated women's football teams can attract larger crowds. Intriguingly, such demand synergies, however, are not a given emerging from a strong brand effect, per se. Instead, women's football club executives must proactively unlock these synergies to avoid adverse effects. Implications Our findings suggest that women’s football may achieve a higher potential through integration, but only if the women’s team is managed as more than an ancillary second team. As such, despite being formulated with the best intentions, forced integration policies might backfire.

Fistulising skin metastases in Crohn’s disease: a case report and review of the literature

BackgroundMetastatic Crohn’s disease is a rare disorder characterized by various granulomatous skin lesions that occur independently of gastrointestinal tract involvement. However, currently there is no standardized care or specific treatment. Therapeutic approaches include immunosuppressive agents, such as corticosteroids, azathioprine, and monoclonal antibodies targeting inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor (TNF).Case presentationWe present a case of a 29-year-old western European woman with significant blind ending abdominal subcutaneous fistulas and abscesses, who sought evaluation in the dermatology department. Histological examination revealed multiple epithelioid cell granulomas. There was no evidence of infectious or rheumatologic diseases such as sarcoidosis. The tentative diagnosis was metastatic Crohn’s disease, which was not related to an intestinal manifestation of the disease. The patient responded to infliximab but had to discontinue it due to an allergic reaction. Subsequent adalimumab treatment failed to induce clinical remission; thus, therapy was switched to ustekinumab, resulting in a positive response. Written informed consent for publication of their clinical details and clinical images was obtained from the patient.For our study more than 1600 publications were screened for cases of metastatic Crohn’s disease on PubMed database. 59 case reports with 171 patients were included in the analysis and evaluated for localization, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and complications and were summarized in this review.ConclusionThe successful ustekinumab treatment of a patient with metastatic Crohn's disease underscores the potential of this minimally investigated therapeutic option, highlighting the need for future treatment guidelines given the increasing prevalence of such cases.

Integration of Ultrasound in Image-Guided Adaptive Brachytherapy in Cancer of the Uterine Cervix

Cervical cancer continues to be a public health concern, as it remains the second most common cancer despite screening programs. It is the third most common cause of cancer-related death for women, and the majority of cases happen in developing nations. The standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer involves the use of external beam radiation therapy, along with concurrent chemotherapy, followed by an image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) boost. The five-year relative survival rate for European women diagnosed with cervical cancer was 62% between 2000 and 2007. Updated cervical cancer treatment guidelines based on IGABT have been developed by the Gynecological working group, which is composed of the Group Européen de Curiethérapie–European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The therapeutic strategy makes use of three-dimensional imaging, which can be tailored to the target volume and at-risk organs through the use of computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Under anaesthesia, the brachytherapy implantation is carried out. Ultrasonography is utilised to assess the depth of the uterine cavity and to facilitate the dilation of the uterine canal during the application insertion. In this study, we examine data from the international literature regarding the application of ultrasound in cervical cancer brachytherapy.

EARLY EUROPEAN WOMEN IN SEISMOLOGY

ABSTRACT Inge Lehmann is the best-known European woman seismologist, but she is not an isolated case. The presence of women seismologists in Europe has a long tradition, with the earliest women researchers appearing at the beginning of the 20th century in the United Kingdom, Denmark, the former USSR, and France. After World War II, women seismologists in Europe had an important presence. Their names are present in the lists of participants in seismological international meetings (IASPEI or ESC), where information about these women and their roles in these institutions can be found. This paper concentrates on the presence of women seismologists in Europe in the 1920–1970 period. After the 1970s, the number of women in seismology has increased considerably.

Abstract PS10-07: A second-generation polygenic risk score (PRS) based on genetic ancestry improves breast cancer (BC) risk prediction for all ancestries

Abstract Background: Common genetic variants, mainly single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) explain substantial genetic susceptibility to BC. PRS have been developed to quantify the combined effects of BC-associated SNPs, providing important information about BC risk. Historically, genome-wide association studies have been conducted in predominantly European populations, resulting in miscalibrated and inaccurate PRS for non-Europeans. We previously described a multiple-ancestry PRS (MA-PRS-149) based on 56 ancestry-informative and 93 BC-associated SNPs. The MA-PRS-149 achieved accuracy for all women by characterizing the genetic ancestry of each BC-associated SNP in terms of three reference ancestries (African, East Asian, and European), applying ancestry-specific SNP risks and frequencies, and combining the results as a weighted sum of three ancestry-specific PRS. Here, we aimed to improve the predictive accuracy of MA-PRS-149, particularly for non-Europeans, through the inclusion of additional BC-associated SNPs. Methods: Women referred for hereditary cancer testing and negative for pathogenic variants in BC-associated genes were divided into consecutive study cohorts to (1) quantify ancestry-specific SNP risks, (2) combine the three ancestry-specific PRS, and (3) pre-specified clinical validation. To select an optimal set of BC-associated SNPs, we developed a novel synthetic stepwise regression methodology that accounts for linkage disequilibrium. Ancestry-specific SNP risks were determined from meta-analyses of literature with clinical cohorts of 57,827 Black/African and 26,992 East Asian women. Ancestry-specific PRS were combined based on a diverse cohort of 157,740 women. Clinical validation was conducted in an independent cohort of 77,774 women. We used multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, ancestry, and cancer history to test for improved BC risk prediction over clinical factors. We tested for improvement over the MA-PRS-149, and a European PRS, by including additional PRS as covariates. Calibration was assessed through goodness-of-fit tests. All analyses were conducted within the full cohort and ancestral subpopulations. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported per standard deviation within the corresponding population. Results: An optimal set of 383 SNPs (56 ancestry-informative and 327 BC-associated) was included in the final PRS (MA-PRS-383). MA-PRS-383 added significant predictive information to clinical factors in the full cohort and within each ancestry (Table 1). MA-PRS-383 had greater predictive accuracy than MA-PRS-149 or a 383-SNP PRS with European weights. Goodness-of-fit tests showed that MA-PRS-383 was well-calibrated and predicted risk accurately in the tails of the distribution for both European and non-European women. Conclusion: MA-PRS-383 was well-calibrated and substantially improved upon existing PRS in all tested ancestral populations. Incorporation of MA-PRS-383 into BC risk assessment may lead to more accurate identification of women who are most likely to benefit from screening and preventive medications. Citation Format: Timothy Simmons, Elisha Hughes, Dmitry Pruss, Matthew Kucera, Benjamin Roa, Thaddeus Judkins, Thomas Slavin, Victor Abkevich, Ryan Hoff, Srikanth Jammulapati, Susanne Wagner, Dale Muzzey, Jerry Lanchbury, Alexander Gutin. A second-generation polygenic risk score (PRS) based on genetic ancestry improves breast cancer (BC) risk prediction for all ancestries [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PS10-07.

Social inequalities in pregnancy metabolic profile: findings from the multi-ethnic Born in Bradford cohort study.

Lower socioeconomic position (SEP) associates with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes and with less favourable metabolic profile in nonpregnant adults. Socioeconomic differences in pregnancy metabolic profile are unknown. We investigated association between a composite measure of SEP and pregnancy metabolic profile in White European (WE) and South Asian (SA) women. We included 3,905 WE and 4,404 SA pregnant women from a population-based UK cohort. Latent class analysis was applied to nineteen individual, household, and area-based SEP indicators (collected by questionnaires or linkage to residential address) to derive a composite SEP latent variable. Targeted nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine 148 metabolic traits from mid-pregnancy serum samples. Associations between SEP and metabolic traits were examined using linear regressions adjusted for gestational age and weighted by latent class probabilities. Five SEP sub-groups were identified and labelled 'Highest SEP' (48% WE and 52% SA), 'High-Medium SEP' (77% and 23%), 'Medium SEP' (56% and 44%) 'Low-Medium SEP' (21% and 79%), and 'Lowest SEP' (52% and 48%). Lower SEP was associated with more adverse levels of 113 metabolic traits, including lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and higher triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) traits. For example, mean standardized difference (95%CI) in concentration of small VLDL particles (vs. Highest SEP) was 0.12 standard deviation (SD) units (0.05 to 0.20) for 'Medium SEP' and 0.25SD (0.18 to 0.32) for 'Lowest SEP'. There was statistical evidence of ethnic differences in associations of SEP with 31 traits, primarily characterised by stronger associations in WE women e.g., mean difference in HDL cholesterol in WE and SA women respectively (vs. Highest-SEP) was -0.30SD (-0.41 to -0.20) and -0.16SD (-0.27 to -0.05) for 'Medium SEP', and -0.62SD (-0.72 to -0.52) and -0.29SD (-0.40 to -0.20) for 'Lowest SEP'. We found widespread socioeconomic differences in metabolic traits in pregnant WE and SA women residing in the UK. Further research is needed to understand whether the socioeconomic differences we observe here reflect pre-conception differences or differences in the metabolic pregnancy response. If replicated, it would be important to explore if these differences contribute to socioeconomic differences in pregnancy outcomes.

Studying Forms and Functions of Plurilingualism in Eighteenth-Century European Women’s Letters: The Case of Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806)

ABSTRACT This article addresses the plurilingual writing practices of eighteenth-century women of letters through the case of Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), a plurilingual poet and translator who mastered no less than ten different languages. To determine the forms and functions of plurilingualism in early modern women’s letters, this article puts forward a methodological framework which combines insights from different fields of study. This framework moves beyond the notion of code-switching, and argues for a distinction between manifest and latent forms of epistolary plurilingualism. To determine the functions of plurilingualism in women’s letters, it proposes a contextualised reading. The potential of this framework is then illustrated by a close analysis of Elizabeth Carter’s plurilingual correspondence with Catherine Talbot (1721–1770). From this analysis, it appears that during the early years of their correspondence, Carter’s use of plurilingualism was inspired by an awareness of the inherent differences between languages, and of the dynamic interplay between language and identity. Studying the plurilingual dimensions of eighteenth-century women’s letters thus not only sheds new light upon women’s linguistic capabilities, but it also gives more insight into the way in which early modern women (re)shaped their intellectual and/or literary self/ves through letter writing.

The emergence of common health conditions across the life course: evidence from the Born in Bradford family cohort

Background Born in Bradford (BiB) is a family cohort study with linked routine health records. We calculated the rates of common health conditions and explored differences between White European and South Asian participants. Methods 21 health conditions were identified using diagnostic codes and prescription records extracted from electronic health records. Period prevalence of each condition was calculated for the two years before recruitment, and incidence rates per 1000 person years were calculated from recruitment to BiB to the end of 2021, or earlier if censored. Age-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) between ethnic groups. Results The sample included 9,784 mothers, 52% of whom were of South Asian heritage and 48% were White European. The highest prevalence and incidence rates were observed for common mental health disorders and eczema. We found evidence that South Asian women had higher incidence of 14/21 conditions, including diabetes (HR 3.94 [95% CI 3.15, 4.94]), chronic liver disease (2.98 [2.29, 3.88]) and thyroid disorders (1.87 [1.50, 2.33]), and had lower incidence of cancer (0.51 [0.38, 0.68]), other and common mental health disorders (0.56 [0.45, 0.71] and 0.69 [0.64, 0.74] respectively), and other neuromuscular conditions (0.63 [0.49, 0.82]). Conclusions/discussion We report differences in several non-communicable health conditions between White European and South Asian women. The higher rates of some health conditions observed in South Asian participants may be explained by social, cultural, lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors and highlights the importance of understanding and addressing these factors to reduce health inequalities. It is already known that the risk of some diseases, e.g., diabetes, is associated with South Asian ethnicity and these results reinforce the need for culturally appropriate public health interventions to address modifiable risk factors at both an individual and systems level to reduce the burden of long-term health conditions.

Evidence that the woman's ovarian cycle is driven by an internal circamonthly timing system.

The ovarian cycle has a well-established circa-monthly rhythm, but the mechanisms involved in its regularity are unknown. Is the rhythmicity driven by an endogenous clock-like timer or by other internal or external processes? Here, using two large epidemiological datasets (26,912 cycles from 2303 European women and 4786 cycles from 721 North American women), analyzed with time series and circular statistics, we find evidence that the rhythmic characteristics of the menstrual cycle are more likely to be explained by an endogenous clock-like driving mechanism than by any other internal or external process. We also show that the menstrual cycle is weakly but significantly influenced by the 29.5-day lunar cycle and that the phase alignment between the two cycles differs between the European and the North American populations. Given the need to find efficient treatments of subfertility in women, our results should be confirmed in larger populations, and chronobiological approaches to optimize the ovulatory cycle should be evaluated.

Country Differences in the Effects of Individual Traits on Depression in Women in Europe

AbstractMental health and, in particular, depression are of great global concern today, especially in middle- and high-income countries. These health issues show an unequal gender prevalence as they are more common in women than in men. The aim of this work is to use micro-econometric models to analyze the prevalence of depression in women in 27 European countries, as well as to quantify the effects of certain individual characteristics on the probability of experiencing depression and the degree to which it occurs. In addition, measures are proposed to assess how each country differs from the total sample. The data used proceed from the European Health Interview Survey wave 2 (EHIS-2). The results show that higher educational levels and incomes are protective factors, while older age and being unemployed have a positive effect on the probability of having depression, particularly on the probability of severe depression. Furthermore, from the calculation of ratios, notable differences are detected in the effects of these characteristics in different countries. Although the direction of the effect of each characteristic is similar in all countries, the size of the effect in each country varies significantly from the sample average. The results highlight the importance of identifying which individual traits generate a higher propensity to experience depression in women. The proposed procedure leads to the conclusion that the detection of differences and similarities between countries could allow the extrapolation of successful practices in prevention and mental health care.

Dietary fibre intake, adiposity, and metabolic disease risk in Pacific and New Zealand European women

The aim of this study was to explore associations between habitual dietary fibre intake, adiposity, and biomarkers of metabolic health in Pacific and New Zealand European women who are known to have different metabolic disease risks. Pacific (n = 126) and New Zealand European (NZ European; n = 161) women (18-45years) were recruited to the PROMISE cross-sectional study(1) based on normal (18-24.9kg/m2) and obese BMI (≥30kg/m2). Body fat percentage (BF%), measured using whole body DXA, was used to stratify participants into low (&lt;35%) or high (≥35%) BF% groups. Habitual dietary intake was calculated using the National Cancer Institute method, involving a 5-day-food-record and a semi-quantitative FFQ. Fasting blood was analysed for glucose, insulin, and lipid profile. NZ European women in the low- and high-BF% groups were older, less socioeconomically deprived, and consumed more dietary fibre (median 23.7g/day [25-75-percentile, 20.1, 29.9]; 20.9 [19.4, 24.9]) than Pacific women (18.8 [15.6, 22.1]; 17.8 [15.0, 20.8]; both p&lt;0.001), respectively. Pacific women consumed a higher proportion of their total fibre intake from discretionary fast foods, in contrast NZ European women consumed more dietary fibre from wholegrains. Regression analysis controlling for ethnicity, age, socioeconomic deprivation, energy intake, protein, total carbohydrate, and fat intake showed significant inverse associations between higher dietary fibre intake and BF% and visceral fat% (β = −0.47, 95% CI = −0.62, −0.31, p&lt;0.001; β = −0.61, [−0.82, −0.40], p&lt;0.001, respectively) among both Pacific and NZ European women. LDL-C (β = −0.04, [−0.06, −0.01]) was inversely associated with fibre intake following further adjustment for BF%-groups in NZ European women. Despite differences in intake, dietary fibre was inversely associated with adiposity and metabolic disease risk in both Pacific and NZ European women. However younger woman living in areas of higher socio-economic deprivation who consumed a higher proportion of total dietary fibre intake from discretionary fast foods were more likely to have low dietary fibre intakes than older, wealthier women. These women were also more likely to be Pacific women. Increasing habitual dietary fibre intake could help to reduce adiposity and metabolic disease risk; so implementing policies that make health-promoting high fibre foods more affordable, ensuring households have sufficient income to purchase nutritious food and limiting the amount of unhealthy food marketing that low income communities are exposed to should be public health priorities.

Abstract 5691: Identification of miRNA related to triple-negative breast cancer in African and European American women with obesity

Abstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents 10-20% of all invasive breast cancers and is characterized by a lack of expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. TNBC typically manifests as high-grade tumors often diagnosed at advanced stages, and affects younger patients, especially African American (AA) women. Dysregulation of miRNA expression levels contributes to TNBC pathogenesis and prognosis. Dysregulated miRNAs in advanced-stage cancers alter tumor progression, migration, and metastasis. Obesity is associated with miRNA dysregulation in adipose tissue, which is a driver of BC development and growth. This study aimed at identifying differentially expressed (DE) miRNA in TNBC patients of European American (EA) and AA women with obesity, compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. miRNAseq data from 48 tissue samples (TNBC tumor and adjacent non-tumor) were analyzed for differential expression. Samples were from 12 EA and 12 AA patients, with 6 patients in each ethnic group having obesity and 6 normal weight, based on BMI estimates. Stringent comparisons, with and without obesity, were conducted to identify TNBC and obesity-associated miRNAs within each ethnic group. Prediction of miRNA-target genes was performed in miRWalk and Key Pathway Advisor (KPA) was employed for pathway enrichment analysis. Differential expression analysis between obese and normal-weight patients in each ethnic group revealed 79 DE miRNAs in EA and 40 in AA. We identified 55 miRNAs associated exclusively with tumors in obese patients within the EA group and 33 miRNAs within the AA group. Target gene analysis showed that in EA, 9 out of the 55 miRNAs interacted with 68 mRNAs, with miR-204-5p and miR-181b-5p accounting for 75% of interactions. In AA, 20 out of the 33 miRNAs interacted with 284 mRNAs with miR-20a-5p, -195-5p, -34a-5p, and -130a-3p with 65% of the interactions. KPA identified 84 and 330 pathways for EA and AA, respectively, with 43 common pathways,15 of them related to cancer processes sharing the gene targets GSKIP, TLBR1, TCF4, and TCF. Our study outlined unique miRNA profiles in TNBC among AA and EA women with obesity. Although common mRNAs were identified between ethnic groups, leading to the identification of common pathways on KPA, more than 50% of the identified pathways are related to unique biological processes associated with TNBC and obesity for each ethnic group. These findings underscore the importance of considering ethnic-specific miRNA signatures for understanding TNBC in the context of obesity, offering insights for targeted therapeutic strategies. Citation Format: Fokhrul Hossain, Martha Isabel González-Ramírez, Jone Garai, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Chindo Hicks, Luis Del Valle, Augusto Ochoa, Denise Danos, Lucio Miele, Jovanny Zabaleta. Identification of miRNA related to triple-negative breast cancer in African and European American women with obesity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5691.

Abstract 2136: Genetic ancestry dependent variability in stromal cells: An unexplored player in breast cancer disparity

Abstract Genetic ancestry dependent variability in cancer incidence, mutation patterns, response to chemotherapy, and outcome has been documented. While an association between social determinants of health and breast cancer disparity has already been established, there is emerging evidence for genetic ancestry dependent variability in normal breast biology impacting breast cancer biology and potentially outcome. Tumor biology studies in the context of genetic ancestry and disparity have often focused on intrinsic properties of tumor cells or tumor infiltrating immune cells. However, other stromal cell types have received very little attention. Through immunohistochemistry of breast tissues from healthy women of African and European ancestry and primary cell culturing system, we had previously demonstrated enrichment of a stromal cell population called PZP cells (PROCR+/ZEB1+/PDGFRA+) with mesenchymal stem-like and fibroadipogenic properties in the normal breast tissues of women of African ancestry. In this study, we used single nuclei ATAC-seq and/or RNA-seq to further characterize stromal fibroblasts in the breast tissues of women of Ashkenazi Jewish-European, European, Indigenous American, Hispanic-European, African, and Asian ancestry. Among eight fibroblast cell clusters generated from women of African and European ancestry, only three cell clusters overlapped between two groups. While Complement Factor D (CFD, also called adipsin) expression was observed in unique fibroblast clusters of African ancestry, the expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) was enriched in clusters unique to European ancestry. Interestingly, previous studies have demonstrated African ancestry-specific genomic variants for CFD linked to cardiometabolic disorders. Additional genes that showed genetic ancestry dependent variability in expression within fibroblasts include ABCA10, ABCA9, ABCA8, NEGR1 (enriched in African ancestry), MMP16, MAGI1, KIAA1217, PTPRK and SEMA5A (enriched in European ancestry). NEGR1 (Neuronal Growth Regulator 1) is a trans-neural growth promoting factor, whereas PTPRK (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type K) is a negative regulator of EGFR signaling. These results suggest genetic ancestry dependent variability in stromal-epithelial cell communications under normal and cancerous conditions. These genetic ancestry dependent differences could impact intracellular signaling networks in epithelial cells with consequential effects on cancer incidence, mutation patterns, drug sensitivity, and outcome. Citation Format: Poornima Bhat-Nakshatri, Hongyu Gao, Cihat Erdogan, Yunlong Liu, Harikrishna Nakshatri. Genetic ancestry dependent variability in stromal cells: An unexplored player in breast cancer disparity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2136.

The worldwide metabolic syndrome prevalence in people living with HIV: a systematic review

Metabolic alterations have been reported in people living with HIV (PLHIV), related to viral infection, side effects of antiretroviral therapy, genetic, environmental and/or sociodemographic factors. We aimed to draw a global picture of prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in PLHIV. We performed a systematic review based on the PRISMA Statement method. We selected studies that investigated epidemiological characteristics of PLHIV who developed MetS in 4 databases: PubMed, SciELO, LILACS and Science Direct, using descriptors: HIV; prevalence; metabolic syndrome; epidemiology; antiretroviral therapy, highly active. A total of 1117 articles were identified, including 98 in the final analysis. The prevalence of MetS ranged from 7.8 to 55.8% (Internacional Diabetes Federation - IDF) and 7.1 to 58% (National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III - NCEP/ATP III), being higher in African women than in African men (IDF), whereas European women and women of unknown origin were lower than women from Asia, South and North America (NCEP/ATP III). There is a high prevalence of MetS in PLHIV. The importance of multidisciplinary follow-up and encouragement of lifestyle changes in PLHIV is emphasized.

‘They see us as an easy target’: discrimination and hate crime against Eastern European women living in the UK

Anti-immigration sentiment, discrimination and hate crime, against Eastern Europeans in the UK, has increased in recent years. Prior to Brexit, European Union (EU) citizens were afforded free movement, including rights to live and work in the UK, but in 2020, those without residency status, were subject to strict immigration laws and restrictions on living and working in the UK. Research shows that punitive immigration policies have a disproportionate impact on migrant women, increasing their risk of discrimination, exploitation, and gender-based violence. However, while in 2022 the UK government ratified the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, a treaty otherwise known as the ‘Istanbul Convention’, they opted out of Article 59, which specifically protects migrant women. Existing research into discrimination, exploitation, and gender-based violence against migrant women, in the UK, largely focuses on Black and minority ethnic (BME) women. This article reports on findings from a mixed-methods, descriptive study, on the specific experiences of Eastern European women, living in the UK. Findings explore the intersecting gendered and racial discrimination against Eastern European women, in the UK, providing a descriptive account of the distinct forms of gender-based discrimination and violence which they face.