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Objective: Recent theories propose that most epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), depending on histological type, originate from other gynecological tissues and involve the ovary secondarily. According to these theories, any protective effect of salpingectomy and tubal ligation may vary by histological type. The study aim was to examine the association between salpingectomy and tubal ligation, respectively, and risk of EOC, with a focus on associations specific for histological types. Methods: We identified EOC cases and matching controls in national registries and gathered information on surgical procedures and potential confounders. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of EOC related to salpingectomy and tubal ligation, respectively, overall and stratified by histological type. Furthermore, we investigated the association according to timing of the procedures. Results: Our study comprised 16,822 EOC cases. Each case was matched with 40 controls. There was an overall EOC risk reduction after unilateral (OR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60–0.87) and bilateral salpingectomy (OR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.31–0.67). A slight risk reduction was seen among women with previous tubal ligation (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.83–0.99). For salpingectomy, the risk reduction increased with increasing time since the surgical procedure and was only present among women younger than 50 years at salpingectomy. Unilateral and bilateral salpingectomy was associated with a risk reduction for most histological types. Conclusion: The association between previous salpingectomy and reduced risk of several histological subtypes of EOC supports the suggested theories about the site of origin of EOC and may be of clinical importance.

OBJECTIVES: Cervical cancer screening by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is a widely used alternative to cytology in developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors associated with a positive VIA test and with cervical high-grade lesions on cytology.METHODS: We conducted a large cross-sectional study among 3339 women from urban and rural Tanzania. Study participants were interviewed about socio-demographic, reproductive and lifestyle factors. Blood samples were tested for HIV, and a gynaecological examination was performed. Human papillomavirus (HPV) status was determined by Hybrid Capture 2, and HPV genotyping was done using the LiPA Extra test. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs).RESULTS: The strongest risk factors for VIA positivity were positivity to HIV (OR = 3.48; 95% CI: 2.34-5.17) or to high-risk HPV (HrHPV) (OR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.37-2.85). HrHPV was by far the strongest predictor of high-grade cytology (OR = 110.1; 95% CI: 50.4-240.4), while there was no significant association with HIV in the multivariable analysis (OR = 1.27; 95% CI: 0.78-2.08). After adjustment for HrHPV, HIV and age, the risk of high-grade cytology also increased with increasing age, number of births and low body mass index (BMI), while high BMI decreased the risk of VIA positivity.CONCLUSIONS: Infection with HrHPV is a major risk factor for high-grade cytology, while VIA positivity is associated with HIV and to a lesser extent with HrHPV.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have studied the association between unintended human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study set out to determine the association between HPV vaccination during pregnancy and subsequent risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and one-year infant mortality.METHODS: Population-based study including all pregnancies in Denmark (October 2006-December 2014) among women born 1975-1992. From nationwide health registries using the personal identification numbers, we obtained information on HPV vaccination, pregnancy outcomes, and infant mortality. The exposure window went from four weeks before conception date until 22 weeks of gestation for the outcome spontaneous abortion, and until birth for stillbirth and infant mortality outcomes. In the analyses of spontaneous abortion, we used time to event models, for stillbirth logistic regression models, and for infant mortality Cox regression was applied.RESULTS: We included 522,705 pregnancies for the outcome spontaneous abortion (7487 exposed to at least one dose during pregnancy); 351,878 births (5262 exposed to at least one dose during pregnancy) for the stillbirth; and 350,739 live births (5245 exposed to at least one dose during pregnancy) for infant mortality. No significantly increased rate of spontaneous abortion among women vaccinated during pregnancy compared with unvaccinated women was found. In addition, we found no association between HPV vaccination during pregnancy and stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio = 0.96 [95% CI: 0.57-1.61]), or infant mortality (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.94 [95% CI: 0.53-1.67]). A secondary analysis showed no association between number of doses and timing of administration (i.e. vaccination before or during pregnancy) and an increased risk of spontaneous abortion.CONCLUSION: We found no increased risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, or infant mortality following unintended HPV vaccination during pregnanc

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the associations between current behaviours/characteristics and self-perceived risk for STIs, among randomly selected women aged 18-45 years from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.METHOD: A population-based, cross-sectional, questionnaire study (paper based, web based and telephone based) was conducted during 2011-2012. We compared medium-high STI risk perception with no/low risk perception. The associations were explored for women who had ever had sexual intercourse and for women with a new partner in the last 6 months using multivariable logistic regression.RESULT: The overall prevalence of medium-high STI risk perception was 7.4%. It was highest among women aged 18-24 years (16.2%) and among the Danish women (8.8%). Number of new sexual partners in the last 6 months (≥3vs 0 partners, OR 14.94, 95% CI 13.20 to 16.94) was strongly associated with medium-high STI risk perception. Among women with a new partner in the last 6 months, lack of condom use increased medium-high STI risk perception (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.52 to 1.96). Genital warts in the last year, binge drinking and being single were associated with increased risk perception and remained statistically significant after additional adjustments were made for number of new partners and condom use with new partners in the last 6 months.CONCLUSION: Subjective perception of risk for STI was associated with women's current risk-taking behaviours, indicating women generally are able to assess their risks for STIs. However, a considerable proportion of women with multiple new partners in the last 6 months and no condom use still considered themselves at no/low risk for STI.

In a cross-sectional study of 3,424 women from urban (Dar es Salaam) and rural (Pwani, Mwanza, and Mtwara) Tanzania, conducted in 2008–2009, we investigated risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the association between different measures of human papillomavirus (HPV) and HIV positivity. Study participants were interviewed about socio-demographic and reproductive factors and sexual behavior. Blood samples were tested for HIV, and the women underwent a gynecological examination. HPV status was determined by Hybrid Capture 2, and HPV genotyping was performed using the LiPA Extra test. Multivariable logistic regression models estimating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used. The overall HIV prevalence was 10.2%. HIV-positive women were more likely to have high-risk (HR) HPV detected (OR = 4.11; 95% CI: 3.23–5.24) and clinically visible genital warts (OR = 4.37; 95% CI: 1.81–10.5). Other risk factors included age, place of residence, education, number of births, lifetime number of sexual partners, and time in present relationship. HIV risk factors among urban and rural women and among HPV-positive and HPV-negative women were similar. HPV vaccination may provide some protection against HIV infection in Tanzania, but focus must still be on preventing established risk factors for HIV.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection and is considered to be a necessary cause of cervical cancer. The anatomical proximity to the cervix has led researchers to investigate whether Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has a role in the etiology of endometrial cancer.

The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is controversial, and conflicting results have been published. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of HPV in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue.