Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo34
The aim of this study is to evaluate the etiological profile and antimicrobial resistance in breast abscess cultures from patients from the community, treated at a public hospital located in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
This is an retrospective cross-sectional study that evaluated the medical records of patients with bacterial isolates in breast abscess secretion cultures and their antibiograms, from January 2010 to August 2022.
Based on 129 positive cultures from women from the community diagnosed with breast abscesses and treated at Fêmina Hospital, 99 (76.7%) of the patients had positive cultures for Staphylococcus sp, 91 (92%) of which were cases of Staphylococcus aureus. Regarding the resistance profile of S. aureus, 32% of the strains were resistant to clindamycin, 26% to oxacillin and 5% to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The antimicrobials vancomycin, linezolid and tigecycline did not show resistance for S. aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen found in the breast abscess isolates during the study period. Oxacillin remains a good option for hospitalized patients. The use of sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim should be considered as a good option for use at home, due to its low bacterial resistance, effectiveness and low cost.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo33
Evaluate histological changes in testicular parameters after hormone treatment in transgender women.
Cross-section study with patients who underwent gonadectomy at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre from 2011 to 2019. Hormone treatment type, route of administration, age at initiation and duration were recorded. Atrophy parameters were observed: testicular volume, tubular diameter, basal membrane length, presence of spermatogonia and spermatids (diploid and haploid spermatozoid precursors).
Eighty-six patients were included. Duration of hormone treatment is associated with testicular atrophy and spermatogenesis arrest. Other characteristics of hormone treatment such as age of initiation, route of administration and type of treatment were not associated with testicular histological changes. Testicular volume may predict spermatogenesis arrest. Basal membrane length and tubular diameter ratio is an interesting predictor of germ cell presence.
Cross-sex hormone treatment affects testicular germ cell presence. Basal membrane length and tubular diameter ratio reduces inter variability of measurements and better exemplify how atrophic seminiferous tubules are. Fertility preservation should be addressed by healthcare providers in order to recognize gender affirming treatment impact on transgender health.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo32
To ascertain how screening for preterm birth is performed among obstetricians working in public and private practice in a middle-income country.
Cross-sectional study of 265 obstetrician-gynecologists employed at public and private facilities. An online questionnaire was administered, with items designed to collect data on prematurity screening and prevention practices.
The mean age of respondents was 44.5 years; 78.5% were female, and 97.7% had completed a medical residency program. Universal screening (i.e., by ultrasound measurement of cervical length) was carried out by only 11.3% of respondents in public practice; 43% request transvaginal ultrasound if the manual exam is abnormal, and 74.6% request it in pregnant women with risk factors for preterm birth. Conversely, 60.7% of respondents in private practice performed universal screening. This difference in screening practices between public and private practice was highly significant (p < 0.001). Nearly all respondents (90.6%) reported prescribing vaginal progesterone for short cervix.
In the setting of this study, universal ultrasound screening to prevent preterm birth was used by just over half of doctors in private practice. In public facilities, screening was even less common. Use of vaginal progesterone in cervical shortening was highly prevalent. There is an unmet need for formal protocols for screening and prevention of preterm birth in middle-income settings.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo31
To compare Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) expression in patients with and without adenomyosis.
A prospective design was performed including 49 patients submitted to hysterectomy. Immunohistochemistry was performed on anatomopathological samples staged in paraffin blocks from patients with and without adenomyosis. The sample contained 28 adenomyosis cases and 21 controls. Student's t-test and multivariate logistic regression tests were used for statistical analysis. Associations were considered significant at p < 0.05.
We found no significant association between adenomyosis and: smoking (p = 0.75), miscarriage (p = 0.29), number of previous pregnancies (p = 0.85), curettage (p = 0.81), pelvic pain (p = 0.72) and myoma (p = 0.15). However, we did find a relationship between adenomyosis and abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) (p = 0.02) and previous cesarean section (p = 0.02). The mean TGF-β1 intensity (mean ± SD) in the ectopic endometrium of women with adenomyosis showed no significant association (184.17 ± 9.4 vs.184.66 ± 16.08, p = 0.86) from the topic endometrium of women without adenomyosis.
TGF-β1 expression was not increased in the ectopic endometrium of women with adenomyosis.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo26
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-FPS03
• The balanced vaginal microbiome is the main factor defending the vaginal environment against infections. Lactobacilli play a key role in this regard, maintaining the vaginal pH within the normal range (3.8 to 4.5).
•Hormonal and immune adaptations resulting from pregnancy influence changes in the vaginal microbiome during pregnancy.
•An altered vaginal microbiome predisposes to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
•Bacterial vaginosis is the main clinical expression of an imbalanced vaginal microbiome.
•Vulvovaginal candidiasis depends more on the host’s conditions than on the etiological agent.
•Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan transmitted during sexual intercourse.
•The use of probiotics is not approved for use in pregnant women.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-FPS02
•The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is not increased in women using long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs) with progestogens.
•Oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel or norgestimate confer half the risk of VTE compared to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel, gestodene or drospirenone.
•Progestogen-only pills do not confer an increased risk of VTE.
•Women using transdermal contraceptive patches and combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are at an approximately eight times greater risk of VTE than non-users of hormonal contraceptives (HCs), corresponding to 9.7 events per 10,000 women/years.
•Vaginal rings increase the risk of VTE by 6.5 times compared to not using HC, corresponding to 7.8 events per 10,000 women/years.
•Several studies have demonstrated an increased risk of VTE in transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy (HT).
•Hormone therapy during menopause increases the risk of VTE by approximately two times, and this risk is increased by obesity, thrombophilia, age over 60 years, surgery and immobilization.
•The route of estrogen administration, the dosage and type of progestogen associated with estrogen may affect the risk of VTE in the climacteric.
•Combined estrogen-progesterone therapy increases the risk of VTE compared to estrogen monotherapy.
•Postmenopausal HT increases the risk of thrombosis at atypical sites.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2024;46:e-rbgo20
To present a series of cases with our initial experience and short-term outcomes of a modified vaginal mucosal flap urethroplasty.
Patients diagnosed with urethral stricture and operated by the same operative technique between January 2012 and January 2018 were followed for at least 6 months. Uroflowmetry and clinical outcomes were evaluated.
Nineteen patients were included with an average age of 56.4 years, mean preoperative Qmax of 5.3 ml/s, and PVR of 101.4 mL. After 6 months of the procedure, the mean Qmax improved to 14.7 mL/s (p<0.05), PVR decreased to 47.3 mL (p<0.05), and 84.2% of all patients reported improvement in clinical self-reported symptoms. There was an improvement in symptoms such as voiding effort in 84.2% of patients, weak stream (89.5%), and recurrent urinary tract infection (85.7%). The success rate (absence of symptoms and normal Qmax with no significant PVR) of the procedure was 84.2%.
The described technique was considered effective for the treatment of female urethra stricture, with a high clinical success rate and an objective improvement of Qmax and decrease in PVR after 6 months of the procedure.