Papers by caroline Scherf
Hintergrund: Die Anzahl der Ärzt*innen, die in Deutschland Schwangerschaftsabbrüche durchführen, ... more Hintergrund: Die Anzahl der Ärzt*innen, die in Deutschland Schwangerschaftsabbrüche durchführen, ist seit 2003 auf beinahe die Hälfte gesunken. Gesetzliche Einschränkungen und fehlende fachliche Orientierungshilfen sorgen für Verunsicherung. Zugleich gibt es in Irland [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL]
Background: Women with obesity are at a greater risk of experiencing complications during the ant... more Background: Women with obesity are at a greater risk of experiencing complications during the antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods. Despite many studies of weight management interventions in pregnancy, systematic reviews have demonstrated limited effectiveness, demonstrating a need to increase the focus on preconception health and build a greater awareness of the association between preconception health and maternal and child outcomes. Much of the research in pre-conception weight loss has been with very specific populations or has been small-scale. The aim of the Plan-it study is to establish if it is acceptable and feasible to conduct a study that asks women with overweight/ obesity (BMI of 25 or over) to delay removal of LARC to participate in a targeted pre-pregnancy weight loss intervention. Methods: The study will take a concurrent mixed methods approach incorporating use of routine NHS data and qualitative data collection and analysis across two work-packages: the fi...
Experimental neurology, Jan 3, 2016
Identifying the steps involved in striatal development is important both for understanding the st... more Identifying the steps involved in striatal development is important both for understanding the striatum in health and disease, and for generating protocols to differentiate striatal neurons for regenerative medicine. The most prominent neuronal subtype in the adult striatum is the medium spiny projection neuron (MSN), which constitutes more than 85% of all striatal neurons and classically expresses DARPP-32. Through a microarray study of genes expressed in the whole ganglionic eminence (WGE: the developing striatum) in the mouse, we identified the gene encoding the transcription factor Forkhead box protein P1 (FoxP1) as the most highly up-regulated gene, thus providing unbiased evidence for the association of FoxP1 with MSN development. We also describe the expression of FoxP1 in the human fetal brain over equivalent gestational stages. FoxP1 expression persisted through into adulthood in the mouse brain, where it co-localised with all striatal DARPP-32 positive projection neurons a...
Tropical Medicine and International Health, 2001
This paper examines the association between traditional practices of female genital cutting (FGC)... more This paper examines the association between traditional practices of female genital cutting (FGC) and adult women's reproductive morbidity in rural Gambia. In 1999, we conducted a cross-sectional community survey of 1348 women aged 15±54 years, to estimate the prevalence of reproductive morbidity on the basis of women's reports, a gynaecological examination and laboratory analysis of specimens. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to compare the prevalence of each morbidity between cut and uncut women adjusting for possible confounders. A total of 1157 women consented to gynaecological examination and 58% had signs of genital cutting. There was a high level of agreement between reported circumcision status and that found on examination (97% agreement). The majority of operations consisted of clitoridectomy and excision of the labia minora (WHO classi®cation type II) and were performed between the ages of 4 and 7 years. The practice of genital cutting was highly associated with ethnic group for two of the three main ethnic groups, making the effects of ethnic group and cutting dif®cult to distinguish. Women who had undergone FGC had a signi®cantly higher prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.66; 95% con®dence interval (CI) 1.25±2.18] and a substantially higher prevalence of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) [adjusted OR 4.71; 95% CI 3.46±6.42]. The higher prevalence of HSV2 suggests that cut women may be at increased risk of HIV infection. Commonly cited negative consequences of FGC such as damage to the perineum or anus, vulval tumours (such as Bartholin's cysts and excessive keloid formation), painful sex, infertility, prolapse and other reproductive tract infections (RTIs) were not signi®cantly more common in cut women. The relationship between FGC and long-term reproductive morbidity remains unclear, especially in settings where type II cutting predominates. Efforts to eradicate the practice should incorporate a human rights approach rather than rely solely on the damaging health consequences.
Studies in Family Planning, 2002
The Lancet, 2001
Background Data on the epidemiology of reproductive-organ morbidity are needed to guide effective... more Background Data on the epidemiology of reproductive-organ morbidity are needed to guide effective interventions, to set health-care priorities, and to target future research. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of reproductive-organ disease in a sample of rural Gambian women. Methods A questionnaire on reproductive health was administered by fieldworkers to women aged 15-54 years living in a rural area under demographic surveillance. A female gynaecologist questioned and examined the women (including speculum and bimanual pelvic examinations). Vaginal swabs were taken to test for Trichomonas vaginalis, Candida albicans, and bacterial vaginosis, cervical smears for cytology, cervical swabs for Chlamydia trachomatis PCR and Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture, and venous blood for haemoglobin, HIV, herpes simplex virus 2, and syphilis serology. Findings 1348 (72•0%) of 1871 eligible women took part. Reproductive-organ symptoms were more likely to be reported to the gynaecologist (52•7% of women) than to the fieldworker (26•5%). Menstrual problems, abnormal vaginal discharge, and vaginal itching were the most commonly reported symptoms. A minority of women said they had sought health care for their symptoms. The frequencies of reproductive-organ morbidity were high: menstrual dysfunction 34•1% (95% CI 29•6-39•1), infertility 9•8% (8•2-11•6), reproductive-tract infections 47•3% (43•7-51•0), pelvic tenderness 9•8% ((7•0-13•5), cervical dysplasia 6•7% (5•2-8•4), masses 15•9% (12•5-20•1), and childbirth-related damage to pelvic structures 46•1% (40•1-52•3). 948 (70•3%) women had at least one reproductive-organ disorder. Interpretation For these rural women, whose lives depend heavily on their reproductive function, reproductive-organ disease is a large burden. In inadequately resourced rural areas, with poor education, heavy agricultural and domestic labour, and limited access to quality health care, many women are not able to attain and maintain reproductive health and wellbeing.
Cell Transplantation, 2011
Proof-of-principle" that cell replacement therapy works for neurodegeneration has been reported, ... more Proof-of-principle" that cell replacement therapy works for neurodegeneration has been reported, but only using donor cells collected from fetal brain tissue obtained from surgical terminations of pregnancy. Surgical terminations of pregnancy represent an increasingly limited supply of donor cells due to the tendency towards performing medical termination in much of Europe. This imposes a severe constraint on further experimental and clinical cell transplantation research. Therefore, we explore here the feasibility of using medical termination tissue as a donor source. Products of conception were retrieved from surgical terminations over the last 7 years and from medical terminations over the last 2.5 years. The number of collections that yielded fetal tissue, viable brain tissue, and identifiable brain regions (ganglionic eminence, ventral mesencephalon, and neocortex) were recorded. We studied cell viability, cell physiological properties, and differentiation potential both in vitro and following transplantation into the central nervous system of rodent models of neurodegenerative disease. Within equivalent periods, we were able to collect substantially greater numbers of fetal remains from medical than from surgical terminations of pregnancy, and the medical terminations yielded a much higher proportion of identifiable and dissectible brain tissue. Furthermore, we demonstrate that harvested cells retain the capacity to differentiate into neurons with characteristics appropriate to the region from which they are dissected. We show that, contrary to widespread assumption, medical termination of pregnancy-derived fetal brain cells represent a feasible and more readily available source of human fetal tissue for experimental cell transplantation with the potential for use in future clinical trials in human neurodegenerative disease.
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2002
Objective To examine the association between female genital cutting and frequency of sexual and g... more Objective To examine the association between female genital cutting and frequency of sexual and gynaecological symptoms among a cohort of cut versus uncut women in Edo State of Nigeria.
BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health
Int J Gynecol Obstet, 2000
![Research paper thumbnail of Ending genital mutilation. Women in Africa have many other problems besides genital mutilation [letter]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/73552964/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Bmj British Medical Journal, Sep 2, 2000
Editor-Chalmers asks what proportion of references cited in the guidelines we studied were system... more Editor-Chalmers asks what proportion of references cited in the guidelines we studied were systematic reviews. The answer is 68/2501 (2.7%). We made this calculation by using the keywords "systematic" (for systematic review) and "meta" (for meta-analysis) in the title of the publication. Interestingly, there was no difference between publications in peer reviewed journals (56/2043; 2.7%) and the so called grey literature (12/458; 2.6%). Although Chalmers argues that clinical guidelines should be based on systematic reviews of the literature, these data show that authors of guidelines are citing the primary research. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews could provide a useful resource in undertaking applied bibliometric studies. Chalmers notes that the prospective tracing of funded research, as opposed to that only published, may be more informative in auditing the outcomes of public or charitable funding of biomedical research. We agree.
Int J Gynecol Obstet, 2000
British journal of cancer, Jan 31, 2005
The development of effective strategies against cervical cancer in Africa requires accurate type ... more The development of effective strategies against cervical cancer in Africa requires accurate type specific data on human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence, including determination of DNA sequences in order to maximise local vaccine efficacy. We have investigated cervical HPV infection and squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) in an unselected cohort of 1061 women in a rural Gambian community. Squamous intraepithelial lesions was diagnosed using cytology and histology, HPV was typed by PCR-ELISA of DNA extracts, which were also DNA sequenced. The prevalence of cervical HPV infection was 13% and SIL were observed in 7% of subjects. Human papillomavirus-16 was most prevalent and most strongly associated with SIL. Also common were HPV-18, -33, -58 and, notably, -35. Human papillomavirus DNA sequencing revealed HPV-16 samples to be exclusively African type 1 (Af1). Subjects of the Wolof ethnic group had a lower prevalence of HPV infection while subjects aged 25-44 years had a higher preval...
PLoS ONE, 2013
Airway branching morphogenesis in utero is essential for optimal postnatal lung function. In the ... more Airway branching morphogenesis in utero is essential for optimal postnatal lung function. In the fetus, branching morphogenesis occurs during the pseudoglandular stage (weeks 9-17 of human gestation, embryonic days (E)11.5-16.5 in mouse) in a hypercalcaemic environment (,1.7 in the fetus vs. ,1.1-1.3 mM for an adult). Previously we have shown that fetal hypercalcemia exerts an inhibitory brake on branching morphogenesis via the calcium-sensing receptor. In addition, earlier studies have shown that nifedipine, a selective blocker of L-type voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (VGCC), inhibits fetal lung growth, suggesting a role for VGCC in lung development. The aim of this work was to investigate the expression of VGCC in the pseudoglandular human and mouse lung, and their role in branching morphogenesis. Expression of L-type (Ca V 1.2 and Ca V 1.3), P/Q type (Ca V 2.1), N-type (Ca V 2.2), R-type (Ca V 2.3), and T-type (Ca V 3.2 and Ca V 3.3) VGCC was investigated in paraffin sections from week 9 human fetal lungs and E12.5 mouse embryos. Here we show, for the first time, that Ca v 1.2 and Ca v 1.3 are expressed in both the smooth muscle and epithelium of the developing human and mouse lung. Additionally, Ca v 2.3 was expressed in the lung epithelium of both species. Incubating E12.5 mouse lung rudiments in the presence of nifedipine doubled the amount of branching, an effect which was partly mimicked by the Ca v 2.3 inhibitor, SNX-482. Direct measurements of changes in epithelial cell membrane potential, using the voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye DiSBAC 2 (3), demonstrated that cyclic depolarisations occur within the developing epithelium and coincide with rhythmic occlusions of the lumen, driven by the naturally occurring airway peristalsis. We conclude that VGCC are expressed and functional in the fetal human and mouse lung, where they play a role in branching morphogenesis. Furthermore, rhythmic epithelial depolarisations evoked by airway peristalsis would allow for branching to match growth and distension within the developing lung.
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1996
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2000
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Papers by caroline Scherf