Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to COVID-19 Vaccination in People Planning Pregnancy, Trying to Conceive, Pregnant, and Postpartum: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Pregnant people are at higher risk of morbidity from COVID-19 infection, yet vaccine hesitancy remains prevalent. Our mixed-methods study utilised surveys and interviews to understand decision-making regarding COVID-19 vaccination surrounding pregnancy. The most trusted source of information was health care providers. Five themes relating to vaccination barriers and facilitators were identified: (1) COVID-19 vaccine-related policies; (2) pregnancy-specific considerations; (3) barriers, facilitators, and influencers to vaccination; (4) vaccination decisions based on personal health considerations; (5) attitudes toward COVID-19 and other vaccines. Our study underscores the importance of receiving high-quality information from a trusted source to increase vaccination.

Social Media Misinformation about Pregnancy and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to identify common social media misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, explain the spread of misinformation, and identify solutions to guide clinical practice and policy. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was conducted and the databases Embase and Medline were searched from December 2019 to February 8, 2023, using terms related to social media, pregnancy, COVID-19 vaccines and misinformation. The inclusion criteria were original research studies that discussed misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy on social media. The exclusion criteria were review articles, no full text, and not published in English. Two independent reviewers conducted screening, extraction, and quality assessment. RESULTS: Our search identified 76 articles, of which 3 fulfilled eligibility criteria. Included studies were of moderate and high quality. The social media platforms investigated included Facebook, Google Searches, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter. Misinformation was related to concerns regarding vaccine safety, and its association with infertility. Misinformation was increased due to lack of content monitoring on social media, exclusion of pregnant women from early vaccine trials, lack of information from reputable health sources on social media, and others. Suggested solutions were directed at pregnancy care providers (PCPs) and public health/government. Suggestions included: (i) integrating COVID-19 vaccination information into antenatal care, (ii) PCPs and public health should increase their social media presence to disseminate information, (iii) address population-specific vaccine concerns in a culturally relevant manner, and others. CONCLUSION: Increased availability of information from reputable health sources through multiple channels could increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the pregnant population and help combat misinformation.

Loss of Thymine DNA Glycosylase Causes Dysregulation of Bile Acid Homeostasis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) is a nuclear receptor coactivator that plays an essential role in the maintenance of epigenetic stability in cells. Here, we demonstrate that the conditional deletion of TDG in adult mice results in a male-predominant onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TDG loss leads to a prediabetic state, as well as bile acid (BA) accumulation in the liver and serum of male mice. Consistent with these data, TDG deletion led to dysregulation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and small heterodimer partner (SHP) regulatory cascade in the liver. FXR and SHP are tumor suppressors of HCC and play an essential role in BA and glucose homeostasis. These results indicate that TDG functions as a tumor suppressor of HCC by regulating a transcriptional program that protects against the development of glucose intolerance and BA accumulation in the liver.