Ravel J

No ORCID on file · 9 papers in corpus · active 2017-2025
2025
Bacterial Vaginosis Incidence Following a Single Hyperosmolal Vaginal Lubricant Exposure: A Comparison of Two Observational Cohorts.
Sexually transmitted diseases ·doi:10.1097/olq.0000000000002184

BackgroundHyperosmolal lubricants may negatively affect the vaginal microenvironment, increasing the risk for bacterial vaginosis (BV). We compared the incidence of Amsel-defined BV in reproductive-age women exposed to hyperosmolal lubrican…

2025
Cervicovaginal microbiome alters transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility signatures across cervicovaginal epithelial barriers.
Microbiome ·doi:10.1186/s40168-025-02223-6

BackgroundThe cervicovaginal microbiome plays a critical role in women's health with microbial communities dominated by Lactobacillus species considered optimal. In contrast, the depletion of lactobacilli and the presence of a diverse array…

2025
Common cervicovaginal sequencing methods result in discordant molecular diagnoses of bacterial vaginosis and reveal strain level effects of Gardnerella vaginalis.
npj women's health ·doi:10.1038/s44294-025-00089-5

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with HIV transmission and pre-term birth, yet the etiology of BV remains unknown. Our analysis addressed that knowledge gap by comparing diagnostic techniques and using Bayesian inference to find speci…

2025
Is the current regulatory framework for direct-to-consumer microbiome-based tests sufficient to protect consumers from medical, economic, and dignitary harms?
Journal of law and the biosciences ·doi:10.1093/jlb/lsaf024

This article offers a thorough analysis of an important public health issue-the lack of regulation of companies selling direct-to-consumer (DTC) microbiome-based tests. These companies invite curious consumers and desperate patients to subm…

2025
Mobiluncus mulieris alters the transcriptomic profile of cervicovaginal epithelial cells, shedding light on molecular drivers of adverse reproductive outcomes.
NPJ biofilms and microbiomes ·doi:10.1038/s41522-025-00784-w

The vaginal microbiota is critical for reproductive health, and its disruption, particularly the loss of Lactobacillus spp. and dominance of anaerobes such as Mobiluncus mulieris (community state type IV, CST IV), is associated with bacteri…

2024
Extracellular vesicles from vaginal Gardnerella vaginalis and Mobiluncus mulieris contain distinct proteomic cargo and induce inflammatory pathways.
NPJ biofilms and microbiomes ·doi:10.1038/s41522-024-00502-y

Colonization of the vaginal space with bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Mobiluncus mulieris is associated with increased risk for STIs, bacterial vaginosis, and preterm birth, while Lactobacillus crispatus is associated with optim…

2024
Uterine fibroids and longitudinal profiles of the vaginal microbiota in a cohort presenting for transvaginal ultrasound.
PloS one ·doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0296346

Bacterial vaginosis, characterized in part by low levels of vaginal Lactobacillus species, has been associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines which could fuel uterine fibroid development. However, prior work on the associations between ute…

2021
Observational cohort study of the effect of a single lubricant exposure during transvaginal ultrasound on cell-shedding from the vaginal epithelium.
PloS one ·doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250153

The outer layers of the vaginal epithelium (VE) are important because they accumulate glycogen which, under optimal conditions, Lactobacillus spp. consume to grow and acidify the vaginal microenvironment with lactic acid. We hypothesized th…

2017
Early screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in young women for primary prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease (i-Predict): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Trials ·doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2211-1

BackgroundGenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection, especially among young women. Mostly asymptomatic, it can lead, if untreated, to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), tub…