International Journal of STD & AIDS最新文献

{"title":"High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among adolescents and young adults attending HIV and sexual health clinics.","authors":"Krisanee Pansue, Pathariya Promsena, Wipaporn Natalie Songtaweesin, Juthamanee Moonwong, Juliet Ryan, Surinda Kawichai, Kessarin Thanapirom, Thanyawee Puthanakit","doi":"10.1177/09564624241302231","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241302231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Thai adults is 0.5%-1.0%. This study aims to determine the prevalence of HCV infection among adolescents and young adults (AYA) accessing HIV/sexual health clinics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among AYA aged 15-24 years attending HIV/sexual health clinics in Bangkok, Thailand. The HCV infection prevalence, defined by anti-HCV antibody positivity using rapid diagnostic tests (SD BIOSENSOR, Korea), were reported with proportions and a 95% confidence interval (CI). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with HCV infection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From March to August 2023, 300 AYAs with a median age of 21 (interquartile range 20-23) years were enrolled into the study. One-third (29.7%) were people living with HIV (PLHIV). The overall prevalence of HCV infection was 2.7% (95%CI 1.2-5.2). Prevalence was higher among PLHIV (5.6%) compared to AYA without HIV (1.4%) (<i>p</i>-value 0.053). The factor most significantly associated with HCV infection was people who used drugs (adjusted odds ratio 15.3, 95% CI 2.9-82.0, <i>p</i>-value 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>History of drug use was associated with the highest HCV infection prevalence. PLHIV had a trend of higher prevalence. HCV screening in HIV/sexual health clinics is recommended for early detection, treatment, and transmission reduction.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"289-296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142853843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for preventing bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs): Are clinical providers supportive?","authors":"Esma Imerlishvili, John Lake, Sara Todorovic, Charles Gonzalez, Elizabeth M Boos, Rachel Hart-Malloy","doi":"10.1177/09564624241309433","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241309433","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to increase in the United States. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (Doxy-PEP) to prevent STIs, little is known about providers' attitudes and willingness to implement Doxy-PEP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online questionnaire was sent to 575 clinical providers in New York State in September 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ninety-one eligible individuals responded. Most providers served men who have sex with men (MSM) (84%); reported willingness to recommend Doxy-PEP (98%, 77%, and 67% for chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea, respectively); preferred Doxy-PEP administration for MSM and transgender populations; believed recurring bacterial STIs (88%) and reported condomless sex (85%) were the most important characteristics to consider for recommending Doxy-PEP; and were concerned about antibiotic resistance (90%) (primarily for <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i>). Insurance costs were the most perceived community-associated barriers (35%). There were no significant differences in providers' recommendations towards Doxy-PEP use when comparing clinicians' years of experience, regions, or professional titles.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Study results suggest high willingness and support for implementing Doxy-PEP. As this survey was administered prior to national guidelines on the use of Doxy-PEP, these data can be used as a baseline to compare to studies conducted after their release to formulate appropriate messages for providers to improve implementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"297-303"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11993814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142882094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of topical potassium hydroxide 5% solution with cryotherapy in the treatment of patients with genital warts: A randomized controlled clinical trial.","authors":"Fateme Javame Ghazvini, Mohammad Javad Yazdanpanah, Yalda Nahidi, Shatila Torabi, Raheleh Ganjali, Amir Hoshang Mohammadpour, Seyyedeh Zahra Ghasemi","doi":"10.1177/09564624241300776","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241300776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Given the therapeutic challenge of wart treatment and the need for an ideal treatment that is effective, noninvasive, cost-effective, and has minimal side effects, this study aims to compare the local impact of a 5% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution with cryotherapy, the current standard treatment for genital warts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two groups, each consisting of 49 patients: the first group was treated with a daily topical application of 5% KOH solution using a swab, while the second group underwent cryotherapy in two 5-20 s freeze-thaw cycles. Before treatment, patient demographic data and number of lesions were recorded. Follow-up visits were conducted at four-week intervals for 12 weeks, during which the number of lesions, time to complete recovery, and skin-related side effects were examined and recorded, ensuring comprehensive data collection.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 98 patients (average age: 28.40 ± 7.34 years), 55 cases (55.1%) being female and 43 cases (43.9%) being male. Importantly, there was no significant difference in terms of gender (<i>p</i> = .684), education (<i>p</i> = .533), and marital status (<i>p</i> = .703) between the two study groups. Further, no significant difference in previous infection history (<i>p</i> = .493) and partner infection (<i>p</i> = .098) was identified. There was no significant difference in terms of treatment response (<i>p</i> = .510) and relapse (<i>p</i> < .999) between the two KOH and cryotherapy study groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study found no significant differences in treatment response, relapse rates, or side effects between using 5% potassium hydroxide solution and cryotherapy for genital wart treatment. These findings suggest that both modalities offer comparable efficacy and safety profiles, providing clinicians with valuable options in tailoring treatment approaches for patients with genital warts.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"205-211"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142728691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isolated initial clavus-like rash: a rare presentation of secondary syphilis.","authors":"Yaqi Sun, Wei Zhao, Furong Li, Shengli Chen, Hongqing Tian","doi":"10.1177/09564624241309172","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241309172","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report two cases of secondary syphilis with an isolated papule on the palm as the initial presentation. The clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis can be diverse, with a high rate of misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. This article presents two patients with a purpose to alert clinicians not to forget the great imitator of syphilis for lesions of uncertain diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"327-329"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142885757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental health service utilization among patients followed up in tertiary HIV/AIDS clinics in Turkey: A need for integrated care.","authors":"Ezgi Ince Guliyev, Dilek Yıldız Sevgi, Alper Gündüz, Bilgül Mete, Deniz Büyükgök, Hayat Kumbasar Karaosmanoğlu, Ozlem Altuntaş Aydın, Fatma Ceyhan, Bilge Nur Bilge, Irmak Polat, Fehmi Tabak","doi":"10.1177/09564624241301491","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241301491","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Mental health (MH) care for people living with HIV (PLWH) emerges as an important unmet need, yet there are no integrated HIV-MH clinics in Turkey. Our aim is to determine MH service use and its associated factors in PLWH followed up in the HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in Istanbul/Turkey.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted at the HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics of the Infectious Diseases (ID) departments in hospitals affiliated with the ACTHIV-IST Study Group. Structured interviews were performed using questionnaires that covered psychiatric state, medical history, and help-seeking behavior.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 172 outpatients, 121 (70.3%) reported MH complaints after infection, and 65.6% felt a need to see MH professionals. Among those, 59% shared their MH distress with the ID team. However, only 20.7% applied to an MH service, and 16.5% received psychiatric treatment. Previous MH diagnoses (AOR = 4.11; 95%CI = 1.26-13.39), sharing the disease with the ID team (AOR = 4.18; 95%CI = 1.24-14.11), and being hospitalized due to HIV (AOR = 6.54; 95%CI = 1.21-35.39) emerged as the predictors of MH service use among those who would like to see an MH professional in logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Closer contact with the healthcare system may increase the chances of PLWH receiving MH care. Thus, integrating MH services in HIV/AIDS care would help reach more PLWH who are distressed.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"185-194"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Let's get PrEP'd\" - A pilot service evaluation of the LVNDR health digital pre-exposure prophylaxis pathway for HIV prevention.","authors":"Joshua S Wells, Jennifer Ching, Araxie Boyadjian, Christopher El Badaoui","doi":"10.1177/09564624241303815","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241303815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the availability of PrEP, 2023 data have demonstrated an increase in new HIV diagnoses. LGBTQ + individuals are disproportionately affected by HIV. PrEP access is crucial but limited due to high demand on sexual health services. Additional modalities of PrEP access may help to address this unmet need. LVNDR Health, a digital solution for LGBTQ + care, sought to evaluate its PrEP pathway.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional service evaluation of users accessing the LVNDR digital PrEP pathway between December 2022-April 2023. Operational data (e.g., appointment attendance) were derived from the clinical dashboard. Service-user feedback (e.g., service experience) was sought using a bespoke questionnaire. Descriptive statistics are reported for socio-demographic information. Non-parametric between-group analyses are reported.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 90 users completed the end-to-end pathway and received PrEP. Average time for pathway completion was 2.7 weeks. A survey response rate of 71.0% was achieved. Users reported significantly higher service satisfaction, inclusivity, and accessibility, compared to their most recent experience accessing PrEP (<i>p</i> < .01). Up to 89% of users strongly agreed they would switch to a digital PrEP service if made available.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Digital PrEP shows acceptability among LGBTQ + populations. More research is needed to assess scalability, digital equity, and cost-effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"223-230"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11863505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142768788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Effectiveness, safety, and patient-reported outcomes of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide in routine clinical care in Italy: 12-Month results from the BICSTaR cohort\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/09564624251320827","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624251320827","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"341"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12128180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143433132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accelerated initiation of antiretroviral therapy by virtual health in service members newly diagnosed with HIV infection.","authors":"Anatole Openshaw, Jason Okulicz, Joseph Yabes","doi":"10.1177/09564624241301467","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241301467","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Delays in HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been associated with HIV disease progression and forward transmission. We evaluated the effectiveness of an accelerated ART virtual protocol (VP) for active duty (AD) members with incident HIV diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Under the traditional protocol (TP), service members stationed worldwide were evaluated in-person at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) and received comprehensive HIV care. In February 2020, a VP was adopted to initiate HIV care at the local base. Chart reviews were conducted to obtain patient demographics and clinical data. Continuous variables were compared using 2-tailed t tests, categorical variables were evaluated with Fisher's exact or Chi squared tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Time from HIV notification to ART initiation was significantly shorter with the VP compared to the TP (15 days vs 25 days; <i>p</i> = <0.05). The VP had a shorter time to viral suppression compared to the TP (96 days [SD ± 86] compared to 269 days [SD ± 300], <i>p</i> = <0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The VP was associated with a shorter time to HIV specialty evaluation, ART initiation, and viral suppression. The use of virtual health protocols for other time sensitive medical interventions and/or for access to limited specialties should be considered as these may improve quality of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"241-245"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142768853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health services delivery factors affecting HIV retesting among pregnant women at 34 weeks gestation in Saboba District, Northern region, Ghana.","authors":"Williams Azumah Abanga, Desmond Klu, Maxwell Dery, Iddrisu Fusheini, Salifu Dwomoh, Chrysantus Kubio, Harry Kwami Tagbor","doi":"10.1177/09564624241303819","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241303819","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Vertical transmission of HIV is a major global public health issue, particularly due to maternal HIV acquisition during pregnancy, challenges in enrolling pregnant women living with HIV into antiretroviral therapy programmes, and loss to follow-up. The factors influencing HIV retesting in pregnant women with an initial HIV-negative results are understudied. The study examined health service delivery factors affecting HIV retesting among pregnant women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in six health facilities in the Saboba District in 2023. Pregnant women who initially tested HIV-negative and were attending antenatal clinics at 34 weeks gestation or later were randomly selected. Data was analyzed using Stata version 15.0. Logistic regression was used to examined the health service factors affecting HIV retesting at a 0.05 significant level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 445 pregnant women initially HIV-negative, only 21.1% were retested at 34 weeks gestation. Pregnant women receiving antenatal care at health centers were less likely to be retested [aOR = 0.34; CI: 0.14-0.84], while those who spent less time during ANC were more likely to retest [aOR = 2.58; CI: 1.33-5.01].</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Improvement in HIV retesting requires reproductive health units to develop strategies to enhance coverage and reduce waiting times at health centers could encourage more pregnant women to retest for HIV.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"212-222"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142739355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DOXY do, or DOXY Don't? Syphilis and doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis: A case report.","authors":"Omar Chircop, Courtney Jaggers, Martha Spiteri, Aaron Schembri, Valeska Padovese","doi":"10.1177/09564624241308026","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09564624241308026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The resurgence of syphilis across Europe has led to a growing number of atypical cases, often characterised by varied symptoms that can delay diagnosis. We report the case of a young man who has sex with men (MSM), presenting with persistent headaches and swelling of the forehead suggestive of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Despite a recent negative syphilis test, further investigations confirmed the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. The patient had been using doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP), which is suspected to have delayed the diagnosis by masking the typical antibody response. This case highlights concerns about DoxyPEP's impact on syphilis detection and disease progression. Further research is warranted to explore its effects on antimicrobial resistance, the human microbiome, and clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":14408,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of STD & AIDS","volume":" ","pages":"324-326"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142846252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}