Sexually transmitted diseases are a major problem among adolescents in Thailand, and seeing that unprotected sex is a growing trend, awareness must be increased. The aim of this study was to examine Thai students’ knowledge of and attitudes to STDs as well as if there are any differences in gender regarding these questions. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a private university in Bangkok, Thailand. The Health Belief Model was provided as theoretical framework. A questionnaire was answered voluntarily by 150 students, both male and female. The results showed that the students had low level of knowledge on STDs and their attitudes showed that they have many misconceptions regarding these issues. The study also showed that Thai students want to learn more about STDs and wish to receive this information from school. No major difference in gender was found. This study shows that additional education on STDs is needed among Thai adolescents. Further research in this area is acquired to get a wider perspective of Thai students’ knowledge on STDs, to help prevent future spreading of STDs. / Sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar är ett stort problem hos ungdomar i Thailand och eftersom oskyddat sex är en växande trend bör detta uppmärksammas. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka thailändska studenters kunskap om och attityder till sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar. Studien önskade även undersöka huruvida det fanns någon skillnad mellan könen. En deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie gjordes på ett privat universitet i Bangkok, Thailand. Health Belief Model användes som teoretiskt ramverk. Ett frågeformulär besvarades frivilligt av 150 manliga och kvinnliga studenter. Resultatet visade att studenterna hade bristande kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar. Deras attityder visade att studenterna hade många felaktiga uppfattningar i frågan. Studien visade även att de thailändska studenterna vill lära sig mer om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar och önskar att få denna information ifrån skolan.  Studien visade inga stora skillnader mellan könen. Denna studie visar att ytterligare kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar hos thailändska ungdomar behövs. Ytterligare forskning inom området är önskvärt. Detta för att få ett bredare perspektiv om thailändska studenters kunskaper om sexuellt överförbara sjukdomar, för att bidra till att förebygga ytterligare smittspridning.

This study describes and compares the results of a survey of 53 masters of social work students to determine the nature and extent to which their educational preparation included instruction on acquired immune deficiency syndrome and sexually transmitted diseases. The study also assessed the social work students' attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS and STDs, as well as their attitudes toward the role of social work education and the profession in addressing the HIV/AIDS and STD epidemics. To obtain this purpose the investigator developed a 56-item questionnaire. One of five hypotheses generated was accepted. Results showed that social work students need to increase their exposure to HIV/AIDS and STD related issues.

Few data are currently available regarding the extent to which older people (defined here as those aged >50 years): i) are sexually active; ii) engage in `risky' sexual behaviours; and iii) contract sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It was the primary aim of research described in this thesis to address these specific knowledge deficits and to ascertain whether the exclusion of this age group as a research focus within this subject field can be reasonably justified. The dearth of previous research undertaken in this area necessitated that a secondary goal be addressed, namely the development of methodologies appropriate to the collection from older people of data concerning such issues. Using a combination of self-administered questionnaire studies and secondary data analyses, undertaken both in health care settings and within the community at large, the programme of research clearly indicates that: 1. Older people represent a consistent minority of patients attending specialised genitourinary (GUM) clinics. Members of this group are further regularly diagnosed with STDs. Moreover, older clinic attenders exhibit distinctive socio-demographic and clinical characteristics relative both to younger clinic attenders and to the general population of the same age group. 2. The majority of older GUM clinic attenders are first time attenders and have not been diagnosed with an STD before 3. In the community at large the majority of older adults are sexually active, of whom a small minority (approximately 7%) engage in behaviours that place them at risk of contracting STDs. 4. Most older people, recruited from both health care and non-health care settings, feel that they have received very little information about STDs and HIV, and many indicated that they would like to receive more information on these topics.

Introdução: Os homens biológicos profissionais do sexo (male sex workers MSW) constituem uma população heterogênea, de forma que uma classificação tipológica poderá promover o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas mais específicas. Embora existam diversas classificações para o homem que se prostitui nas ruas das cidades (street hustlers), há poucos estudos que avaliam aspectos psicopatológicos específicos desses indivíduos. Este estudo examina aspectos dimensionais da personalidade, impulsividade, uso de álcool e drogas e envolvimento com atividades criminais entre street hustlers da cidade de Santo André/SP. Método: Trata-se de um estudo seccional e retrospectivo, realizado pelo Ambulatório de Transtornos da Sexualidade da Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (ABSex), em associação com o Grupo Interdisciplinar de Estudos de Álcool e Drogas do Instituto de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (GREA Ipq FMUSP). Oitenta e seis sujeitos foram avaliados por meio de questionários autoresponsivos, sendo as entrevistas realizadas nas ruas de Santo André/SP, no próprio local de trabalho dos entrevistados, entre 2008 e 2010. Resultados: MSW portadores de transtornos de identidade de gênero (TIG) apresentaram maiores níveis de Esquiva ao Dano, mais frequente história de agressão física por parte dos clientes e menor oportunidade de outros empregos quando comparados com MSW sem TIG. MSW com uso inconsistente de preservativos apresentaram mais problemas com uso de álcool e drogas, maiores níveis de Dependência de Gratificação, mais frequente história de tentativas prévias de suicídio e antecedente criminal quando comparados a MSW com uso consistente de preservativos. Conclusões: A prostituição masculina é um fenômeno composto de múltiplos aspectos. Há múltiplas variações em termos de motivações e padrões de vida entre os MSW, de forma ser necessário dividi-los em categorias. A identidade e papel de gênero, uso de substâncias psicoativas e aspectos de personalidade são variáveis importantes a serem consideradas quando do desenvolvimento de políticas de saúde pública mais específicas. A habilidade em avaliar tais características pode ser ferramenta importante no desenvolvimento de propostas mais efetivas para o manejo dessa complexa população / Introduction: Male sex workers (MSW) are a heterogeneous population, and researchers aim to categorize them into typology groups to develop more specific public health policies. Although there are several classifications for MSW who work on streets (street hustlers), there are few studies that evaluate specific psychopathology aspects of these individuals. This study examines the dimensional aspects of personality, impulsiveness, alcohol and drug use, and criminal history among street hustlers in the city of Santo André/SP. Method: This is a cross-sectional and retrospective study, carried out by Ambulatory for the Treatment of Sexual Disorders of ABC Medical School (ABSex), in association with the Interdisciplinary Group of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Psychiatry Institute Faculty of Medicine - São Paulo University (GREA - IPQ - FMUSP). Eighty-six subjects were assessed through self-report questionnaires. The interviews were performed on the streets of Santo André/SP, in the workplace of the MSW, from 2008 to 2010. Results: MSW with gender identity disorder (GID) showed higher Harm Avoidance levels, more frequent history of physical aggression by clients and less opportunity of other jobs when compared with street MSW without GID. MSW with inconsistent condom use showed more alcohol and drug use problems, higher levels of Reward Dependence, higher frequency of personal history of suicide attempts and criminal history. Conclusions: Male prostitution is a phenomenon composed of multiple aspects. Variations of personal motivations and life patterns among MSW are huge. So it is necessary to divide them into clusters. Identity and gender roles, substance abuse, personality aspects, like Harm Avoidance and Reward Dependence, are important variables to be considered for the development of more specific public health policies. The ability to assess such characteristics may be an important tool in developing proposals for more effective management of this complex population

A infecção pelo Papilomavírus Humano (HPV) é a principal responsável pelo desenvolvimento de lesões intraepiteliais e, potencialmente, do câncer cervical (CC). A presença de fatores como inflamação e outros agentes infecciosos contribuem para a instalação e persistência do vírus. A inclusão da pesquisa do HPV e de outros agentes infecciosos relacionados junto a programas de rastreamento do CC ainda é controversa. Além disso, sabe-se que o processo inflamatório e as lesões celulares decorrentes da presença de HPV e seus cofatores provocam alterações na expressão de diversas proteínas, entre elas a S100A4, que poderia funcionar como biomarcador de exposição. Desta forma, foram analisadas amostras de esfregaços cervicais para investigação da relação do diagnóstico citológico com a presença de agentes infecciosos, além do padrão de expressão da proteína S100A4. Nossos resultados demonstraram que o aparecimento de lesões ou atipias citológicas apresentou associação com a presença de HPV, tanto na infecção simples como na infecção por múltiplos genótipos de alto risco oncogênico, sugerindo a pesquisa molecular do HPV complementar à citologia. A presença de infecção latente pelo HPV também foi observada, a qual deve ser acompanhada com exames citológicos periódicos. A infecção por Chlamydia trachomatis desempenha importante papel como cofator para o desenvolvimento do CC e foi prevalente na população estudada, demonstrando associação com a presença de diferentes genótipos de HPV. Tanto nas pacientes sintomáticas como nas assintomáticas houve a detecção de leveduras do gênero Candida, sendo que a mais prevalente foi a C. albicans apresentando-se sensível à Anidulafungina e Anfotericina B, na maioria dos casos, e resistente ao Fluconazol. Com relação à expressão da proteína S100A4, houve associação com as alterações citológicas características do HPV, nas quais houve redução de sua expressão à medida que aumentou o grau da lesão. No entanto, também observamos que há expressão fisiológica da proteína S100A4 no epitélio escamoso estratificado da ectocérvice que varia de acordo com o grau de maturação celular e a presença de alterações citológicas inflamatórias, onde foi demonstrado aumento da sua expressão. Portanto, a avaliação da expressão da proteína S100A4 pode auxiliar no diagnóstico precoce do câncer de colo do útero nas lesões intraepiteliais cervicais positivas para HPV. Analisando-se globalmente, estes resultados sugerem a inclusão da pesquisa molecular de HPV e C. trachomatis, bem como a identificação de leveduras do gênero Candida complementares à citologia esfoliativa junto a programas de rastreamento. Além disso, a proteína S100A4, mostrou-se promissora como biomarcador dos efeitos celulares dos fatores associados. Observa-se que a associação de diferentes metodologias permite a detecção precoce de lesões e, consequentemente, contribuem para a redução da incidência do CC. / Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main responsible for the development of intraepithelial lesions and potentially cervical cancer (CC). The presence of factors such as inflammation and other infectious agents contribute to the onset and persistence of the virus. The inclusion of HPV research and other infectious agents associated in the CC screening programs is still controversial. In addition, it is known that inflammation and cell injury caused by the presence of HPV and their cofactors cause changes in gene expression and function of several proteins, including the S100A4 which could function as a biomarker of exposure. Thereby, samples of cervical specimens were analyzed to investigate the relationship of cytological diagnosis in the presence of infectious agents, other than the standard expression of S100A4 protein. Our results demonstrated that the development of lesions or cytological atypia was associated with the presence of HPV in either simple infection or infection by multiple genotypes of high oncogenic risk, indicating the importance of molecular HPV analysis complementary to cytology. The presence of latent infection was also observed and must be monitored with periodic cytological examinations. The Chlamydia trachomatis infection plays an important role as a cofactor for the development of CC and was prevalent in the population studied, demonstrating association with the presence of different HPV genotypes. For both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients there was a yeast detection of Candida, and the most prevalent was the Candida albicans presenting sensitive to Anidulafungin and Amphotericin B, in most cases, and resistant Fluconazole. Regarding the S100A4 protein expression, there was association with abnormal cytological HPV characteristics where a reduction of expression could be observed and the degree of injury increased. However, we also observed that there are physiological expression of S100A4 protein in the stratified squamous epithelium of the ectocervix and this varies according to the degree of cell maturation and the presence of inflammatory cell alterations, increased expression where demonstrated. Therefore, the evaluation of the expression of S100A4 protein may assist in the early diagnosis of cervical cancer in cervical intraepithelial lesions positive for HPV. Overall, these results suggest the inclusion of molecular research of HPV and C. trachomatis, and the identification of yeasts Candida complementary to exfoliative cytology in screening programs. In addition, the S100A4 protein has shown to be promising as a biomarker for cellular effects of associated factors. It was observed that the association of different methodologies allows early detection of lesions and therefore contribute to reducing the incidence of CC.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-19T17:47:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao Raimundo.pdf: 245259 bytes, checksum: 3b4d5ce14cf18163fe68ee80ab889fde (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-28 / The research aims to reflect the vulnerability of young people with sexually transmitted diseases in a Quilombola community Jamary dos Pretos in the municipality of Turiaçu-MA. The discussion also encompasses access to information about prevention of STDs/AIDS. The analysis involves concepts of multi-disciplinary areas of knowledge: history, anthropology, health, and society. Covers the concepts of history of black communities in Maranhão, and its association with the past of slavery and its appreciation and depreciation by sectors of society and the effect of the training process of the current modern society. Analyses the socioeconomic status of young people in this community as a member of several factors for the composition of this vulnerability. Still evaluates policies for the prevention, control and treatment of STDs / AIDS in this population segment. We opted for a quantitative survey-type approach, using as a Data collection instrument a form closed questions to 50 youths in the community, located in the age group 18 to 24 years. Among the results, include: poor education, unemployment and household income less than a minimum wage that make impossible young people have access to means of protection and prevention of STDs / AID; most young people do not realize the risk of STD / AIDS that are exposed, revealed a risk behaviors adopted by young people, such as disuse of condoms during sexual intercourse and injecting drug use. / A pesquisa tem por objetivo refletir a vulnerabilidade dos jovens às doenças sexualmente transmissíveis em uma comunidade quilombola Jamary dos Pretos existente no município de Turiaçu MA. A reflexão engloba ainda o acesso à informação sobre prevenção de DST/AIDS. A análise envolve conceitos de áreas multidisciplinares de conhecimento: história, antropologia, saúde e sociedade. Aborda os conceitos de história das comunidades negras no Maranhão, bem como sua associação com o passado escravagista e sua valorização e desvalorização por setores da sociedade e como efeito do processo de formação da atual sociedade moderna. Analisa a situação socioeconômica dos jovens dessa comunidade como um dos diversos fatores integrantes para a composição desta vulnerabilidade. Avalia ainda as políticas de prevenção, controle e tratamento as DST/AIDS neste segmento populacional. Optou-se pela abordagem quantitativa do tipo survey, utilizando como instrumento de coleta de dados um formulário de perguntas fechadas a 50 jovens da comunidade, situados na faixa etária de 18 a 24 anos. Dentre os resultados, destacam-se: a baixa escolaridade, desemprego e renda familiar inferior a 1 salário mínimo, impossibilitando o acesso dos jovens aos meios de proteção e prevenção às DST/AIDS; a maioria dos jovens não percebe o risco às DST/AIDS que estão expostos; evidenciou-se comportamentos de riscos adotados pelos jovens, como desuso de preservativos nas relações sexuais e uso de drogas injetáveis.

The incidence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is highest in the southern states of the United States (US), with adolescents in this region being one of the most affected populations in the country. A limited amount of information is available on adolescent HIV risk behaviors in the southern states, specifically focusing on race and gender. The purpose of this study was to use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Youth Risk Behaviors Survey (YRBS) for high school students in the southern states for 2011 and 2013 to examine the influence of race and gender on 1) early sexual initiation, 2) number of sexual partners, and 3) condom use. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression was used for the analysis. A total of 6,244 (6.7%) students reported early sexual initiation, 13,121 (14.1%) reported having multiple sex partners, and 11,820 (41.1%) reported condom use in southern states for 2011 and 2013. Minority males were greater than 10 times more likely to engage in early sexual initiation compared to white females (OR-10.40; 95% Confidence Interval (CI)-9.03-11.98). Minorities and males were more likely to have multiple sex partners compared to whites and females (OR- 1.84; CI-1.73-1.95, OR-2.20; CI-2.07-2.34, respectively). Minority males were over 2 times more likely to use condoms compared to white females (OR-2.04; CI-1.87-2.23). There was a statistically significant association between the three sexual health behaviors and psychosocial factors, such as dating violence, forced sex, body weight perception, and substance use before sex. Gender and race along with psychosocial factors were associated with HIV risk behaviors for high school students in the southern states. These preliminary findings could potentially be used to target HIV/AIDS awareness and preventative actions to populations affected by the HIV burden in the southern states.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to remain a public health concern in the United States, especially among young people. Levels of knowledge with regard to STDs have been investigated in prior research; however, these investigations have been limited primarily to older adolescents and young adults. Grounded in the social cognitive and subjective culture theories, this quantitative, cross-sectional study assessed STD knowledge (other than HIV/AIDS) among 7th grade students attending a public middle school in the United States. Demographic differences (age, gender, and ethnicity) in STD knowledge were examined to determine if these demographic variables predict STD knowledge scores and if the Sexually Transmitted Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) is a valid and reliable instrument among this study population. Chi-square analysis demonstrated that STD knowledge scores significantly differed by age only: Twelve-year-olds had higher STD scores than did 13-year-olds, contrary to research in older adolescents, which may be the result of confounding factors that warrant further investigation. Multiple regression analysis showed that age, gender, and ethnicity were not associated with STD knowledge scores. The STD-KQ was found to have face validity as well as high consistency and reliability among all questions related to STDs other than HIV/AIDS using Crohnbach's alpha. Content validity for individual STD-KQ items was shown using Lawshe's content validity ratio and subject matter experts. Results of the study support positive social change and highlight the need for earlier STD education, other than HIV/AIDS, with middle school children and the need to examine other factors that may impact STD knowledge within this age group.

It is an important step in clinical practice to discriminate real diseased patients from healthy persons. It would be great to get such discrimination from some common information like personal information, life style, and the contact with diseased patient. In this study, a score is calculated for each patient based on a survey through generalized linear model, and then the diseased status is decided according to previous sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) records. This study will facilitate clinics in grouping patients into real diseased or healthy, which in turn will affect the method clinics take to screen patients: complete screening for possible diseased patient and some common screening for potentially healthy persons.

A infecção pelo Papilomavírus Humano (HPV) é a principal responsável pelo desenvolvimento de lesões intraepiteliais e, potencialmente, do câncer cervical (CC). A presença de fatores como inflamação e outros agentes infecciosos contribuem para a instalação e persistência do vírus. A inclusão da pesquisa do HPV e de outros agentes infecciosos relacionados junto a programas de rastreamento do CC ainda é controversa. Além disso, sabe-se que o processo inflamatório e as lesões celulares decorrentes da presença de HPV e seus cofatores provocam alterações na expressão de diversas proteínas, entre elas a S100A4, que poderia funcionar como biomarcador de exposição. Desta forma, foram analisadas amostras de esfregaços cervicais para investigação da relação do diagnóstico citológico com a presença de agentes infecciosos, além do padrão de expressão da proteína S100A4. Nossos resultados demonstraram que o aparecimento de lesões ou atipias citológicas apresentou associação com a presença de HPV, tanto na infecção simples como na infecção por múltiplos genótipos de alto risco oncogênico, sugerindo a pesquisa molecular do HPV complementar à citologia. A presença de infecção latente pelo HPV também foi observada, a qual deve ser acompanhada com exames citológicos periódicos. A infecção por Chlamydia trachomatis desempenha importante papel como cofator para o desenvolvimento do CC e foi prevalente na população estudada, demonstrando associação com a presença de diferentes genótipos de HPV. Tanto nas pacientes sintomáticas como nas assintomáticas houve a detecção de leveduras do gênero Candida, sendo que a mais prevalente foi a C. albicans apresentando-se sensível à Anidulafungina e Anfotericina B, na maioria dos casos, e resistente ao Fluconazol. Com relação à expressão da proteína S100A4, houve associação com as alterações citológicas características do HPV, nas quais houve redução de sua expressão à medida que aumentou o grau da lesão. No entanto, também observamos que há expressão fisiológica da proteína S100A4 no epitélio escamoso estratificado da ectocérvice que varia de acordo com o grau de maturação celular e a presença de alterações citológicas inflamatórias, onde foi demonstrado aumento da sua expressão. Portanto, a avaliação da expressão da proteína S100A4 pode auxiliar no diagnóstico precoce do câncer de colo do útero nas lesões intraepiteliais cervicais positivas para HPV. Analisando-se globalmente, estes resultados sugerem a inclusão da pesquisa molecular de HPV e C. trachomatis, bem como a identificação de leveduras do gênero Candida complementares à citologia esfoliativa junto a programas de rastreamento. Além disso, a proteína S100A4, mostrou-se promissora como biomarcador dos efeitos celulares dos fatores associados. Observa-se que a associação de diferentes metodologias permite a detecção precoce de lesões e, consequentemente, contribuem para a redução da incidência do CC. / Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main responsible for the development of intraepithelial lesions and potentially cervical cancer (CC). The presence of factors such as inflammation and other infectious agents contribute to the onset and persistence of the virus. The inclusion of HPV research and other infectious agents associated in the CC screening programs is still controversial. In addition, it is known that inflammation and cell injury caused by the presence of HPV and their cofactors cause changes in gene expression and function of several proteins, including the S100A4 which could function as a biomarker of exposure. Thereby, samples of cervical specimens were analyzed to investigate the relationship of cytological diagnosis in the presence of infectious agents, other than the standard expression of S100A4 protein. Our results demonstrated that the development of lesions or cytological atypia was associated with the presence of HPV in either simple infection or infection by multiple genotypes of high oncogenic risk, indicating the importance of molecular HPV analysis complementary to cytology. The presence of latent infection was also observed and must be monitored with periodic cytological examinations. The Chlamydia trachomatis infection plays an important role as a cofactor for the development of CC and was prevalent in the population studied, demonstrating association with the presence of different HPV genotypes. For both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients there was a yeast detection of Candida, and the most prevalent was the Candida albicans presenting sensitive to Anidulafungin and Amphotericin B, in most cases, and resistant Fluconazole. Regarding the S100A4 protein expression, there was association with abnormal cytological HPV characteristics where a reduction of expression could be observed and the degree of injury increased. However, we also observed that there are physiological expression of S100A4 protein in the stratified squamous epithelium of the ectocervix and this varies according to the degree of cell maturation and the presence of inflammatory cell alterations, increased expression where demonstrated. Therefore, the evaluation of the expression of S100A4 protein may assist in the early diagnosis of cervical cancer in cervical intraepithelial lesions positive for HPV. Overall, these results suggest the inclusion of molecular research of HPV and C. trachomatis, and the identification of yeasts Candida complementary to exfoliative cytology in screening programs. In addition, the S100A4 protein has shown to be promising as a biomarker for cellular effects of associated factors. It was observed that the association of different methodologies allows early detection of lesions and therefore contribute to reducing the incidence of CC.