TITLE: Risk behaviors of adolescents in the areas of reproductive health AUTHOR: Bc. Anna Fendrichová DEPARTMENT: Department of pedagogy SUPERVISOR: PhDr. Jiří Kučírek PhD. ABSTRACT: This thesis deals with risk behaviour, with a special focus on reproductive health in late adolescence. The theoretical part first approaches risky behaviour in general and next it targets on reproductive health in adolescence, on its possible risks and consequences. The conclusion of the theoretical part is dedicated to the prevention of risky reproductive behaviour with emphasis on primary prevention. The research part of the thesis presents a quantitative research survey by means of a questionnaire. The analysis of the survey data provides information on adolescents' knowledge of reproductive health and their behaviour in this area. Further, it reveals whether there are differences in knowledge and behaviour among students who have a subject focused on health education and those who do not. The results of the survey showed that knowledge among the questioned adolescents is not at such a level as expected. Neither the differences in awareness and behaviour of adolescent students in particular branches are not as significant as one would expect. KEY WORDS: adolescence, risk behaviour, reproductive health, pregnancy, abortion...

Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Unfortunately, its incidence rates have been increasing all over the world. One of the techniques used by dermatologists to diagnose melanomas is an imaging modality called dermoscopy. The skin lesion is inspected using a magnification device and a light source. This technique makes it possible for the dermatologist to observe subcutaneous structures that would be invisible otherwise. However, the use of dermoscopy is not straightforward, requiring years of practice. Moreover, the diagnosis is many times subjective and challenging to reproduce. Therefore, it is necessary to develop automatic methods that will help dermatologists provide more reliable diagnoses.  Since this cancer is visible on the skin, it is potentially detectable at a very early stage when it is curable. Recent developments have converged to make fully automatic early melanoma detection a real possibility. First, the advent of dermoscopy has enabled a dramatic boost in the clinical diagnostic ability to the point that it can detect melanoma in the clinic at the earliest stages. This technology’s global adoption has allowed the accumulation of extensive collections of dermoscopy images. The development of advanced technologies in image processing and machine learning has given us the ability to distinguish malignant melanoma from the many benign mimics that require no biopsy. These new technologies should allow earlier detection of melanoma and reduce a large number of unnecessary and costly biopsy procedures. Although some of the new systems reported for these technologies have shown promise in preliminary trials, a widespread implementation must await further technical progress in accuracy and reproducibility.  This thesis provides an overview of our deep learning (DL) based methods used in the diagnosis of melanoma in dermoscopy images. First, we introduce the background. Then, this paper gives a brief overview of the state-of-art article on melanoma interpret. After that, a review is provided on the deep learning models for melanoma image analysis and the main popular techniques to improve the diagnose performance. We also made a summary of our research results. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for automating melanocytic skin lesions’ diagnostic procedures. We end with an overview of a conclusion and directions for the following research plan.

Hansson, L. Detektion av makrolidresistens hos Mycoplasma genitalium med Panther Fusion. Examensarbete i biomedicinsk laboratorievetenskal 15 högskolepoäng. Malmö universitet: Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle, institutionen för Biomedicinsk Vetenskap, 2023.   Mycoplasma genitalium är en sexuellt överförbar mikroorganism som infekterar både män och kvinnor, som behandlas oftast med azitromycin med ett ökande problem av antibiotikaresistens. För M. genitalium är makrolidresistens det främsta hotet mot behandling, och har kopplats till fyra punktmutationer i region V i 23S rRNA-genen: A2071G, A2072G, A2072C samt A2071T (M. genitalium G-37, GenBank NR_077054.1). Projektet har undersökt möjligheten att ersätta nuvarande in house realtids-PCR metod för makrolidresistensbestämning med ett integrerat nukleinsyra-reningssteg och realtids-PCR med Panther Fusion (Hologic) hos Klinisk mikrobiologi i Lund. Under projektet analyserades 55 patientprover som samlades under perioden januari-februari 2023 i Region Skåne, som blivit positiva vid M. genitalium testning. Dessa prover har därefter analyserats av personal med nuvarande ABI-metod för resistensbestämning och sedan analyserats på Panther Fusion. Nuvarande ABI-metod resulterade i positiv signal för 91% (50/55) av patientprover positiva vid M. genitalium analys och makrolidresistensmutation hos 25 % (14/55), medan Panther Fusion metoden resulterade i positiv signal för 81 % (45/55) av positiva M. genitalium prover och påvisade resistensmutation hos 20 % (11/55) av proverna.

The enlightenment period is often considered a dark age within the history of medicine. Contrary to this sentiment, I argue that the enlightenment spirit of inquiry regarding venereal disease was vibrant, dynamic, and profoundly influenced how syphilis was understood in the subsequent century. Historiography frequently minimises advances of medical knowledge made in the eighteenth century by focusing on the inefficacy of treatments, rather than on developments in medical theories and concepts. This thesis attends to this gap by examining a case study within venereology to demonstrate that physicians engaging in public debate significantly advanced knowledge of syphilis. In doing so, this counters a historiographical trend that claims that French physician Philippe Ricord (1800-1889) was the first to distinguish syphilis from gonorrhoea in the nineteenth century. It uses historical evidence to show that the nature of syphilis was debated throughout the preceding centuries and that this distinction was clearly established in 1793 by Scottish surgeon, Benjamin Bell (1749-1806). This thesis uses the epistemic concepts devised by Ludwik Fleck in his Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact (1979 [1935]) to illustrate how enlightenment ways of thinking substantially contributed to the development of modern medicine. This thesis therefore invites a reconsideration of the era, not as a dark age, but as a rich period of scientific endeavour.

When the United States entered World War II, federal officials began planning a war on prostitution and decided to make New Orleans the poster city for reform. New Orleans held a reputation for being a destination for prostitution tin the U.S. A federally appointed group aptly named the Social Protection Division began a repression campaign in militarily dense areas throughout the United States. The goal was to protect soldiers by eliminating the threat from venereal disease carrying prostitutes. The Social Protection Division created a campaign with the New Orleans Health Department and the New Orleans Police Department to repression prostitution. Some in New Orleans, however, tried to undermine these efforts and continue the profitable tradition of prostitution. From 1942-1945, New Orleans became part of the internal war waged by the federal government against women deemed sexually dangerous to protect the patriotic male soldier being sent off to war.

Submitted by Fabrizio Grandi (fgrandivet@gmail.com) on 2016-03-10T14:56:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Doutorado.pdf: 5138229 bytes, checksum: cf3859209f1985d48832ef7e89af5b94 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Manzano de Almeida (smanzano@marilia.unesp.br) on 2016-03-10T17:08:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 grandi_f_dr_bot.pdf: 5138229 bytes, checksum: cf3859209f1985d48832ef7e89af5b94 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-10T17:08:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 grandi_f_dr_bot.pdf: 5138229 bytes, checksum: cf3859209f1985d48832ef7e89af5b94 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / O tumor venéreo transmissível (TVT) canino é uma neoplasia transplantável, considerada um alo-enxerto. Entretanto, pouco se sabe a respeito da origem e processo de cacinogênese. Atualmente, postula-se que alguns tumores originem-se de células iniciadoras tumorais, classicamente descritas nas leucemias mielóide humanas. As características intrínsecas do TVT fornecem indícios de uma possível participação de células iniciadores tumorais no processo de carcinogênese nesse tumor. Foi realizado estudo de fenotipagem do TVT canino para avaliar a marcação das proteínas CD44, CD133, CD90 e CD34, comumente associadas ao potencial iniciador tumoral. Para tanto utilizou-se a citometria de fluxo, imuno-histoquímica e RTq-PCR. Foram analisados também as frações de crescimento pelo Ki-67) e o número de células em apoptose pela caspase-3 clivada. Trinta e oito amostras de TVT foram obtidas de pacientes sem tratamento quimioterápico prévio. As amostras foram classificadas em plasmocitóide ou mistas, de acordo com o subtipo citológico; as células positivas na citometria de fluxo foram representadas em termos percentuais para os marcadores CD44, CD34, CD90 e CD133; a fração de crescimento foi representada pela técnica do H-Score; a quantidade de células apoptóticas foi representada pelo somatório de células positivas para a caspase-3 clivada; as imuno-marcações das proteínas CD44 e CD34 foram representadas por escores semi-quantitativos baseados na intensidade e percentual de células positivas; as expressões de RNAm foram calculadas em termos relativos; ainda, os pacientes foram divididos em grupos resistente e não resistente e comparados quanto a expressão dos marcadores de células iniciadoras supracitados. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os marcadores e os grupos citológicos plasmocitóide e misto; o percentual de células CD44+ comumente foi superior a 90%, enquanto que o percentual de células CD34+, menor que 0,5%; o percentual de células CD90+ e CD133+ variou amplamente; houve uma tendência em termos de diferença estatística entre os grupos quimiorresistente e não resistente; houve correlação forte entre o percentual de células CD133+ e CD90+ na citometria de fluxo. O estudo permitiu verificar diferentes níveis de expressão protéica e gênica nas amostras de TVT canino; ainda, os grupos citológicos aparentam não possuir diferenças com relação a expressão dos marcadores CD44, CD90, CD133 e CD34; os grupos quimiorresistentes e não-resistentes parecem diferir com relação a expressão dos marcadores de células iniciadoras tumorais. / The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a transplantable neoplasia considered an allograft. Information about the origin and carcinogenesis process is scarcely known. Currently, some neoplasms are believed to arise from a tumor-initiating cell (TIC´s) classically described in human myeloid leukemia. TVT intrinsic characteristics provide evidence of a possible TIC´s participation in carcinogenesis process of this malignancy. Thus, a phenotyping study of CTVT was conducted to assess the immunophenotyping properties of the proteins CD44, CD133, CD90 and CD34, already known to be associated to tumor initiator potential. The use of flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry contributed to this purpose. In addition, growth fractions and cells undergoing apoptosis were examined by Ki-67 and caspase-3 cleaved, respectively. Thirty-eight samples were chosen from patients having no previous chemotherapy and cytological diagnosis of CTVT. Samples were classified into plasmacytoid or mixed according to cytological subtype. Positive cells in the flow cytometry were expressed in percentage for the markers CD44, CD34, CD90 and CD133. H-score technique helped to represent growth fractions. Apoptotic cell quantity was calculated by summing positive cells. Immunohistochemical marking of CD44 and CD34 proteins were determined by semiquantitative scores based on the intensity and percentage of positive cells. Moreover, specimens were divided into resistant and non-resistant groups and compared according cell marker expressions cited before. No significant differences appeared between the markers, and cytological plasmacytoid and mixed groups. The CD44 + cells and CD34 + percentages showed up high and low values, respectively. CD90 + and CD133 + cell percentages presented variable values. Amplitudes of the gene expression values among markers were similar to those observed in flow cytometry with a low expression of CD34, and a high expression of CD44. There was a positive statistical tendence between chemo-resistant and non-resistant groups, as well as a strong correlation between the percentage of CD133 + and CD90 + in flow cytometry. Besides, cytological groups apparently have no differences with the marker expression of CD44, CD90, CD133 and CD34. Resistant and non-resistant groups to chemotherapy seems to differ with respect to the marker expression of TIC´s.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T18:55:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSETACAO_COMPLETA__16_04_09.pdf: 1755631 bytes, checksum: da3df5aaf8868dbddec8a1a0b3481970 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-13 / The transmissible venereal tumor (TVT) is a contagious neoplasm of round cells of dogs of very frequent casuistry. The standard treatment consists of chemotherapy, and the most effective treatment is the vincristine sulphate alone, however the resistance emergence to this agent has been taking the association with other drugs. Recent studies demonstrated the antitumoral effect of the avermectins when associated to the vincristine in the treatment of some neoplasms. Therefore, the objective of this work was to compare the effectiveness of the standard protocol with vincristine only and the ivermectin + vincristine association through histopathologycal and cytological analysis of the tumor. The samples analyses reveal a more precocious cure of TVT in the associated protocol. These results suggest that the protocol of the vincristine associated to ivermectin can be an excellent therapeutic alternative for the treatment of TVT in the future. / O tumor venéreo transmissível (TVT) é uma neoplasia de células redondas que acomete cães de casuística muito freqüente. O tratamento padrão consiste no uso de antineoplásicos, sendo de eleição a vincristina como agente único, porém o aparecimento de resistência a este fármaco tem levado a associação com outras drogas. Estudos recentes demonstraram o efeito antitumoral das avermectinas quando associadas à vincristina no tratamento de alguns tipos de neoplasias. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a eficácia do protocolo padrão com o uso único de vincristina e o protocolo da associação de vincristina e ivermectina através da análise histopatológica e citológica do tumor. As análises histopatológicas e citológicas revelarem uma cura mais precoce do TVT no protocolo associado. Estes resultados sugerem que o protocolo vincristina associada à ivermectina pode ser no futuro uma excelente alternativa terapêutica para o tratamento do TVT.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T17:53:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSETACAO_COMPLETA__16_04_09.pdf: 1755631 bytes, checksum: da3df5aaf8868dbddec8a1a0b3481970 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-13 / The transmissible venereal tumor (TVT) is a contagious neoplasm of round cells of dogs of very frequent casuistry. The standard treatment consists of chemotherapy, and the most effective treatment is the vincristine sulphate alone, however the resistance emergence to this agent has been taking the association with other drugs. Recent studies demonstrated the antitumoral effect of the avermectins when associated to the vincristine in the treatment of some neoplasms. Therefore, the objective of this work was to compare the effectiveness of the standard protocol with vincristine only and the ivermectin + vincristine association through histopathologycal and cytological analysis of the tumor. The samples analyses reveal a more precocious cure of TVT in the associated protocol. These results suggest that the protocol of the vincristine associated to ivermectin can be an excellent therapeutic alternative for the treatment of TVT in the future. / O tumor venéreo transmissível (TVT) é uma neoplasia de células redondas que acomete cães de casuística muito freqüente. O tratamento padrão consiste no uso de antineoplásicos, sendo de eleição a vincristina como agente único, porém o aparecimento de resistência a este fármaco tem levado a associação com outras drogas. Estudos recentes demonstraram o efeito antitumoral das avermectinas quando associadas à vincristina no tratamento de alguns tipos de neoplasias. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a eficácia do protocolo padrão com o uso único de vincristina e o protocolo da associação de vincristina e ivermectina através da análise histopatológica e citológica do tumor. As análises histopatológicas e citológicas revelarem uma cura mais precoce do TVT no protocolo associado. Estes resultados sugerem que o protocolo vincristina associada à ivermectina pode ser no futuro uma excelente alternativa terapêutica para o tratamento do TVT.

The present thesis investigates the commercial sex hygiene films produced between the years 1914 and 1919 in the United States, during the last years of the Progressive Era. Rejected and prohibited as soon as five years after their apparition, the sex hygiene films’ position within the industry, as well as the cinematic techniques they incorporated, will be analysed through the concept of the Low Other. The first part of the thesis aims to delineate the used concepts, as well as integrate the sex hygiene film into a wider cultural, social, and political framework. The second part explores the films’ aesthetic construction, then focuses on a textual analysis of the narrative and non-narrative methods implied by three particular sex hygiene films. Finally, the thesis concludes that the films used a series of cinematic methods to create a Low Other on-screen, yet these very methods ultimately played a part within their suppression as a Low Other body of culture.

Quantification of progesterone and 17-β estradiol in mouse serum by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry Authors: Benjamin Kennard, Allison Cobble, Amy Gravitte, Keleigh Galloway, Jen Kintner, Jennifer Hall, Stacy Brown Introduction: In the United States, Chlamydia trachomatis is a commonly appearing sexually transmitted infection1. It affects the U.S. healthcare system to a tune of about $500 million dollars annually2. In women, it generally appears asymptomatic and can lead to severe secondary complications such as pelvic inflammatory diseases or infertility1. Female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, are being identified to have a role in chlamydial infection. Specifically, this study aims to create quantification methods to detect levels of estrogen and progesterone in mice, infected with Chlamydia muridarum, plasma samples. Methods: Progesterone samples were prepared using solid-liquid extraction (SLE+) cartridges with ethyl acetate as the elution solvent. Estradiol samples were prepared using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with methyl tert-butyl ether and subsequent derivatization with DMIS. Following sample preparation, hormones were quantified in samples using LC-MS/MS with a gradient elution of 1 mM ammonium fluoride in water and acetonitrile. The separation was achieved using a UCT C18 column (100 x 21.mm, 1.8 μm particle size) maintained at 50oC. The mass spectrometer was set up to isolate molecular ions for progesterone (m/z 315.0910) and derivatized estradiol (m/z 431.1835). Quantification was facilitated by the use of deuterium-labeled internal standards and their corresponding molecular ions in the mass spectrometer (d9-progesterone; m/z 324.1230 and d5-estradiol; m/z 436.2922). Results: Several aspects of the assay presented have been optimized for maximum analyte recovery and analytical sensitivity, including column choice, mobile phase, derivatizing agents for estradiol, and extraction protocols for progesterone. The LC-MS/MS method was investigated for precision and accuracy over three separate days. The dynamic range of the progesterone assay was 5 – 100 ng/mL, with a limit of detection of 1 ng/mL. Likewise, the estradiol assay was linear in the range of 5 – 100 ng/mL, with a limit of detection of 0.5 ng/mL. The average precision, represented by % RSD was 0.74 – 8.5% and 6.3 – 13.4% for progesterone and estradiol, respectively. The accuracy of the method, represented by % error was 1.6 – 14.4% and 4.0 – 10.5% for progesterone and estradiol, respectively. Successful validation was defined as < 15% RSD and error (< 20% at the limit of quantification), per current FDA Guidelines. Conclusions: The developed LC-MS/MS method is specific for progesterone and estradiol, and the extraction is suitable for preparation of mouse serum samples. This assay could be successfully applied to hormone quantification in mouse samples to support the investigation of the link between chlamydia infection and hormone levels in female animals. References 1. Chlamydia - 2017 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance. https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/chlamydia.htm. Accessed October 23, 2018. 2. Owusu-Edusei K, Chesson HW, Gift TL, et al. The Estimated Direct Medical Cost of Selected Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States, 2008. Sex Transm Dis. 2013;40(3):197-201. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0b013e318285c6d2