08/19/2011 03:08:18 am

Knowledge about STI

Young Australians appear to be largely ignorant about their sexual health says a large survey of more than one-thousand 18-to-35 year olds.

The survey found that most of the young people do not know about Pap smears, sexually transmitted infections and how the contraceptive pill works.

One in 10 men believes the pill protects a woman against sexually transmitted infections, like gonorrhea and Chlamydia. One in five do not know that STIs can affect their fertility. Nearly half of all those surveyed wrongly believe Pap smears for cervical cancer can also pick up sexually transmitted infections.

Country Awareness Network chief executive Adam Wright said it was frustrating that some schools still lagged behind in sex education. “In Victoria there is a whole approach in terms of the curriculum with it being integrated then just leaving it up to the gym teacher…Some schools do it really well and some need to catch up. But it’s vitally important. It should start in the home because we know that people’s first sexual experiences are happening earlier,” he said.

07/18/2011 08:07:44 am

ECDC launches a call for tender for Chlamydia Control in Europe

There is a call for tender published for “Chlamydia Control in Europe”.

The deadline for submission of tenders is 18 August 2011 at 4 pm local time. The envelope is for a maximum amount of 245,000 Euro.

For more information, please see ECDC website at: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/aboutus/calls/Lists/Calls%20for%20tender/ECDC_DispForm.aspx?List=a70e951a%2D9260%2D4909%2Dbc27%2Dcefd2af6e9a4&ID=596&RootFolder=%2Fen%2Faboutus%2Fcalls%2FLists%2FCalls%20for%20tender

science@cthpv.org

07/18/2011 07:07:48 am

Paternal exposure during pregnancy may affect man's ability to father a child

According to the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, more studies are needed to evaluate men and the potential effect of illnesses, medications and lifestyle habits on fertility and pregnancy.

Studies have found associations with the following risk factors and either altered sperm with or without infertility, lower fertility and infertility:

•Occupational: Chemicals such as heavy metals, solvents, fumes (welding fumes).

•Physical agents: Heat, vibration, extremes in temperature and pressure.

•Radiation: Radiation and electromagnetic radiation (cell phones).

•Lifestyle: Cigarette smoking.

•Infection: Chlamydia trachomatis, a common sexually transmitted disease.

•Pollutants: PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls). PCBs were banned by the EPA in 1979, but exist in the environment including landfills, lakes and streams.

"Dad is sometimes an afterthought when it comes to pregnancy," said Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and director of the CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line. "But the bottom line is it's often just as important to consider dad's impact on a developing baby before, during and after pregnancy as it is mom's. What better time to remind the public of that significance than during Father's Day."

Source: University of California

07/18/2011 06:07:46 am

Chlamydia on the rise in Europe: new ECDC report on sexually transmitted infections

They are young, mostly female and their number is constantly growing: with nearly 344 000 notified cases in 2009 (1), chlamydia is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) across Europe. Three quarters of all chlamydia infections are reported in young people between 15 and 24 years of age. This is highlighted by a new ECDC surveillance report ‘Sexually transmitted infections in Europe 1990–2009’ describing basic trends in diseases like chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea.

The report has been presented at the European Conference of National Strategies for Chlamydia Trachomatis and Human Papillomavirus in Latvia, Jurmala on 26 May 2011.

References
1) 343 958 cases reported by 23 EU/EEA Member States (no chlamydia data from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Germany)

science@cthpv.org

07/18/2011 06:07:27 am

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Europe and particularly affects young people

ECDC published following key message relating Chlamydia:
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infection in Europe, and the number of cases is steadily increasing.
In 2007, more than 255 000 cases of chlamydia were reported in the EU/EEA area, most of them in people below 25 years of age.
Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg as the majority of the cases are reported by only five countries, and several countries do not report any cases at all.
Surveillance and case detection methods for chlamydia differ widely across EU/EEA countries, and the large variations between countries in the number of reported cases reflect testing practices rather than true differences in incidence.
Chlamydia disproportionately affects young people. Studies have shown that up to 10% of sexually active people younger than 25 years are infected.
Two-thirds of Chlamydia trachomatis infected people have few or no symptoms. Asymptomatic patients are less likely to seek medical care and can continue to transmit the infection for long periods. This is why some countries invest in population screening and opportunistic chlamydia testing.
It is a common misconception that chlamydia only affects women. Although it is true that serious complications of chlamydia mostly affect women, men and women are equally often infected. The fact that more cases are reported among women simply reflects that women have more opportunities than men to be tested.
Chlamydia is so frequent that most infected people do not belong to any of the traditional risk groups for STIs. The most important risk factors for chlamydia are young age and a new sexual partner.

07/18/2011 06:07:21 am

To Dan Anderson

The study concerning treatment of chlamydia infection by additional enzyme thererapy was performed by Ingmars Mikazans in the end of 1990s. 18 urogenital’s chlamydiasis patients of study group received oral standard therapy for two weeks (doxycyclin 100 mg twice a day and nystatin 500 mg four times a day) plus wobenzym (Mucos Pharma; 5 tablets three times a day for four weaks). Conclusion: The systemic enzyme therapy with wobenzim significantly increase efficacy of standard urogenital chlamydiasis therapy and normalize immunological characteristics.
Re: Mikazans I. The use of wobenzym to increase the pharmacotherapy efficiency in disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. Journal of the Academy of Dermatology and Venerology, 7, 2, 1996, 195-196.
Mikazans I. New possibilities for treatment of chlamydial infection with enzyme therapy. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology, 9, 1, 1997, 227-228.

science@cthpv.org

07/18/2011 06:07:57 am

Chlamydia induced Reactive Arthritis

I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis (ReA) from a chlamydia infection I got in 1988. I am asking if anyone knows of an effective protocol to treat my ReA. I have heard of enzyme therapy at Riga Stradins University in Latvia. Does anyone know where I can learn more about this or any other treatment for my ReA? Thank you. Dan
electrician01@peoplepc.com

07/18/2011 06:07:54 am

To Zero 1090 (2nd part)

In particular, immunosuppressed patients, particularly those
undergoing organ transplantation, often develop pityriasis versicolor–like lesions, from which DNA of several HPV types has been
extracted. Occasionally, such lesions appear to undergo malignant transformation. Patients infected with HIV are often infected with
uncommon HPV types, frequently have severe clinical manifestations of
HPV infection, and are at high risk for cervical and anal dysplasia as well as for invasive cancer. HPV disease in patients with HIV infection may be associated with multiple HPV types, is difficult to treat, and often recurs. Host defense responses to HPV infection remain incompletely understood. However, several studies of recently developed HPV vaccines have demonstrated that production of high titers of type-specific neutralizing antibodies by vaccinated individuals is associated with type-specific protection from HPV
infection and disease. Because patients with defects in cell-mediated immune responses (including transplant recipients and patients with
HIV infection) frequently develop severe HPV disease, such responses
are probably important for the control of established virus
replication and disease. Histologic studies demonstrating an epidermal
lymphomonocytic infiltrate in resolving warts suggest that local immunity may be of particular importance in the resolution of disease.
Tobacco, ultraviolet can be considered cofactors because they promote oncogenesis via induction of mutations. They are well known mutaenic factors.

07/18/2011 06:07:49 am

To Zero 1090 (1st part)

According to a consensus panel gathered by the World Health
Organization, a large body of epidemiologic and biologic data has
established that some HPV infections cause cervical cancer.
For example, >95% of cervical cancers contain HPV DNA of oncogenic
(high-risk) types, such as 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45. HPV DNA is also
present in the precursor lesions of cervical cancer (cervical
intraepithelial neoplasias). Such lesions containing DNA of oncogenic
types are more likely to progress than those associated with low-risk
HPV types, such as 6 and 11. HPV DNA is transcribed in tumor tissues,
and many epidemiologic studies have confirmed a strong relationship
between HPV infection (with or without cofactors) and the development
of cervical cancer. Thus, venereal transmission of human papilloma
virus (HPV) has an important etiologic role. Over 66 types of HPVs
have been isolated, and many are associated with genital warts. Those
types commonly associated with cervical carcinoma are 16, 18, 31, 33,
52, and 58, but 70% of cases are caused by HPV-16 and -18. These,
along with many other types, are also associated with cervical
intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The protein product of HPV-16, the E7
protein, binds and inactivates the tumor-suppressor gene Rb, and the
E6 protein of HPV-18 has sequence homology to the SV40 large T antigen
and the capacity to bind and inactivate the tumor-suppressor gene p53.
E6 and E7 are both necessary and sufficient to cause cell
transformation in vitro. These binding and inactivation events may
explain the carcinogenic effects of the viruses.
Any conditions that promote local immune suppression favour reduction
of immune surveillance against tumor and favours the onset of cervical
cancer.

07/18/2011 06:07:52 am

How does HPV produce cancer?

At
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/219110-overview:

HPV infection alone does not cause malignant transformation of infected tissue. Cofactors, such as tobacco use, ultraviolet radiation, pregnancy, folate deficiency, and immune suppression have been implicated in this process.

Can anybody explain how tobacco use, ultraviolet radiation, pregnancy, folate deficiency, and immune suppression assist to development of the cancer?

And this is the same for other cancers?