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The Reproductive System and Its Disorders
Published in Walter F. Stanaszek, Mary J. Stanaszek, Robert J. Holt, Steven Strauss, Understanding Medical Terms, 2020
Walter F. Stanaszek, Mary J. Stanaszek, Robert J. Holt, Steven Strauss
Infections are among the most common of the diseases affecting the reproductive system, notable among them being the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Formerly, STDs were known primarily by the term venereal disease (VD), indicating that they are transmitted during coitus, yet other sexual activity (as well as several other mechanisms) may transmit these infections, so the term STD has become the standard in the medical community. According to the World Health Organization, STDs are the most common communicable diseases in the world and include a large number of etiologic organisms and a variety of symptoms. In the United States, many of the STDs must legally be reported to health officials, as must several other contagious diseases. Statistics are maintained for these reportable diseases by the Centers for Disease Control, and state and local officials usually investigate and "track" cases to find and treat other individuals who are infected.
The reproductive system
Published in Laurie K. McCorry, Martin M. Zdanowicz, Cynthia Y. Gonnella, Essentials of Human Physiology and Pathophysiology for Pharmacy and Allied Health, 2019
Laurie K. McCorry, Martin M. Zdanowicz, Cynthia Y. Gonnella
The actual symptoms associated with various STDs will vary depending upon the organism that is responsible. General symptoms of STD include: Sores, lesions, or bumps associated with the penis or vaginaAbnormal discharge from the penis or vaginaPainful urination or intercourseAbdominal painVaginal bleeding
The third-world face of HIV/AIDS
Published in Théodore H MacDonald, Health, Trade and Human Rights, 2018
Women experience fewer STD symptoms, and even when they do, they tend to avoid STD care because of stigmatism and because they accept discomfort as part of their reproductive lives. Over 80% of women with STDs receive no care, thus increasing HIV vulnerability (Pitt et al., 1995). Even if women go to clinics, the nurses at the clinics often convey a very judgemental attitude towards them because STDs are regarded as a sign of promiscuity on the woman’s part. There is no privacy, and confidentiality is not assured. This, in turn, makes vulnerable women avoid STD treatment, which they need in order to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. Again, this illustrates a real inadequacy in a policy of reducing public spending on general education and directing IMF funding to vertical, interventionist, practices and projects.
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in real-time: a need for the present future
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2022
A common unresolved problem that arises in the treatment of severe infections is to determine the right dose [6]. First and foremost, recommendations are mainly based on nonspecific populations and mainly healthy volunteers in very controlled clinical conditions. Interestingly, patient’s doses should consider clinical disease patterns, varying levels of antimicrobial resistance or drug availability. We have learnt over the years that patients with sepsis and septic shock are often at risk of underdosing due to an increased volume of distribution (Vd), which is probably one of the most unknown pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters that we consider when treating a critical care patient. More specifically, Vd represents the individual antimicrobial’s propensity to either remain in the plasma or redistribute to other tissue compartments. By measuring antibiotic plasma concentrations, physicians can adjust antimicrobial dosing in individual patients through the application of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) [7]. This approach has two potential benefits: to improve clinical outcome from infections and to reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance. The benefit of TDM focuses on two specific parameters: PK and pharmacodynamics (PD) to define the antimicrobial exposure necessary for maximizing the killing or inhibition of bacterial growth, determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). As plasma concentrations are paramount to eradicating the cause of the infection by sterilizing the affected tissue, the concentration of antimicrobials should be adequately measured and controlled during treatment [8,9].
A Novel Quantitative Assessment Method of Disease Activity in Susac’s Syndrome Based on Ultra-Wide Field Imaging
Published in Current Eye Research, 2022
T. Hamann, M. Wiest, W. Innes, S. Zweifel
In OCTA qualitative assessment including heat maps displaying the scaled intensity of summed flow signal by colour code was performed using the swept-source Plex Elite 9000 device and accompanying software (Zeiss, Germany). Every patient underwent 3 × 3 mm macular scans centered on the fovea. Where patient compliance allowed, 15 × 9 mm scans and panoramic reconstructions produced by the instrument software were acquired. En face 3 × 3 mm images of the retinal vasculature were generated from the superficial and deep capillary plexus (SCP and DCP) after automatic projection artifact removal (PAR), provided by the manufacturer (Zeiss, Germany) was applied. Quantitative analysis of the Vessel density (VD) and vessel length density (VLD) were conducted only if the signal strength was 8 or higher. VD and VLD were evaluated in all patients. VD represents the ratio of the area of the analyzed segmentation slab covered by vessels in a binarized image, VLD represents the total length of vessels in the analyzed segmentation slab in mm per mm2 (= mm−1) (Figure 2). The plexus information used in the image J (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) analysis was based on the OCTA 3 × 3 mm scans of the DCP and SCP and executed utilizing a threshold algorithm for binarization, as previously described.11,12 Quantitative OCTA evaluation of healthy individuals was performed accordingly. The data of the individual ScS patients was compared to a norm population, matched by sex, as well as age and sex (supplements). Every OCTA scan was screened for possible acquisition artifacts.13,14
High risk and low HIV prevention behaviours in a new generation of young trans women in Brazil
Published in AIDS Care, 2021
Erin C. Wilson, Emilia M. Jalil, Ronaldo I. Moreira, Luciane Velasque, Cristiane V. Castro, Laylla Monteiro, Valdilea G. Veloso, Beatriz Grinsztejn
This is a secondary analysis using data from “Transcender”, which was a respondent driven sampling study (RDS) of trans women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, conducted from August 2015 to January 2016. Study methods, including survey measures are described in detail elsewhere (Grinsztejn et al., 2017; Jalil et al., 2018). Briefly, the study was conducted using RDS to obtain a robust and diverse sample of trans women. A total of 345 trans women were recruited to participate in the study. Incentives for study participation consisted of snacks, sexual health materials, make-up, a medical visit, and transportation reimbursement. STI testing included Venereal Disease Research Laboratory tests (VDRL) for syphilis screening (confirmed positive results with a microhaemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum), HIV rapid test, and rectal Chlamydia and gonorrhea detection by molecular biology. We defined active syphilis as a VDRL equals or higher than 1:8 plus a positive treponemal test. All participants with identified STI were provided treatment either onsite or through referrals within Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). The Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI)-Fiocruz Institutional Review Board provided ethical approval for this project. All participants consented with their participation before any study procedure was performed.