Sexually transmitted diseases
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Historical Article
The 30-year war on AIDS: have we reached the tipping point?
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: To provide protection against sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, condoms must be used consistently and correctly. However, a significant proportion of couples in the United States fail to do so. Our objective was to determine the demographic and behavioral correlates of inconsistent and incorrect condom use among sexually active, condom-using women. ⋯ : Inconsistent and incorrect condom use is common among sexually active women. Targeted educational efforts and prevention strategies should be implemented among women at highest risk for STIs and unintended pregnancies to increase consistent and correct condom use.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of methylene blue/gentian violet stain to Gram's stain for the rapid diagnosis of gonococcal urethritis in men.
We compared a simple, one-step staining procedure using a mixture of methylene blue and gentian violet to Gram stain for the detection of gonococcal urethritis. The sensitivity and specificity of both Gram stain and methylene blue/gentian violet stain were 97.3% and 99.6%, respectively. There was a 100% correlation between the 2 methods.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The cost and cost-effectiveness of expedited partner therapy compared with standard partner referral for the treatment of chlamydia or gonorrhea.
Partner treatment is an important component of sexually transmitted disease control. Several randomized controlled trials have compared expedited partner treatment (EPT) to unassisted standard partner referral (SR). All of these trials found that EPT significantly increased partner treatment over SR, whereas some found that EPT significantly lowered reinfection rates in index patients. ⋯ EPT has a lower cost from a societal or health care system perspective than SR and treats more partners. Individual payers may find EPT to be more costly than SR, depending on how many of their patients' partners receive care from the same payer.