BACKGROUND Papillomavirus disease and associated cancers remain a significant health burden in much of the world. The current protective vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, are expensive and not readily available to the underprivileged. In addition, the vaccines have not gained wide acceptance in the United States nor do they provide therapeutic value. Papillomaviruses are strictly species specifi...

The concurrent increases in global population and sexually transmitted infection (STI) demand a search for agents with dual spermicidal and microbicidal properties for topical vaginal application. Previous attempts to develop the surfactant spermicide, nonoxynol-9 (N-9), into a vaginal microbicide were unsuccessful largely due to its inefficiency to kill microbes. Furthermore, N-9 causes damage...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published updated guidelines that provide new strategies for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Patient education is the first important step in reducing the number of persons who engage in risky sexual behaviors. Information on STD prevention should be individualized on the basis of the patient's s...

A topical microbicide that women can use to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is essential, and many microbicide candidates are being tested for activity against human immunodeficiency virus and other STDs, including Chlamydia trachomatis. Screening assays for assessing the activity of microbicides against C. trachomatis are typically done with laboratory-adapted strains, but it is p...

John Snow (1813-1858) was a distinguished Victorian physician. He occupies a prominent place in the history of medicine for he achieved an enduring reputation and greatness in an unusual way. Most of his distinguished contemporaries became famous by making lasting contributions to one important aspect of medical science. Snow's special claim is that he made fundamental contributions to not one,...

BACKGROUND A crucial gap in the development of microbicides for HIV prevention is the absence of models predictive of safety. Previous studies have demonstrated an increased susceptibility to genital herpes in mice following repeated applications of nonoxynol-9 (N-9). This study was designed to explore the underlying mechanisms, focusing on the effects that N-9 has on genital tract epithelium a...

BACKGROUND Despite significant protection in preclinical studies, cellulose sulfate (CS) failed to protect women against HIV-1/2 and was associated with a trend toward increased HIV-1 acquisition in one of the clinical trials. These results highlight the need for preclinical tests more predictive of clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to test coded vaginal gels, including CS, in ...

Metronidazole, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug against trichomoniasis, is nonspermicidal and thus cannot offer pregnancy protection when used vaginally. Furthermore, increasing resistance of Trichomonas vaginalis to 5-nitro-imidazoles is a cause for serious concern. On the other hand, the vaginal spermicide nonoxynol-9 (N-9) does not protect against sexually transmitted dise...

BACKGROUND The development of safe topical microbicides that can preserve the integrity of cervicovaginal tract epithelial barrier is of great interest as this may minimize the potential for increased susceptibility to STI infections. High resolution imaging to assess epithelial integrity in a noninvasive manner could be a valuable tool for preclinical testing of candidate topical agents. MET...

Practicing later as an eye-ear-nose-throat, or EENT, surgeon, John George Rohrig (1883–1933) received his medical doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1909. That same year, he reported his design for a dropper can (left) for ether or chloroform. The large-diameter screw cap allowed rapid reloading of the can with liquid anesthetic. A conical valve permitted finger-control of continuous drop...