OBJECTIVES Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at highest risk for STIs and HIV infections in the Netherlands. However, official guidelines on STI testing among MSM are lacking. They are advised to test for STIs at least every six months, but their testing behaviour is not well known. This study aimed to get insight into the proportion and determinants of consistent 6-monthly STI testing among ...

BACKGROUND The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been increasing in Kenya, as is the case elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, while measures for control and prevention are weak. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe healthcare provider (HCP) knowledge and practices, (2) explore HCP attitudes and beliefs, (3) identify structural and environmental factors affecting STI...

OBJECTIVES To estimate the proportion of symptomatic patients with a bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) cured by primary health care services in Mwanza Region, Tanzania, and to compare the cure rate achieved by health centres before and after the introduction of improved STI treatment services. METHODS A model was used that describes the different hurdles patients with an STI take...

BACKGROUND Control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is an important part of the effort to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS. STI clinics in the government hospitals in India provide services predominantly to the poor. Data on the cost and efficiency of providing STI services in India are not available to help guide efficient use of public resources for these services. METHODS Standardised ...

Objectives: A survey was conducted to assess the adequacy of sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention and control policies and programmes in the European region (including the central Asian republics). Methods: An adapted World Health Organization (WHO) model questionnaire was sent to ministry of health officials in all 45 countries of Europe and central Asia. The questionnaire included...

OBJECTIVES A high proportion of individuals infected with HIV are unaware of the infection. They miss the opportunity for timely treatment. Our sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic (South Limburg, The Netherlands) recognised the need to increase test rates and from 2004 routinely includes a HIV test, unless the client refuses, in each consultation. We evaluated the effectiveness of this ...

Cartesian sti ness is usually described by a 6 6 matrix which is vital in the study of rigid body grasping by multiple robot ngers. In this thesis, a closed form expression is derived for evaluating the grasped object sti ness based on the contact geometry and sti ness properties of individual robot ngers. The kinematics of manipulation by elastic ngers is also developed which describes the in ...

BACKGROUND Although antiretroviral treatment (ART) has led to a decline in morbidity and mortality of HIV-infected patients in developed countries, it has also presented challenges. These challenges include increases in pill burden; adherence to treatment; development of resistance and treatment failure; development of drug toxicities; and increase in cost of HIV treatment and care. These issue...

OBJECTIVES To better understand the sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV dynamics in an urban west African setting in order to adapt STI/HIV control efforts accordingly. METHODS Review of STI and HIV epidemiological studies performed over the past decade in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second city of Burkina Faso. Trends in STI prevalence among commercial sex workers and the general population wer...

BACKGROUND Individuals entering jails have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI), but there are few data on STI in the postincarceration period. This study aimed to describe rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infection among individuals released from Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana jails. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals incarcerate...