BACKGROUND: Trichomonas vaginalis is a common sexually transmitted pathogen that has been linked to upper genital tract bacterial disease. Its association with upper tract chlamydial disease has not been assessed. GOAL OF THIS STUDY: This study was undertaken to determine whether women colonized with Chlamydia trachomatis who are also infected with Trichomonas vaginalis are at increased risk for having pelvic inflammatory disease. STUDY DESIGN: A nested case control methodology was used to compare Trichomonas vaginalis rates between women colonized with Chlamydia trachomatis who had pelvic inflammatory disease (n = 24) and those who were colonized but did not have pelvic inflammatory disease (n = 47). Factors that might be related to the development of upper tract disease (e.g., douching, other sexually transmitted diseases) and factors linked to colonization with Trichomonas vaginalis (e.g. race, use of oral contraceptives) were assessed. RESULTS: When exact logistic regression models were used and variables associated with pelvic inflammatory disease were considered, it was found that age (odds ratio = 0.73; P = .001) and Trichomonas vaginalis colonization (odds ratio = 4.72; P = .053) were significant. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study of women colonized with Chlamydia trachomatis, an association was found between co-infection with Trichomonas vaginalis and evidence of upper tract disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Declining prevalence of cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection with age is independent of other risk factors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the female genital tract is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Although the prevalence of HPV in women without detectable cervical disease has been shown to decline with increasing age, the relationship to sexual behavior has not been investigated. GOAL: To identify risk factors for, and associated with the age-dependent decline in, genital HPV infection in women. STUDY DESIGN: The prevalence of HPV was determined in a cohort of 439 sexually active inner-city women between the ages of 18 and 50 years recruited in Brooklyn, New York. Cervicovaginal cells were collected by lavage, and HPV was detected by low-stringent Southern blot hybridization. RESULTS: The prevalence of HPV infection ranged from 36% in women younger than 25 years of age to 2.8% in women 45 years or older. Logistic regression analysis identified an increased risk for cervical HPV infection to be independently associated with number of sex partners in the past year (odds ratio [OR], 1.04 per yearly increase in age; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.08), younger age (OR, 0.92 per year increase in age; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.95), and not living with partner (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.40 to 4.22). CONCLUSIONS: The lower prevalence of HPV infection in older women compared to younger women was found to be independent of sexual behavior. These results suggest that a biologic effect, such as HPV immunity acquired over time and with multiple exposures, may mediate the inverse relationship between age and HPV prevalence.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cardiovascular effects of chronic ifenprodil in a model of central sympathetic stimulation.

In the present study we investigated the effects of a long-term treatment (14 days) with ifenprodil on the excitatory haemodynamic responses induced by central pharmacological stimulation in anaesthetised rabbits. The intracerebroventricular injection of L-glutamate (3 mg/kg) induced important rises in dP/dtmax (32.9%), mean arterial pressure (42.6%) and in the myocardial oxygen consumption index: the triple product (84.2%). Ifenprodil (1.5, 3 and 6 mg/kg/day, i.p.) reduced the increases in myocardial oxygen demand induced by intracerebral L-glutamate in a dose-related manner. Interestingly, ifenprodil also reduced in a dose-dependent manner the maximum values of the oxygen demand indices reached during the central nervous system stimulation. These results indicate that the long-term treatment with ifenprodil can reduce the myocardial oxygen consumption induced by central nervous system stimulation without significant depression of the resting cardiac function. This favourable effect of ifenprodil is in fact a consequence of the association of mild inhibitory effects on the three parameters taken into account in the triple product index of myocardial oxygen consumption.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗