Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019163 (hepatitis B)
 38,309 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This overview provides a discussion of the special concerns of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) for women, particularly because of its asymptomatic character; screening; primary prevention; e.g., abstinence, selection of sexual partners restriction of sexual activities, use of barriers (condoms, vaginal spermicides, diaphragm in conjunction with spermicides), and vaccines; and the role of the gynecologist in StD prevention. Gonorrhea and chlamydial infection are usually asymptomatic STD infections in women; long term sequelae are pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and pregnancy complications. There is an increased risk of cervical cancer. Infection is lifelong for herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV and malingering for chronic hepatitis B (HPB). Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) and HSV infections cannot be identified serologically. The fetus can be fatally or severely affected by STDs. Abstinence is the only effective prevention for STDs. Likelihood of infection may be reduced by limiting partners, but how partners are chosen and knowledge of infection is a more important determinant. Partners need to be asked about current symptoms, history of STDs, multiple partners, and history of known STD partners, as well as past history of homosexual activity, intravenous drug use, hemophilia, and previous exposure to high-risk persons for STDs. Visible genital warts or lesions, wartlike growths, ulcers, or rash need explanations. Avoidance of oral anal and digital anal activity reduces transmission of hepatitis A, giardiasis, amebiasis, and shigellosis. Any mechanical barrier that remains intact should reduce the risk of STD; barriers specifically covering the cervix are excellent. Condom use is effective when used as follows: 1) at the onset of sexual activity, 2) without petroleum jelly or baby oil on latex, 3) with care of fingernails which may tear holes, 4) with complete withdrawal of the penis before complete detumescence, and 5) with a withdrawal hold at the base of the penis. Spermicides, such as nonoxynol 9, are effective against STDs. Diaphragm use with spermicide may be effective because of the spermicide. There is a reduced risk of transmission of HSV or HPV to a partner. Vaccines are only available for hepatitis B. Obstetrics and gynecology residency training in STDs in unavailable in 4 out of 5 medical schools, and gynecologists are ethically obligated to accurately inform about STD diagnosis, treatment, and diagnosis.
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PMID:Avoiding sexually transmitted diseases. 209 42

Researchers enrolled 600 prostitutes from an AIDS control and prevention program in a study to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in prostitutes and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The prostitutes worked in the port city of Santos, Brazil where many people use intravenous (IV) drugs. Only 45 prostitutes met the study criterion of 5-100 sexual partners/day. Health practitioners took sera from each woman to test for HIV-1, HIV-2, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (HBsAb), Treponema species (syphilis), and C. trachomatis. All the women tested positive for C. trachomatis. This high percentage may have been due to previous contact with the microbe and not necessarily due to an active infection. 42% had been exposed to Treponema. 20% were HBsAb seropositive and 9% HBsAg seropositive. 9% tested positive for HIV-1 and 2% for HIV-2. In another study in Campinas, Brazil, HIV-1 and seropositivity was 21.5% for prostitutes and transvestites. In addition, in a study in metropolitan Sao Paulo, HIV infection prevalence varied from 18-73% among 935 women and 22% among prostitutes. 58% of the prostitutes in Santos had had sexual intercourse with bisexuals or IV drug users. 44% had previously experienced an STD. 42% used IV drugs. 42% practiced both oral and vaginal sex. 36% practiced oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Only 22% limited themselves to oral sex. Since C. trachomatis can cause infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and spontaneous abortion and since every prostitute in the study had been exposed to it, health workers should institute regular STD screening for prostitutes.
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PMID:Seropositivity to Chlamydia trachomatis in prostitutes: relationship to other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). 210 Oct 95

Artificial insemination with donor semen has become a well established alternative for couples with untreatable male factor infertility. Because of the widespread use of donor insemination, and the increasing awareness and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, the American Fertility Society recently redrafted procedural guidelines for the use of donor screening for insemination. Our series of donor screenings is reported to emphasize the necessity of donor evaluations at frequent intervals. From June 1986 through August 1987, 48 healthy male volunteers presented as potential semen donors for our donor program. Each was evaluated with a careful medical history, physical examination and 2 semen analyses for evidence of sexually transmitted disease. On initial evaluation, no donor presented with a positive human immunodeficiency virus antibody, abnormal karyotype, elevated serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, rapid plasma reagent, or positive cultures for Chlamydia or Mycoplasma. One potential donor was excluded because of a positive hepatitis B-core antibody and 1 because of a positive IgM test for cytomegalovirus. At initial examination 3 potential donors had a positive culture for Ureaplasma; all 3 were treated with 3 weeks of tetracycline, and repeat cultures were all negative. Routine followup screening was performed on all donors at 3-month intervals for all sexually transmitted diseases. During this 14-month period cultures converted to positive for Ureaplasma in 4 donors. Furthermore, 1 donor at 6 months contracted gonorrhea. He was treated but no longer used as a donor. Since initiation of the outlined protocol more than 800 inseminations have been performed using fresh semen with no case of sexually transmitted diseases reported from our recipients. We conclude that careful sexual history, and frequent donor and semen evaluation are necessary for prevention of diseases that might be transmitted sexually. If these precautions are strictly observed use of donor semen is safe and effective.
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PMID:Artificial insemination with donor semen: the necessity of frequent donor screening. 215 44

A survey of 181 Ethiopian females ages 14-19 years recruited from health facilities in Addis Ababa revealed a high incidence of obstetric and gynecologic problems. All subjects completed a questionnaire administered by a female health worker and underwent a gynecologic examination and serologic tests. 49% of subjects were married and 18% were divorced; 11% were prostitutes. Age at first intercourse was under 12 years in 18%, 13-15 years in 38%, and 16 years or above in 44%; 40% were sexually active before menarche. 92% of adolescents had at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD), predominantly gonorrhea (40%), genital chlamydia (51%), hepatitis B (36%), herpes simplex virus (32%), and syphilis (21%), and 43% had clinical signs of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). 53% had had at least one pregnancy. The earlier the age at first intercourse, the more likely it was that the adolescent would have multiple sexual partners and several STDs; adolescents in this category were also more likely to be from poor families from rural areas. Only 21% were attending a family planning clinic for annual check-ups; 14% of these females were using contraception. Although only 8% were infertile at the time of assessment, 23% had clinical evidence of salpingitis--a risk factor for future infertility. Given the long-term health risks (e.g., infertility, cervical cancer, and gonorrhea-related infant morbidity) associated with the patterns observed among these adolescents, it is recommended that STD education receive higher priority and that the Ethiopian Government consider greater enforcement of the law prohibiting sexual intercourse and marriage before the age of 16 years.
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PMID:Teenage obstetric and gynaecological problems in an African city. 783 12

There is an increased attention to preconception care and counseling (PCC) in the US. Midwives should include it into their practice. Even though the PCC concept is new, many midwives already know and/or practice its components, including risk assessment, health promotion, psychological and medical interventions, and follow-up. Opportunities for PCC are gynecology visits, postpartum visits, school-based programs, occupational health centers, and local health departments. Midwives can help women decide whether they are psychologically prepared for motherhood through group discussions and family-timing scenarios. They should refer women to substance abuse counseling and address physical abuse. A medical history and physical exam followed by an evaluation of any medical problems are also important. Preconception screening should include laboratory tests for hemoglobin or hematocrit, Rh factor, rubella titer, urine dipstick (protein and sugar), Pap smear, gonococcal culture, syphilis ...... and hepatitis B test. Midwives should offer women an illicit drug screen and an HIV serodiagnostic test. Additional tests recommended for some women include a tuberculosis screen, chlamydia culture or rapid screen, toxoplasmosis, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, varicella, hemoglobinopathies, Tay-Sachs, and karyotype. Factors which may affect sperm morphology are cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, vitamins A and E, linoleic acid, and zinc. Other male factors which may affect pregnancy outcome are advanced age, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and exposure to drugs and chemicals. Midwives should determine the need to refer women for genetic counseling. They can help establish a positive environment for conception by conducting a nutritional history and counseling; promoting vitamin supplementation; by counseling about dangers of cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and drugs; and by keeping up to date on reproductive toxicology, environmental pollutants, and occupational hazards. Midwives should take a menstrual, contraceptive, and sexual history. Menstrual charting can help detect ovulation. Other issues needing to be addressed are infertility and choosing a care provider and birth place.
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PMID:Preconception care. An opportunity to maximize health in pregnancy. 841 Mar 47

WHO estimates 250 million new cases worldwide of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) each year. STDs of growing concern are chlamydial infections responsible for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and pneumonia and ophthalmia in newborns, and incurable viral infections, including Herpes simplex virus, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis B virus, and HIV infection. HPV types 16 and 18 are associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, one of the most serious complication of STDs. PID is another serious STD complication because it tends to recur and causes chronic abdominal pain, eventually resulting in hysterectomy, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic backache. STDs adversely affect pregnancy, often leading to ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, prematurity, congenital and perinatal infections, and puerperal maternal infections. Genital ulcer diseases, e.g., chancroid, facilitate HIV transmission. HIV infection boosts the virulence of STD pathogens, e.g., Herpes simplex virus. Many people with STDs are asymptomatic and the clinical profile of STDs is always in flux, thus resulting in less than optimal case detection. Obstacles of STD treatment include antibiotic resistance of betalactamase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoea strains and the immunocompromising effect of HIV infections. Tourists are responsible for introducing HIV infection into many countries. Some countries (e.g., Saudi Arabia) require a negative HIV test before foreigners can work in those countries. Health resources are not keeping up with the spread of STDs and HIV. Governments should embark on health education campaigns to stem the spread of HIV. They should also integrate AIDS prevention with the control of other STDs.
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PMID:Sexually transmitted diseases in the age of AIDS. 847 83

Each organ of a patient with the Down's Syndrome (trisomy 21) shows the pathology. One notices the specific features already with an infant. The life expectation of these children has increased considerably and it depends upon the appearance or not of a heart defect. The ventricular septum defect is most frequent but a small number of these patients show a complex cardiopathy. The incidence of pulmonary hypertension is also high. The obstruction of gastroenteric tract can cause problems from the prenatal phase onwards. The main endocrinological difficulties are dysfunction of the thyroid gland and also infertility. Ocular disorders like refraction disorders occur frequently. Due to decreased conduction, there is a hearing loss. The cellular immunity is clearly reduced, hence, the susceptibility to infections like hepatitis B, increases. The major oral problems are apparently oversized tongue and a high sensitivity to gingivitis.
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PMID:[Down syndrome: 1. Medical aspects]. 865 Mar 77

In the past decade, attention has shifted from family planning (often made available through population programs) to reproductive health--a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters related to the reproductive system and its function and processes. Reproductive health has three components: the ability to procreate, regulate fertility and enjoy sex; the successful outcome of pregnancy through infant and child survival and growth; and the safety of the reproductive process. According to Mitchell et al., the following are key elements in a reproductive health program: (a) Family planning services that offer complete and accurate information about all contraceptive methods and that make contraceptive services, supplies and counseling accessible. (b) Antenatal care, which research suggests lowers rates of maternal mortality. (c) Safe delivery services, so that all women deliver under some type of supervised care and so that referral systems are established to provide emergency treatment of life-threatening complications of delivery. (d) Postnatal care that contributes to a woman's ability to have a speedy and complete recovery from the stress of pregnancy and childbirth, to enjoy sexual relations without pain and to have safe pregnancies and deliveries in the future. (e) Management of the complications of abortion where safe abortions are not available. (f) Infertility services that enable women to achieve their reproductive goals; and effective screening for or control of reproductive tract infections (RTIs), because RTIs are the most common preventable cause of involuntary infertility and ectopic pregnancy, as well as of chronic pelvic pain and recurrent infection. (g) Management and treatment of systemic sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as HIV and hepatitis B. (h) Symptomatic treatment of urinary tract infections. (i) Detection and treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers, such as cervical cancer. (j) Attention to and treatment of dysmenorhea, which in some cases is the first sign of other problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, fibroids, endometrial cancer and ectopic pregnancy. (k) Nutritional supplementation to meet the special needs of adolescents, pregnant or lactating women, and women older than 50 years. (1) Services for menopause and other health problems that women encounter as they grow older. (m) Services for adolescents, including family planning and STD prevention and treatment. It shall be clear that many institutions delivering reproductive health services operate significantly below their physical capacity to see clients, and that much of the equipment required for expanding reproductive health services may already be available for use in family planning and other health services. In this context, we would therefore like to discuss the dynamics of IUDs.
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PMID:The intrauterine device and its dynamics. 1099 94

Women with transfusion dependent thalassaemia suffer from failure of pubertal growth and delayed onset of menarche with amenorrhea, anovulation and infertility. With improved pediatric and hematological care is now possible, for patients with b thalassaemia, to achieve a pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy assessment included checks for hypothyroidism and diabetes, for hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus, Rubella, cardiac functions, liver functions by estimating aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phospatase, and total plasma proteins. The frequency of blood transfusion needed to be increased in order to maintain the hemoglobin concentration above 10 g/dl. Desferroxamine must be stopped as soon as pregnancy is diagnosed continuing the administration of the folic acid supplements throughout pregnancy. Desferroxamine will be resumed after delivery. The safety of iron chelation with desferroxamine during the periconceptional period and pregnancy has not yet been established. Some animal studies have shown skeletal anomalies; other published studies report seven women with b thalassaemia major who became pregnant while taking desferroxamine: all the women had normal babies. The mode of delivery is usually vaginal, while Cesarean section is performed in those cases with pre-eclampsia, fetal distress, cephalopelvic dysproportion, slow progression of labor, as in women without thalassaemia. In conclusion, with the advent of regular blood transfusion associated with iron chelation therapy, pregnancy in b thalassaemia can be safe for mothers and their babies with appropriate care.
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PMID:[Pregnancy in women with thalassaemia]. 1139 93

Recent research indicates that a vaccine against pregnancy can be developed. It is known that immunological factors can cause infertility, and fertile animals have been successfully immunized against pregnancy. Theoretically, it should be possible to develop vaccines capable of interfering with the reproductive process at a number of different stages. For example, a vaccine could inhibit sperm activity or prevent implantation of the fertilized egg. Currently the major research focus is on the development of a vaccine which works by producing antibodies against human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In pregnant women hCG is formed on about the 23rd day following midcycle conception. The hCG sends a signal to prevent menstruation. The presence of vaccine induced anti-hCG antibodies can inhibit this signaling process and allow menstruation to proceed. Recent findings allay initial concerns that the reaction between the anti-hCG antibodies and the luteinizing hormone might produce negative side effects. In fact the reaction between the antibodies and the hormone may inhibit implantation and thereby enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine. The initial results of animal studies demonstrate thet the infertility established by the anti-hCG vaccine is reversible. In human trials of the vaccine, antibodies were produced in 61 of the 63 women who recceived the vaccine in a number of different countries. No side effects were observed among the 63 women. As with all vaccines, the amount of antibody produced by different individuals in response to the same vaccine dose varies. Researchers must confront the difficult task of developing a vaccine which is effective for all women while ensuring that it can be safely used by all women. Current research is directed toward the development of a polyvaccine, i.e., a vaccine capable of disrupting the reproductive process at several points in order to increase effectiveness, and of a vaccine which is polyvalent, i.e., a vaccine which contains not only a pregnancy antigen but a disease antigen as well. For example, some investigators are attempting to develop a vaccine which provides protection from pregnancy and from hepatitis B.
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PMID:Pregnancy vaccine research. 1226 49


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