Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members of Venereology

A special issue of Venereology (ISSN 2674-0710).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 11834

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 6YD, UK
Interests: bacterial infections of humans and animals, in vaccine development and the discovery of new antimicrobials.

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Guest Editor
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. T. Chałubińskiego 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: systemic itch; uremic pruritus; itch in dermatoses; skin and psyche
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Venereology is dedicated to recent advances in the research area of sexually transmitted diseases and comprises a selection of exclusive papers of the Editorial Board Members (EBMs) of Venereology. This Issue is a collection of research articles highlighting interesting results from the research groups of our EBMs as well as review articles in which our EBMs discuss key topics in the field. This Special Issue aims to represent our journal as an attractive open-access publishing platform for sexually transmitted disease research.

Prof. Dr. Myron Christodoulides
Prof. Dr. Jacek C. Szepietowski
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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7 pages, 1123 KiB  
Editorial
The Persistence and Increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) to Pandemic Levels
by Luigi Santacroce, Marica Colella and Ioannis Alexandros Charitos
Venereology 2022, 1(1), 2-8; https://doi.org/10.3390/venereology1010002 - 9 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4228
Abstract
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been known about since ancient times. Today, however, STDs are on the rise in young people around the world. Interventions and sex education are being utilized in attempt to prevent STD spread in individuals who are the greatest [...] Read more.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been known about since ancient times. Today, however, STDs are on the rise in young people around the world. Interventions and sex education are being utilized in attempt to prevent STD spread in individuals who are the greatest risk of infection. Young people should be provided with easy and accessible health services. There should be anonymity as well as investigations into the reasoning behind unsafe behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members of Venereology)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial

9 pages, 757 KiB  
Article
The Arg753Gln Polymorphisms in Toll-like Receptor 2 in a Syphilis-Infected and Control Population in The Netherlands: Can Differences in the Number of Self-Reported Sexual Contacts Indicate Protection against Syphilis?
by Eliška Vrbová, Helene Zondag, Sylvia Bruisten and David Šmajs
Venereology 2024, 3(1), 26-34; https://doi.org/10.3390/venereology3010003 - 20 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1063
Abstract
The Arg753Gln polymorphism in Toll-like receptor 2 has been associated with an increased risk of bacterial infections as well as with protection from the late stages of Lyme disease and the acquisition of syphilis. In this study, we determined the presence of this [...] Read more.
The Arg753Gln polymorphism in Toll-like receptor 2 has been associated with an increased risk of bacterial infections as well as with protection from the late stages of Lyme disease and the acquisition of syphilis. In this study, we determined the presence of this polymorphism in samples collected from men having sex with men/men with women in the Amsterdam Cohort Studies. The presence of the polymorphism was determined by nested PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing. A set of 90 syphilis-seronegative individuals was compared to 95 syphilis-diagnosed participants. A polymorphism allele frequency of 3.9% was found in the control group and 2.63% in the syphilis case group, respectively. None of the individuals showed a homozygous Arg753Gln polymorphism. The number of self-reported sexual contacts was higher in the group of syphilis patients compared to the control group (p = 0.0063). Moreover, in the syphilis case group (n = 49), participants heterozygous for the TLR2-Arg753Gln reported higher numbers of sexual contacts (p = 0.037) compared to wild-type homozygotes. Our findings suggest a possible protective effect of TLR2-Arg753Gln in the acquisition of syphilis. In addition, the determination of the number of self-reported sexual contacts can be used in an evaluation of the protective effect of polymorphism in a population with a low prevalence of it. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members of Venereology)
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14 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Screening for HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer in Gay and Bisexual Men: Acceptability and Predicting Possible Use of “Oral Selfies” by Smartphone as a Secondary Prevention Approach
by Michael W. Ross, Sarah L. Bennis, Niles Zoschke, Brian R. Simon Rosser, Cyndee L. Stull, Alan G. Nyitray, Samir S. Khariwala, Mark Nichols, Charlene Flash and Michael Wilkerson
Venereology 2023, 2(4), 180-193; https://doi.org/10.3390/venereology2040016 - 7 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2104
Abstract
Oropharyngeal cancers (OPCa) caused by HPV have emerged as one of the leading causes of malignancies caused by HPV infection. They are also significantly more likely to occur in males and in people with a history of oral sex with multiple partners. Gay [...] Read more.
Oropharyngeal cancers (OPCa) caused by HPV have emerged as one of the leading causes of malignancies caused by HPV infection. They are also significantly more likely to occur in males and in people with a history of oral sex with multiple partners. Gay and bisexual men are disproportionately affected by HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers. We studied 1699 gay and bisexual men on 2 major dating sites in the US to assess their knowledge about HPV-related OPCa, attitudes toward screening for it, beliefs about oropharyngeal cancer screening based on the Health Belief Model, and attitudes toward possible screening approaches for OPCa. Knowledge on a 12-item scale was low, with a median of 5 items correct: 72% knew of the benefits of HPV vaccination. Significant predictors of needing OPCa screening included perception of risk for OPCa, seeing it as severe, having lower barriers, fewer reasons to avoid screening, higher knowledge, and being HPV vaccinated were significant predictors, explaining half the total variance. Most participants would accept routine, virtual/online doctor or dental appointments, and over half would accept an in-person screening. Nearly two-thirds stated that they would accept getting checked for OPCa if they could do self-screening at home, and half were prepared to use an online screening tool or app, where they could take an “oral selfie” and send it to a healthcare provider for examination. One-third stated that they would trust the results of a home screening completed by themselves and posted to a website equally as cancer screening completed online by a healthcare provider. Data indicate that despite low OPCA knowledge levels, the risk of HPV-associated OPCa was known. Being at personal risk and having knowledge of disease severity had 70% of the sample thinking about, or preparing to get, screening. Self-screening by a smartphone “oral selfie” transmitted to a screening website was acceptable to many gay and bisexual men, and online screening by a doctor or dentist was acceptable to most. OPCa screening in this population using electronic technology, together with the increasing incidence of HPV-associated OPCa in gay and bisexual men, brings together an opportunity to detect OPCa early. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members of Venereology)
14 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Sexual Health and HIV/STI Risk in Gay Refugee Men in Nairobi, Kenya: A Qualitative Study
by Lourence Misedah, Michael W. Ross, Solomon Wambua and Vanessa Schick
Venereology 2022, 1(1), 9-22; https://doi.org/10.3390/venereology1010003 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3321
Abstract
Refugees are often without financial support and some resort to survival sex. Some of these men are gay or bisexual who fled their countries because of actual or fear of death and other persecution, exacerbated by the criminalization of consensual same-sex practices by [...] Read more.
Refugees are often without financial support and some resort to survival sex. Some of these men are gay or bisexual who fled their countries because of actual or fear of death and other persecution, exacerbated by the criminalization of consensual same-sex practices by life imprisonment or death in extreme cases. We conducted qualitative interviews with 12 gay and bisexual men within a larger sample in Nairobi, Kenya, who engaged in survival sex. Thematic analysis indicated eight main themes: Physical dangers, sexual assault, lack of rights and recourse to justice; Emotional difficulties of sex work; Seeing treatable STIs as “normal”, but others like Hepatitis B and C as abnormal, and HIV as the most feared; Recognition of penile symptoms but concerns about sexual health including anal symptoms, such as fistulas and bleeding; good knowledge about HIV but confusions over PEP and PrEP, self-testing, health access to NGO clinics and some hospital clinics but concerns about stigma and discrimination in public clinics generally; and as a result of concerns about public healthcare settings, use of pharmacies for treatment. The data indicate that male refugees from gay repression, as found for refugees from other repressions, face many of the same issues with local variations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers of the Editorial Board Members of Venereology)
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