The impact of behavioural risk-reduction interventions on willingness to pay to avoid sexually transmitted infections: a stated preference study of justice-involved youth

Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. In women, Trichomonas vaginalis infection may present with vaginitis, cervicitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease, while in men it is mainly asymptomatic or causes mild and transient symptoms of urethritis, epididymitis, or prostatitis. In the past, little importance had been given to the impact of T. vaginalis infection on men’s health, since it was believed to be a self-limited condition without sequelae. However, there is growing evidence it is associated with more serious disorders in both men and women and efforts to diagnose and treat this parasitic infection have increased. Recent advances in testing for sexually transmitted diseases using multiplex molecular assays have increased diagnostic opportunities for T. vaginalis infection, especially in men, as detection of the parasite by traditional methods is much more challenging. We describe an unusual case of male urethritis caused by T. vaginalis observed in our consultation of Sexually Transmitted Infections.

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Quantifying the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Passenger Vehicle Drivers’ Willingness to Pay for Travel Time Savings and Reliability

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/03611981211038885 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 036119812110388

Author(s):

Tristan Cherry ◽

Mark Fowler ◽

Claire Goldhammer ◽

Jeong Yun Kweun ◽

Thomas Sherman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Travel Time ◽

Travel Behavior ◽

Local Governments ◽

Consumer Preferences ◽

Stated Preference ◽

Travel Time Reliability ◽

Travel Time Savings ◽

Time Savings ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted travel behavior and consumer preferences. To slow the spread of the virus, public health officials and state and local governments issued stay-at-home orders and, among other actions, closed nonessential businesses and educational facilities. The resulting recessionary effects have been particularly acute for U.S. toll roads, with an observed year-over-year decline in traffic and revenue of 50% to 90% in April and May 2020. These disruptions have also led to changes in the types of trip that travelers make and their frequency, their choice of travel mode, and their willingness to pay tolls for travel time savings and travel time reliability. This paper describes the results of travel behavior research conducted on behalf of the Virginia Department of Transportation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the National Capital Region of Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. The research included a stated preference survey to estimate travelers’ willingness to pay for travel time savings and travel time reliability, to support forecasts of traffic and revenue for existing and proposed toll corridors. The survey collected data between December 2019 and June 2020. A comparison of the data collected before and during the pandemic shows widespread changes in travel behavior and a reduction in willingness to pay for travel time savings and travel time reliability across all traveler types, particularly for drivers making trips to or from work. These findings have significant implications for the return of travelers to toll corridors in the region and future forecasts of traffic and revenue.

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Impact of chemokine C–C ligand 27, foreskin anatomy and sexually transmitted infections on HIV-1 target cell availability in adolescent South African males

Mucosal Immunology ◽

10.1038/s41385-019-0209-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 118-127

Author(s):

Clive M. Gray ◽

Kyle L. O’Hagan ◽

Ramon Lorenzo-Redondo ◽

Abraham J. Olivier ◽

Sylvie Amu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Target Cell ◽

Langerhans Cells ◽

Medical Male Circumcision ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

T Cell Migration ◽

Cell Changes ◽

The Impact ◽

Hiv 1

Abstract We compared outer and inner foreskin tissue from adolescent males undergoing medical male circumcision to better understand signals that increase HIV target cell availability in the foreskin. We measured chemokine gene expression and the impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on the density and location of T and Langerhans cells. Chemokine C–C ligand 27 (CCL27) was expressed 6.94-fold higher in the inner foreskin when compared with the outer foreskin. We show that the density of CD4+CCR5+ cells/mm2 was higher in the epithelium of the inner foreskin, regardless of STI status, in parallel with higher CCL27 gene expression. In the presence of STIs, there were higher numbers of CD4+CCR5+ cells/mm2 cells in the sub-stratum of the outer and inner foreskin with concurrently higher number of CD207+ Langerhans cells (LC) in both tissues, with the latter cells being closer to the keratin surface of the outer FS in the presence of an STI. When we tested the ability of exogenous CCL27 to induce T-cell migration in foreskin tissue, CD4 + T cells were able to relocate to the inner foreskin epithelium in response. We provide novel insight into the impact CCL27 and STIs on immune and HIV-1 target cell changes in the foreskin.

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