Trend of sexually transmitted infections during the Covid‐19 age. Which was the impact of the pandemic and the social distancing measures?

The paper presents a deep learning-based methodology for detecting social distancing in order to assess the distance between people in order to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The input was a video frame from the camera, and the open-source object detection was pre-trained. The outcome demonstrates that the suggested method is capable of determining the social distancing measures between many participants in a video.

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A regression discontinuity analysis of the social distancing recommendations for older adults in Sweden during COVID-19

10.1101/2021.07.22.21260973 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carl Bonander ◽

Debora Stranges ◽

Johanna Gustavsson ◽

Matilda Almgren ◽

Malin Inghammar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Regression Discontinuity ◽

Model Specification ◽

Regression Discontinuity Design ◽

Sharp Drop ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Disease Outcomes ◽

The Social ◽

National Register Data ◽

The Impact

Objectives: To study the impact of non-mandatory, age-specific social distancing recommendations for older adults (70+ years) in Sweden on isolation behaviors and disease outcomes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Our study relies on self-reported isolation data from COVID Symptom Study Sweden (n = 96,053) and national register data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths, and confirmed cases. We use a regression discontinuity design to account for confounding factors, exploiting the fact that exposure to the recommendation was a discontinuous function of age. Results: By comparing individuals just above to those just below the age limit for the policy, our analyses revealed a sharp drop in the weekly number of visits to crowded places at the 70-year-threshold (-13%). Severe COVID-19 cases (hospitalizations or deaths) also dropped abruptly by 16% at the 70-year-threshold. Our data suggest that the age-specific recommendations prevented approximately 1,800 to 2,700 severe COVID-19 cases, depending on model specification. Conclusion: The non-mandatory, age-specific recommendations helped control the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.

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Male Urethritis Caused by Trichomonas vaginalis

Revista da Sociedade Portuguesa de Dermatologia e Venereologia ◽

10.29021/spdv.79.1.1279 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 71-73

Author(s):

Ângela Roda ◽

João Borges-Costa

Keyword(s):

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Sexually Transmitted Diseases ◽

Trichomonas Vaginalis ◽

Unusual Case ◽

Parasitic Infection ◽

Men And Women ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Molecular Assays ◽

The Past ◽

The Impact

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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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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Social distancing in a social therapy environment

Therapeutic Communities The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities ◽

10.1108/tc-05-2020-0009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (3/4) ◽

pp. 113-127

Author(s):

Geraldine Ann Akerman ◽

Emily Jones ◽

Harry Talbot ◽

Gemma Grahame-Wright

Keyword(s):

Social Isolation ◽

Current Practice ◽

Social Therapy ◽

Content Type ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Emotional Environment ◽

The Social ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a prison-based therapeutic community (TC). Design/methodology/approach The paper takes the form of a case study where the authors reflect on their current practice, using the findings of research on social isolation and the overarching TC principles to explore the effect of the pandemic on the TC at HMP Grendon. The authors consider how the residents and staff adjusted to the change as the parameters changed when the social distancing rules were imposed and how they adapted to the prolonged break to therapy. Sections in the paper were written by a resident and an operational member of staff. The authors conclude with their thoughts on how to manage the consequences the lockdown has brought and start to think about what returning to “normality” might mean. Findings The paper describes the adjustments made by the residents and staff as the UK Government imposed the lockdown. The authors, including a resident and an operational member of staff comment on the psychological and practical impact these adjustments had. The thought is given to the idea of “recovery”, returning to “normality” and how this study can be best managed once restrictions are lifted. Research limitations/implications At the time of writing, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at HMP Grendon. The measures and commitment from all staff and residents in the prison to keep the prison environment safe may in part account for this. This paper explores the effects of lockdown on the emotional environment in a TC and highlights the consequences that social isolation can have on any individual. To the authors’ knowledge, there is currently no research undertaken on the impact of lockdown/social isolation on a TC. This research would be useful, as the authors postulate from reflections on current practice that the effects of the lockdown will be greater in a social therapy environment. Originality/value HMP Grendon started in 1962, as this time there have been no significant events that have meant the suspension of therapy for such a sustained period. It is, therefore, important that the impact of such is considered and reflected upon.

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