Point-of-care tests (POCTs) to diagnose sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have potential to positively impact patient management and patient perceptions of clinical services. Yet there remains a disconnect between development of new technologies and their implementation into clinical care. With the advent of new STI POCTs arriving to the global market, guidance for their successful adoption and implementation into clinical services is urgently needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant molecular farming (PMF) with tobacco could provide a sustainable and cheap platform for the production of high-value proteins for medical use. It could also offer European tobacco farmers an alternative, healthful end use for their crop. New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) offer a means of quickly and precisely optimizing molecular farming platforms for this purpose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant molecular farming (PMF) is a convenient and cost-effective way to produce high-value recombinant proteins that can be used in the production of a range of health products, from pharmaceutical therapeutics to cosmetic products. New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) provide a means to enhance PMF systems more quickly and with greater precision than ever before. However, the feasibility, regulatory standing and social acceptability of both PMF and NPBTs are in question.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a major public health concern in the United Kingdom (UK). Epidemiological models have shown that narrowing the time between STI diagnosis and treatment may reduce the population burden of infection, and rapid, accurate point-of-care tests (POCTs) have potential for increasing correct treatment and mitigating the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We developed the Precise social science programme to incorporate clinician and patient opinions on potential designs and implementation of new POCTs for multiple STIs and AMR detection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Non-specific genital infection (NSGI; non-, non--associated urethritis) is a common diagnosis in symptomatic heterosexual men attending UK sexual health clinics (SHCs). but little is known about the psychosocial impact of this diagnosis.
Methods: We conducted an observational study among symptomatic heterosexual men attending SHCs to evaluate the psychosocial impact of an NSGI diagnosis compared with a diagnosis of (CT), or no abnormalities detected focusing on the feasibility of our study methodology.