Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Rectal and Oropharyngeal Swabs and Urine Specimens from Men Who Have Sex With Men with Abbott's M2000 RealTime.

We evaluated Abbott's RealTime assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) in the urethra, oropharynx, and rectum of 260 men who have sex with men. Compared with Hologic's AC2, RealTime had good agreement for detecting CT and GC. Overall, there were 25 CT and 44 GC AC2 positives, and 26 CT and 38 GC RealTime positives.

Evaluation of self-collected glans and rectal swabs from men who have sex with men for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae by use of nucleic acid amplification tests.

Self-collected glans and rectal swab specimens from men who have sex with men (MSM) may be appropriate, convenient specimens for testing. We evaluated the use of self-collected swabs for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae by a transcription-mediated amplification test (AC2; Aptima Combo 2; Gen-Probe Inc.) and a strand displacement amplification test (SDA; ProbeTec; Becton Dickinson Co.

Evaluation of a new point-of-care serologic assay for herpes simplex virus type 2 infection.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Because presentation is often atypical or subclinical, serologic testing is necessary for diagnosis, treatment, and counseling. In an urban clinic that specializes in the treatment of sexually transmitted disease, a new point-of-care rapid serologic test was compared with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or Western blot for the detection of herpes simplex virus type 2.

Nucleic acid amplification tests in the diagnosis of chlamydial and gonococcal infections of the oropharynx and rectum in men who have sex with men.

Background: Several nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are US Food and Drug Administration-cleared for detecting urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) infection, but they have not been adequately evaluated for the relatively common oropharyngeal or rectal CT and GC infections in men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: Multiple swabs were collected from the oropharynx and rectum of MSM attending a city sexually transmitted disease clinic. The specimens were tested by standard culture and the following NAATs: Roche's Amplicor (PCR), Becton Dickinson's ProbeTec (SDA), and Gen-Probe's APTIMA Combo 2 (AC2) for the detection of CT and GC.

Effects of recombinant human growth hormone on fat distribution in patients with human immunodeficiency virus-associated wasting.

In light of current interest in recombinant human growth hormone (GH) as a treatment for fat distribution abnormalities, we retrospectively evaluated regional changes in fat and lean body mass in a subset of subjects who participated in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of GH for treatment of wasting. Treatment with a pharmacologic dose of GH (0.1 mg/kg/day) resulted in significant and sustained increases in lean body mass and losses of fat in both the trunk and appendicular regions.