HIV self-testing for men who have sex with men in Sweden. A cross-sectional study concerning interest to use HIV self-tests.

Background: HIV self-testing (HIVST) has been found to have high acceptability among men who have sex with men (MSM) internationally and might contribute to increase testing frequencies, but many countries, including Sweden, lack policies for using HIVST.

Objective: To examine interest to use and willingness to pay for HIVST, and associated factors, among MSM attending HIV testing venues in Sweden.

Method: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from a self-administered survey, consisting of 33 questions, collected at six HIV testing venues in Sweden in 2018.

Peripheral neuropathic pain--a multidimensional burden for patients.

The present study was undertaken to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and burden of illness due to pain and its treatment for patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP). It is the first step in finding reliable instruments/targets to evaluate treatment outcome in this patient population. Study population consisted of 126 patients suffering from neuropathic pain due to a peripheral nerve or root lesion, recruited from two multidisciplinary pain clinics.

Characterization of secondary hyperalgesia produced by topical capsaicin jelly--a new experimental tool for pain research.

Peripheral administration of the nociceptive agent capsaicin is used as an experimental tool to study neurophysiological and pharmacological aspects of the generation and control of pain. When investigating secondary hyperalgesia phenomena, current topical and intradermal capsaicin delivery methods have two key limitations. Intradermal injection can evoke severe chemogenic pain and both delivery methods produce an unstable area of dynamic mechanical allodynia.

Sensory threshold changes without initial pain or alterations in cutaneous blood flow, in the area of secondary hyperalgesia caused by topical application of capsaicin in humans.

Changes in von Frey hair perception, pricking pain, and vibration thresholds were examined in six healthy human adults, in the zone of secondary hyperalgesia, 45 min following the topical application of capsaicin at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 mg/ml.