Effects of a soy-based dietary supplement compared with low-dose hormone therapy on the urogenital system: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial.

Objective: This study aims to compare the effects of a soy-based dietary supplement, low-dose hormone therapy (HT), and placebo on the urogenital system in postmenopausal women.

Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 60 healthy postmenopausal women aged 40 to 60 years (mean time since menopause, 4.1 y) were randomized into three groups: a soy dietary supplement group (90 mg of isoflavone), a low-dose HT group (1 mg of estradiol plus 0.

Whole, Turret and step methods of rapid rescreening: is there any difference in performance?

We compared the performance of the Whole, Turret and Step techniques of 100% rapid rescreening (RR) in detection of false-negatives in cervical cytology. We tested RR performance with cytologists trained and among those without training. We revised 1,000 consecutive slides from women participating in an ongoing international screening trial.

Organization of cervical cancer screening in Campinas and surrounding region, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Cervical cancer screening remains a challenge in developing countries due to a complex array of problems. This paper aimed to describe the experience with organization of cervical cancer screening in three districts of Campinas and the surrounding region in São Paulo State, Brazil, and to report the resulting data. The program was organized in a pyramid format, and the health care hierarchy was defined according to the complexity and total number of medical procedures.

Is bacterial vaginosis associated with squamous intraepithelial lesion of the uterine cervix?

The objective of this study was to analyze the association between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL). Pap smears were analyzed to verify the presence of BV and SIL. One hundred and ten women with SIL comprised the study group, while 110 women with no cytological abnormalities served as controls.

Presence of 20% or more clue cells: an accurate criterion for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis in Papanicolaou cervical smears.

A study was carried out in 135 women of reproductive age to evaluate the role of the Papanicolaou smear performed in cervical and vaginal samples for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), to validate the method for this diagnosis and to evaluate the reproducibility of the criterion used. The cervical and vaginal smears were stained using the Papanicolaou method and evaluated by two separate observers. The finding of 20% or more clue cells was considered positive for the presence of BV.

Quality assurance in cervical smears: 100% rapid rescreening vs. 10% random rescreening.

Objective: To compare 100% rapid rescreening of cervical smears with 10% random rescreening as a method of quality assurance.

Study Design: A total of 5215 smears, randomly selected from smears reported as negative by cytotechnologists during routine screening, underwent 100% rapid rescreening by senior cytotechnologists. Ten percent of these smears, selected at random, were rescreened by other senior cytotechnologists.

[Pap smear, hybrid capture II, and visual inspection in screening for uterine cervical lesions].

The objective of this study was to evaluate alterations in Pap smear, hybrid capture II (HCII), and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in 684 women treated at a primary health care unit. The performance and agreement of the exams were evaluated. The study also described social, demographic, and reproductive factors and their association with uterine cervical lesions.