Getting Everyone on Board to Break the Cycle of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Recurrence: A Qualitative Study of Partner Treatment for BV.

Introduction: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition that affects the sexual wellbeing of women and other people with a vagina. Recurrence following individual treatment is frequent and exerts a cumulative burden over time. Researchers at the Melbourne Sexual Health Center have recently completed the first successful trial of male partner treatment (MPT) for BV, demonstrating the superior effectiveness of concurrent MPT in reducing recurrence.

Investigating Motor Coordination Using BXD Recombinant Inbred Mice to Model the Genetic Underpinnings of Developmental Coordination Disorder.

The fundamental skills for motor coordination and motor control emerge through development. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD) lead to impaired acquisition of motor skills. This study investigated motor behaviors that reflect the core symptoms of human DCD through the use of BXD recombinant inbred strains of mice that are known to have divergent phenotypes in many behavioral traits, including motor activity.

Health and Economic Impact of COVID-19 Surveillance Testing in Seattle Homeless Shelters: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Introduction: COVID-19 surveillance in congregate settings is important to mitigating disease, but the health and economic impact of testing remains unclear.

Methods: The authors developed a Markov model to project the cost-utility of COVID-19 testing strategies in homeless shelters from the healthcare payer and societal perspective over 1 year. Model inputs utilized data from residents aged ≥18 years across 23 Seattle shelters from January 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021.

Male-Partner Treatment to Prevent Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis affects one third of reproductive-aged women, and recurrence is common. Evidence of sexual exchange of bacterial vaginosis-associated organisms between partners suggests that male-partner treatment may increase the likelihood of cure.

Methods: This open-label, randomized, controlled trial involved couples in which a woman had bacterial vaginosis and was in a monogamous relationship with a male partner.

Routine treatment versus selective treatment for individuals reporting contact with sexual partners with chlamydia: A Before-and-After Study.

Background: Many international guidelines recommend routine treatment for individuals reporting sexual contact with sexual partners with chlamydia. In October-2019, the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre changed routine treatment of all chlamydia contacts to selective treatment, reserving same-day treatment for those testing positive, unless patients presented with symptoms or with specific reasons.

Methods: We conducted a before-and-after study among chlamydia contacts at MSHC by comparing 12 months before the 'routine treatment period' (December-2018 to October-2019) and after the 'selective treatment period' (November-2019 to December-2020).

Reducing batch effects in single cell chromatin accessibility measurements by pooled transposition with MULTI-ATAC.

Large-scale scATAC-seq experiments are challenging because of their costs, lengthy protocols, and confounding batch effects. Several sample multiplexing technologies aim to address these challenges, but do not remove batch effects introduced when performing transposition reactions in parallel. We demonstrate that sample-to-sample variability in nuclei-to-Tn5 ratios is a major cause of batch effects and develop MULTI-ATAC, a multiplexing method that pools samples prior to transposition, as a solution.

The Children's Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers: A Review.

Importance: Since 2003, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) has developed and disseminated the Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers. These guidelines have benchmarked the standard of care for long-term survivors of childhood cancer in North America and beyond. Since their inception, they have evolved in depth, scope, and contributors to maintain fidelity toward continually emerging evidence related to cancer survivorship.

Trends in infections detected in women with cervicitis over a decade.

Objectives: There is a growing body of evidence that in the absence of and/or and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are associated with cervicitis. We aimed to describe infections detected among cervicitis cases over a decade and establish how commonly and BV were detected among non-chlamydial/non-gonococcal cases to inform testing and treatment practices.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-series to determine the number of cervicitis cases diagnosed with genital infections (, and BV) among women attending the largest public sexual health service in Australia from 2011 to 2021.

Enhancing survivorship care among Hispanic/Latino cancer survivors via lay health educators: results of a pilot randomized trial.

Purpose: Assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of lay health educators to enhance Hispanic/Latino survivors' knowledge of their cancer history, screening needs, and health-related self-efficacy.

Methods: Hispanic/Latino survivors diagnosed within 5 years were recruited from three clinics and a regional cancer registry. Survivors were randomized to receive a personalized survivorship care plan (SCP; control) or SCP plus telephone session with a bilingual-bicultural lay health educator (intervention).

Frailty and Sleep in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Report.

Background: Young adult survivors of childhood cancer exhibit rates of frailty similar to adults several decades older without a cancer history. Frailty has been associated with sleep disturbances in non-cancer populations, but the relationship has not been examined in childhood cancer survivors who are known to exhibit elevated rates of sleep problems.

Aims: Examine associations between frailty and poor sleep quality in long-term survivors of childhood cancer.

Historical redlining and survival among children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer diagnosed between 2000-2019 in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.

Background: Historical redlining has been associated with inferior survival in adult-onset cancers. However, its relationship with pediatric, adolescent, and young-adult-onset cancer outcomes is unknown.

Methods: This study identified incident cancer among individuals <40 years of age living in Seattle and Tacoma between 2000-2019 via the population-based Cancer Surveillance System.

Protein CREATE enables closed-loop design of synthetic protein binders.

Proteins have proven to be useful agents in a variety of fields, from serving as potent therapeutics to enabling complex catalysis for chemical manufacture. However, they remain difficult to design and are instead typically selected for using extensive screens or directed evolution. Recent developments in protein large language models have enabled fast generation of diverse protein sequences in unexplored regions of protein space predicted to fold into varied structures, bind relevant targets, and catalyze novel reactions.

Outbreak of Rotavirus Diarrheal Infection among Adults in King County, Washington, January-June 2023.

Rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhea among children but less known as a cause among adults. We describe clinical, epidemiologic, and genotype characteristics of a rotavirus outbreak among adults in King County, Washington occurring January-June 2023. Adult rotavirus incidence in 2023 was ten times higher than the same period in 2022 (5% versus 0.

Navigating neurologic post-COVID-19 conditions in adults: Management strategies for cognitive dysfunction, headaches and neuropathies.

This review aims to describe the neurologic post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC, also known as "long COVID"), a complex array of diagnoses that can occur following recovery from acute COVID-19. The review also includes clinical considerations for the recognition, diagnosis and management of neurologic manifestations of PCC. Cognitive impairment ("Brain Fog"), headaches, and neuropathies are specifically reviewed.

Impact of achieving WHO's 90-70-90 targets on cervical cancer elimination and potential benefits in preventing other HPV-related cancers in China: a modelling study.

Background: In the context of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 90-70-90 targets for accelerating cervical cancer elimination, we aimed to assess the impact of achieving these targets and altering intervention factors on cervical cancer elimination in China and their potential benefits from preventing other human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers.

Methods: We developed a sexual contact network-Markov model to simulate HPV transmission and the progression of HPV-related cancers (cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers). We projected the population impact of achieving 90-70-90 targets by 2030 on the overall HPV-related cancer burden in China during 2024-2100.

Accuracy of symptom checker for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections using machine learning and Bayesian network algorithms.

Background: A significant proportion of individuals with symptoms of sexually transmitted infection (STI) delay or avoid seeking healthcare, and digital diagnostic tools may prompt them to seek healthcare earlier. Unfortunately, none of the currently available tools fully mimic clinical assessment or cover a wide range of STIs.

Methods: We prospectively invited attendees presenting with STI-related symptoms at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre to answer gender-specific questionnaires covering the symptoms of 12 common STIs using a computer-assisted self-interviewing system between 2015 and 2018.

Financial toxicity among pediatric oncology families during therapy and early survivorship: a qualitative analysis.

Purpose: Cancer treatment often results in adverse financial consequences-also termed financial toxicity. To build upon limited research in pediatric oncology, we conducted a qualitative study exploring families' lived experiences with financial toxicity and their perspectives on potential mitigation strategies.

Methods: We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of English- and Spanish-speaking family caregivers, 3-24 months following diagnosis.

Linkage to care and prevention after HIV self-testing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Effective linkage to prevention and care is a crucial step following HIV testing services. This systematic review aimed to determine the proportion of individuals linked to prevention and care after HIV self-testing (HIVST) and describe factors associated with linkage.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search across eight databases (2010-October 2023) identified studies on linkage to care after HIVST, defined as receiving a confirmatory test or initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) if the self-test was reactive, and/or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) if the self-test was non-reactive.

Preferences for attributes of an artificial intelligence-based risk assessment tool for HIV and sexually transmitted infections: a discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: Early detection and treatment of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are crucial for effective control. We previously developed MySTIRisk, an artificial intelligence-based risk tool that predicts the risk of HIV and STIs. We examined the attributes that encourage potential users to use it.

Duration of kissing in different intimate positions among men who have sex with men: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite mounting evidence showing that kissing (tongue-kissing) may transmit gonorrhoea between men who have sex with men (MSM), little data exists on factors influencing the duration of kissing while they are above and/or lying underneath a partner for this population group.

Methods: Between May 2019 and March 2020, we invited MSM aged ≥18 years who attended the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) to participate in a survey about the duration of their kissing (minutes) and intimate position while kissing (i.e.

Prescribing pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention: a cross-sectional survey of general practitioners in Australia.

Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a safe and effective medication for preventing HIV acquisition. We examined Australian general practitioners' (GP) knowledge of PrEP efficacy, characteristics associated with ever prescribing PrEP and barriers to prescribing. Methods We conducted an online cross-sectional survey of GPs working in Australia between April and October 2022.

User Views on Online Sexual Health Symptom Checker Tool: Qualitative Research.

Background: Delayed diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) contributes to poorer health outcomes and onward transmission to sexual partners. Access to best-practice sexual health care may be limited by barriers such as cost, distance to care providers, sexual stigma, and trust in health care providers. Online assessments of risk offer a novel means of supporting access to evidence-based sexual health information, testing, and treatment by providing more individualized sexual health information based on user inputs.

Telehealth for HIV care and management among people living with HIV in Australia: results from an online survey.

Background The aims of this study were to evaluate the experiences of telehealth for routine HIV care and identify preferred models of HIV routine care for the future. Methods Anonymous, online questionnaire among people living with HIV aged 18years or older. This survey was advertised via posters with a QR code in six sexual health clinics and one community organisation as well as on social media from November 2021 to December 2022.