Levodopa-based device-aided therapies for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease: a social return on investment analysis.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. As PD advances and symptoms progress, patients become increasingly dependent on family and carers. Traditional cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) only consider patient and payer-related outcomes, failing to acknowledge impacts on families, carers, and broader society.

Positivity and Risk Factors for Trichomonas vaginalis Among Women Attending a Sexual Health Clinic in Melbourne, 2006 to 2019.

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis is not a notifiable disease in Australia in most states, resulting in limited Australian epidemiological studies. This study aimed to examine the positivity of T. vaginalis in women attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) and identify associated factors.

Clinical and laboratory aspects of condylomata lata lesions of syphilis.

Objectives: Condylomata lata are a less common but distinctive syphilitic lesion. Variable theories as to their nature and origin exist. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and laboratory characteristics of condylomata lata by determining (1): the most closely aligned stage of syphilis, based on the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titre; (2) symptom duration and (3) PCR cycle threshold (C) values, as an indicator of organism load.

Treponema pallidum detection in lesion and non-lesion sites in men who have sex with men with early syphilis: a prospective, cross-sectional study.

Background: Syphilis transmission is increasing, and precisely how Treponema pallidum is transmitted sexually from person to person is unclear. We aimed to determine the frequency of T pallidum shedding from potentially asymptomatic sites and the stage of infection at which shedding is most frequent in men who have sex with men (MSM), who have been disproportionately affected by syphilis.

Methods: We did a prospective, cross-sectional study in MSM recruited from Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (Melbourne, VIC, Australia).

Timing of primary syphilis treatment and impact on the development of treponemal antibodies: a cross-sectional clinic-based study.

Background: Serology is negative in a proportion of primary syphilis cases where PCR testing is positive. We aimed to identify discordant, PCR-positive, serology-negative primary syphilis cases and any clinical or laboratory factors associated with failure to subsequently seroconvert.

Methods: Serodiscordant primary syphilis cases that were PCR-positive and serology-negative (including rapid plasma reagin, particle agglutination, enzyme immunoassay or chemiluminescence assay) were identified from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre electronic records between April 2011 and December 2019.