Low tuberculosis knowledge among HIV-infected patients in a high HIV prevalence region within southeast India.

Setting: A private multispecialty hospital in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Methods: A survey of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions adapted from a pretested questionnaire was administered to 128 HIV-infected adults, from July to August 2008.

Results: A total of 31% had not heard of tuberculosis (TB), with 15 (38%) currently receiving anti-TB therapy or had received it in the past.

Will patients "opt in" to perform their own rapid HIV test in the emergency department?

Objective: We evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of existing point-of-care HIV tests performed by an untrained patient compared with the routinely used HIV point-of-care test offered to patients in 2 urban emergency departments (EDs).

Methods: From April 2008 through December 2009, patients who had completed a standard HIV oral fluid test performed by a trained health care professional and who were unaware of their results were recruited to perform a rapid point-of-care HIV test. Patients were given a choice of the oral fluid or the fingerstick blood point-of-care test.

Utilising the internet to test for sexually transmitted infections: results of a survey and accuracy testing.

Background: Searching the internet for information about sexually transmitted infections (STI) is common. The goal of the study was to discover which internet sites offer STI tests and obtain information about the services and their validity.

Methods: Using internet web-based search engines, information was collected from the sites about STI testing services, costs and types of tests offered, and tests were evaluated for accuracy.

Performance of three nucleic acid amplification tests for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae by use of self-collected vaginal swabs obtained via an Internet-based screening program.

Use of self-obtained vaginal specimens processed by nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) has significantly increased the utilization of nontraditional locations for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae screening programs. One important emerging source of such venues includes home-based self-sampling kits available via the Internet. The objective of our study was to evaluate the performance of three commercially available NAATs (Becton-Dickinson ProbeTec SDA, Gen-Probe Aptima Combo2 TMA, and Roche Amplicor PCR) for detection of C.