Prevalence and risk behaviors of Chinese men who seek same-sex partners via the internet in Hong Kong.

To examine the prevalence of Internet sex networking among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Hong Kong and risk behaviors associated with the behavior, a telephone survey of 15,230 Hong Kong Chinese men aged 18-60 was conducted. Of the 283 active MSM (having engaged in some MSM behaviors in the last 6 months) identified, 17.7% had networked for MSM partners via the Internet in the last 6 months. Younger age (odds ratio [OR] for age < or = 25 vs. age >25 = 4.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.35-9.28) and being an anal-sex MSM (OR = 4.72, 95% CI=2.36-9.44) were independent predictors of Internet sex networking. Being an Internet sex networker was associated with some risk behaviors such as having contracted a sexually transmitted disease (adjusted OR = 4.79, 95% CI = 1.34-17.11), having had > or = 3 MSM partners (adjusted OR = 4.74, 95% CI = 2.20-10.23), and having engaged in anal sex (adjusted OR = 3.95, 95% CI = 1.89-8.23). HIV prevention programs for MSM should thereby include Internet-based interventions.     

Female pelvic floor. Descriptive anatomy and clinical exploration by transvaginal ultrasound

In order to assess the state and pathology of the woman's pelvis minor, a number of methods are commonly used among practitioners, encompassing clinical exploration, radiology, MRN, urodynamics, endoscopy and echography.

Echography has been poorly used in clinical pelvic exploration and its reliability is actually a matter of controversy 1. However, echographic surveys can provide us with valuable gynecological data on the state and pathologies of the soft pelvis, within the genital regions or even going beyond them, i.e. the rectal channel, bladder, urethra, anus, vascular plexuses, and all of their supporting tissues.

At our research unit, we have been employing Transvaginal Ultrasound echography (TVU) for a long time in conjunction with other pelvis-focused methods in order to study different kinds of pelvic alterations. TVU has proven to be friendly to use, fast, harmless and inexpensive, allowing serial explorations and producing high-quality dynamic images (loop-cinema, video-tape). Furthermore, this method is fairly aseptic in that the occurrence of faeces in the rectal ampolla is not a nuisance but a bonus in tracking the contours of the rectum walls and other topographical features which would be otherwise difficult to survey.

A complete pelvic floor TVU may add no longer than 5-8 minutes to a routine gynecological examination, can be implemented by the general gynecologist and generates data that can be further studied by the appropriate specialist for a more insightful evaluation 2.     

甲状腺~(99)Tc~mO_4~-显像冷结节的临床诊断价值

目的　探讨甲状腺99TcmO-4 显像冷结节对不同性质甲状腺疾病的诊断价值。方法　采用静脉注射99TcmO-4 185MBq ,2 0min后甲状腺前位静态显像 ,采集总计数 1× 10 6。显像显示甲状腺结节局部放射性分布缺损或低于正常甲状腺组织则定性为冷结节。结果　 34 2例甲状腺99TcmO-4 显像发现冷结节 85例 ,发生率为2 4.9% ,85例冷结节中 ,37例 (4 3.5 % )为甲状腺瘤 ,15例为甲状腺癌 (17.6 % ) ,2 0例 (2 3.5 % )为结节性甲状腺肿 ,8例 (9.4% )为甲状腺炎 ,4例 (4 .7% )为单纯性甲状腺囊肿 ,1例 (1.3% )为甲状腺外肿物。结论　冷结节在甲状腺99Tcm O-4 显像时较为常见 ,且不同性质甲状腺疾病的冷结节及其周围组织有一定的特征性表现 ,因此99TcmO-4显像冷结节对甲状腺腺瘤、甲状腺癌、甲状腺囊肿、甲状腺炎等常见疾病具有较高的临床价值。     

Evidence that the Receptor for Soluble CD14:LPS Complexes may not be the Putative Signal-Transducing Molecule Associated with Membrane-Bound CD14

Membrane-bound CD14 acts as a receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. Studies have suggested that the activation of monocytes/macrophages by the binding of LPS to membrane-bound CD14 may require the association of a signal-transducing molecule with membrane-bound CD14. The observation that non-CD14 expressing cells, such as endothelial cells, can nevertheless be activated by a complex of LPS and a soluble form of CD14 (sCD14) suggests that the receptor for this complex may be identical to the signal transducing molecule associated with membrane-bound CD14. The studies described show that two CD14-specific MoAb are able to block the LPS-induced activation of endothelial cells but do not affect the response of monocytes to LPS. This suggests that the interaction of the sCD14:LPS complex with endothelial cells is distinct from the interaction of membrane-bound CD14 with its putative signal-transducing molecule.     

Existence of Candida albicans and microorganisms in denture stomatitis patients

summary The aetiology of denture stomatitis is not clear from the literature. Some studies show its aetiology as Candida albicans, while other reports point out the significance of microorganisms. In this study the existence of C. albicans and microorganisms was investigated in subjects with and without denture stomatitis. The results showed that a combination of C. albicans and microorganisms is more likely to be responsible for denture stomatitis.