Prevention of Chlamydia Infections With Theater in School Sex Education
JOURNAL OF SCHOOL NURSING
Authors: Jerlstrom, Charlotta; Adolfsson, Annsofie
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate if an intervention including theater in school sex education affects students' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding condom use in Sweden. The study was a cluster randomized controlled trial. The intervention group got a play, value exercises, chlamydia games, condom school, and interactive replay with professional actors and staff from a youth guidance center. The control group got standard sex education from school staff. Students in both groups answered web surveys on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding condom use. Posteducation, knowledge on condom use, chlamydia, and protection had increased in both groups. However, students in the intervention group showed higher levels of knowledge, improved attitudes, and less risky behavior in regard to condom use compared to the control group. The intervention titled SAFETY seemed to be a beneficial supplement to standard sex education and more effective with regard to knowledge of condom use.
Vaginal Microbiota and Cytokine Microenvironment in HPV Clearance/Persistence in Women Surgically Treated for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: An Observational Prospective Study
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
Authors: Caselli, Elisabetta; D'Accolti, Maria; Santi, Erica; Soffritti, Irene; Conzadori, Sara; Mazzacane, Sante; Greco, Pantaleo; Contini, Carlo; Bonaccorsi, Gloria
Abstract
High-risk human papillomaviruses (hrHPVs) are causally related to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and subsequent cervical cancer (CC). The vaginal microbiome has been suggested to play a role in the development of CC, but the effect of conservative surgical treatment on the microbiome and hrHPV elimination has not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to characterize the vaginal microbiome and inflammatory chemokine profile in 85 women treated for CIN2-CIN3 lesions, before and after surgical CIN removal. The results showed, as expected, a high prevalence of dysbiotic microbiomes and vaginal pro-inflammatory cytokines in the CIN cohort, correlated with disease severity, at the basal level. By contrast, surgical CIN removal induced significant vaginal microbiome variations, and specific microbiome/cytokine profiles were associated with hrHPV clearance/persistence at 6-month follow-up. hrHPV-cleared patients, in fact, showed a specific increase of L. crispatus and decrease of dysbiosis and inflammatory cytokines compared to hrHPV-persistent patients. These data highlight the crosstalk between HPV and the local microbiome, and suggest that vaginal microbiome modulation might represent a novel approach to modifying the natural history of hrHPV-related CC. Study registration n. ISRCTN34437150 (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN34437150).