sodium-ethylxanthate and Papillomavirus-Infections

Although opportunities to vaccinate against human papillomavirus (HPV) are available, vaccination rates in Puerto Rico remain low. Communication between parents and adolescents about sexual topics may influence decisions about HPV vaccination uptake, particularly among young women; yet, few studies have addressed this issue. This qualitative study explored Puerto Rican mothers' and daughters' communication on sex-related topics, and HPV, including the HPV vaccine.. Thirty participants, including 9 mothers and 21 daughters, participated in seven focus groups. Participants were divided into groups of mothers and daughters, and further stratified by vaccination status. Transcripts were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach to identify emergent themes.. Focus group data revealed four main themes: (1) limited parent-daughter communication about sex-related topics; (2) daughters' discomfort discussing sex-related topics with their parents; (3) parental focus on abstinence; and, (4) limited parent-daughter communication about HPV and the HPV vaccine.. Although daughters in this study struggled with feelings of embarrassment, invasion of privacy, encouragement of abstinence, and the fear of parents' reaction to them being sexually active prior to marriage, they also recognized the need to increase the parent-daughter communication about sex-related topics including HPV and the HPV vaccine. Educational efforts should target both daughters and parents to increase communication skills and self-efficacy and to enable them to discuss sexual health in open and nonjudgmental conversations.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Communication; Female; Focus Groups; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Middle Aged; Mother-Child Relations; Papillomavirus Infections; Papillomavirus Vaccines; Puerto Rico; Sex; Sex Education; Sexual Abstinence; Young Adult

Sunlight's UV B component, a known cellular immunosupressant, carcinogen, and activator of viral infections, is generally seasonally available. Venereal human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission, at least in part, causes cervical cancer. We have previously inspected the monthly rates of venereal HPV infection and sunlight fluency in Southern Holland over 16 consecutive years. Both peak in August with at least 2-fold seasonality. The amount of available sunlight and the rate of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screen-detected HPV are positively correlated. We now investigate whether premalignant and malignant cervical epithelial changes are also seasonal and related to seasonal sunlight fluency.. We have studied >900,000 consecutive, serially independent, interpretable screening Pap smears obtained by a single cervical cancer screening laboratory in Leiden, Holland, during a continuous 16-year span from 1983 through 1998. The average monthly rates of premalignant and malignant epithelial change were inspected and the annual patterns contrasted to the annual pattern of sunlight fluency at this global location and to monthly average HPV infection rate. Because HPV is venereally transmitted, Dutch seasonal sexual behavior was evaluated by assessment of the annual pattern of Dutch conception frequency as a competing cause for cervical cancer seasonality.. (a) Twice as many premalignant and malignant epithelial changes were found among Pap smears obtained in the summer months, with an August peak concurrent with histopathologic evidence of HPV infection and sunlight fluency in Southern Holland. (b) Monthly sunlight fluency is correlated positively with both the monthly rates of Pap smear-detected cervical epithelial dysplasia and carcinomatous histopathology, as well as HPV. (c) Conception frequency, in this location, peaks in Spring not summer, and has a 4.8% annual amplitude.. (a) Cervical epithelial HPV infection and HPV-induced cervical epithelial dysplasia and carcinomatous change may each be novel sun exposure risks and thereby behaviorably avoidable. (b) Because screening Pap smears uncover many abnormalities that resolve spontaneously (false positives), these data may argue for screening and follow-up Pap smear examinations in seasons other than summer in the Northern Hemisphere, to diminish the false-positive smear rate. Global data are available to confirm and further test each of these conclusions.

Topics: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Female; Humans; Incidence; Mass Screening; Netherlands; Papanicolaou Test; Papillomaviridae; Papillomavirus Infections; Seasons; Sex; Solar System; Uterine Cervical Dysplasia; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Vaginal Smears

In to order to investigate the prevalence of HPV related parameters in sexually non-active women, smears of 75 virgins were microscopically reviewed for alterations caused by HPV i.e. koilocytosis, parakeratosis and multinucleinization. In none of these smears were the mentioned parameters seen together, so the diagnosis of HPV infection could not be assessed. In an age-matched control population consisting of 75 sexually active women smears were reviewed. In this group 10 smears (13%) were found positive for HPV infection, well in accordance with literature.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cervix Uteri; Female; Humans; Papillomaviridae; Papillomavirus Infections; Sex; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Tumor Virus Infections; Uterine Cervical Diseases; Vaginal Smears