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Relevance: Relapses of herpes simplex during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with or without respiratory symptoms alarm us about the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients. Both the stress caused during the pandemic and the invasion of SARS-CoV-2 itself are generative elements of immunodeficiency in humans, a situation that can be used by the herpes virus to reactivate and infect the host (1).
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Common causes of viral exanthems in Australia include herpesviruses, enteroviruses, parvovirus B19, varicella, measles and rubella viruses and mosquito-borne alphaviruses. The cause can often be diagnosed clinically from the rash distribution and morphology, confirmed only when necessary with serological or PCR tests. Most viral exanthems are self-limiting, requiring supportive care alone.
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The proceedings contain 17 papers. The topics discussed include: HIV patient preferences for care: resetting for a new normal;who accesses emergency hormonal contraception through an online sexual health service?;menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health interventions in out-of-school girls: a systematic review;three cycle QIP: improving testing and management of mycoplasma genitalium in a tertiary sexual health center 2019 - 2021;the weekend effect in GUM: a preliminary audit into genital herpes management across the week;comparing trichomonas vaginalis clinical care before and after the COVID-19 pandemic;time to start testing for latent tb infection(LTBI) - a quality improvement project;who, what, when, where, how and why? addressing the challenges of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) within STI research and co-producing and applying a PPIE strategy within the SEQUENCE digital research program;an analysis of service users accessing a routine contraception service via an online platform during the COVID-19 pandemic;and effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on chlamydia testing and diagnosis within Scotland's largest sexual health service.
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Introduction Sexual Health Services (SHS) should provide free, confidential, and rapid access, however the service has been greatly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state that 98% of patients contacting a clinic should be offered an appointment within two working days. This service evaluation aims to determine current access to SHS in the UK and compare the results with data from previous years. Methods Approval was gained from BASHH A BASHH list of 241 clinics was updated and used. Clinics were contacted in October and November 2021, with a student researcher posing as a female patient with symptoms of primary genital herpes. Data was collected using a data collection tool and analysed anonymously using SPSS. Results 209 of the 241 clinics were contacted, 32 were omitted due to being closed or open less than two days a week. 72.2% of clinics offered an appointment within two working days, a statistically significant difference to the 98% BASHH standard (binomial testing showed p<0.001). There was no significant improvement comparing the 2021 results to the 2020 results (binomial testing showed p=0.199). Chi-squared tests showed no significant variation between 18 BASHH regions (X2=12.089, df=17, p=0.795), or between the devolved nations (X2=3.698, df=3, p=0.296). Discussion SHS have not been able to meet the BASHH standard of 98% of clinics offering an appointment within two working days. These data suggest services have still not recovered from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The proceedings contain 159 papers. The topics discussed include: HIV patient preferences for care: resetting for a new normal;who accesses emergency hormonal contraception through an online sexual health service?;menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health interventions in out-of-school girls: a systematic review;three cycle QIP: improving testing and management of mycoplasma genitalium in a tertiary sexual health center 2019 - 2021;the weekend effect in gum: a preliminary audit into genital herpes management across the week;comparing trichomonas vaginalis clinical care before and after the COVID-19 pandemic;and time to start testing for latent tb infection(LTBI)- a quality improvement project.
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Glycyrrhizin and its derivatives (glycyrrhizic acid, etc.) are the key components of licorice root extracts (licorice) which can have anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. A systematic analysis of 3264 publications on the studies of glycyrrhizin and its derivatives made it possible to characterize the range of pharmacological applications of drugs based on glycyrrhizin. The study highlights a number of relevant molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of glycyrrhizin, including regulation of the activity of T-lymphocytes, mast cells, neutrophils, macrophages, biosynthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, lipoxins and prostaglandins. Glycyrrhizin dose-dependently activates receptor LXRa, inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, suppresses the increased expression of HMGB1 receptor and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF, IL-1ß and IL-6, blocks the NFkB-dependent signaling pathways MAPK and PI3K/Akt, inducible nitric oxide synthase, COX-2. Topical application of glycyrrhizin and its derivatives is promising for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the mucous membranes and skin, including the diseases of bacterial, fungal and viral origin (allergic contact dermatitis, eczema, keratitis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, papillomavirus, herpes virus (as well as herpes simplex, varicella zoster), SARS-CoV-2, etc. Glycyrrhizin and its derivatives inhibit the formation of biofilms of bacteria characterized by increased resistance to antibiotics and even to antiseptics. Due to the fact that glycyrrhizin induces CD4+ T-cells, it suppresses the production of type 2 cytokines and increases resistance to candidiasis. The study also describes the prospects for the use of glycyrrhizin in the treatment of genital warts. Conclusion: The results of the basic and clinical studies presented in this paper show the prospects for topical application of glycyrrhizin in various fields of medicine, including gynecological practice. © 2022, Bionika Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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The toxicity of mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccines depends on the total mRNA-LNP dose. We established that the maximum tolerated dose of our trivalent mRNA-LNP genital herpes vaccine was 10 µg/immunization in mice. We then evaluated one of the mRNAs, gD2 mRNA-LNP, to determine how much of the 10 µg total dose to assign to this immunogen. We immunized mice with 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, or 10 µg of gD2 mRNA-LNP and measured serum IgG ELISA, neutralizing antibodies, and antibodies to six crucial gD2 epitopes involved in virus entry and spread. Antibodies to crucial gD2 epitopes peaked at 1 µg, while ELISA and neutralizing titers continued to increase at higher doses. The epitope results suggested no immunologic benefit above 1 µg of gD2 mRNA-LNP, while ELISA and neutralizing titers indicated higher doses may be useful. We challenged the gD2 mRNA-immunized mice intravaginally with HSV-2. The 1-µg dose provided total protection, confirming the epitope studies, and supported assigning less than one-third of the trivalent vaccine maximum dose of 10 µg to gD2 mRNA-LNP. Epitope mapping as performed in mice can also be accomplished in phase 1 human trials to help select the optimum dose of each immunogen in a multivalent vaccine.