BackgroundPreterm birth (PTB) is a major determinant of neonatal morbimortality with adverse consequences for health. The causes are multifactorial, with intrauterine infection probably explaining most of these outcomes. It is believed that infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is also involved in PTB and premature rupture of membranes.ObjetivesTo evaluate the prevalence of and associated factors for CT among cases of PTB attended at a University Hospital in Vitoria, Brazil.MethodsA cross-sectional study performed among parturient who had preterm birth from June 2012 to August 2013 in Vitoria, Brazil. Participants answered a questionnaire including demographic, behavioral, and clinical data. A sample of urine was collected and screened for CT using polymerase chain reaction. Chi-square tests were used for proportion differences and Student’s-t tests and variance analysis were used for testing differences between mean values. Odds ratio was used as a measure of association with a 95% confidence interval.ResultsThe prevalence of PTB during the period of the study was 26% and the prevalence of CT among them was 13.9%. A total of 31.6% pregnant women were younger than 25 years old and women infected by CT were even younger than women not infected by CT (p = 0.022). Most of them (76.2%) were married or had a living partner, and CT infection was more frequent among the single ones (p = 0.018); 16.7% of women reported their first sexual intercourse under 14 years old. The causes of prematurity were maternal-fetal in 40.9%; rupture of the membranes in 29.7% and premature labor in 29.4%. In multivariate analysis, being married was a protective factor for infection [OR = 0.48 (95%CI:0.24–0.97)]. None of the other characteristics were associated with CT infection.ConclusionsThis study shows a high prevalence of CT infection among parturient who have preterm birth. This high prevalence highlight the need for defining screening strategies focused on young pregnant women in Brazil.

Objective-To estimate the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) and syphilis infections and associated risk exposures in a population-based sample of young women in Vitória, Brazil. Methods-FromMarch to December 2006, a cross-sectional sample of women aged 18 to 29 years was recruited into a single stage, population-based study. Serological markers of HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis infections and associated risk exposures were assessed.Results-Of 1,200 eligible women, 1,029 (85.8%) enrolled. Median age was 23 (interquartile range [IQR] 20, 26) years; 32.2% had ≤ 8 years of education. The survey weighted prevalence estimates were: HIV, 0.6% (95% CI), 0.1%, 1.1%); anti-HBc, 4.2% (3.0%, 5.4%); HBsAg, 0.9% (0.4%, 1.6%); anti-HCV, 0.6% (0.1%, 1.1%) and syphilis 1.2% (0.5%, 1.9%). Overall, 6.1% had at least one positive serological marker for any of the tested infection. A majority (87.9%) was sexually active, of whom 12.1% reported a previously diagnosed sexually transmitted infection (STI) and 1.4% a history of commercial sex work. Variables independently associated with any positive serological test included: older age (≥25 vs. <25 years), low monthly income (≤ 4× vs. >4× minimum wage), previously diagnosed STI, ≥ 1 sexual partner, and any illicit drug use.Conclusions-These are the first population-based estimates of the prevalence of exposure to these infectious diseases and related risks in young women, a population for whom there is a scarcity of data in Brazil.

The goal of this study was to assess condom use and related behaviour in young women in Vitória, Brazil. From March to December 2006, a cross-sectional sample of women aged 18-29 years was recruited into a population-based study. Risk behaviours for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were surveyed. Condom use at last intercourse was assessed as a principal outcome describing protective sexual behaviour. Of 1200 eligible women identified, 1029 (85.8%) enrolled. Among them, 904 (87.9%) reported a history of sexual activity. Only 36.6% reported condom use at last intercourse; those who did were more likely to report commercial sex work (odds ratio [OR] 9.01 [1.46-55.55]), to state that STI prevention was a primary reason for using condoms (OR = 6.84 [4.81-9.71]), to have been previously diagnosed with an STI (OR = 2.39 [1.36-4.21]), to report that 'it is easy to tell a sexual partner they will not have vaginal/anal sex without a condom' (OR = 2.30 [1.56-3.39]), to report that sexual intercourse is only risky when people have anal sex (OR = 1.98 [1.22-3.22]); and less likely to be married (OR = 0.65 [0.54-0.78]), and to find it difficult to use condom consistently in all sexual encounters (OR = 0.36 [0.25-0.52]). Women who reported condom use were more concerned with preventing STIs, and to report less difficulty insisting on condom use with partners.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection takes a clinically silent, self-limited course in the far majority of cases. Chronic hepatitis E has been reported in some cohorts of immunocompromised individuals. The role of HEV infections in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is unknown.

Introduction Globally nearly 17,000 children under 5 years of age die each day. Preterm delivery is the number one cause of under-5 year mortality. Curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnant women, specifically syphilis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis, have been shown to cause preterm delivery through premature rupture of membranes, preterm labour, chorioamnionitis and congenital infection. There is a strong likely causal association between antenatal STIs and preterm delivery. Treating curable STIs may decrease under-5 year mortality. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and summarise curable STI prevalence estimates among pregnant women in low-and middleincome countries. Methods PubMed was searched for studies reporting prevalence statistics for syphilis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis infections among pregnant women in low-and middle-income countries. Studies published between 1/1/2010-3/1/2015 were included. Abstracts of all search results and the full text of all potentially eligible articles were reviewed. Results 376 potentially relevant reports were identified. 76 studies met inclusion criteria, providing 116 point prevalence estimates for curable STIs in pregnant women, including a total of 3,594,777 women. The median value (range) of the estimates for each STI were as follows: syphilis, 1.9% (0-41.7%);