bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
O29 Patient experiences of sex education in schools – bridging the gap
Authors: Scrivener Jodie , Gonah Tamuka , Richardson Daniel 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionRates of STIs are increasing in the UK among young people: here is little data on the quality, coverage and outcome of sex education in schools.MethodsA Self-completed service-evaluation survey of patient experiences of sex education and subsequent sexual health was offered to all patients aged under 25 attending our GP level 2 sexual health service in November 2016.Results110 completed surveys were returned; Median age was 20. 64% F, 35% M, 1% Trans*. 23% identified as LGBT. 27/110(24.5%) reported previous diagnosis with an STI. 92/110(83%) were educated in the UK; 10/110(9%) reported no sex education at all. 55% of respondents felt that the majority of their sex education came via school. The most covered topics in school sex education were: Puberty (81%), Contraception (80%) and STI’s (80%). LGBT relationships (8%) and Anal sex (9%) were rarely included. Safe internet use was discussed with 18% of respondents, and consent with 39%. 63% felt they had enough information to protect themselves. 38% Females and 33% MSM reported having sex without consent, conversely only 8% Heterosexual men reported non-consensual sex. 51% respondents would use a sexual health clinic to gain more information about sex, 55% would use a website for information.DiscussionSexual health services may be ideally placed to work alongside schools in providing sex education. It must not be assumed when seeing patients that they are fully aware of how to protect themselves from sexual harm, and steps must be taken to address any gaps in knowledge attendees may have.
O03 Impact of prep on sexual behaviour? significantly lower rate of rectal ct in non-prep users in the deferred phase of proud disappeared when everyone had access to prep
Authors: Sullivan Ann , Lacey Charles , White Ellen , Mackie Nicky , Clarke Amanda , Gilson Richard , Portman Mags , Dewsnap Claire , Taylor Steve , Dunn David , McCormack Sheena 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionPROUD is uniquely placed to compare rates of STIs between PrEP users and non-PrEP users, and to provide longitudinal data in PrEP users between Nov12–Nov16. We describe reported STIs in the year prior to enrolment, and rates during the deferred and post-deferred phases of PROUD when all participants had access to PrEP.MethodsData were extracted from baseline self-completed questionnaires. Staff were asked to capture STI screens and diagnoses from quarterly study and interim routine clinic visits. We compared incidence rates of selected STIs for those with immediate (IMM) access to deferred (DEF) access during the deferred and post-deferred phase.Results517 participants completed the STI baseline questions, reporting a median (IQR) of 3 (2–4) screens in the 12m prior to enrolment; 172 (89 IMM, 83 DEF) reported a rectal infection. Rectal STI rates were similar by phase and arm with the exception of lower rates of rectal CT in the DEF arm during the deferred phase (p-value=0.024):Abstract O03 Table 1Rectal infections in PrEPDeferred PhasePost-deferred PhaseRate (N/pyrs)IMMDEFIMMDEFRectal GC35.3 (81/229)33.7 (67/203)31.4 (129/411)32.7 (116/355)Rectal CT33.6 (77/229)21.2 (43/203)33.1 (136/411)29.9 (106/355)DiscussionThe ongoing high rates of rectal infections show that participants remaining in follow-up continued to need PrEP. The significantly reduced incidence of rectal CT in those allocated to deferred PrEP was not observed in the post-deferred phase when everyone had access to PrEP. This may be chance or may reflect an influence of PrEP on sexual practices.
O35 Spatial and temporal associations between sexually transmitted and recent congenital syphilis cases in england
Authors: Furegato Martina , Fifer Helen , Vanta Paul , Mohammed Hamish , Simms Ian , Logan Louise , Gill Noel , Charlett Andre’ , Hughes Gwenda 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionFour infants with congenital syphilis (CS) born to UK-born mothers who screened syphilis negative at first trimester antenatal screen were identified in England between March2016–January2017. Simulation modelling using historic data suggested the probability of observing these events was about 1%. We assessed whether these recent CS cases were associated with underlying epidemiology of infectious syphilis (IS).MethodsData from 01/2011–09/2016 were obtained from GUMCADv2, the national STI surveillance system in England. We defined three syphilis epidemiological areas (SEAs): wider incident areas (WIAs; the affected and immediate surrounding counties); endemic areas (established epidemics in men who have sex with men-MSM); non-incident/non-endemic areas (NINEAs). IS rates/100,000 population were derived and associations between IS characteristics and SEAs were assessed using bivariate analyses. Mothers of CS cases were excluded from analyses.ResultsFrom 2011–2016, IS rates/100,000 in WIAs rose in heterosexual women (1.5–2.5, 67% increase) and MSM (9.0–13.7, 52% increase) but fell in heterosexual men (4.3–2.7, 37% decrease). In NINEAs, rates rose in heterosexual women (1.6–1.9, 19% increase), MSM (5.0–11.9, 138% increase) and heterosexual men (2.7–3.2, 18% increase). In 2016, the proportion of UK-born heterosexual women with IS was greater in WIAs (82%) than in NINEAs (81%) and endemic areas (35%;p<0.001). The proportion of MSM identifying as bisexual was greater in WIAs (14%) compared with NINEAs (9%) and endemic areas (5%;p<0.001).DiscussionIncreased syphilis transmission among MSM in WIAs may have created opportunities for IS acquisition in women. Health promotion to raise awareness of potential risks of acquiring syphilis during pregnancy is needed.
UG2 The association between birth order and sexual health outcomes:how is birth order associated with learning about sex, early sexual experience, and sexual risk behaviour?
Authors: Elton Lotte , Macdowall Wendy , Palmer Melissa 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionWhile the effect of birth order on psychosocial outcomes has been widely discussed in the literature, little research examining birth order effects on sexual health has been undertaken. This analysis identifies the associations between birth order and learning about sex, first sexual experiences and sexual risk behaviours.MethodsThis analysis uses data from Natsal-3, a stratified probability sample survey of 15,162 men and women aged 16–74 in the UK. Bivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify crude odds ratios for the association between birth order and sexual health outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was performed adjusting for socio-demographic factors and sibling number.ResultsMiddle-born and last-born men were less likely to have found it easy to speak to their parents about sex around age 14 (OR 0.59, p=0.003; OR 0.69, p=0.009) and to have learned about sex from their mothers (OR 0.64, p=0.014; OR 0.76, p=0.045). Last-born women were less likely to report a parental main source of sex education (OR 0.64, p=0.003). Being a last-born male was associated with decreased odds of having had 5+ lifetime heterosexual partners (OR 0.75) and reporting ever had heterosexual anal sex (OR 0.77).DiscussionThese results provide the basis for further research on the association between birth order and learning about sex, and highlight later-born males in particular as being less likely to report parental involvement in sex education. Qualitative research is recommended in order to gain a broader understanding of the ways in which birth order effects manifest in learning about sex.
P007 Effective clinical designs of multiplex point-of-care-tests for genital discharge syndrome management in women: which pathogen combinations and testing protocols deliver the best outcomes?
Authors: Kolodziejczyk Anna , Broad Claire , Harrison Mark , Fuller Sebastian , Okala Sandra , Harding-Esch Emma , Sadiq STariq 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionSyndromic management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is common practice in sexual health clinics (SHC). Implementation of multi-pathogen point-of-care-tests (POCTs) can improve patient management by providing same day diagnoses and treatment. We assessed the potential impact of five POCT protocols consisting of tests for different combinations ofChlamydia trachomatis(CT),Neisseria gonorrhoeae(NG),Mycoplasma genitalium(MG) andTrichomonas vaginalis(TV) infections, on a standard care pathway (SCP), for 81 symptomatic female patients.Methods5 virtual POCT protocols (assuming 100% sensitivity and specificity) were analysed against diagnoses and laboratory results. Reflex tests (i.e. tests used dependent on the result of another test) were incorporated into protocols to investigate utility of testing for certain pathogens separately. McNemar’s test was used to compare proportions of correct diagnoses from each protocol against each other and establish which is most effective. P values were adjusted using Holm-Bonferroni correction.ResultsProtocol P1 was statistically the most effective at providing the correct diagnosis (p=0.000). P5 was also statistically more effective than the SCP (p=0.001). No significant differences were found between other protocols. Although P4 and P5 diagnosed equal proportions of patients, P5 had better performance (p=0.001) compared with P4 (p=0.0012).Abstract P007 Table 1Point of care test resultsTesting protocolsCorrect diagnoses (%)95% Confidence Interval (%)SCP75.3164.92 to 83.41P1: CT/NG/MG/TV100.0096.96 to 98.30P2: CT/NG + MG reflex92.5986.89 to 98.30P3: NG/MG88.8982.04 to 95.73P4: CT/MG + NG reflex95.0690.34 to 99.78P5: NG/MG + CT/TV reflex95.0690.34 to 99.78DiscussionP1 was more effective than the SCP and all other protocols, however, may not be technically feasible. P5 was not statistically different from P1 and may be a valid alternative. Due to high rates of MG and CT infection in this cohort, a protocol including tests for both pathogens would be desirable for this population.
P012 Highlighting clinical need in diagnosing mycoplasma genitalium infection: use of a modified delphi approach to obtain a uk perspective
Authors: Ross Jonathan , Fifer Helen , Muir Peter , Gwynn Simon , Horner Patrick , Ison Catherine , Nicholls Jane , Radcliffe Keith , Taylor-Robinson David , White John 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionDespiteMycoplasma genitalium(MG) being increasingly recognised as a genital pathogen in men and women, commercial testing has only recently become available. The opinion of sexual health clinicians and allied professionals was sought on how MG testing should be used.Methods32 consensus statements were developed by an expert group and circulated to clinicians and laboratory staff who were asked to evaluate their level of agreement with each statement; 75% agreement was set as the threshold for defining consensus for each statement. A modified Delphi approach was used and high levels of agreement obviated the need to test the original statement set further.Results60 respondents returned questionnaires, most (48) being sexual health consultants. More than 10% of UK GUM consultants therefore responded. 27 (84.4%) of the statements exceeded the 75% threshold for consensus. Respondents strongly supported MG testing of patients with urethritis or PID, or unexplained persistent vaginal discharge, or post-coital bleeding. Fewer favoured testing patients with proctitis and support was divided for routinely testing chlamydia-positive patients. Testing sexual contacts of MG-positive patients was supported, as was a test of cure for MG-positive patients by most respondents, although agreement fell below the 75% threshold. Respondents agreed that all level 3 services should have access to testing for MG (98.3%).DiscussionThere was strong agreement for having MG-testing available for specific patient groups, which may reflect concern over antibiotic resistance and the desire to comply with clinical guidelines that recommend MG testing in sexual health clinic settings.
O07 National response to an outbreak of hepatitis a associated with men who have sex with men in england, 2016/2017
Authors: Edelstein Michael , Beebeejaun Kazim , Ngui Siew Lin , Woodhall Sarah , Simms Ian , Crook Paul , Hughes Gwenda , Mandal Sema , Balogun Koye 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionHepatitis A virus (HAV) is a vaccine-preventable infection, mainly travel-associated in the UK. Since July 2016 Public Health England has detected an increase in hepatitis A laboratory notifications in men who have sex with men (MSM). We described the outbreak characteristics to inform implementation of nation-wide control measures.MethodsA confirmed case was defined as a HAV infection with one of three outbreak strains and symptom onset after 31//6/16. Demographics, travel history and sexual behaviours were collected using a questionnaire.ResultsBy February 2017, 73 confirmed cases were detected across England. Of these 58 identified as MSM (median age 36 years) and 28 reported travel within the incubation period, primarily to Spain. 25% reported >1 casual partner in the previous 8 weeks. In addition to supporting the local public health response, PHE collaborated with national STI, HIV and liver associations to refine immunisation recommendations for at-risk MSM and alert front-line clinicians, and worked with the NHS and sexual health charities to raise awareness and promote personal hygiene and immunisation among MSM via social media, posters and leaflets.DiscussionThe outbreak is likely associated with other MSM outbreaks with the same strains in other UK and European countries. The investigation suggests initial multiple importations from abroad followed by secondary sexual transmission within the MSM population in England. This outbreak highlights the need for MSM and healthcare professionals to consider the potential of HAV as a sexually transmitted infection, and the need to consider immunisation of MSMs where recommended.
P025 Accurate cultures for gonorrhoea. how do community services and secondary care compare?
Authors: Board Thomas , Mitchell Sue , Russell Judy 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionBASHH guidelines emphasise the importance of accurate cultures in the diagnosis and management of gonorrhoea. This audit’s aim was to establish if there was a measurable difference in the positive culture yield between community and secondary care services in the months following a change in contract which has moved a proportion of walk in patients from secondary care to the community setting.MethodsRelevant databases were searched for gonorrhoea patients after 1stOctober 2017 when the service was changed. A retrospective audit of the notes was then carried out to establish the rates of positive NAATS tests and positive culture yield and compared the two services.ResultsIn secondary care 25 patients (20 men & 5 women) were treated for gonorrhoea over two months. In these patients 22 had a positive NAATs test, of these 17 had a positive culture giving a positive culture yield of 77.2%.In comparison the community service identified 10 patients in the first month of the new contract with a positive NAATs test, of these 9 had a culture. 1 culture was positive giving a NAATs/culture concordance rate of 11.1%; this is to be re-audited by the community service.DiscussionAccurate cultures are vital for the treatment of gonorrhoea, particularly in areas where antibiotic resistance is high. Appropriate storage and prompt processing is important to ensure the viability of these tests. This audit raises a question about viability ofNeisseria gonorrhoeaeduring transfer from community settings to the central hospital laboratory.
P030 Management of rectal chlamydia in an urban sexual health centre
Authors: Goodall Lisa 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionWe reviewed management of rectal chlamydia in our clinic and adherence to 2015 BASHH audit standards.MethodsElectronic patient records of 100 consecutive patients diagnosed with rectal chlamydia prior to 31 July 2016 were reviewed with respect to gender, sexuality, HIV status, symptoms, STI screening, treatment, test of cure (TOC) and partner notification (PN).Results64% were female (all heterosexual). 94% males were MSM; 18% were HIV positive. 1 male presented with rectal symptoms (pain). 23% patients had other genital symptoms. 76% were asymptomatic. 71% had concomitant STIs (including chlamydia at other sites). 90% received doxycycline 100mg bd for at least 1 week. 24% were treated with azithromycin before being recalled for doxycycline. Reasons included; not initially tested for rectal infection, attendance as a contact, initial treatment for presumed GC. All patients were advised to attend for TOC; 58% attended. All TOC were negative. All HIV positive patients were tested for LGV (1 positive). 1 MSM with rectal pain was not tested for LGV but subsequent TOC was negative. 36% received written information. PN was performed in 99% of cases with 81% of traceable contacts reported as attended and 47% of contacts being verified as attended.DiscussionHigh numbers of patients were issued with azithromycin as initial treatment requiring recall for doxycycline. This is concerning, particularly in an era of increasing antibiotic resistance. Education sessions have been provided, highlighting the importance of sexual history taking and use of doxycycline as first line chlamydia treatment where rectal infection is possible.
P032 Characteristics of a high syphilis incidence cohort in an inner-city london clinic
Authors: Kirby Catherine , Allen Catherine , Kirby Rachel , Samuel Itty , Brady Michael 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionSyphilis cases continue to increase in London. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and risk factors of patients diagnosed with syphilis at our centre.MethodsRetrospective case note analysis of all syphilis cases diagnosed in our sexual health clinic in 2016.Results56 cases were identified; mean age was 42 (range 16–69 years), with 80% male. The two commonest ethnicities were Black Caribbean (20%) and White Other (20%). 18% were HIV positive, and 18% had concomitant STIs, with one new HIV diagnosis. 26% had been treated for syphilis previously.Just under a third of patients were symptomatic, the rest being identified through routine screening in clinic or through online testing. Just over a fifth of the cases (12/56) were primary syphilis, with secondary syphilis diagnosed in 7% of patients. All primary and secondary syphilis cases occurred in MSM, and there was a correlation with reported chemsex, with 38% prevalence.Two of the patients were vulnerable, one being a vulnerable child aged 16. One of the patients was on PREP.There were 21 cases in heterosexual patients, all were late latent syphilis. Heterosexual men were older (mean 50 years); most heterosexual patients came from regions with high syphilis rates and endemic treponematoses.DiscussionThere is high ongoing transmission of syphilis in MSM in our cohort, linked to risky sexual practices and drug use. Increased awareness of syphilis symptoms might facilitate earlier presentation to clinics. As many patients were asymptomatic, there is a pressing need for regular screening in high risk groups.
P050 The uptake of larc’s in addressing subsequent unplanned pregnancies in young women
Authors: Hamilton Rochelle 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionTo decrease the number of subsequent unplanned pregnancies in young women presenting to one regional public health service and to note the barriers to the overall uptake of contraceptive options.MethodsYoung mothers referred for antenatal care received consistent and regular education about contraceptive options. The young women attending were up to the age of 21 years. Contraceptive options that were utilised at the time of becoming pregnant consisted of combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), condoms, withdrawal or none. The use of the Choices Contraceptive Chart aided in the process to support the efficacy of long acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC).ResultsTotal number of births within this public hospital for 2012 – 13 combined was 4,494. Of this, 276 were to mothers 21 years and younger. Total number of births for 2014 – 15 combined were 5,488 with 240 to mothers 21 years and younger. Health care professionals (HCP) education and beliefs, along with provision of LARC prior to discharge needs addressing.DiscussionDespite international evidence, which strongly suggests that the use of LARC’s reduce unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions, their use in Australia remains low. There is a need to address the barriers to increasing the use of LARC’s in Australia, particularly by young women who are highly fertile & have unintended pregnancies. Use of COCP is higher in Australia than in other countries. Implants, injectable and IU devices, combined are still used by fewer than 10% of Australian women and their provision in general practice is low.
SimLOD: Simultaneous LOD Generation and Rendering for Point Clouds
Authors: Schütz Markus , Herzberger Lukas , Wimmer Michael 
Published: May 2024

LOD construction is typically implemented as a preprocessing step that requires users to wait before they are able to view the results in real time. We propose an incremental LOD generation approach for point clouds that allows us to simultaneously load points from disk, update an octree-based level-of-detail representation, and render the intermediate results in real time while additional points are still being loaded from disk. LOD construction and rendering are both implemented in CUDA and share the GPU's processing power, but each incremental update is lightweight enough to leave enough time to maintain real-time frame rates.Our approach is able to stream points from an SSD and update the octree on the GPU at rates of up to 580 million points per second (~9.3GB/s) on an RTX 4090 and a PCIe 5.0 SSD. Depending on the data set, our approach spends an average of about 1 to 2 ms to incrementally insert 1 million points into the octree, allowing us to insert several million points per frame into the LOD structure and render the intermediate results within the same frame.
Filtering After Shading With Stochastic Texture Filtering
Authors: Pharr Matt , Wronski Bartlomiej , Salvi Marco , Fajardo Marcos 
Published: May 2024

2D texture maps and 3D voxel arrays are widely used to add rich detail to the surfaces and volumes of rendered scenes, and filtered texture lookups are integral to producing high-quality imagery. We show that applying the texture filter after evaluating shading generally gives more accurate imagery than filtering textures before BSDF evaluation, as is current practice. These benefits are not merely theoretical, but are apparent in common cases. We demonstrate that practical and efficient filtering after shading is possible through the use of stochastic sampling of texture filters.
Stochastic texture filtering offers additional benefits, including efficient implementation of high-quality texture filters and efficient filtering of textures stored in compressed and sparse data structures, including neural representations. We demonstrate applications in both real-time and offline rendering and show that the additional error from stochastic filtering is minimal. We find that this error is handled well by either spatiotemporal denoising or moderate pixel sampling rates.