This review highlights that the prevalence of the four STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomonas) is highly variable among Aboriginal people and that it varies considerably by sex, geographical location, population subgroup and by clinic vs community-based studies. Future community-based studies that include asymptomatic young people are needed to more accurately estimate the prevalence of STIs so that local testing and management protocols can reflect the local context.

Topical anaesthetics were compared with placebo and oral agents for the treatment of premature ejaculation in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Topical anaesthetics are significantly more effective than placebo, sildenafil or paroxetine at increasing intra-vaginal ejaculatory latency time. Topical Eutectic-like Mixture for Premature Ejaculation spray is associated with erectile dysfunction, numbness and burning. More systemic adverse events are reported with tramadol, sildenafil and paroxetine than with lidocaine gel.

Although STI rates among young men are rising in Australia, young men rarely present to the GP for a sexual health consultation. This study explored the barriers which prevent young male University students from seeking sexual health advice from a GP, and discusses alternative means of sexual health education.

In a high prevalent setting, the population characteristics of two different screening approaches (community based and routine clinic) are compared. Using retrospective longitudinal data, the predictors of the first test occurring in the community screen, positivity and repeat testing are also investigated. Both screening approaches reached high numbers of young people; the community screen reached more young men and the routine clinic testing reached more young women. Options to improve screening coverage in remote Aboriginal communities are also discussed.

In preparation for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with junior secondary school in Botswana, focus group discussions were conducted with parents to assess their opinions and concerns about testing for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) (biomarker of sexual activity) as part of the RCT. Overall, parents were supportive of HSV-2 testing. They believed that the testing will benefit the sexual health of adolescents and parents and improve parent–child communication about sexual health issues. Parents had a mixed reaction to the proposed plan of returning test results to adolescent participants only. Some parents were supportive of the plan while others felt that parents should also be allowed to access test results. Findings show that parents can be supportive of these types of trials; however, additional research is needed to identify best approaches for returning test results.

This article evaluates outcomes for men and women living with HIV in Australia. No significant differences between males and females were found for all-cause mortality, new AIDS illnesses or virological response to treatment.

Partner notification services for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, and syphilis are widely available throughout a convenience sample of testing sites in the United States. Anonymous service availability is relatively low compared to non-anonymous services.

Women engaging in transactional sex were enrolled in a 4-week digital diary study of their sexual health. These analyses assess the impact of multi-level predictors of condom use during paid/traded sex events. There was a significant interaction between affective state (being in love) and condom use; when women reported love they were less likely to use condoms with romantic partners but more likely to use condoms with non-romantic partners (e.g. stranger, regular trick, drug dealer or friend). Implications for behavioural interventions to reduce HIV/STI risk are discussed.

For a given cohort, histological high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions may be more frequently diagnosed as an anoscopist becomes more experienced with the procedure. This may effect has the potential to impact clinical service delivery and the interpretation of clinical trial data.

The stigma associated with HIV/AIDS represents a significant issue – this is partly influenced by culture. To better understand this influence, this study determined the effect of cross-cultural integration on the tendency to stigmatise people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Survey results from 236 Australian–Iranian adults reveal the benefits afforded by an individualist culture, particularly for PLWHA.

Little is known about chlamydia rates in sexually active 12–16 year olds in Australia. This retrospective clinical audit shows high rates of chlamydia in these young asymptomatic patients where contraception advice and fear of unwanted pregnancies are the main impetus for seeking health care. The current Australian chlamydia testing guidelines should be amended to include all sexually active people under the age of 30 years.

A cross sectional retrospective study of gay and bisexually active men attending an urban sexual health clinic to determine the rates of oropharyngeal chlamydia (OCT) that would have been missed without routine screening. A large proportion of positive OCT people were found to be co-infected and would have received treatment regardless of testing. This study determined a very low overall test positivity of 0.6%.