Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Now, a female condom that wards off STD
by IANS
London: Researchers have developed a female condom that not only provides contraception but can also protect against sexually transmitted diseases and conveniently dissolves gradually over a few days. Researchers at the University of Washington developed the condom from tiny microfibers through a method called 'electrospinning'.

They are designed to dissolve after use, either within minutes or over several days. Not only would the condom block sperm, it could time-release a potent mix of anti-HIV drugs and hormonal contraceptives, British newspaper Daily Mail reported.

"Our dream is to create a product women can use to protect themselves from HIV infection and unintended pregnancy," Kim Woodrow, assistant professor of bioengineering at Washington, said. "We have the drugs to do that. It's really about delivering them in a way that makes them more potent, and allows a woman to want to use it."

Woodrow presented the idea, and co-authors Emily Krogstad and Cameron Ball, both first-year graduate students, agreed to pursue the project, at a meeting held last year. "This method allows controlled release of multiple compounds. We were able to tune the fibres to have different release properties."...more    
05:12 PM, Dec 11, 2012

Man's scent can reveal if he has STD
by IANS
London: Feeling indecisive whether to marry a man with body odour? You may benefit from a Russian scientist, who can tell from man's body smell if he has a sexually-transmitted disease (STD). According to a new study, sniffing a potential partner's scent could tell if Mr Right has a sexually-transmitted disease, the Daily Mail reported, citing MSNBC. The research found how men, infected by a common sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea,...  
02:00 PM, Dec 12, 2011