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This is one of the first randomized controlled trials of the use of alendronate (an antiresorptive drug) in the treatment of men with low bone mineral density (BMD) without secondary causes. The number of men with low testosterone levels was similar in each group. BMD increased significantly at the vertebral and hip locations in the alendronate treatment group compared with the control group. Most importantly, the incidence of vertebral fracture was reduced in the treatment group, and men in the placebo group lost 2.4 mm of vertebral height over the 2-year study period compared with only 0.6 mm with the use of alendronate. This study clearly provides the clinician with a rational basis for using alendronate in the treatment of men with low BMD, although there are currently no drug treatments approved by the US Food and Drug Administration at this point. Furthermore, it provides hope that as an aging male, I may not be doomed to 'shrinking away,' at least from the perspective of my vertebral spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are 2 very common sexually transmitted organisms, whose clinical manifestations in women can range from an asymptomatic carrier state to active pelvic inflammatory disease with known serious sequelae, including chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. The economic and clinical burden of these 2 infectious organisms are significant in the sexually active population. New developments in diagnosis and treatment of these infections raise great hope that substantial reduction in morbidity and disease prevalence rates can be achieved. Herpes simplex virus is probably better publicized and more feared in the sexually active population, and is far more prevalent than previously recognized; fortunately, however, it is not generally associated with significant morbidity. This article will review the current diagnoses and treatments of these conditions and consider some of the issues surrounding the impact of screening asymptomatic sexually active individuals. The treatment guidelines will emphasize the 1998 Guidelines for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.