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Few studies have examined the association between methamphetamine (MA) abuse and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk among heterosexual male MA users in China. A total of 288 heterosexual male MA users who met our inclusion criteria were recruited from nightclubs, KTVs, bars, bath centres and an STI clinic. STIs were screened among the participants, and the risk factors related to STIs were analysed by multivariate logistic regression in SPSS 11.0. Among the 288 heterosexual male MA users, 51 (17.7%) had syphilis, 36 (12.5%) had genital warts, 2 (0.7%) had genital herpes, 3 (1.0%) had HIV infection and 41 (14.2%) had urethritis. STIs were associated with the following variates: 'MA has the function of anti-inebriation' (OR = 2.522, 95%CI = 1.337-4.756), 'I am addicted to MA' (OR = 4.030, 95%CI = 2.194-7.401), 'It occurred to me to abstain from MA' (OR = 2.939, 95%CI = 1.246-6.934), 'Years of MA abuse' (OR = 2.622, 95%CI = 1.318-5.215), 'Times of MA abuse per week' (OR = 5.275, 95%CI = 1.988-14.002), 'Number of persons using MA together' (OR = 2.579, 95%CI = 1.246-5.340) and 'Number of female sex workers as sex partners per MA abuse' (OR = 4.004, 95%CI = 1.526-10.508). Our findings show that MA users belong to the high-risk group for STI in China. STIs, except for HIV, have spread widely among heterosexual male MA users. Thus, specific interventions must be conducted to prevent the spread of STIs in this population in China.

Background: Gonorrhea, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), is a major public health concern worldwide. Aim of the Study: The aim of this study is to understand the availability of laboratory diagnosis of gonorrhoea in Shandong province and its meaning in case reporting. Methods: Two surveys were conducted among hospitals providing clinical services for sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Shandong Province in 2012 and 2018. The availability of laboratory tests for NG and distribution of reported gonorrhea cases were compared among different hospitals provided clinical services for STI in Shandong province. Descriptive analysis and Chi-square were used for statistical analysis. Results: Smear, culture and PCR tests for NG were used among 301(74.69%), 123(30.52%), 43(10.67%) hospitals in 2012 and 356(74.48%), 176(36.82%) and 73(15.27%) hospitals in 2018, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the availability of smear among hospitals at different levels (X2=12.159, p=0.000) and with different affiliations (X2=4.551, p=0.033) in 2018. Significant differences were observed in the availability of culture and PCR tests among hospitals at different levels both in 2012 (X2=34.532, p=0.000; X2=7.380, p=0.007) and 2018 (X2=49.820, p=0.000; X2=21.658, p=0.000). The availability of culture and PCR tests for NG among hospitals in 2018 was higher than that in 2012 (X2=3.870, p=0.049; X2=4.050, p=0.044). More hospitals reported gonorrhea cases in 2018 than in 2012 (X2=6.768, p=0.009). A significant difference was observed in distribution of case reporting among hospitals at different levels in 2018 (X2=6.975, p=0.008) and among different types of hospital both in 2012 (X2=52.362, p=0.000) and 2018 (X2=74.478, p=0.000). Conclusion: Poor availability of NG laboratory tests affects case reporting, and which is a crucial reason leading to underreporting of gonorrhea cases in Shandong province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shortage of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) worldwide presents a major challenge in the treatment of syphilis. Its availability for syphilis treatment has not been adequately evaluated in China.Methods: Two surveys were conducted among hospitals providing sexually transmitted infection clinical services in Shandong Province in 2012 and 2018. Data on the basic information and BPG availability of the surveyed hospitals and related factors were collected and analyzed using SPSS 17.0.Results: A total of 433 and 515 hospitals were surveyed in 2012 and 2018, respectively. A significant difference in BPG availability was observed among different levels and types of hospitals both in 2012 (X2 = 9.747, p = 0.008; X2 = 37.167, p = 0.000) and 2018 (X2 = 11.775, p = 0.003; X2 = 28.331, p = 0.000). The BPG availability among surveyed hospitals increased from 45.0% in 2012 to 56.4% in 2018 (X2 = 11.131, p = 0.001). The BPG availability was higher in 2018 than in 2012 among county-level hospitals (52.0% vs. 40.8%, X2 = 7.783, p = 0.005), general western medicine hospitals (62.1% vs. 50.0%, X2 = 6.742, p = 0.009), maternal and child health hospitals (57.1% vs. 26.9%, X2 = 13.906, p = 0.000), and public hospitals (56.8% vs. 45.0%, X2 = 11.361, p = 0.001). However, the county-level availability of BPG (at least one hospital has BPG in a county-level unit) has not improved between 2012 and 2018 (65.93% vs. 70.34%; X2 = 0.563, p = 0.453). The absences of clinical needs, restriction of clinical antibacterial drugs, and lack of qualifications for providing syphilis treatment were the major reasons for the low BPG availability of hospitals.Conclusions: BPG availability for syphilis treatment in Shandong Province remains low and presents disparities among different levels and types of hospitals, although it has been improved in recent years. The low availability of BPG for syphilis treatment in China is related to its clinical use by doctors rather than the market supply. Health care reforms should further improve the availability and accessibility of health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a survey of Chinese men who have sex with men. Of the 88.7% of respondents whose first sex occurred with men, 93.4% engaged in orogenital intercourse, 63.6% engaged in anogenital intercourse, 15.5% always engaged in insertive anal intercourse, and 7.8% always engaged in receptive anal intercourse. In regard to female partners, 11.3% of respondents reported that their first sex had occurred with women, and overall 48.4% had engaged in sexual intercourse with women. Of the 302 respondents who gave information on sexually transmitted diseases (STD), 25.5% reported that they had contracted an STD.