Risk factors associated with chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection among female sex workers in two Mexico-USA border cities.

Female sex workers (FSWs) aged ≥18 years without known HIV infection living in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico who had recent unprotected sex with clients underwent interviews and testing for chlamydia and gonorrhoea using nucleic acid amplification. Correlates of each infection were identified with logistic regression. Among 798 FSWs, prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhoea was 13.0% and 6.4%, respectively. Factors independently associated with chlamydia were younger age, working in Tijuana versus Ciudad Juarez and recent methamphetamine injection. Factors independently associated with gonorrhoea were working in Tijuana versus Ciudad Juarez, using illegal drugs before or during sex, and having a recent male partner who injects drugs. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection were more closely associated with FSWs' drug use behaviours and that of their sexual partners than with sexual behaviours. Prevention should focus on subgroups of FSWs and their partners who use methamphetamine and who inject drugs.

Novel CDH3 mutations in hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy (HJMD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by sparse and short hair, heralding progressive degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium, which leads to blindness by the second decade of life. The disorder is caused by mutations in CDH3, a gene encoding P-cadherin, a major component of adherens junctions. Most HJMD cases reported to date have been shown to be caused by homozygous CDH3 mutations segregating in consanguineous families. AIM AND METHODS: To elucidate the genetic basis of HJMD in two nonconsanguineous families, we established the coding sequence of CDH3 in four patients and their healthy siblings. RESULTS: The four patients demonstrated markedly variable degrees of visual acuity impairment. Novel biallelic recessive mutations were identified in all affected individuals. One patient in the first family was found to carry two heterozygous mutations, IVS2 + 1G-->A and p.E504K; the other three patients in the second family were compound heterozygous for a missense mutation, p.H575R, and a nonsense mutation, p.R221X. CONCLUSION: This paper expands the spectrum of known mutations in CDH3 and points to the existence of clinical heterogeneity in this syndrome.