INTRODUCTION Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is suspected to be the most frequent cause of vulvodynia in premenopausal women. Previous research has been inconclusive as to whether higher vulvovaginal pain ratings are associated with lower sexual function and satisfaction in women with PVD. Whether pain intensity correlates with sexual impairment is an important question given its implications for...

A novel approach to the presumptive screening of questioned semen stains has been developed which enables the rapid identification of stains which are devoid of semen. Questioned semen stains can be swabbed with a moist cotton swab, and the prostatic acid phosphatase (SAP) activity transferred to the swab identified through assay with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate (BCIP). Controlled labo...

After a potential biological incident the sampling strategy and sample analysis are crucial for the outcome of the investigation and identification. In this study, we have developed a simple sandwich ELISA based on commercial components to quantify BSA (used as a surrogate for ricin) with a detection range of 1.32-80 ng/mL. We used the ELISA to evaluate different protein swabbing procedures (sw...

PURPOSE Measurement of intravaginal pH provides a reasonable assessment of vaginal health but is fraught with the potential for several sampling errors. The purposes of the study were to determine the variability of self-sampled vaginal pH among women using an inexpensive swab-based pH test compared with a clinician-obtained specimen, and variability of vaginal pH within 3 regions of the normal...

Listeria monocytogenes is of great concern in food processing facilities because it persists in biofilms, facilitating biotransfer. Stainless steel is commonly used for food contact surfaces and transport containers. L. monocytogenes biofilms on stainless steel served as a model system for surface sampling, to test the performance of a sonicating swab in comparison with a standard cotton swab. ...

and is difficult to remove. Dressings with the usual antiseptics can be applied for weeks without cure. I have found the following form of treatment, which is cheap, very satisfactory. The ulcer and the surrounding parts are cleaned with soap and warm water. The skin around the ulcer is smeared thickly with vaseline and then pure carbolic acid (phenol) is applied to the ulcer with a cotton swab...

Complications that arise from self-cleaning the external ear canal are common. This is a prospective study using standard questionnaire on the practice of ear cleaning in 50 subjects. A loose tip cotton bud was also shown to them to assess if it was acceptable to replace their current cotton bud. Thirty six percent of them clean their ears by introducing an object into the ear canal once or mor...

A cytobrush was compared with a cotton-tipped aluminium shafted swab for the collection of 2024 paired endocervical specimens for the culture of Chlamydia trachomatis. There was no significant advantage with the use of either device with respect to the number of positive specimens detected or the number of inclusions present in positive specimens. However, the use of cytobrushes resulted in an ...