OBJECTIVE To define an entity of abnormal vaginal flora: aerobic vaginitis. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium. SAMPLE 631 women attending for routine prenatal care or attending vaginitis clinic. METHODS Samples were taken for fresh wet mount microscopy of vaginal fluid, vaginal cultures and measurement of lactate, succinate and cytokin...

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between high vaginal pro-inflammatory cytokines and cervical shortening in women at high risk of spontaneous preterm labor and to assess the influence of cervical cerclage and vaginal progesterone on this relationship. METHODS This prospective longitudinal observational study assessed 112 women with at least one previous preterm delivery between 16 and ...

the aim of this study was to examine whether the secreted fluid from the uterus influences the survival and fertilization capacity of fowl sperm in the hen oviduct. hens with either regular uterine fluid secretion or irregular uterine fluid secretion were artificially inseminated through the transfer of sperm into the uterus. twenty-four hours after  artificial insemination, 3 hens with regular...

Secretory aspartyl proteinases (Saps) of Candida albicans are key virulence traits which cause inflammasome-dependent, aseptic inflammation in a mouse model of vaginitis. In this paper, neutrophil migration in response to Sap2, Sap6 and chemo-attractive products released from Sap-treated vaginal epithelium was measured in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Our results show that Sap2 and Sap6 induce ne...

BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a chronic and progressive gynecological disorder and is manifest by dysmenorrhea and a major cause of infertility and chronic pelvic pain. The study was designed to compare the value of cervico-vaginal fluid of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) in patients with and without endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty women were assessed in this case control study. The case grou...

When developing novel microbicide products for the prevention of HIV infection, the preclinical safety program must evaluate not only the active pharmaceutical ingredient but also the product itself. To that end, we applied several relatively standard toxicology study methodologies to female sheep, incorporating an assessment of the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, and local toxicity of ...

The aim of this study was to examine whether the secreted fluid from the uterus influences the survival and fertilization capacity of fowl sperm in the hen oviduct. Hens with either regular uterine fluid secretion or irregular uterine fluid secretion were artificially inseminated through the transfer of sperm into the uterus. Twenty-four hours after  artificial insemination, 3 hens with regular...

OBJECTIVE Vaginal transmission is crucial to the spread of HIV-1 around the world. It is not yet clear what type (s) of innate defenses against HIV-1 infection are present in the vagina. Here, we aimed to determine whether human vaginal fluid contains exosomes that may possess anti-HIV-1 activity. METHODS The exosomal fraction was isolated from samples of vaginal fluids. The presence of exoso...

Vaginal formulations for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections are currently gaining importance in drug development. Polysaccharides, such as chitosan and carrageenan, which have good binding capacity with mucosal tissues, are now included in vaginal delivery systems. Marine polymer-based vaginal mucoadhesive solid formulations have been developed for the controlled release of acycl...