Lactoferrin (Lf), a mammalian iron scavenging defense protein, constitutively is present in exocrine secretions that consistently are exposed to microbial flora: milk, tears, tubotympanum and nasal exudate, saliva, bronchial mucus, gastrointestinal fluids, cervicovaginal mucus, and seminal fluid. Additionally, Lf is promptly delivered by circulating neutrophils to sites of microbial invasion. A...

OBJECTIVES Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) can be considered as a potential source of biomarkers for diseases of the lower female reproductive tract. The fluid can easily be collected, thereby offering new opportunities such as the development of self tests. Our objective was to identify a CVF protein biomarker for cervical cancer or its precancerous state. METHODS A differential proteomics study ...

BACKGROUND H2O2 produced by vaginal lactobacilli is believed to protect against infection, and H2O2-producing lactobacilli inactivate pathogens in vitro in protein-free salt solution. However, cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) and semen have significant H2O2-blocking activity. METHODS We measured the H2O2 concentration of CVF and the H2O2-blocking activity of CVF and semen using fluorescence and in ...

For direct observation of microaerophilic actinomycetes by fluorescent antibody, a procedure was developed in which pepsin treatment and rhodamine conjugate of normal serum were used to reduce nonspecific staining in cervicovaginal smears. Actinomyces israelii, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Arachnia propionica were observed in cervicovaginal smears from women who did use and who did not use an in...

Changes in vaginal microbiota that is associated with preterm birth (PTB) leave specific metabolite fingerprints that can be detected in the cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) using metabolomics techniques. In this study, we characterize and validate the CVF metabolite profile of pregnant women presenting with symptoms of threatened preterm labor (PTL) by both 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy...

OBJECTIVE To characterize functional properties of HIV-specific IgA in samples representing both systemic and mucosal compartments of HIV-1 highly exposed persistently seronegative (HEPS) individuals. METHODS IgA was purified from plasma and mucosal samples from HEPS individuals and tested for the ability to neutralize infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by a non-syncytium ...

Rilpivirine long-acting (RPV-LA) is a parenteral formulation enabling prolonged plasma exposure. We explored its multiple-compartment pharmacokinetics (PK) after a single dose, for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Sixty-six HIV-negative volunteers were enrolled: women received an intramuscular dose of 300, 600, or 1,200 mg, with plasma and genital levels measured to 84 days postdose; men receiving 600...

Streptococcus agalactiae and Candida albicans often co-colonize the female genital tract, and under certain conditions induce mucosal inflammation. The role of the interaction between the two organisms in candidal vaginitis is not known. In this study, we found that co-infection with S. agalactiae significantly attenuated the hyphal development of C. albicans, and that EFG1-Hwp1 signal pathway ...