Fenticonazole is an imidazole derivative which possesses a broad spectrum antimycotic activity, including activity against Candida albicans. Its therapeutic activity and tolerability have been evaluated, in a double-blind clinical trial versus clotrimazole, in 54 patients affected by mycologically confirmed symptomatic vaginal candidiasis. Both drugs were administered intravaginally as a cream once a day for 7 days. Assessment was by laboratory mycological investigations and symptomatic evaluation. Patients 'cured' at the end of the trial were re-evaluated after 4-6 weeks for possible relapses. Both treatments resulted in a progressive, statistically significant reduction in vaginal symptoms (itching and discharge) and in elimination of Candida in more than 95% of patients. When 'cured' patients were reassessed 4-6 weeks after therapy, relapses occurred in four patients after fenticonazole treatment, but in none following clotrimazole treatment. This apparent difference between treatments is far from being statistically significant and, therefore, may have been a chance occurrence. It should also be noted that patients from the fenticonazole group had a previous history of significantly more frequent episodes of candidiasis suggesting that they may have been at greater risk of re-infection than patients from the control group. The tolerance of both treatments was excellent since no local or systemic signs or symptoms of toxicity were reported. An equally high efficacy and safety for both drugs in the elimination of symptoms and objective evidence of vaginal candidiasis is indicated.

BackgroundAn early detection of precursor lesions of cervical cancer will help to eliminate the worldwide burden of cervical cancer.MethodsThis exploratory study aimed to identify, by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), serum protein profiles that distinguish cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades CIN 1 or lower (≤CIN 1) from CIN 2+ among 127 women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16. Of these 127 women, 25 and 23 were diagnosed with CIN 2 or CIN 3, respectively (cases), and 79 were diagnosed with ≤CIN 1 (non-cases). Serum protein profiles were generated by MALDI-TOF-MS. A total of 95 m/z peaks were tested for association with case status by two racial groups, African American (AAs) and Caucasian American (CAs).ResultsOverall, 2 protein peaks identified by our study demonstrated higher specificity for identifying CIN 2+ than previously published studies. An increasing intensity of [m/z 4459] was associated with a higher risk of being a case, regardless of race with a specificity of 58% for CIN 2 and a specificity of 75% for CIN 3. An increasing intensity of [m/z 4154] was not only associated with a higher risk of being a case only among CAs, but also had an opposite effect among AAs.ConclusionIdentification of specific proteins associated with the peaks detected in serum and development of antibody-based tests such as ELISA should lead to the development of race-specific, non-invasive and cost effective screening tests with higher specificity for identifying HPV 16 associated CIN 2+.

calprotectin and MPO in plasma showed statistically significant differences in related to neoadjuvant treatment. (Figure 2). Conclusion* The observed correlation between the values of the different markers and neutrophils' levels suggests their validity as biomarkers of NETosis. For the first time, we describe an increase in NETosis markers in ascites of advanced HGSOC, which could show the contribution of NETosis in the progression of HGSOC in the pelvic microenvironment. Furthermore, cfDNA in plasma could represent a minimally invasive diagnostic biomarker for HGSOC that could reduce the pre-surgical rate of false positives.

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