Protective effect of an oral natural phytonutrient in recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a 12-month study.

The aim of the present study is to assess the clinical efficacy of a phytocompound with antimicotic properties (K-712, with the following 100 mg composition: 10 mg of oleoresin from Pseudowintera colorata at 30 percent concentration in Polygodial together with trace amounts of Olea europea) in recurrent vulvo-vaginal candidiasis (RVVC) as compared to an azole drug during a 12-month period: 6 months of treatment followed by 6 months of observation. This prospective randomized study involved 82 women (19-61 years) with complaints of abnormal vaginal discharge and with a history of at least four proven episodes of RVVC in the previous 12 months. Patients were divided into two groups of treatment of 41 patients each and were given: A) Itraconazole 200 mg orally daily for 4 days, then 200 mg once weekly for 6 months or B) 1 tablet twice a day of a K-712 for 4 weeks and then for the first 2 weeks of each month for a total of 6 months. Both groups were then followed-up for further 6 months. Each treatment schedule was well tolerated with only 4 patients in the azole group complaining of transient mild symptoms (nausea, abdominal discomfort, unpleasant taste). Itraconazole reached an earlier symptomatic relief during the first two weeks of observation as compared with K-712 (p<0.05) but both treatments enabled a comparable benefit during the entire treatment study period, afterwards with comparable symptom/sign score (itraconazole vs K-712: 9 vs 11). At 6-month observation, mycological cure was reached by 83 percent in the itraconazole group and in 78 percent of the K-712-treated patients. During the further 6-month observation period without treatment, the itraconazole group showed significantly more relapses (65.7 vs 34.2 in K-712, p<0.05) and at the end of the whole 12-month study period the mycological cure was significantly higher in the K-712-treated patients (65.8 vs 34.3 percent, p<0.05). There was a non- significant trend increase of less drug-susceptible species in the itraconazole group. From these preliminary data it would appear that a natural antifungal phytocompound proves to be as good as itraconazole in the maintenance treatment of RVVC. Moreover, this approach seems to maintain a higher mycological success rate afterwards by reducing the number of relapses and probably of the growth of azole-resistant species.

Osmotic adjustment in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) results in no yield benefit under terminal drought.

Variation in osmotic adjustment (OA) among chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars has been observed when exposed to terminal drought, but some studies suggest that this benefits yield while others suggest it does not benefit yield in water-limited environments. In the present study, parents differing in OA were crossed and a set of advanced breeding lines (ABLs) developed for yield testing. The variation in OA during podding was measured under terminal drought in the F(2), F(3), F(7), and F(8) progeny and in the parents by either rehydrating the leaves before sampling for osmotic potential (OP) or by measuring the relative water content (RWC) and OP on adjacent leaves for the calculation of the OP at full turgor. Yields were measured in the F(8) progeny under terminal drought in Australia and India. While differences in OA were measured in the chickpea lines and parents, OA varied from year to year and did not consistently benefit yield when measured in the field under terminal drought. In Australia, differences in OA were not associated with any yield benefit in any year, while in India early flowering resulted in higher yields at three of the four sites, and OA had an inconsistent effect on seed yields. A comparison of OP at full turgor measured after rehydration and from measurements of RWC and OP showed that the rehydration technique underestimated OA. The lack of contribution of OA to yield of chickpea is discussed.