Experience With a Non-Hormonal Centella Asiatica, Hyaluronic Acid and Prebiotic-Based Vaginal Gel in Women With Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: Case Studies.

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) affects millions of women worldwide, severely impairing their quality of life. Despite the existence of multiple induction and maintenance therapeutic strategies, mainly based on antifungals, relapse rates are still high. Palomacare® is a vaginal gel containing, among others, hyaluronic acid and Centella asiatica, with repairing and moisturizing properties. A series of 5 clinical cases showed that symptoms improved and even disappeared in women with RVVC receiving Palomacare®. None of the patients experienced recurrence after the treatment, having their vaginal health restored, suggesting that the non-hormonal Centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid and prebiotic-based gel is effective for preventing RVVC relapse in women of reproductive age.

Multi-Objective Evolutionary Design of an Electric Vehicle Chassis.

An iterative algorithm is proposed for determining the optimal chassis design of an electric vehicle, given a path and a reference time. The proposed algorithm balances the capacity of the battery pack and the dynamic properties of the chassis, seeking to optimize the tradeoff between the mass of the vehicle, its energy consumption, and the travel time. The design variables of the chassis include geometrical and inertial values, as well as the characteristics of the powertrain. The optimization is constrained by the slopes, curves, grip, and posted speeds of the different sections of the track. Particular service constraints are also considered, such as limiting accelerations due to passenger comfort or cargo safety. This methodology is applicable to any vehicle whose route and travel time are known in advance, such as delivery vehicles, buses, and race cars, and has been validated using telemetry data from an internal combustion rear-wheel drive race car designed for hill climb competitions. The implementation of the proposed methodology allows to reduce the weight of the battery pack by up to 20%, compared to traditional design methods.

First case of imported Zika virus infection in Spain.

We report a case of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in a patient with diarrhea, fever, synovitis, non-purulent conjunctivitis, and with discreet retro-orbital pain, after returning from Colombia in January 2016. The patient referred several mosquito bites. Presence of ZIKV was detected by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in plasma. Rapid microbiological diagnosis of ZIKV infection is needed in European countries with circulation of its vector, in order to avoid autochthonous circulation. The recent association of ZIKV infection with abortion and microcephaly, and a Guillain-Barré syndrome highlights the need for laboratory differentiation of ZIKV from other virus infection. Women with potential risk for Zika virus infection who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant must mention that fact during prenatal visits in order to be evaluated and properly monitored.

[Factors associated with antiretroviral treatment and their influence on health related quality of life in HIV infected patients]. / Factores relacionados con el tratamiento antirretroviral y su influencia en la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en personas infectadas por VIH.

OBJECTIVES: Access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) has become essential to delay HIV clinical progression and increase survival, so improving Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL). The aim of this investigation was to describe factors associated with ART and their impact on HRQL in HIV infected patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 150 HIV-outpatients in a tertiary hospital was designed, and ART-related data collected. Adherence was assessed by the SMAQ questionnaire. HRQL data were collected by disease-specific questionnaire MOS-HIV (Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey). RESULTS: A total of 84% of patients were on ART. Half of the treatment regimens were Protease inhibitor (PI) based, LPV/r being the most commonly used drug. The large majority of treatments used (89.7%) were second line or successive, and NNRTI-based combinations were the most used in first line. Lipodystrophy was the most frequently referred side-effect (61.1%). Almost all (94.5%) of our patients declared they were adapting well to treatment in their daily-life-activities, with 64.3% adhering to treatment according to the SMAQ (Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire) questionnaire. In the HRQL, patients with PI-based treatment got lower scores in 4 of 11 domains with the MOS-HIV questionnaire; while patients that adapted well to their ART had better scores in 4 of 11 domains and overall HRQL assessment in MOS-HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Most of our patients were on ART during our investigation. We have documented a negative association between PI-based treatment and HRQL domains, and a positive association between subjective ART adaptation and HRQL. The assessment of HRQL in this population has increasing interest as it is influenced by ART related factors as treatment improves life conditions of HIV infected people.