The effects of oral garlic on vaginal candida colony counts: a randomised placebo controlled double-blind trial.

OBJECTIVE: Garlic is effective against Candida species in vitro, and along with other alternative therapies, is used by women with vulvovaginal candidiasis. The objective of this study was to ascertain whether oral garlic reduced vaginal candida counts during the second half of the menstrual cycle in asymptomatic women colonised with Candida species. DESIGN: A simple randomised double-blinded controlled trial. SETTING: Melbourne, Australia. SAMPLE: Sixty-three asymptomatic women who were culture-positive for Candida species at screening. METHODS: Participants were randomised to three garlic tablets or placebo orally, twice daily, for 14 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of women with colony counts of candida >100 colony-forming units per ml in any given day during the last 7 days before menstruation, defined as a 'case'. Secondary outcomes included the mean quantitative colony counts of candida over 14 days prior to menses. RESULTS: There was no evidence of a difference between the proportion of cases in the garlic and placebo groups (76 versus 90%; relative risk, RR 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.67-1.08), in the mean colony counts in both groups (ratio of geometric means of candidal colony counts 0.63; 95% CI 0.39-10.03; P = 0.74), or difference in the number of women reporting abnormal vaginal symptoms during the 2 weeks before menstruation (RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.67-1.58; P = 0.91). The garlic group reported more adverse effects (83% compared 43% in the placebo group; difference in proportions 39%; 95% CI 17-%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided data for sample size calculations in future studies on the antifungal effect of garlic, but provided no evidence to inform clinical practice regarding the use of garlic in vaginal candidiasis. Further studies might investigate longer courses or topical formulations.

Sensitive and robust second-harmonic interferometer for measuring the dispersion of the electro-optic coefficients in bulk materials.

Second-harmonic interferometry (SHI) is proposed for measuring the electro-optic (EO) coefficients of massive media. It combines the advantages of interferometric techniques with the mechanical stability of single-beam methods, simultaneously skimming the wavelength dispersion of the EO response. For demonstrating the effectiveness of the SHI technique, the EO coefficients r(33)(T) and r(13)(T) of the EO crystal lithium niobate are measured simultaneously at 1064 and 532 nm.

High dose dexamethasone as first line therapy of multiple myeloma? A case report.

The authors describe a case of multiple myeloma in which a complete remission was obtained by treatment with high dose dexamethasone. This was the only therapy suitable for the patient because of heavy myelosuppression due to disease and to one course of conventional treatment with melphalan and prednisone. Further trials are needed to evaluate the usefulness and safety of this treatment as first line therapy, especially in the elderly, with pancytopenia and bad performance status.

Elastic and magnetic dynamics of nanomagnet-ordered arrays impulsively excited by subpicosecond laser pulses.

This Letter reports on the first observation of elastic and magnetic dynamics of ordered arrays of permalloy nanodots excited by low-intensity 120 fs light pulses. The first order of the diffraction pattern, generated by the probe beam in a pump-probe configuration, is used for time-resolved reflectivity and time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. The nonadiabatical absorption of the pump triggers an acoustic standing wave, detected by the reflected probe signal, with a frequency related to the array wave vector. Instead, the magneto-optical signal exhibits, on the nanosecond time scale, the signature of the heat-exchange diffusion processes. In addition, a clear oscillation of the magnetic signal, at a frequency close to the frequency of the acoustic wave, is unambiguously detected. Finally, the interplay between the elastic and magnetic dynamics is analyzed and interpreted.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci in very-low-birth-weight infants: inability of genetic markers to distinguish invasive strains from blood culture contaminants.

Selected coagulase-negative staphylococci from the blood of very-low-birth-weight infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, collected over a 5-year period were examined. Isolates were classified as invasive or contaminants, speciated, typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and examined for biofilm genes (icaA, icaC, and icaD), adhesion genes (atlE, fbe), and the number of copies of IS256. Of the 24 isolates studied, there were 13 contaminants and 11 invasive isolates. The collection included 15 Staphylococcus epidermidis, eight Staphylococcus capitis, and one each of Staphylococcus warneri and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Two small clusters of S. epidermidis that belonged to the same molecular type were identified. All S. capitis isolates belonged to the same molecular type or subtype, suggesting that a particular clone was circulating in the unit. There was no significant difference in the species found, the presence of icaA, icaC, icaD, atlE, or fbe, or the number of copies of IS256 between invasive isolates and contaminants. A series of nasal isolates from nonhospitalized adults differed from hospital isolates in the absence of IS256 and the low prevalence of icaC. There was no evidence of IS256-mediated insertion into ica genes as a mechanism of phase variation. These findings suggest that contaminants and invasive isolates derived from the same pool of hospital strains capable of causing sepsis in compromised hosts and that other mechanisms of phase variation exist, apart from IS256 insertion into ica genes.

Thermal annealing of K(+)-Na(+) ion-exchanged waveguides.

The process of thermal annealing of K(+)(-)Na(+) ion-exchanged waveguides in soda lime glass is characterized and compared with a simple theoretical model. The discrepancies between theory and experiments in the case of initially thick guides disappear if the existence of a stress-induced contribution to the refractive index is assumed that is not proportional to the concentration of the doping ions. The results obtained for initially thin guides are exploited for the design of annealed single-mode channel waveguides: 0.4-dB coupling losses with commercial single-mode fibers at lambda = 1.321 microm were measured.

Photobleaching of polydiacetylene waveguides: a characterization of the process and patterning of optical elements.

The photobleaching process of poly-3butoxyl-carbonyl-methyl-urethane (poly-3BCMU) waveguides by means of an UV lamp and the 488-nm line of an Ar laser is characterized and modeled. The limits of the theory are discussed in light of experimental results, and we stress the role of the oxygen diffusion rate on the process. Finally, we adopt the photobleaching method to pattern a guided-wave micro-optic device and holographic diffraction gratings on spun poly-3BCMU films.

Bartonella henselae associated with Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome.

Bartonella henselae was recovered from the conjunctival scraping of a 38-year-old woman who presented with a 2-week history of tender preauricular lymphadenopathy and a 1-day history of a red left eye. Dry adherent colonies were observed on agar plates at 21 days of incubation, and the isolate was identified through conventional and molecular tests. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a specific region of the 16S rRNA gene and confirmation by a separate PCR reaction with hybridization of the product with a B. henselae-specific probe confirmed the isolate as B. henselae. This is the first reported isolation of the causative agent of cat scratch disease from ocular tissue in a patient with Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome.

Chlamydia trachomatis conjunctivitis. Prevalence and association with genital tract infection.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in acute conjunctivitis (non-trachoma) in Australia and to examine the source of transmission. DESIGN: A prospective survey of 400 consecutive patients presenting with acute conjunctivitis to the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Emergency Department, Melbourne, from May to November 1991. Patients identified with chlamydial conjunctivitis during the survey period and in the following two months were assessed for concomitant genital infection. RESULTS: Chlamydia was the causative organism in 2% of patients with acute conjunctivitis. Of 15 patients with chlamydial conjunctivitis, 11 presented with disease in one eye only, and the same number had had symptoms for longer than two weeks. Many had been seen previously by experienced ophthalmologists, yet there were long delays in making a definitive diagnosis. Ten of the 12 adult patients who were assessed had signs of concomitant genital tract infection, although none had past or current genital tract symptoms. Serotyping of chlamydial isolates from the genital tract and eye showed concordance in individual patients. CONCLUSION: Most cases of ocular chlamydia infection have a genital source. Therefore, it is essential that all patients with chlamydial conjunctivitis and their sexual partners are examined and treated for concomitant genital infection.