Comparison of Vaginal Cream of Coconut Oil and Clotrimazole on Candidal Infection of Vagina

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Candidiasis is the second common vaginal infection, and commonly used drugs are azoles. Over-consumption of Azol is associated with resistance to drug and treatment failure. Studies conducted in vitro confirm the antifungal effects of coconut oil. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of vaginal cream of coconut oil and clotrimazole on vaginal candidiasis infection. METHODS: This clinical trial study was performed on 71 women with Candida infection in two groups receiving vaginal cream of coconut oil: 35(78%) and clotrimazole (36%) (1%) who were treated for 7 nights (one applicator per night). One week after the completion of the treatment, patients were re-examined. Itching, burning, pain and secretion were compared in two groups. FINDINGS: After the mean intervention (itching in the coconut group was 0±0 and in the clotrimazole group was 19±0.46 (p=0.017), (burning in the coconut group was 0.08±0.20 and in the clotrimazole group was 57% (p=0.046), (secretion in the coconut group was 0.05±0.23 and in the clotrimazole group was 66.6 ± 0.98 (p=0.001) (pain during sex in the coconut group 23 0.05 and 0.30±0.62 in the clotrimazole group (p=0.031). However, the success of the treatment (negative culture) was not significant between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that vaginal cream of coconut oil and clotriamzole both improve vaginal candidiasis infection. Therefore, vaginal cream of coconut oil can be used as an alternative treatment for vaginal candidiasis

Projections of the current and future disease burden of hepatitis C virus infection in Malaysia

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Malaysia has been estimated at 2.5% of the adult population. Our objective, satisfying one of the directives of the WHO Framework for Global Action on Viral Hepatitis, was to forecast the HCV disease burden in Malaysia using modelling methods.An age-structured multi-state Markov model was developed to simulate the natural history of HCV infection. We tested three historical incidence scenarios that would give rise to the estimated prevalence in 2009, and calculated the incidence of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and death, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) under each scenario, to the year 2039. In the baseline scenario, current antiviral treatment levels were extended from 2014 to the end of the simulation period. To estimate the disease burden averted under current sustained virological response rates and treatment levels, the baseline scenario was compared to a counterfactual scenario in which no past or future treatment is assumed.In the baseline scenario, the projected disease burden for the year 2039 is 94,900 DALYs/year (95% credible interval (CrI): 77,100 to 124,500), with 2,002 (95% CrI: 1340 to 3040) and 540 (95% CrI: 251 to 1,030) individuals predicted to develop decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, respectively, in that year. Although current treatment practice is estimated to avert a cumulative total of 2,200 deaths from DC or HCC, a cumulative total of 63,900 HCV-related deaths is projected by 2039.The HCV-related disease burden is already high and is forecast to rise steeply over the coming decades under current levels of antiviral treatment. Increased governmental resources to improve HCV screening and treatment rates and to reduce transmission are essential to address the high projected HCV disease burden in Malaysia

Chromoblastomycosis after a leech bite complicated by myiasis: a case report

Background Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic mycotic infection, most common in the tropics and subtropics, following traumatic fungal implantation. Case presentation A 72 year-old farmer was admitted to Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital, northern Laos, with a growth on the left lower leg which began 1 week after a forefoot leech bite 10 years previously. He presented with a cauliflower-like mass and plaque-like lesions on his lower leg/foot and cellulitis with a purulent tender swelling of his left heel. Twenty-two Chrysomya bezziana larvae were extracted from his heel. PCR of a biopsy of a left lower leg nodule demonstrated Fonsecaea pedrosoi, monophora, or F. nubica. He was successfully treated with long term terbinafin plus itraconazole pulse-therapy and local debridement. Conclusions Chromoblastomycosis is reported for the first time from Laos. It carries the danger of bacterial and myiasis superinfection. Leech bites may facilitate infection.This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited