129 research outputs found
Importance of Candida infection and fluconazole resistance in women with vaginal discharge syndrome in Namibia
BACKGROUND : Vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS) is a common condition. Clinical management targets sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and bacterial vaginosis (BV); there is limited focus on Candida infection as cause of VDS. Lack of
Candida treatment coverage and, if present, antifungal resistance may result in VDS treatment failure. This study aimed
to determine the prevalence of Candida infection, antifungal resistance, and coinfections in Namibian women with
VDS.
METHODS : A cross-sectional study was performed using 253 vaginal swabs from women with VDS in Namibia. Demographic
data was collected, and phenotypic and molecular detection of Candida species was performed followed by
fluconazole susceptibility testing of Candida isolates. BV was diagnosed using Nugent score microscopy; molecular
detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis was performed.
RESULTS : Candida species was detected in 110/253 women (43%). Ninety women (36%) had Candida albicans and
24 (9.5%) had non-albicans Candida species. The non-albicans species detected were 19 (17%) Candida glabrata, 4.0
(3.5%) Candida krusei, and 1.0 (0.9%) Candida parapsilosis. Candida albicans were more frequently isolated in younger
(p = 0.004) and pregnant women (p = 0.04) compared to non-albicans Candida species. Almost all (98%) Candida
albicans isolates were susceptible to fluconazole while all non-albicans Candida species were fluconazole resistant.
STIs were diagnosed in 92 women (36%): 30 (12%) with C. trachomatis, 11 (4.3%) N. gonorrhoeae, and 70 (28%) T. vaginalis;
98 (39%) women had BV. Candida infection alone was diagnosed in 30 women (12%), combined with STIs in 42
women (17%) and was concurrent with BV in 38 women (15%). Candida infection was more often detected in swabs
from women without C. trachomatis detected (6.4% vs. 16%; OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.10â0.77, p = 0.006).
CONCLUSIONS : The high prevalence of Candida infection, especially those due to non-albicans Candida species that
are resistant to fluconazole, is a great concern in our setting and may lead to poor treatment outcomes. Access to
microbiological testing for Candida species in the context of syndromic management is warranted.The University of Pretoria Doctoral Commonwealth Scholarship.http://www.aricjournal.comam2023Medical Microbiolog
Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP
The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+
e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W
decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to
measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson
production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured
to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and
the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation
Search for Anomalous Couplings in the Higgs Sector at LEP
Anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson are searched for through the processes
e^+ e^- -> H gamma, e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- H and e^+ e^- -> HZ. The mass range 70
GeV < m_H < 190 GeV is explored using 602 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity
collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies
sqrt(s)=189-209 GeV. The Higgs decay channels H -> ffbar, H -> gamma gamma, H
-> Z\gamma and H -> WW^(*) are considered and no evidence is found for
anomalous Higgs production or decay. Limits on the anomalous couplings d, db,
Delta(g1z), Delta(kappa_gamma) and xi^2 are derived as well as limits on the H
-> gamma gamma and H -> Z gamma decay rates
Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP
The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+
e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W
decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to
measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson
production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured
to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and
the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation
Neutral-Current Four-Fermion Production in e+e- Interactions at LEP
Neutral-current four-fermion production, e+e- -> ffff is studied in 0.7/fb of
data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies
root(s)=183-209GeV. Four final states are considered: qqvv, qqll, llll and
llvv, where l denotes either an electron or a muon. Their cross sections are
measured and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition,
the e+e- -> Zgamma* -> ffff process is studied and its total cross section at
the average centre-of-mass energy 196.6GeV is found to be 0.29 +/- 0.05 +/-
0.03 pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic,
in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of 0.22 pb. Finally, the mass
spectra of the qqll final states are analysed to search for the possible
production of a new neutral heavy particle, for which no evidence is found
Measurement of Exclusive rho+rho- Production in Mid-Virtuality Two-Photon Interactions and Study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho Process at LEP
Exclusive rho+rho- production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real
photon, gamma, and a mid-virtuality photon, gamma*, is studied with data
collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV with a total
integrated luminosity of 684.8pb^-1. The cross section of the gamma gamma* ->
rho+ rho- process is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2,
and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region:
0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 <0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < W_gg < 3GeV. These results, together
with previous L3 measurements of rho0 rho0 and rho+ rho- production, allow a
study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho process over the Q^2-region 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2
< 30 GeV^2
Bose-Einstein Correlations of Neutral and Charged Pions in Hadronic Z Decays
Bose-Einstein correlations of both neutral and like-sign charged pion pairs
are measured in a sample of 2 million hadronic Z decays collected with the L3
detector at LEP. The analysis is performed in the four-momentum difference
range 300 MeV < Q < 2 GeV. The radius of the neutral pion source is found to be
smaller than that of charged pions. This result is in qualitative agreement
with the string fragmentation model
Z Boson Pair-Production at LEP
Events stemming from the pair-production of Z bosons in e^+e^- collisions are
studied using 217.4 pb^-1 of data collected with the L3 detector at
centre-of-mass energies from 200 GeV up to 209 GeV. The special case of events
with b quarks is also investigated.
Combining these events with those collected at lower centre-of-mass energies,
the Standard Model predictions for the production mechanism are verified. In
addition, limits are set on anomalous couplings of neutral gauge bosons and on
effects of extra space dimensions
Measurement of the Running of the Electromagnetic Coupling at Large Momentum-Transfer at LEP
The evolution of the electromagnetic coupling, alpha, in the
momentum-transfer range 1800GeV^2 < -Q^2 < 21600GeV^2 is studied with about
40000 Bhabha-scattering events collected with the L3 detector at LEP at
centre-of-mass energies 189-209GeV. The running of alpha is parametrised as:
alpha(Q^2) = alpha_0/(1-C Delta alpha(Q^2)), where alpha_0=\alpha(Q^2=0) is the
fine-structure constant and C=1 corresponds to the evolution expected in QED. A
fit to the differential cross section of the e+e- ->e+e- process for scattering
angles in the range |cos theta|<0.9 excludes the hypothesis of a constant value
of alpha, C=0, and validates the QED prediction with the result: C = 1.05 +/-
0.07 +/- 0.14, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second
systematic
Measurement of the W+W-gamma Cross Section and Direct Limits on Anomalous Quartic Gauge Boson Couplings at LEP
The process e+e- -> W+W-gamma is analysed using the data collected with the
L3 detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6GeV, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 176.8pb^-1. Based on a sample of 42 selected W+W-
candidates containing an isolated hard photon, the W+W-gamma cross section,
defined within phase-space cuts, is measured to be: sigma_WWgamma = 290 +/- 80
+/- 16 fb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. Including the
process e+e- -> nu nu gamma gamma, limits are derived on anomalous
contributions to the Standard Model quartic vertices W+W- gamma gamma and W+W-Z
gamma at 95% CL: -0.043 GeV^-2 < a_0/Lambda^2 < 0.043 GeV^-2 0.08 GeV^-2 <
a_c/Lambda^2 < 0.13 GeV^-2 0.41 GeV^-2 < a_n/Lambda^2 < 0.37 GeV^-2
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