Acceptability of Praneem polyherbal vaginal tablet among HIV uninfected women & their male partners in Pune, India--Phase I study.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The number of HIV infected women is steadily increasing worldwide and women controlled methods to prevent HIV are urgently needed. Vaginal microbicides are products for vaginal administration that can be used to prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We conducted a Phase I safety and acceptability study of Praneem polyherbal tablet, a candidate microbicide, among HIV uninfected women in Pune, India. METHODS: Twenty eligible women were requested to use the product intravaginally once daily for 14 consecutive days between menses. Safety was assessed by clinical examination, laboratory monitoring and colposcopy. Acceptability was assessed after 14 days of product use through structured questionnaires, focus group discussions among participating women, and in-depth interviews with a subset of 5 randomly selected male partners. RESULTS: Praneem polyherbal tablet was found acceptable by the study participants with 90 per cent of the participants showing 80 per cent and more acceptability score. Discharge of the product residue was reported as a concern by 6 (30%) of participants. Nineteen (95%) female participants liked the smell and the same number reported that the product was easy to use and did not affect the usual sexual pleasure. However, men reported lack of sexual satisfaction. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Product characteristics received good acceptability score in women. However, studies of long-term safety and acceptability among at-risk population would provide more detailed information about its long term acceptability.

Evaluation of radiographic predictors to assess the rate of mandibular residual ridge resorption.

Sixty healthy clinical edentulous patients (thirty male and thirty female) were chosen for the study. Panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken of each patient. The amount of bone loss was estimated from the panoramic radiographs as per the formula proposed by Wical and Scoop. The rate of mandibular residual resorbed ridge (RRR) expressed as percentage of bone loss per year was then computed. The correlation between the mandibular RRR and gonial cortical thickness and the percentage of cortical bone at the symphysis was tested. These parameters were also compared between the male and female patients. The rate of mandibular RRR, expressed as percentage of bone loss per year, was found to be indirectly correlated with the cortical thickness at gonion as measured from the panaromic and the lateral cephalometric radiographs. The values of students 't' test for mean differences between the female and the male patients with respect to the rate of mandibular RRR and the cortical thickness at the gonion were found to be statistically significant.