Risk Factors Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnant Women in Senegal

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with a high risk of complications, particularly during pregnancy. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of BV in pregnant women in Dakar, Senegal, and to identify its associated risk factors. Patients and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2020 to March 2021 in pregnant women with 34 to 38 weeks of gestation and seen for their routine prenatal consultation at the Nabil Choucair health center in Dakar, Senegal. Vaginal swabs were taken and examined using the Nugent scoring system for the diagnosis of the BV. Data analysis on SPSS (version 25) was done using the chi-square test to measure the strength of association. A value of p ? 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: BV was found in 28.0% (112/400) of the screened women with a median age 24 (21-29) years. A pH >4.5 predictive of BV was found in 80.4% (90/112) of samples. BV was associated with vaginal candidiasis in 49.1% (55/112) while Trichomonas vaginitis was found in 1.8% (02/112). In 80.4% (90/112) of affected women, BV was caused by Gardnerella vaginalis. Mobiluncus spp. was found in 19.6% (22/112) pregnant women in association with G. vaginalis. Symptoms characterized by episodes of pruritus, pelvic pain, burning and/or dyspareunia were seen among 59.8% (67/112) of these women with BV while 40.1% (45/112) of them reported no symptoms. Conclusion: In view of these results and in order to reduce gestational complications and adverse outcomes in the newborn, screening for BV in pregnant women should be favored in developing countries.

Optimization of the entrapment efficiency and release of ambroxol hydrochloride alginate beads.

The objective of the current study was to optimize the composition of alginate beads to produce ambroxol hydrochloride alginate beads with optimum specifications. The study employed beads based on sodium alginate solution (2% w/v) as the main component with calcium chloride solution as crosslinking agent as the prototype beads. The beads were prepared by syringe method. The effect of viscosity modifiers on the morphology, entrapment efficiency and drug release was studied. The prototype beads were spherical semitransparent with entrapment efficiency (EE) of 23%. Incorporation of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a viscosity modifier produced spherical semitransparent beads with higher EE values compared with the prototype. Addition of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) produced oval opaque beads which have larger size and higher EE values compared with the prototype beads or those containing PVP only. Replacement of CMC with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) produced semitransparent spherical beads with significant increase in the EE. Monitoring the drug release rate from different beads, the all the tested beads were able to retain the drug in the stomach condition. In the intestinal conditions the release rate depended on the composition of the beads with prototype beads librating most of its contents in the first 15 minutes. Formulations containing either CMC or HPMC were able to retard the drug release in the intestinal phase. In conclusion the study developed beads with optimum entrapment and release of ambroxol hydrochloride.