ABSTRACT
Increased resistance to fluconazole has been reported in oral, oesophageal and urinary Candida isolates, but this has not been observed commonly in genital tract isolates. The rate of isolation of Candida spp. and their susceptibility to amphotericin B, flucytosine and azoles were determined in a number of clinical practices in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Patients with symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) were treated with fluconazole, and the mycological and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Isolates were identified as Candida albicans (78.6%), Candida guilliermondii (17.3%), Candida glabrata (2.6%) and Candida dubliniensis (1.3%). The rates of mycological and clinical cures were 79.5% and 100%, respectively. Women with recurrent VVC were infected more frequently by non-albicans Candida spp., but no association was found between the use of antifungal agents and the presence of non-albicans spp. In-vitro resistance to fluconazole was not detected, even among subsequent Candida isolates from nine patients for whom mycological cure was not achieved.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Candida/drug effects , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/drug therapy , Fluconazole/therapeutic use , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Belgium/epidemiology , Candida/classification , Candida/isolation & purification , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/epidemiology , Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/microbiology , Drug Resistance, Fungal , Female , Fluconazole/pharmacology , HumansABSTRACT
The distribution of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in the human endometrial basal and functional layer during the normal menstrual cycle was investigated by means of an immunocytochemical technique. A cyclic pattern of receptor distribution was observed. The highest concentration of hormone receptors was observed in the basal layer, in accordance with the idea that this layer is the source of endometrial regeneration.
Subject(s)
Endometrium/metabolism , Menstrual Cycle/metabolism , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Receptors, Progesterone/metabolism , Adult , Cell Nucleus/metabolism , Endometrium/anatomy & histology , Female , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Observer VariationABSTRACT
The topographical distribution of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in the human endometrium and Fallopian tube was investigated by an immunocytochemical technique. A gradient of positively stained cells was observed: the highest oestrogen and progesterone receptor content was noted in the fundal part of the uterine cavity and the ampullar region of the Fallopian tube. The observed gradient is in keeping with biological and pathological events that occur in the human mullerian tract, e.g. fecundation, implantation and carcinogenesis.
