Background
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common vaginitis in females. The commonly used diagnostic method, 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) smear microscopy, makes it not very easy to recognize fungi.
Methods
Vaginal secretions were collected from clinically suspected VVC patients and divided into four groups and examined using KOH, CFW (Calcofluor White), FB 85(fluorescent brightener 85), and culture. The data were statistically analyzed.
Results
In total, 110 patients with suspected VVC were recruited. The positive rates of KOH, CFW, FB 85, and the culture method were 68.2%, 64.5%, 61.8%, and 77%, respectively. According to the McNemar test, there was no statistically significant difference between the KOH, CFW, and the FB 85 methods (p > 0.05). However, CFW had a shorter diagnosis time than the KOH method and had a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Moreover, CFW has the highest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. In morphological recognition, it was easier to recognize fungal structures with CFW and FB 85 than with the KOH.
Conclusions
The fluorescent method is a good method for the diagnosis of VVC. And the fungi can be found more quickly. Similar to CFW, FB 85 is also a potential good fluorescent reagent for the diagnosis of VVC and has potential value for application in clinical fungal infection diseases.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), most commonly known as Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative disease (UC), is a chronic and relapsing intestinal disease which cannot be cured completely. The prevalence of IBD in Europe and in North America has increased over the past 20 years. As most IBD patients are young at onset, their quality of life (QOL) can be influenced to varying degrees. Thus, current treatment goals are typically focused on preventing complications, including maintaining clinical remission and improving the QOL. Adjuvant therapies have been widely concerned as an effective treatment in alleviating IBD symptoms, including dietary intervention, traditional Chinese medicine, smoking, alcohol, and physical activities. This review focuses on different ancillary therapies for IBD treatments, in particular the mechanism of reducing inflammation based on the actual data from research studies. Moreover, comparing the latest data, this review also presented potential future prospect for adjuvant therapies.
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