Comparative study on the local tolerance and efficacy of benzalkonium chloride, myristalkonium chloride and nonoxynol-9 as active principles in vaginal contraceptives.

Background: Spermicides have been identified as a potentially attractive alternative to hormonal contraceptives and/or intrauterine devices. Thus, this study aimed evaluating the efficacy and local tolerance of benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and myristalkonium chloride (MKC) contained in Pharmatex vaginal formulations and compare them with nonoxynol-9 (N-9), the most common active ingredient in topical vaginal contraceptives.

Methods: Human normozoospermic samples were assessed for motility, viability, acrosome status and penetration ability after exposure to control, N-9 or different BKC and MKC doses for 0 and 10 minutes.

PRISM study: Comparison of a nystatin-neomycin-polymyxin B combination with miconazole for the empirical treatment of infectious vaginitis.

Objective: An empirical treatment of infectious vaginitis is justified because of its multiple etiologies, the frequent uncertainty of clinical diagnosis and limits of microbiological analysis. Our aim was to comparatively investigate nystatin-neomycin-polymyxin B combination (NNP, Polygynax) and miconazole.

Patients And Methods: In this European multicenter, double-blind PRISM trial, participating women presenting with infectious vaginitis were randomized to receive one vaginal capsule containing either NNP for 12 days or miconazole for 3 days followed by 9 days of placebo.

Finite element simulation and clinical follow-up of lumbar spine biomechanics with dynamic fixations.

Arthrodesis is a recommended treatment in advanced stages of degenerative disc disease. Despite dynamic fixations were designed to prevent abnormal motions with better physiological load transmission, improving lumbar pain and reducing stress on adjacent segments, contradictory results have been obtained. This study was designed to compare differences in the biomechanical behaviour between the healthy lumbar spine and the spine with DYNESYS and DIAM fixation, respectively, at L4-L5 level.

A predictive mechanical model for evaluating vertebral fracture probability in lumbar spine under different osteoporotic drug therapies.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures represent a major cause of disability, loss of quality of life and even mortality among the elderly population. Decisions on drug therapy are based on the assessment of risk factors for fracture from bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. A previously developed model, based on the Damage and Fracture Mechanics, was applied for the evaluation of the mechanical magnitudes involved in the fracture process from clinical BMD measurements.