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Anorectal infections with Chlamydia trachomatis are commonly found in women. Although the efficacy of doxycycline and azithromycin is comparable in the treatment of urogenital infection, their efficacies toward anorectal infection remain unclear. We therefore aimed to compare a single dose of azithromycin with a 7-day course of doxycycline for the treatment of anorectal C trachomatis infection in women with concurrent vaginal infection.We did a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, superiority trial involving four sexually transmitted infection screening centres and three pregnancy termination centres in France. We included sexually active adult women (≥18 years) with a positive C trachomatis vaginal swab who agreed to provide self-collected anorectal swabs for C trachomatis detection. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), using block sizes of six and eight and stratification by each investigating centre, to orally receive either azithromycin (a single 1-g dose, with or without food) or doxycycline (100 mg in the morning and evening at mealtimes for 7 days [ie, 100 mg of doxycycline twice per day for 7 days]). All laboratory staff who did the bacteriological analyses, but not the participants and the investigators, were masked to the treatment groups. The primary outcome was the microbiological anorectal cure rate defined as a C trachomatis-negative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) result in anorectal specimens 6 weeks after treatment initiation among women who had a baseline C trachomatis-positive anorectal NAAT result. The primary analysis was done in the modified intention-to-treat population, with multiple imputation, which included all women who underwent randomisation and had a C trachomatis-positive vaginal and anorectal NAAT result at baseline. Adverse events were reported in all women who underwent randomisation. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03532464.Between Oct 19, 2018, and April 17, 2020, we randomly assigned a total of 460 participants to either the doxycycline group (n=230) or the azithromycin group (n=230). Four (1%) of 460 participants were excluded because they refused to take doxycycline or were found to be ineligible after randomisation. Among the 456 participants, 357 (78%) had a concurrent C trachomatis-positive anorectal NAAT result at baseline; 184 (52%) of 357 were in the doxycycline group and 173 (48%) were in the azithromycin group (ie, the modified intention-to-treat population). Microbiological anorectal cure occurred in 147 (94%) of 156 participants in the doxycycline group (28 missing values) versus 120 (85%) of 142 in the azithromycin group (31 missing values; adjusted odds ratio with imputation of missing values 0·43 [95% CI 0·21-0·91]; p=0·0274). Reported adverse events possibly related to treatment were notified in 53 (12%) of 456 women: 24 (11%) of 228 in the doxycycline group and 29 (13%) of 228 in the azithromycin group. Gastrointestinal disorders were the most frequently occurring, in 43 (9%) of 456 women: 17 (8%) of 228 in the doxycycline group and 26 (11%) of 228 in the azithromycin group.The microbiological anorectal cure rate was significantly lower among women who received a single dose of azithromycin than among those who received a 1-week course of doxycycline. This finding suggests that doxycycline should be the first-line therapy for C trachomatis infection in women.French Ministry of Health.For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The lifetime of tungsten coatings used for Plasma Facing Components (PFCs) in fusion devices is mainly limited by two degradation mechanisms occurring during the operation of the tokamak: erosion resulting from exposure to long plasma discharges (long term) and local damages caused by transient events (runaway electrons,..). An alternative solution to the current replacement of damaged PFCs would be to repair their surface by stripping the damaged tungsten coating and depositing a new one. In this paper, the process of removing tungsten was investigated on CuCrZr samples coated with a 15 μm layer of W using four techniques: plasma etching, sandblasting, chemical attack and laser ablation. For each technique, etching properties were assessed by means of microscopic observations, topographical surface analyses and chemical analysis. The results presented here also highlight the issues related with controlling the etching depth and size of the treated surface.

The Convective Storm Initiation Project (CSIP) took place during the summers of 2004 and 2005, centred on the research radar at Chilbolton, UK. Precursors to convective precipitation were studied, using a comprehensive and broad-based range of fieldwork and modelling. The principal aim of CSIP was the detection of the primary and secondary initiation of convective cells. The Universities Facility for Atmospheric Measurements (UFAM) Cessna 182 was used to map temperature and humidity fields over a broad area within and beyond the Chilbolton radar beam. Additionally, air motion was measured using a new turbulence probe, the AIMMS20AQ. The performance of the probe is critically appraised, based on calibrations, test flights and data flights flown during CSIP intensive operating periods. In general, the probe performed well, although some aspects require more careful data interpretation which we describe in detail.

High entropy alloys form a new branch of material science since their first definition by Yeh et. al. in 2004. Coatings made from high entropy alloy nitrides (HEAN) show interesting properties for the machining field, especially regarding hardness and oxidation resistance. In this study, the mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of HEAN coatings (AlCrTiV)N, (AlCrTiZr)N, (AlCrVZr)N and (AlTiVZr)N synthetized through cathodic arc deposition with various bias voltage are investigated. All coatings are solid solutions, monophasic for (AlCrTiV)N and biphasic with a ZrN phase for the others, with FCC structures textured along the (111) plans. (AlTiVZr)N coatings show the lowest oxidation resistance with important scaling at 600 °C and (AlCrTiV)N coatings show the highest up to 800 °C. The highest hardness value is reached by all four HEAN compositions around 40 GPa. The lowest friction coefficient is 0.44 and reached by the (AlCrTiV)N coating deposited at 100 V while the lowest wear rate is 2.6 . 10⁻⁷ mm³.N⁻¹.m⁻¹ reached by the (AlCrVZr)N coating deposited at 150 V. Theses mechanical properties slightly decrease avec annealing at 600 °C for 2 hours in air, the bulk of most samples reaching a hardness of 34 GPa. The HEAN coatings, especially (AlCrTiV)N and (AlCrVZr)N, show interesting properties for the machining industry. A prototype of a compact cathodic arc sputtering machine is also developed in this study. The development stages as well as the multilayered TiN/TiAlN coatings synthesized in this prototype with various configurations are also investigated and show promising results for small scale machining coatings quick deposition.; Les alliages à haute entropie forment un nouveau pan de la science des matériaux depuis leur définition par Yeh et. al. en 2004. Les revêtements en nitrure d'alliage à haute entropie (HEAN) présentent des propriétés, notamment en termes de dureté et de résistance à l'oxydation, particulièrement intéressantes pour le milieu de l'usinage. Dans cette étude, les propriétés mécaniques et la résistance à l'oxydation des revêtements HEANs (AlCrTiV)N, (AlCrTiZr)N, (AlCrVZr)N et (AlTiVZr)N déposés par évaporation par arc cathodique à différentes tensions de polarisation sont investiguées. Les revêtements sont des solutions solides de structures CFC texturées selon les plans (111), monophasée pour (AlCrTiV)N et biphasée avec une phase de ZrN dans les autres. Des quatre compositions, seuls les revêtements (AlTiVZr)N présentent une faible résistance à l'oxydation avec un écaillage important dès 600 °C. A l'inverse, les revêtements (AlCrTiV)N présentent une grande résistance à l'oxydation jusqu'à 800 °C. Les quatre HEANs atteignent une dureté maximal d'environ 40 GPa. Le coefficient de frottement le plus bas est 0,44, atteint par l'échantillon (AlCrTiV) déposé à 100 V de tension de polarisation et le taux d'usure le plus faible est 2,6 .10⁻⁷ mm³.N⁻¹.m⁻¹, atteint par l'échantillon (AlCrVZr)N déposé à 150 V. Ces propriétés mécaniques diminuent faiblement après un recuit à 600 °C sous air pendant 2 heures, la dureté à l'intérieur de la majorité des revêtements atteignant 34 GPa. Les HEANs (AlCrTiV)N et (AlCrVZr)N, en particulier, peuvent être intéressant pour le milieu de l'usinage. Un prototype de machine compacte de dépôt par évaporation par arc cathodique est également développé. Les étapes du développement et les revêtements multicouches TiN/TiAlN déposés dans ce prototypes en faisant varier sa configuration sont également investigués et forment une preuve de concept pour le dépôt rapide à petite échelle de revêtements pour l'usinage.