Background: The common cold is inarguably a multi-symptom syndrome. Thus, patients commonly use several medicinal products simultaneously to treat a range of co-existing clinical manifestations. Topical ointments...Background: The common cold is inarguably a multi-symptom syndrome. Thus, patients commonly use several medicinal products simultaneously to treat a range of co-existing clinical manifestations. Topical ointments with medicated vapours are a popular and effective treatment for the relief of various respiratory tract symptoms. Vicks VapoRub (VVR), a paraffin-based therapeutic ointment containing levomenthol, eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil and camphor, is frequently combined with other cough and cold treatments. However, little is known about which medications are commonly taken together and how patients experience the combined efficacy. Methods: A 20-question online survey to assess habits and beliefs amongst cold sufferers was conducted using the Toluna Start platform. A total of 1513 adults that had suffered from a cold or mild COVID-19 infection in the preceding 12 months were recruited from five European countries. Results: Most cold sufferers combined VVR with other cold medicines, such as paracetamol (75.9%), multi-symptom relief (MSR) products (64.0%) or nasal decongestants (57.0%) to treat their symptoms. VVR was mainly used topically, at night, and on days 3 - 4 of the disease. The addition of VVR to the treatment regimen was perceived as highly effective at relieving multiple cold symptoms. Furthermore, improved sleep and a free breathing sensation were attributed to VVR when used in combination with other cold remedies. Statements on VVR regarding effectiveness, sleep, sleep + effectiveness, speed of action and user satisfaction were agreed upon by a total of 74.8% to 88.3% of panellists. Conclusion: Our survey confirms that in Europe, VVR is commonly used as part of a regimen to manage cold symptoms, and contributes to better overall perceived relief as part of a multi-facetted treatment approach. Prospective clinical data are needed to further confirm these results.展开更多
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen frequently detected in hospital community and has emerged as an important health concern in human medicine. Identification of S. aureus from clinical specimens by p...Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen frequently detected in hospital community and has emerged as an important health concern in human medicine. Identification of S. aureus from clinical specimens by phenotypic methods may produce variable characteristics leading to ambiguity. Hence, a rapid and reliable method for identification of S. aureus is required which could expedite appropriate antibiotic therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting a signal transduction gene, vicK, among S. aureus isolates of Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. A total of 118 bacterial isolates were screened, which consisted of one hundred S. aureus isolates, ten Staphylococcus spp. and eight non-Staphylococci. Results indicated that PCR targeting vicK was able to identify 98% of S. aureus isolates with high sensitivity and specificity, while the remaining isolates of Staphylococcus spp. and non-Staphylococci did not yield any amplification of the gene. vicK thus, is highly specific within interspecies and intraspecies, which is potential to be used as a molecular identification marker for S. aureus.展开更多
It has been widely accepted that auctioning which is the pricing approach with minimal information requirement is a proper tool to manage scare network resources. Previous works focus on Vickrey auction which is incen...It has been widely accepted that auctioning which is the pricing approach with minimal information requirement is a proper tool to manage scare network resources. Previous works focus on Vickrey auction which is incentive compatible in classic auction theory. In the beginning of this letter, the faults of the most representative auction-based mechanisms are discussed. And then a new method called Uniform-Price Auction (UPA), which has the simplest auction rule is proposed and its incentive compatibility in the network environment is also proved. Finally, the basic mode is extended to support applications which require minimum bandwidth guarantees for a given time period by introducing derivative market, and a market mechanism for network resource allocation which is predictable, riskless, and simple for end-users is completed.展开更多
文摘Background: The common cold is inarguably a multi-symptom syndrome. Thus, patients commonly use several medicinal products simultaneously to treat a range of co-existing clinical manifestations. Topical ointments with medicated vapours are a popular and effective treatment for the relief of various respiratory tract symptoms. Vicks VapoRub (VVR), a paraffin-based therapeutic ointment containing levomenthol, eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil and camphor, is frequently combined with other cough and cold treatments. However, little is known about which medications are commonly taken together and how patients experience the combined efficacy. Methods: A 20-question online survey to assess habits and beliefs amongst cold sufferers was conducted using the Toluna Start platform. A total of 1513 adults that had suffered from a cold or mild COVID-19 infection in the preceding 12 months were recruited from five European countries. Results: Most cold sufferers combined VVR with other cold medicines, such as paracetamol (75.9%), multi-symptom relief (MSR) products (64.0%) or nasal decongestants (57.0%) to treat their symptoms. VVR was mainly used topically, at night, and on days 3 - 4 of the disease. The addition of VVR to the treatment regimen was perceived as highly effective at relieving multiple cold symptoms. Furthermore, improved sleep and a free breathing sensation were attributed to VVR when used in combination with other cold remedies. Statements on VVR regarding effectiveness, sleep, sleep + effectiveness, speed of action and user satisfaction were agreed upon by a total of 74.8% to 88.3% of panellists. Conclusion: Our survey confirms that in Europe, VVR is commonly used as part of a regimen to manage cold symptoms, and contributes to better overall perceived relief as part of a multi-facetted treatment approach. Prospective clinical data are needed to further confirm these results.
文摘Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen frequently detected in hospital community and has emerged as an important health concern in human medicine. Identification of S. aureus from clinical specimens by phenotypic methods may produce variable characteristics leading to ambiguity. Hence, a rapid and reliable method for identification of S. aureus is required which could expedite appropriate antibiotic therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting a signal transduction gene, vicK, among S. aureus isolates of Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. A total of 118 bacterial isolates were screened, which consisted of one hundred S. aureus isolates, ten Staphylococcus spp. and eight non-Staphylococci. Results indicated that PCR targeting vicK was able to identify 98% of S. aureus isolates with high sensitivity and specificity, while the remaining isolates of Staphylococcus spp. and non-Staphylococci did not yield any amplification of the gene. vicK thus, is highly specific within interspecies and intraspecies, which is potential to be used as a molecular identification marker for S. aureus.
基金Supported by Hubei Provincial Foundation for Natural Science under Contract 99J041 and 2001ABB104
文摘It has been widely accepted that auctioning which is the pricing approach with minimal information requirement is a proper tool to manage scare network resources. Previous works focus on Vickrey auction which is incentive compatible in classic auction theory. In the beginning of this letter, the faults of the most representative auction-based mechanisms are discussed. And then a new method called Uniform-Price Auction (UPA), which has the simplest auction rule is proposed and its incentive compatibility in the network environment is also proved. Finally, the basic mode is extended to support applications which require minimum bandwidth guarantees for a given time period by introducing derivative market, and a market mechanism for network resource allocation which is predictable, riskless, and simple for end-users is completed.
