ABSTRACT
Intro: Kodamaea ohmeri, previously known as Pichia ohmeri, is an ascomycetous yeast that has emerged as an important cause of fungemia in immunocompromised patients. During the anamorphic stage this organism is also known as Candida guillermondii var. membranaefaciens. Method(s): We report five cases of Kodamaea ohmeri encountered from multicenter in Malaysia. Antifungal agent of choice will be discussed based on literature review. Finding(s): The cases were: (1) a contaminated peritoneal fluid in an adult patient on peritoneal dialysis;(2) a 60-year-old man with infected diabetic foot isolated K. ohmeri from a bone sample. Both cases discharged well without active antifungal fungal therapy. We observed fatality cases involving (3) an old man with underlying gastric adenocarcinoma who complicated with catheter- related bloodstream infection caused by K. ohmeri;(4) a patient with ventilator- associated pneumonia and septicaemic shock secondary to perforated terminal ileum;(5) and a severely ill COVID-19 stage 5b patient who passed away due to systemic fungaemia caused by K. ohmeri. Discussion(s): All three fatal cases received either amphotericin B or caspofungin as active antifungal agent. Literature evidence has shown that 40% of patient met demise despite on active antifungal agent, suggesting that currently no definitive antifungal agent proven to be a superior treatment option for K. ohmeri infection. Removal of indwelling medical device combined with antifungal therapy has favorable clinical outcome. Conclusion(s): Therefore, K. ohmeri infection in severely ill patients should be considered as a critical condition. Potential of alternative antifungal combinations need to be explored for an effective treatment option.Copyright © 2023
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the drivers and barriers of travel behavior associated with tourist behavior during/post-COVID-19 pandemic to provide a knowledge base as well as an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach: The authors utilized the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) technique for searching the articles published in Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus, to identify the main drivers and barriers affecting the tourist behavior during/post-COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, 47 articles were chosen for the final analysis. Findings: The findings are reported in three sections, (1) quantitative research profile, (2) qualitative synthesis and (3) future agenda. This study addresses the nuanced questions regarding the significant change in tourist travel behavior, emotional dynamics and a detailed understanding of mechanisms, such as which drivers and barriers affect tourist behavior in a particular destination. Drivers and barriers to tourist travel behavior were characterized in personal-related, destination-related, and health-related factors. Moreover, this study provides thought-provoking ideas in theory, policy and practice in the field of tourism and hospitality. Research limitations/implications: This study has three limitations, as follows. First, the authors searched only two databases, Scopus and Web of Science, due to which the authors might be missing some related studies existing on the other databases. Although these databases provide an extensive range of academic literature, further studies could extend the data collection from the other databases (e.g. via Taylor & Francis). However, our systematic literature review (SLR) coverage is quite extensive, since journals are listed on these three main databases. Second, the authors followed a main study search protocol based on the synonyms and related keywords, however, some of the studies that may be related to the tourist behavior towards the destination are missing on account of the lack of our keywords in there, title, author, keyword and . Furthermore, future research could endeavor to add other keywords to expand the results of studies. Third, although the accurate analysis was conducted to reduce subjectivity in identifying themes for drivers and barriers of tourist behavior, future studies on categorization could work to ensure that other sub-themes categorize. Practical implications: The recent study has some key practical implications. First, this study is valuable for all the stakeholders in a unique way, including destination managers, academicians and policymakers, because it provides insight into barriers and drivers that influence the development of tourist behavior towards the destination. Second, the current study also offers practical implications for people involved in tourism service industries including governments and private businesses. Policymakers and other leaders are increasingly interested in harnessing the economic potential of tourism. Therefore, identifying the barrier which is inhibiting the tourist traffic towards the destination is beneficial to understand and effectively develop strategies to minimize the effect of such factors. Moreover, drivers and barriers of tourist behavior towards the destination in the COVID-19 pandemic situation towards the destination may help to create a framework for the development of destinations according to the current vulnerable situation. Third, current findings suggest that tourism marketers understand the drivers and barrier constructs found in this study and tailor their marketing strategies for attracting existing and new tourists. For instance, marketers should understand the drivers and barriers of tourist behavior for effective strategy development to increase the positive effect of drivers and to reduce the negative effect of barriers. Originality/value: This is the first systematic literature review on the impact of drivers and barriers of tourist travel behavior. This paper analyses the methods and approaches that have been used in the p evious literature to examine the drivers and barriers of tourist travel behavior. The paper ends with the research implication and limitations of the studies. © 2022, Naveed Ahmad, Amran Harun, Hafiz Muhammad Usman Khizar, Junaid Khalid and Shumaila Khan.
ABSTRACT
Face coverings such as a face mask are one of the important preventive measures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, by limiting exhaled particles and reducing expiratory droplet spread. Adding a filter to face masks may offer extra protection against the virus. Nevertheless, there remains a significant concern where thicker, tightly woven materials of masks may reduce the ability to breathe comfortably, due to inadequate moisture management properties of woven fabric in existing disposable surgical face masks. Therefore, the study on the properties of air permeability, water vapor permeability, and flexural rigidity of a face mask fabric is highly essential. This study is aimed at analyzing the potential application of electrospun nanofibers fabricated from electrospinning technique, as filter inserts in commercial surgical face masks. The function of electrospun nanofiber filter (NF) inserted in commercial surgical face masks was introduced in the study. The results indicated the significant reduction in air permeability and water vapor permeability along with the additional usage of electrospun NF within the surgical face masks, due to the smaller fiber size and interspaces in the filter layer as analyzed from FESEM analysis. The percentage of air permeability value was slightly decreased by 15.9%, from 339.5 to 285.5 mm/s, whereas the value of flexural rigidity of surgical face masks with and without electrospun NF insert is 0.1358 and 0.1207 mg/cm, respectively. Hence, the NF inserts are recommended as the potential core component in a face mask. © 2022 Fatirah Fadil et al.