A randomized trial comparing the VIPON tampon and ibuprofen for dysmenorrhea pain relief.

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a device designed to deliver high-frequency vibratory stimulation through direct intravaginal tampon application (VIPON) compared with a low-dose over-the-counter pharmacologic treatment of dysmenorrhea.

Methods: A randomized, open-label, prospective study comparing the investigational device to an oral self-administration of the over-the-counter dose of 200-400 mg of ibuprofen with the onset of menstrual discomfort was conducted at two academic medical centers in the Midwest region of the United States. Women age 18 and older with self-reported dysmenorrhea were treated with either VIPON or a single dose of 200-400 mg of ibuprofen, randomized for each of the next four menstrual cycles, and pain reduction from baseline was measured according to the Melzack-McGill pain scale.

Environmental signatures associated with cholera epidemics.

The causative agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae, has been shown to be autochthonous to riverine, estuarine, and coastal waters along with its host, the copepod, a significant member of the zooplankton community. Temperature, salinity, rainfall and plankton have proven to be important factors in the ecology of V. cholerae, influencing the transmission of the disease in those regions of the world where the human population relies on untreated water as a source of drinking water.