1,935 research outputs found
Dressings for the prevention of surgical site infection
No full textBACKGROUND: Surgical wounds (incisions) heal by primary intention when the wound edges are brought together and secured - often with sutures, staples, clips or glue. Wound dressings, usually applied after wound closure, provide physical support, protection from bacterial contamination and absorb exudate. Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common complication of surgical wounds that may delay healing. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of wound dressings for preventing SSI in people with surgical wounds healing by primary intention. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the CochraneWounds Group Specialised Register (searched 10May 2011); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011 Issue 2); OvidMEDLINE (1950 to AprilWeek 4 2011); OvidMEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, May 9, 2011); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2011 Week 18); EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 6 May 2011). There were no restrictions based on language or date of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing alternative wound dressings or wound dressings with leaving wounds exposed for postoperative management of surgical wounds healing by primary intention. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction independently. MAIN RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs were included (2578 participants). All trials were at unclear or high risk of bias. Nine trials included people with wounds resulting from surgical procedures with a contamination classification of ’clean’, two trials included people with wounds resulting from surgical procedures with a ’clean/contaminated’ contamination classification and the remaining trials evaluated people with wounds resulting from various surgical procedures with different contamination classifications. Two trials compared wound dressings with leaving wounds exposed. The remaining 14 trials compared two alternative dressing types. No evidence was identified to suggest that any dressing significantly reduced the risk of developing an SSI compared with leaving wounds exposed or compared with alternative dressings in people who had surgical wounds healing by secondary intention. AUTHORS’ CONCLUSIONS: At present, there is no evidence to suggest that covering surgical wounds healing by primary intention with wound dressings reduces the risk of SSI or that any particular wound dressing is more effective than others in reducing the rates of SSI, improving scarring, pain control, patient acceptability or ease of dressing removal. Most trials in this review were small and of poor quality at high or unclear risk of bias. However, based on the current evidence, we conclude that decisions on wound dressing should be based on dressing costs and the symptom management properties offered by each dressing type e.g. exudate management.Jo C. Dumville, Catherine J. Walter, Catherine A. Sharp and Tamara Pag
Negative pressure wound therapy for treating pressure ulcers.
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, decubitus ulcers and pressure injuries, are localised areas of injury to the skin or the underlying tissue, or both. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a treatment option for pressure ulcers; a clear, current overview of the evidence is required to facilitate decision-making regarding its use. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of negative pressure wound therapy for treating pressure ulcers in any care setting. SEARCH METHODS: For this review, we searched the following databases in May 2015: the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; The Cochrane Library); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. There were no restrictions based on language or date of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Published or unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of NPWT with alternative treatments or different types of NPWT in the treatment of pressure ulcers (stage II or above). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. MAIN RESULTS: The review contains four studies with a total of 149 participants. Two studies compared NPWT with dressings; one study compared NPWT with a series of gel treatments and one study compared NPWT with 'moist wound healing'. One study had a 24-week follow-up period, and two had a six-week follow-up period, the follow-up time was unclear for one study. Three of the four included studies were deemed to be at a high risk of bias from one or more 'Risk of bias' domains and all evidence was deemed to be of very low quality. Only one study reported usable primary outcome data (complete wound healing), but this had only 12 participants and there were very few events (only one participant healed in the study). There was little other useful data available from the included studies on positive outcomes such as wound healing or negative outcomes such as adverse events. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is currently no rigorous RCT evidence available regarding the effects of NPWT compared with alternatives for the treatment of pressure ulcers. High uncertainty remains about the potential benefits or harms, or both, of using this treatment for pressure ulcer management
Alginate dressings for treating pressure ulcers.
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, decubitus ulcers and pressure injuries, are localised areas of injury to the skin or the underlying tissue, or both. Dressings are widely used to treat pressure ulcers and there are many options to choose from including alginate dressings. A clear and current overview of current evidence is required to facilitate decision-making regarding dressing use for the treatment of pressure ulcers. This review is part of a suite of Cochrane reviews investigating the use of dressings in the treatment of pressure ulcers. Each review will focus on a particular dressing type. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of alginate dressings for treating pressure ulcers in any care setting. SEARCH METHODS: For this review, in April 2015 we searched the following databases the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. There were no restrictions based on language or date of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Published or unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of alginate with alternative wound dressings or no dressing in the treatment of pressure ulcers (stage II or above). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. MAIN RESULTS: We included six studies (336 participants) in this review; all studies had two arms. The included studies compared alginate dressings with six other interventions that included: hydrocolloid dressings, silver containing alginate dressings, and radiant heat therapy. Each of the six comparisons included just one study and these had limited participant numbers and short follow-up times. All the evidence was of low or very low quality. Where data were available there was no evidence of a difference between alginate dressings and alternative treatments in terms of complete wound healing or adverse events. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The relative effects of alginate dressings compared with alternative treatments are unclear. The existing trials are small, of short duration and at risk of bias. Decision makers may wish to consider aspects such as cost of dressings and the wound management properties offered by each dressing type, for example, exudate management
Gentiobiose: a novel oligosaccharin in ripening tomato fruit.
No full textTwo neutral disaccharides, gentiobiose [beta- D-Glc p-(1-->6)- D-Glc] and nigerose [alpha- D-Glc p-(1-->3)- D-Glc], were detected in tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) pericarp and locule. Gentiobiose was present in the locule of green fruit and ripe fruit at 0.88 and 5.8 micro mol (kg fresh weight)(-1), respectively. When vacuum-infiltrated into green tomato fruit, exogenous gentiobiose (50 or 200 micro g per fruit) hastened the initiation of ripening (as judged by colour change) by 1-3 days relative to fruit that were infiltrated with glucose or isomaltose. Nigerose plus gentiobiose was particularly effective, but nigerose alone had no significant effect. The endogenous disaccharides were found to be present in the apoplastic fluid of the fruit, compatible with a proposed intercellular signalling role. The origin and metabolic fate of the disaccharides were investigated. Phenolic esters of these disaccharides were not detectable in tomato fruit and it is therefore unlikely that the free disaccharides were formed from a pool of such esters. An alternative possible biosynthetic origin, via transglycosylation, is discussed. When [(14)C]gentiobiose was vacuum-infiltrated into unripe or ripe fruit, the disaccharide remained intact for at least 1 h but was largely degraded within 24 h. The results suggest that gentiobiose is a new, naturally occurring oligosaccharin with a rapid turnover rate
A Pleasant conceited Comedie : Wherein is shewed how a man may chuse a good Wife from a bad. /
No full textLabel pasted on front end-paper reads: ... How a man may choose a good wife from a bad. Date of the earliest known edition, c. 1602 Reproduced in facsimile [Tudor facsimile texts] 1912.A ms. note on t.-p. ascribes the play to Joshua Cooke. "Joshua" may or may not be a mistaken reading of Jo. (i. e. John) Cooke. cf. Pref., Tudor facsimile texts.Mode of access: Internet
‘We haven’t got here just on our own. It’s a conversation’. Jo Littler interviews Carol Tulloch
Full text linkCarol Tulloch is an author, curator, maker and academic, and Professor of Dress, Diaspora and Transnationalism at the University of the Arts in London. She grew up in Doncaster in the North of England and studied BA Fashion and Textile Design at Ravensbourne College Design and Communication, and MA History of Design at the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum. She is known for her innovative work on heritage, personal archives, style narratives and auto/biography, and her books include Black Style (2004) and The Birth of Cool: Style Narratives of the African Diaspora (2016). She has curated and co-curated a wide range of exhibitions, including Grow Up! Advice and the Teenage Girl (The Women’s Library, 2002); The March of the Women: Suffragettes and the State (National Archives, 2003); Picture This: Representations of Black People in Product Promotion (Archives and Museum of Black Heritage, 2002); Black British Style (V&A, 2004); and Rock Against Racism (Autograph, 2015). In this interview, conducted online in summer 2021, she talks to Jo Littler about her work and the contexts and cultures it emerged out of
Equine nutrition: a survey of perceptions and practices of horse owners undertaking a massive open online course in equine nutrition
Full text linkAn online survey was designed to ascertain the following information: demographics, current feeding practices, and perceptions and knowledge of equine nutrition, including nutrition-related disorders. Response rate was 34% (6,538 respondents). More than 80% of respondents were horse owners or caretakers, with the majority owning between one and five horses (75%) aged 5 years and older (74%). Most kept their horses for pleasure (54%), with 33% using them mostly for competition and 13% using them for an equal mix of both pleasure and competition. Concentrates were fed by the majority (87%), and more than 70% stated that their horses had some access to pasture. Over half of respondents (60%) regularly monitored their horses' weight, with most doing this monthly. Weight tapes were most commonly used (62%), although many reported to guess the weight of their horse(s) with very few (5%) using weight scales. Under half (46%) stated that they regularly used body condition scoring (BCS), many did not use BCS at all (24%), and some did not know what BCS was (10%). Of those that did use BCS, most (36%) did this monthly, with others weekly (25%), daily (14%), and when they remembered (15%). Overall knowledge of nutrition was reported by most as average (median, 3 on Likert scale—average); however, respondents were less knowledgeable on the management of nutrition-related disorders
Foam dressings for treating pressure ulcers
No full textThis is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:
To assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of foam wound dressings for healing PUs in patients with an existing PU in any care settingGriffith Health, School of Nursing and MidwiferyFull Tex
Solubilisation of tomato fruit pectins by ascorbate: A possible non-enzymic mechanism of fruit softening
No full textThe aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that endogenous ascorbate, released into the apoplast by membrane permeabilisation early in fruit ripening, could promote the solubilisation and depolymerisation of polysaccharides, and thus contribute to fruit softening. In vitro, ascorbate (1 mM), especially in the presence of traces of either Cu2+ or H2O2, solubilised up to 40% of the total pectin from the alcohol-insoluble residue of mature-green tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit. Solubilisation was due to the action of ascorbate-generated hydroxyl radicals (.OH), which can cause non-enzymic scission of polysaccharides. The pectins solubilised by ascorbate in vitro were polydisperse (4-1,000 kDa), partially esterified and galactose-rich. Excised pieces of living tomato fruit released ascorbate into the medium (apoplast); the ability of different tissues to do this increased in the order pericarp <placenta <locule. In all three tissues, but especially in the locule, the ability to release ascorbate increased during ripening. The Cu content of each tissue also increased during ripening, whereas neither Fe nor Mn showed a similar trend. We suggest that progressively increasing levels of Cu and ascorbate in the fruit apoplast would lead to elevated .OH production there and thus to non-enzymic scission of pectins during ripening. Such scission could contribute to the natural softening of the fruit. De-esterified citrus pectin was more susceptible to ascorbate-induced scission in vitro than methylesterified pectin, suggesting a possible new significance for pectin methylesterase activity in fruit ripening. In conclusion, non-enzymic mechanisms of fruit softening should be considered alongside the probable roles of hydrolases, xyloglucan endotransglucosylases and expansins
[Review of] Jo Miles Schuman. Art from Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects for Home and School
Full text linkJo Miles Schuman\u27s text is designed to help students develop an appreciation for one another\u27s cultural heritage and to expand their knowledge of art. Both objectives are accomplished with considerable grace in this beautifully executed and illustrated celebration of craftsmanship. The author clearly values the creativity of a wide variety of peoples and the potential of art as a language of intercultural understanding
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