Effect of distributing locally produced cloth facemasks on COVID-19-like illness and all-cause mortality-a cluster-randomised controlled trial in urban Guinea-Bissau.

Facemasks have been employed to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The community effect of providing cloth facemasks on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality is unknown. In a cluster randomised trial in urban Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, clusters (geographical areas with an average of 19 houses), were randomised to an intervention or control arm using computer-generated random numbers.

Effect of commonly used surgical solutions on the tensile strength of absorbable sutures: an in-vitro study.

Background: Within recent decades the use of various surgical solutions to prevent bleeding, ward off infection or decrease post-operative pain has become common-place in orthopaedic procedures. However, little work has been done to determine the effects that these solutions have on the tensile strength of various sutures, particularly those that are used for deep closures, which are often absorbable in nature. Whilst numerous authors have attempted to reach conclusions regarding the nature of these effects, a consensus has yet to be reached and this paper is designed with the aim to contribute to the current literature on the subject and improve surgical practice.

Closed reduction of paediatric forearm fractures: nitrous oxide versus general anaesthetic.

Background: Nitrous oxide with intranasal fentanyl is safe and effective in performing closed reduction of paediatric forearm fractures; however, the difference in outcome when compared to those performed under general anaesthesia (GA) is unclear. We aim to compare the outcomes of closed reduction of paediatric forearm fractures under nitrous oxide versus GA.

Methods: This retrospective study based on a prospective change in protocol reviewed the medical records and radiographs of patients with forearm fractures who presented to a tertiary paediatric centre, and who subsequently underwent closed reduction under either nitrous or GA.

An Ethical Framework for the Design, Development, Implementation, and Assessment of Drones Used in Public Healthcare.

The use of drones in public healthcare is suggested as a means to improve efficiency under constrained resources and personnel. This paper begins by framing drones in healthcare as a social experiment where ethical guidelines are needed to protect those impacted while fully realizing the benefits the technology offers. Then we propose an ethical framework to facilitate the design, development, implementation, and assessment of drones used in public healthcare.

Refining Value Sensitive Design: A (Capability-Based) Procedural Ethics Approach to Technological Design for Well-Being.

Fundamental questions in value sensitive design include whether and how high-tech products/artefacts could embody values and ethical ideals, and how plural and incommensurable values of ethical and social importance could be chosen rationally and objectively at a collective level. By using a humanitarian cargo drone study as a starting point, this paper tackles the challenges that VSD's lack of commitment to a specific ethical theory generates in practical applications. Besides, it highlights how mainstream ethical approaches usually related to VSD are incapable of solving main ethical dilemmas raised by technological design for well-being in democratic settings.