During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency departments were overcrowded with critically ill patients, and many providers were confronted with ethical dilemmas in assigning respiratory support to them due to scarce resources. Quick tools for evaluating patients upon admission were necessary, as many existing scores proved inaccurate in predicting outcomes. The ROX Index (RI), a rapid and straightforward scoring system reflecting respiratory status in acute respiratory failure patients, has shown promise in predicting outcomes for COVID-19 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluating and tracking wound size is a fundamental metric for the wound assessment process. Good location and size estimates can enable proper diagnosis and effective treatment. Traditionally, laboratory wound healing studies include a collection of images at uniform time intervals exhibiting the wounded area and the healing process in the test animal, often a mouse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a pressing need to control the occurrences of nosocomial infections due to their detrimental effects on patient well-being and the rising treatment costs. To prevent the contact transmission of such infections via health-critical surfaces, a prophylactic surface system that consists of an interdigitated array of oppositely charged silver electrodes with polymer separations and utilizes oligodynamic iontophoresis has been recently developed. This paper presents a systematic study that empirically characterizes the effects of the surface system parameters on its antibacterial efficacy, and validates the system's effectiveness.
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