The wound healing trajectory and predictors with combined electric stimulation and conventional care: one outpatient wound care clinic's experience.

Background: Electric stimulation (E-stim) has been found to be an effective treatment in improving wound healing rates. However, the wound healing trajectory and its related predictors for complete wound closure (CWC) have not been reported with E-stim treatment.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study.

The Effects of a 4-Layer Compression Bandaging System on Skin Perfusion Pressure in Healthy Adults.

Objective: Current practice precludes compression in patients with wounds and reduced arterial flow; however, this treatment may reduce edema and vascular resistance, thus improving distal circulation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of compression on skin perfusion pressure (SPP), edema, and ankle range of motion.

Design: This was a quasi-experimental time series.

Physical Therapy in Wound Care: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Management of chronic wounds remains unsatisfactory in terms of treatment cost and time required for complete wound closure (CWC).This study aimed to calculate the healing rates, estimated cost, and time required for CWC in wounds; compare estimated wound care costs between healing and nonhealing wounds; and compare cost effectiveness between venous leg ulcer (VLU) and non-VLU.This was a retrospective cohort study performed at a physical therapy (PT) wound care clinic.

Dry needling versus acupuncture: the ongoing debate.

Although Western medical acupuncture (WMA) is commonly practised in the UK, a particular approach called dry needling (DN) is becoming increasingly popular in other countries. The legitimacy of the use of DN by conventional non-physician healthcare professionals is questioned by acupuncturists. This article describes the ongoing debate over the practice of DN between physical therapists and acupuncturists, with a particular emphasis on the USA.

Management of a Dehisced Hand Wound Using Hydrogen Peroxide, Electrical Stimulation, Silver-containing Dressings, and Compression: A Case Study.

Wound dehiscence is the separation of a wound along surgical sutures. A 57-year-old, otherwise healthy mechanic presented with a large open wound of >1 month duration on his left hand. His wound had dehisced after treatment that involved cleansing, surgical sutures, and oral antibiotics.

Chronic and non-healing wounds: The story of vascular endothelial growth factor.

The pathophysiology of the chronicity and non-healing status of wounds remains unknown. This paper presents the following hypothesis: abnormal patterns of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) are the culprits of wound chronicity and non-healing. More specifically, for patients with poor circulation, the decreased VEGFR-2 level is the cause of poor wound healing; for patients with non-compromised circulation, for example, patients with concurrent chronic wounds and active autoimmune diseases, the increased VEGFR-1 level is related to the non-healing status of wounds.

Treatment of malignant brain edema and increased intracranial pressure after stroke.

The management of patients with large territory ischemic strokes and the subsequent development of malignant brain edema and increased intracranial pressure is a significant challenge in modern neurology and neurocritical care. These patients are at high risk of subsequent neurologic decline and are best cared for in an intensive care unit or a comprehensive stroke center with access to neurosurgical support. Risks include hemorrhagic conversion, herniation, poor functional outcome, and death.

Oriental medicine and chronic wound care: theory, practice, and research .

In East Asian countries, oriental medicine (OM) has been used for thousands of years to manage a wide variety of chronic wounds, but in western countries the role of OM in wound care remains to be established. To summarize current practices and available evidence of OM in the management of chronic wounds, a search of Chinese and English databases was conducted and summarized with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, and meta-analyses of topical and systemic OM treatments. Hundreds of reports were identified, mostly in the Chinese literature, but few randomized controlled clinical studies have been conducted.

Analysis of the proteomic profile of chronic pressure ulcers.

Analysis of the proteomic profile of pressure ulcers over time is a critical step in the identification of biomarkers of healing or nonhealing in pressure ulcers. The wound fluid from 32 subjects with 42 pressure ulcers was evaluated over 6 weeks at 15 time points. Samples specific to both the interior and the periphery of the wound bed were collected.

Structural and compositional tuning of layered subnitrides; new complex nitride halides.

New quaternary bimetallic nitride halides and the first examples of quintinary nitride mixed halides have been synthesised in the phase system Ca - Sr - N - Cl - Br. The variation in structure with composition has been investigated by powder X-ray and powder neutron diffraction techniques. All compounds crystallise in the R-3m spacegroup, with the anti-alpha-NaFeO(2) structure.

Prevalence of opioid dispensings and concurrent gastrointestinal medications in an elderly population from Ontario, Canada.

Background: Although opioid analgesics are effective therapeutic agents, gastrointestinal (GI) side effects represent a challenging consequence of treatment. In an elderly population, age-related physiological changes, such as decreased GI functioning and dehydration, may compound the adverse effects of opioids; therefore, appropriate prophylactic treatment, utilizing laxatives and/or acid suppressants, is particularly important in an elderly population.

Aim: This study describes the prevalence of outpatient opioid dispensings and the concomitant dispensing of opioids and GI medications in a population 65 years or older enrolled in the Ontario Drug Benefit Program in 2005.

Implementing a mandatory password change policy at an academic medical institution.

UW Medicine implemented a new policy requiring users to change passwords at least once every 120 days. In the first two password change cycles, many users did not take action upon notification, and their passwords expired, causing high help desk loads. Compliance and support loads improved in subsequent cycles.

A randomized, controlled trial of an automated wireless messaging system for diabetes.

Background: Aggressive management of blood glucose reduces future diabetes-related complications, but this is difficult to achieve.

Methods: This randomized, controlled study tested the effect of using a wireless two-way pager-based automated messaging system to improve diabetes control through facilitated self-management. The system sent health-related messages to patients, with automatic forwarding of urgent patient responses to the health care team.

Low-voltage direct current as a fungicidal agent for treating onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis, most commonly caused by two species of dermatophyte fungi--Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes--is primarily treated with regimens of topical and systemic antifungal medications. This study was undertaken to evaluate in vitro the efficacy of low-voltage direct current as an antifungal agent for treating onychomycosis. Agar plate cultures of T rubrum and T mentagrophytes were subjected to low-voltage direct current electrostimulation, and antifungal effects were observed as zones in the agar around the electrodes lacking fungal growth.

Magnesium diiodide, MgI2.

Single crystals of magnesium diiodide have been grown and the structure solved for the first time from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. This study confirms that MgI(2) is isostructural with CdI(2) (C6 or 2H structure type). The space group is P-3m1 with the Mg atom on a site with 3m symmetry (Wyckoff site 1a) and the I atom on a site with m symmetry (Wyckoff site 2d).

Topical hyperbaric oxygen and electrical stimulation: exploring potential synergy.

Treatment of chronic wounds involves interventions ranging from dressings to surgery. Modalities gaining popularity in clinical settings include topical hyperbaric oxygen and electrical stimulation. A prospective, uncontrolled study was conducted to obtain preliminary observations and data about the effects of topical hyperbaric oxygen therapy and topical hyperbaric oxygen used with electrical stimulation on the healing of chronic wounds.