Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Mitochondrial Function and Reduces Inflammation in Placentae of Obese Women.

Background: About 30% of women entering pregnancy in the US are obese. We have previously reported mitochondrial dysregulation and increased inflammation in the placentae of obese women. Vitamin D (VitD) is a major player in calcium uptake and was shown to modulate mitochondrial respiration and the immune/inflammation system.

Student exam analysis (debriefing) promotes positive changes in exam preparation and learning.

Traditional exam review sessions, typically conducted orally and in class by the instructor, are intended to identify the most frequently missed or problematic question with the intent of helping students perform better on subsequent exams. The shortcoming of this instructor-led activity is that it tends to focus on issues with content or understanding rather than helping the individual student prevent or avoid similar mistakes on future exams. Here, we report that students who performed a more comprehensive out-of-class exam debrief after the first exam significantly improve their exam performance compared with students that did not conduct the exam debrief.

Using medical silicone to ensure an airtight negative pressure wound therapy dressing seal in challenging wounds: a case series.

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used for a broad range of indications and wound types. However, it can be difficult to maintain an airtight dressing seal when the wound is located in an anatomically challenging area or environment. To address this problem, medical silicone, used to create intraoral vacuum dressings, was used in five patients (one woman, four men, age range 57 to 66 years) to seal leaking NPWT dressings (four polyurethane dressings and one polyurethane silver foam dressing).