Venous thromboembolism risk and prophylaxis prescription in surgical patients at a tertiary hospital in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication during and after hospitalisation, and is regarded as the most common cause of preventable death in hospitalised patients worldwide. Despite its importance, there are few data on VTE risk and adherence to prophylaxis prescription guidelines in surgical patients from the South African (SA) public sector, especially from low-resource environments such as Eastern Cape Province.

Objectives: To evaluate the risk and prescription of VTE prophylaxis to surgical patients at a tertiary government hospital in the Eastern Cape.

Skin cleansers for occupational use: testing the skin compatibility of different formulations.

Objectives: Skin-compatible hand cleansing is crucial for the prevention of occupational dermatitis. In this article we give an overview of skin-cleansing products and their ingredients and investigate whether solvents or abrasives could be avoided in cleansers for severely soiled skin.

Methods: Comparison of skin compatibility, cleansing power and effectiveness of different formulations of skin cleansers was performed via Duhring chamber tests [visual score, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)] and standard hand-wash tests.

De novo synthesis of type-I collagen in bone biopsy material.

A simple and rapid method was established for the cultivation of bone cell tissue. Human bone tissue derived from orthopaedic surgery was cultivated in the presence of 14C-proline and beta-aminopropionitrile. De novo synthesized collagen was extracted from the tissue and quantified by determination of radioactivity in the purified protein.

Temporal and spatial pattern of plastid gene expression during crucifer seedling development and embryogenesis.

Several genes which are located close together on mustard (Sinapis alba L.) chloroplast DNA have been found to differ in their temporal mode of expression throughout seedling development. One predominant expression program, exemplified by thepsbA gene, is characterized by an early (light-independent) rise in transcript levels, followed by subsequent further accumulation to levels which are much higher in the light than in darkness (development of 'competence' for photocontrol).

[Anorectal stenosis caused by suppositories of dextropropoxyphene and paracetamol (Diantalvic)].

Occasionally, administration of medical substances per annum may result in serious local lesions. The authors report the case of a 58 year-old woman presenting ulcerative and stenosing lesions of the anal canal which led to abdominoperineal resection. History revealed the administration of two suppositories daily, each containing an association of dextropropoxyphene and paracetamol, during seven years because of a cervical pain.