Maggot Debridement Therapy vs. Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Their Effectiveness on Tissue Healing on Older Adults

Chronic ulcers, particularly prevalent in older adults, significantly impact patients\u27 quality of life, leading to prolonged hospital stays and increased healthcare costs. This study explores the efficacy of two common therapies, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) and Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT), in promoting tissue healing for chronic ulcers in adults aged 60 and older. A methodical search was conducted using databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, EBSCO, and ProQuest, employing specific search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Four high-quality Level 1 randomized controlled trials were selected for analysis, comparing NPWT and MDT in various settings. The results indicate that MDT exhibits superior effectiveness in promoting wound healing compared to NPWT. The studies also highlight the importance of considering patient comorbidities, such as Peripheral Vascular Disease, Diabetes, and immobility, in selecting the most appropriate therapy. Furthermore, the analysis touches upon psychosocial implications, cost-effectiveness, and the need for patient education in wound management. In conclusion, MDT emerges as the preferred treatment for chronic ulcers in older adults, emphasizing the significance of efficient healing to enhance the patients\u27 quality of life

What do We Know About Albumin Formulations?

Albumin is a natural material that covers nearly 60 per cent of the human proteome and is utilised as a buffering protein that helps transport various xenobiotics in the body. Pharmaceutically, it is used for the treatment of hypovolemia in patients with chronic conditions. Albuminbased Abraxane® (paclitaxel-albumin nanoparticles) is a billion-dollar drug for treating various cancer conditions. It helped to provide an organic solvent-free formulation of a hydrophobic drug (paclitaxel). There has been an exponential rise in the research to explore various applications of albumin as a biomaterial for therapeutic and formulation development applications. As a pharmaceutical biomaterial, albumin can be moulded to form nanoparticles, hydrogels, nanofibers, and films. This article highlights key aspects, such as the synthesis and application of albumin as a pharmaceutical excipient in developing dosage forms

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees: How financial literacy is learned and developed within American childhood

Financial literacy refers to the ability to process and utilize economic information to make informed decisions for their wellbeing. Given concerning indicators of financial outcomes within the United States, it is crucial to understand how and when strong financial behavior is developed. Efforts to enhance financial education have explored incorporating financial concepts into children’s literature and games. Yet, research indicates that financial literacy is far more rooted in the habits learned from one’s family, despite the emphasis often placed on schooling and socioeconomic status. It is therefore evident that efforts to promote financial literacy must always involve empowering family members to serve as strong financial role models

We\u27re All in This Together : Examining the Perspectives of Community Leaders Participating in Health Coalitions to Address Health Disparities

This hermeneutic phenomenology study explores the experiences of community-based organization (CBO) leaders in the Rochester, New York, Finger Lakes region, who have collaborated to address health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the existence of health disparities. Collaboration challenges like fragmentation and misaligned objectives persist. Understanding the facilitators and barriers of collaborative efforts is essential for informed strategies and policies to tackle health disparities effectively. The study consisted of leaders from CBOs, coalitions, and community groups who each had more than three years of experience in a collaboration to address health disparities. Eleven community leaders from diverse professional backgrounds participated. Open-ended interviews were conducted to elicit suitable responses for hermeneutic phenomenological analysis. Thematic analysis was employed, and the theoretical framework guiding this study was Collective Impact (CI). The study uncovered five key findings. Firstly, participants favored collective advocacy over individual strategies. Secondly, while not experts in the Collective Impact Framework, they showed expertise crucial for its success. Thirdly, community leaders noted challenges in collaboration. Fourthly, community leaders highlighted attributes for successful collaboration. Lastly, exposure to health disparities increased commitment to advocacy efforts. Community leaders are crucial in health collaboration and tackling health disparities. Despite challenges, unwavering commitment to enhancing healthcare in our communities is essential. This research advocates cultivating inclusive, equitable, resilient healthcare collaborations, empowering community leaders, and fostering effective teamwork to drive sustainable change

An Overview and Analysis of The Wire’s First Season

In the Fall of 2023, I had the great pleasure of studying the first season of an HBO drama from the 2000s called The Wire. In this paper, I analyze how creator David Simons made relevant cultural commentary about American capitalism and its effects on the citizens of our cities, specifically Baltimore. Simon derives his knowledge of Baltimore from his years spent as a crime reporter at The Baltimore Sun, which had a profound influence on the realism displayed in the show. This first season of The Wire proves to be sophisticatedly complex, stepping away from traditional cop shows at the time. Throughout the paper, I will explain specifically how The Wire is different from other television shows and why its impact demands understanding

Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of physical education teachers regarding the implementation of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) Education Framework principles within their pedagogy when working with Black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) students. The research sought to understand the challenges and strategies the participants used to implement the CR-S Education Framework. The research was conducted using a case study approach, focusing on the perceptions of six physical education teachers in an urban school district in Upstate New York. Data were gathered through questionnaires, Zoom interviews, lesson plan observations, and the researcher as an additional instrument. The data were analyzed using Qualtrics, the CRT Lesson Observation Instrument, emotional coding, in vivo coding, and pattern coding. Four themes emerged: (a) everybody is welcomed, (b) breaking the barrier, (c) everyone learns differently, and (d) professional learning. Findings from this study indicated that all the principles of the CR-S Education Framework are not being implemented with fidelity. The study results provide physical education teachers and educational leaders recommendations for implementing the CR-S Education Framework. Investigating how physical education teachers perceive culturally responsive teaching provides valuable insights into their approach to welcoming BIPOC students, building relationships, engaging in professional learning, and tailoring their instruction to achieve success for all students. Additionally, providing mandated professional development and a culturally responsive curriculum may improve teaching practices and ensure academic success for all students

Ecological Moral Character: A Catholic Model

An ecological model through which we can imagine Aquinas\u27 vision of moral characterThe images we use to think about moral character are powerful. They inform our understanding of the moral virtues and the ways in which moral character develops. However, this aspect of virtue ethics is rarely discussed.In Ecological Moral Character, Nancy M. Rourke creates an ecological model through which we can form images of moral character. She integrates concepts of ecology with Aquinas\u27 vision and describes the dynamics of a moral character in terms of the processes and functions that take place in an ecosystem. The virtues, the passions, the will, and the intellect, are also described in terms of this model.Ecological Moral Character asks readers to choose deliberately the models we use to imagine moral character and offers this ecological virtue model as a vital framework for a period of environmental crisis.https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/bookshelf/1085/thumbnail.jp

Sustainable Green Biomaterials in Biomimetic Drug Delivery

While the use of tablets, capsules, suspensions, emulsions, and gels remains the convention for parenteral or injectable treatments, the recent exploration of micro and nano-colloidal systems (like albumin microspheres, liposomes, exosomes, DNA origamis, and others) has provided new opportunities to modulate the drug delivery profile or improve its pharmacologic response. One of the first use of biomimetic materials was the exploration of liposomes that mimic the phospholipid bilayer of membranes as potential delivery systems. The use of particle structures (nano, micro, or bubbles) given by intravenous route has evolved rapidly from being used as drug delivery vectors to potential theranostic agents or even having the potential for developing biomimetic drug delivery system. For making these innovative products, selecting appropriate biomaterials is the key to success. Also, the scientific purpose and economic ease play a critical role in biomaterial selection. Researchers often use conventional semi-synthetic biomaterials (cellulose derivatives, polylactic acid polymers, or polyethylene glycol (peg) derivatives) to make innovative advanced drug delivery designs. A nano-shop can be envisioned with various innovative nano drug delivery systems made from primarily synthetic and semi-synthetic materials that were built on the idea of exploring biomimetic systems (e.g. (i) liposomes made from a phospholipid to mimic the bilayer of the cell, (ii) polymeric micelle from cellulose). Hence, it is essential to re-route the attention toward green biomaterials (proteins, polysaccharides, oligonucleotides, and lipids) that can offer sustainability to the science of advanced formulation development by keeping the biomimetic effect at the center of pharmaceutical innovations. Specifically, this article summarizes possibility of using albumin, deoxynucleic acid (DNA), and extracellular matrix (ECM) components (hyaluronic acid, and collagen) as sustainable green materials for developing biomimetic therapies like nanoparticles, microbubbles, gels, films 3D printable scaffolds and others

The “Valley of Opportunity”: Morality in a Shoe Empire

George F. Johnson followed in his father’s footsteps as a factory worker in the 1800s. While learning all of the different processes that went into making good quality shoes, he realized the importance of having a dedicated workforce that was behind the scenes, ensuring even the most obscure details were attended to. Through hard work, Johnson rose through the ranks of a shoe manufacturing company and eventually became part of the executive leadership team. However, unlike most who rose to this position, he did not forget where he came from and how much hard work it took to produce these goods. Embracing ideas about the importance of ethical actions that emerged from The Second Great Awakening, he instilled practices in his company that put employees first. This paper will show how George F. Johnson truly embraced ideas from the Second Great Awakening, how he implemented ethical policies and a “Square Deal” for all employees, and the overall effect this had on the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company

Can Government Inaction Result In Rising Gift Tax Revenue?

James Alm noted in 1988 that tax uncertainty is particularly problematic for taxpayers, and he identified two risk areas that can cause changes in taxpayer behavior: variations to the tax base (tax base risk) and modifications to the tax rates (tax rate risk).1 This report studies how estate and gift tax laws passed with sunset provisions created taxpayer uncertainty in 2010 and 2012, and how that uncertainty led to increased gifting activity by wealthy taxpayers, which in turn increased the amount of gift tax revenue collected by the federal government in 2011 and 2013. The sunsetting of a tax law means that its provisions (usually favorable to taxpayers) will remain in effect for a fixed period before expiring (that is, “sunsetting”) and returning the tax base and rates to the levels (usually less favorable to taxpayers) that existed before the passage of the law. In the case of tax cuts, a sunset provision effectively reverses the favorable tax conditions that were created when the law was first passed