Effectiveness of antimicrobial-coated sutures for the prevention of surgical site infection: a review of the literature

OBJECTIVE:Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the third most common hospital-acquired infections and account for 14% to 16% of all such infections, and suture material may play a role in SSI rate. Given this risk of infection, sutures with antimicrobial activity have been developed. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that triclosan-coated sutures (TCS) are effective in the prevention of SSIs. Our aim is to analyze currently available RCTs, comparing the effect of antimicrobial-coated suture (ACS) with uncoated suture on the occurrence of SSIs following surgical procedures, we highlighted major contributions of most significant studies and evaluate the current "state of the art" on antimicrobial-coated sutures.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 15 RCTs comparing antimicrobial-coated sutures with conventional sutures and assessing the clinical effectiveness of antimicrobial sutures to decrease the risk for SSIs. We focused our attention on each variable in all the analyzed study. RESULTS:Our selected RCTs, produced controversial results: 7 RCTs demonstrated a significant benefit, on the contrary, 8 RCTs presented a comparison in which there was no difference.CONCLUSIONS:On the basis of our selected trial results and the heterogeneous findings of our 7 selected meta-analyses, we conclude that even though the question of whether TCSs could reduce the occurrence of SSI remains still open, the antimicrobial suture was effective in decreasing the risk for postoperative SSIs in a broad population of patients undergoing surgery. Alternative substances are becoming clinically relevant, such as Chlorhexidine (CHX) coated sutures and only 6 in vivo scientific studies evaluated them. In vivo studies, large and comparative clinical research trials are necessary to validate the efficacy of CHX-coated sutures thus allowing their use in clinical practice

The Use of Peripheral Blood-Mononuclear Cells in Scleroderma Patients: An Observational Preliminary Study

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy and excessive production of collagen, which lead to skin and visceral fibrosis. The aim of our study is to assess the potential benefits of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) implants in the treatment of clinical manifestations such as mouth impairment, hand disability, digital ulcers and Raynaud’s phenomenon in Scleroderma patients. Methods: From February 2016 to May 2019, 10 female patients were enrolled from the outpatient clinic of the Plastic Surgery Unit of Sapienza University of Rome. Parameters evaluated were: patients’ disability, using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI) and the scleroderma HAQ (sHAQ); mouth opening capacity, by measuring the maximum interincisal distance and the mouth perimeter; hand mobility, assessed with clinical exam and the Hand Mobility in Scleroderma (HAMIS) scale; Raynaud’s phenomenon, evaluated through nailfold capillaroscopy; digital ulcers, examined through their features and incidence of appearance. SPSS software was used for a simple descriptive statistical analysis performed by the Student’s paired t-test. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The treatment showed a significant improvement of all the parameters evaluated at 1-year follow-up, it was well-tolerated by all the patients and the only complications noticed were small areas of ecchymosis. Conclusions: With our preliminary study we tought to exploit PBMCs capability to induce angiogenesis widely described in literature in order to treat the vasculopathy-related manifestations of SSc, in patients with no chance for lipofilling. Our results suggest that PBMCs injection could represent a treatment option to take into account for SSc patients. The procedure we used is easy and fast to perform, minimally invasive and not-operator dependent. We hope our observational and preliminary study could be considered as a starting point for further research studies

Physical Study by Surface Characterizations of Sarin Sensor on the Basis of Chemically Functionalized Silicon Nanoribbon Field Effect Transistor

Surface characterizations of an organophosphorus (OP) gas detector based on chemically functionalized silicon nanoribbon field-effect transistor (SiNR-FET) were performed by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) and ToF-SIMS, and correlated with changes in the current-voltage characteristics of the devices. KPFM measurements on FETs allow (i) to investigate the contact potential difference (CPD) distribution of the polarized device as function of the gate voltage and the exposure to OP traces and, (ii) to analyze the CPD hysteresis associated to the presence of mobile ions on the surface. The CPD measured by KPFM on the silicon nanoribbon was corrected due to side capacitance effects in order to determine the real quantitative surface potential. Comparison with macroscopic Kelvin probe (KP) experiments on larger surfaces was carried out. These two approaches were quantitatively consistent. An important increase of the CPD values (between + 399 mV and + 302 mV) was observed after the OP sensor grafting, corresponding to a decrease of the work function, and a weaker variation after exposure to OP (between - 14 mV and - 61 mV) was measured. Molecular imaging by ToF-SIMS revealed OP presence after SiNR-FET exposure. The OP molecules were essentially localized on the Si-NR confirming effectiveness and selectivity of the OP sensor. A prototype was exposed to Sarin vapors and succeeded in the detection of low vapor concentrations (40 ppm).Comment: Paper and supporting information, J. Phys. Chem. C, 201

Diagnostic accuracy of short-time inversion recovery sequence in Graves' ophthalmopathy before and after prednisone treatment

Introduction: In Graves' Ophthalmopathy, it is important to distinguish active inflammatory phase, responsive to immunosuppressive treatment, from fibrotic unresponsive inactive one. The purpose of this study is, first, to identify the relevant orbital magnetic resonance imaging signal intensities before treatment, so to classify patients according to their clinical activity score (CAS), discriminating inactive (CAS3) subjects and, second, to follow post-steroid treatment disease. Methods: An observational study was executed on 32 GO consecutive patients in different phases of disease, based on clinical and orbital Magnetic Resonance Imaging parameters, compared to 32 healthy volunteers. Orbital Magnetic Resonance Imaging was performed on a 1.5 tesla Magnetic Resonance Unit by an experienced neuroradiologist blinded to the clinical examinations. Results: In pre-therapy patients, compared to controls, a medial rectus muscle statistically significant signal intensity ratio (SIR) in short-time inversion recovery (STIR) (long TR/TE) sequence was found, as well as when comparing patients before and after treatment, both medial and inferior rectus muscle SIR resulted significantly statistically different in STIR. These increased outcomes explain the inflammation oedematous phase of disease, moreover after steroid administration, compared to controls; patients presented lack of that statistically significant difference, thus suggesting treatment effectiveness. Conclusion: In our study, we proved STIR signal intensities increase in inflammation oedematous phase, confirming STIR sequence to define active phase of disease with more sensibility and reproducibility than CAS alone and to evaluate post-therapy involvement. © 2014 Springer-Verlag

Estimating sea surface temperature measurement methods using characteristic differences in the diurnal cycle

Lack of reliable observational metadata represents a key barrier to understanding sea surface temperature (SST) measurement biases, a large contributor to uncertainty in the global surface record. We present a method to identify SST measurement practice by comparing the observed SST diurnal cycle from individual ships with a reference from drifting buoys under similar conditions of wind and solar radiation. Compared to existing estimates, we found a larger number of engine room-intake (ERI) reports post War World II and in the period 1960 – 1980. Differences in the inferred mixture of observations lead to a systematic warmer shift of the bias adjusted SST anomalies from 1980 compared to previous estimates, while reducing the ensemble spread. Changes in mean field differences between bucket and ERI SST anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere over the period 1955 – 1995 could be as large as 0.5 °C and are not well reproduced by current bias adjustment models

MitImpact 3: modeling the residue interaction network of the Respiratory Chain subunits

Numerous lines of evidence have shown that the interaction between the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes ensures the efficient functioning of the OXPHOS complexes, with substantial implications in bioenergetics, adaptation, and disease. Their interaction is a fascinating and complex trait of the eukaryotic cell that MitImpact explores with its third major release. MitImpact expands its collection of genomic, clinical, and functional annotations of all non-synonymous substitutions of the human mitochondrial genome with new information on putative Compensated Pathogenic Deviations and co-varying amino acid sites of the Respiratory Chain subunits. It further provides evidence of energetic and structural residue compensation by techniques of molecular dynamics simulation. MitImpact is freely accessible at http://mitimpact.css-mendel.it

Eight new Halophytophthora species from marine and brackish-water ecosystems in Portugal and an updated phylogeny for the genus

During an oomycete survey in December 2015, 10 previously unknown Halophytophthora taxa were isolated from marine and brackish water of tidal ponds and channels in saltmarshes, lagoon ecosystems and river estuaries at seven sites along the Algarve coast in the South of Portugal. Phylogenetic analyses of LSU and ITS datasets, comprising all described Halophytophthora species, the 10 new Halophytophthora taxa and all relevant and distinctive sequences available from GenBank, provided an updated phylogeny of the genus Halophytophthora s.str. showing for the first time a structure of 10 clades designated as Clades 1-10. Nine of the 10 new Halophytophthora taxa resided in Clade 6 together with H. polymorphica and H. vesicula. Based on differences in morphology and temperature-growth relations and a multigene (LSU, ITS, Btub, hsp90, rpl10, tigA, cox1, nadh1, rps10) phylo-geny, eight new Halophytophthora taxa from Portugal are described here as H. brevisporangia, H. cele-ris, H. frigida, H. lateralis, H. lusitanica, H. macrosporangia, H. sinuata and H. thermoambigua. Three species, H. frigida, H. macrosporangia and H. sinuata, have a homothallic breeding system while the remaining five species are sterile. Pathogenicity and litter decomposition tests are underway to clarify their pathological and ecological role in the marine and brackish-water ecosystems. More oomycete surveys in yet undersurveyed regions of the world and population genetic or phylogenomic analyses of global populations are needed to clarify the origin of the new Halophytophthora species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring connections between pollinator health and human health

Despite recent advances in understanding the role of biodiversity in ecosystem-service provision, the links between the health of ecosystem-service providers and human health remain more uncertain. During the past decade, an increasing number of studies have argued for the positive impacts of healthy pollinator communities (defined as functionally and genetically diverse species assemblages that are sustained over time) on human health. Here, we begin with a systematic review of these impacts, finding only two studies that concomitantly quantified aspects of pollinator health and human health. Next, we identify relevant research relating to four pathways linking pollinator health and human health: Nutrition, medicine provisioning, mental health and environmental quality. These benefits are obtained through improved pollination of nutritious crops and an estimated approximately 28 000 animal-pollinated medicinal plants; the provisioning of pollinator-derived products such as honey; the maintenance of green spaces and biocultural landscapes that improve mental health; and cleaner air, water and food resulting from pollinator-centred initiatives to reduce agrochemical use. We suggest that pollinator diversity could be a proxy for the benefits that landscapes provide to human health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: From chemistry to landscapes'.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; ArgentinaFil: Gómez Carella, Dulce Sol. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; ArgentinaFil: Nabaes Jodar, Diego Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; ArgentinaFil: Smith, Matthew R.. Harvard University. Harvard School of Public Health; Estados UnidosFil: Timberlake, Thomas P.. University of Bristol; Reino UnidoFil: Myers, Samuel S.. Harvard University. Harvard School of Public Health; Estados Unidos. Harvard University; Estados Unido