Evaluation of hospital wastes management with emphasis on genotoxic wastes in Semnan University of Medical Science's hospitals

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the management of hospital wastes with an emphasis on genotoxic waste. In this regard, wastes production rate, separation method, temporary storage, collection, and disposal were investigated. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive survey was conducted at six public hospitals by designing a questionnaire regarding medical waste management. Furthermore, face-to-face interviews were arranged. Results: The results demonstrated that the generation rate of total medical waste, hazardous-infectious waste, genotoxic waste, and the generation rates of general waste in Semnan city were 2.904, 0.9 (31%), 0.09 (3%), and 1.914 (66%) kg/bed-day, respectively. Approximately 50% of the hospitals used unsuitable containers to collect genotoxic wastes from hospital wards. It was found that all the hospitals have temporary storage rooms. However, there is not a specific and separate temporary storage place for genotoxic wastes in the hospitals. Four hospitals (83.3%) are equipped with steam sterilization and shredding equipment. One hospital (16.7%) has steam sterilization without shredding for treating infectious and sharp wastes. In this study, chemical neutralization was considered the principal method for treating genotoxic waste in hospitals. Moreover, lack of staff training (46% of hospitals) and shortage of personal-protective equipment (85% of hospitals) were considered significant problems in these hospitals. Conclusions: This study revealed that the healthcare waste management index is acceptable for all types of hospital wastes except for genotoxic waste. Therefore, it is essential to pay more attention to the on-site collection and safe storage of genotoxic wastes. Furthermore, in terms of treatment, transfer, and disposal stages, general hospital waste was managed properly compare to genotoxic waste

Polysaccharide-based hydrogel enriched by epidermal growth factor peptide fragment for improving the wound healing process

Wounds represent a ''silent epidemic'' in the global population that impact significantly people's quality of life and the economy of societies. Owing to the numerous therapies, the pursuit of a perfect wound dressing with superior performance for treating all sorts of wounds is still underway. Several studies have shown the potential of integrating restorative peptides into the scaffolds as potential therapeutic candidates for wound healing. So far, there is little information about the wound-healing effect of S-acetamidomethyl Cys 20-31-EGF peptide, a main fragment of epidermal growth factor. In this regard, the effectiveness of this peptide in the alginate-gum arabic polysaccharide hydrogel was evaluated as a wound dressing (AG-P). Physicochemical evaluation of the hydrogels demonstrated that the incorporation of the peptide compressed the hydrogel network due to the presence of hydrogen and electrostatic bonds without significant effect on the mechanical, viscoelastic properties, swelling and degradation rate of the hydrogel. The hydrogel could continuously release the peptide and prevent rapid attenuation of its concentration. Cellular assessment of AG-P by scratch test and CFSE cytoplasmic dye/flow cytometry technique encouraged the migration and proliferation of human fibroblast cells, respectively. The effect of the AG-P on the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, NF-kB1 and VEGF genes indicated that this hydrogel reduced inflammation, and significantly increased angiogenesis compared to the control group based on the Real-time PCR results. In vitro assessment indicated that this structure can promote efficient and faster wound regeneration by altering the microenvironment of the wound. The hydrogel showed interesting features to be more equipped with other therapeutic agents making it as suitable dressing for various type of the wounds