13 research outputs found

    Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

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    Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

    Självskadebeteende – ett könskodat fenomen. En diskursiv analys av hur personalen på BUP beskriver självskadebeteende

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    Syftet med vår studie har varit att undersöka hur personalen på BUP beskriver självskadeproblematik och om det finns skillnader kopplade till kön. Våra frågeställningar har fokuserat på hur de professionella definierar begreppet självskadebeteende och vilka de beskriver skadar sig själva samt anledningarna till detta. Vi har även varit intresserade av att undersöka hur eventuella skillnader mellan könen beskrivs och hur personalen bemöter patienter med en självskadeproblematik utifrån kön. Vi har använt en kvalitativ forskningsansats, där vi sammanlagt har intervjuat åtta professionella verksamma inom BUP i Göteborg med omnejd. Vid analysförfarandet har vi använt en diskursanalytisk metodansats med socialkonstruktionism som teoretisk referensram som hjälp vid analysarbetet. Av resultatet framkom att det finns en hegemonisk diskurs gällande hur personalen på BUP definierar begreppet självskadebeteende, detta då samtliga av våra informanter hade en vid definition av begreppet, vilket skiljer sig från den definition vi funnit i tidigare forskning gjord kring aktuellt tema. Genomgående beskrevs det självskadande beteendet som en handling där ungdomen inte tar hand om sig själv och när informanterna sökte definiera självskadebegreppet kunde en rad moraliska implikationer utrönas i svaren. Det framkom även att kön var en viktig och betydande variabel då personalen på BUP beskrev det självskadande beteendet, där självskadehandlingen beskrivs olika beroende på om det är en ung man eller ung kvinna som orsakar sig själv skada. Informanterna redogjorde även för att de sällan kommer i kontakt med unga män med ett självskadande beteende men trots detta ges mer eller mindre detaljerade beskrivningar av hur unga mäns självskadande handlingar kan te sig, vilket förefaller något motsägelsefullt. En möjlig slutsats är att informanternas resonemang bygger på konstruktioner av normativa föreställningar gällande kön. Trots att informanternas beskrivningar av självskadebeteende är tydligt könskodade så förklarar de att kön inte påverkar i det individuella mötet med patienten, detta eftersom varje patient beskrivs bemötas individuellt

    Lipoic acid as a novel treatment for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

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    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that destroys patient memory and cognition, communication ability with the social environment and the ability to carry out daily activities. Despite extensive research into the pathogenesis of AD, a neuroprotective treatment – particularly for the early stages of disease – remains unavailable for clinical use. In this review, we advance the suggestion that lipoic acid (LA) may fulfil this therapeutic need. A naturally occurring precursor of an essential cofactor for mitochondrial enzymes, including pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH), LA has been shown to have a variety of properties which can interfere with pathogenic principles of AD. For example, LA increases acetylcholine (ACh) production by activation of choline acetyltransferase and increases glucose uptake, thus supplying more acetyl-CoA for the production of ACh. LA chelates redox-active transition metals, thus inhibiting the formation of hydroxyl radicals and also scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby increasing the levels of reduced glutathione. Via the same mechanisms, downregulation redox-sensitive inflammatory processes is also achieved. Furthermore, LA can scavenge lipid peroxidation products such as hydroxynonenal and acrolein. The reduced form of LA, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), is the active compound responsible for most of these beneficial effects. R-α-LA can be applied instead of DHLA, as it is reduced by mitochondrial lipoamide dehydrogenase, a part of the PDH complex. In this review, the properties of LA are explored with particular emphasis on how this agent, particularly the R-α-enantiomer, may be effective to treat AD and related dementias

    Family history of zoster and risk of developing herpes zoster

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    Background: Studies have investigated a possible association between family history of HZ and the occurrence of HZ. However, the results were inconclusive and susceptible to bias. We evaluated this association in an elderly population. Methods: The matched case-control study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California in 2012-2015 included 656 incident HZ patients ≥60 whose skin lesion tested positive for varicella zoster virus by polymerase chain reaction. Half of the HZ patients were vaccinated with zoster vaccine as achieved by stratified sampling. The controls were randomly selected and 1:1 matched to the cases on sex, age (±1 year), and zoster vaccination (±3 months of the case’s vaccination date). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Having any blood relative with a history of HZ was associated with a slightly increased risk of HZ (adjusted OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.05–1.79). The adjusted OR associated with having one and two categories of first-degree blood relatives with a history of HZ was 1.30 (95% CI: 0.97–1.73) and 2.53 (95% CI: 1.17–5.44), respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggested a weak association between the development of HZ and a positive family history of HZ among the elderly population

    Plant-derived polyphenols attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide and tumour necrosis factor production in murine microglia and macrophages

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    Lipopolysaccharides released during bacterial infections induce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lead to complications such as neuronal damage in the CNS and septic shock in the periphery. While the initial infection is treated by antibiotics, anti-inflammatory agents would be advantageous add-on medications. In order to identify such compounds, we have compared 29 commercially available polyphenol-containing plant extracts and pure compounds for their ability to prevent LPS-induced up-regulation of NO production. Among the botanical extracts, bearberry and grape seed were the most active preparations, exhibiting IC50 values of around 20 g/mL. Among the pure compounds, IC50 values for apigenin, diosmetin and silybin were 15, 19 and 12 M, in N-11 murine microglia, and 7, 16 and 25 M, in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages, respectively. In addition, these flavonoids were also able to down-regulate LPS-induced tumour necrosis factor production. Structure-activity relationships of the flavonoids demonstrated three distinct principles: (i) flavonoid-aglycons are more potent than the corresponding glycosides, (ii) flavonoids with a 4-OH substitution in the B-ring are more potent than those with a 3-OH-4-methoxy substitution, (iii) flavonoids of the flavone type (with a C2=C3 double bond) are more potent than those of the flavanone type (with a at C2-C3 single bond)
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