Medicina
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Background and Objective: The use of plant-based products for burn treatment dates back to 1600 BC. Enzymatic debridement, which can be achieved as non-surgical or conservative debridement, has recently gained increasing attention. Several reviews have been published thus far. ⋯ Enzymatic debridement cannot replace surgical intervention, as the enzyme only works on the surface of the eschar. Enzymatic debridement is not recommended in the early phase of scald burns. Conclusions: Enzymatic debridement has become an integral part of burn therapy and the standard of care in specific burn centers.
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Background and objectives: To compare the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of the Early-stage Ovarian Malignancy (EOM) score with the Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI) in the presurgical assessment of women presenting with adnexal masses. Materials and Methods: A secondary analysis was carried out in a retrospective cohort of women who presented with an adnexal mass and were scheduled for surgery at Phrapokklao Hospital between September 2013 and December 2017. The clinical characteristics, ultrasonographic features of the masses, and preoperative CA-125 levels were recorded. ⋯ Conclusions: It also showed a higher capability to reduce the number of inappropriate referrals than the RMIs at a threshold probability between 5% and 30%. The EOM score showed higher diagnostic sensitivity and has the potential to be clinically more useful than the RMIs to triage women who present with adnexal masses for referral to oncologic gynecologists. Further external validation is required to support our findings.
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Blood screening is considered a compulsory procedure in health care services to reduce the occurrence of transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs). This study estimated the distribution rates of ABO and Rh blood group systems, prevalence rates of TTIs among blood donors and their association with the ABO blood group and Rh system. A retrospective study was conducted at the national blood bank, Amman, Jordan for a period of 6 years (from January 2013 to December 2018). ⋯ The association between ABO/Rh blood groups and TTIs infections was nonsignificant. In conclusion, low frequency rates of TTIs among blood donors were detected in the current study, but improvements are still continuously required. Low percentages of female donors need to be managed via conducting health cultural education programs.
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Exclusive breastfeeding has many health benefits for the baby and the mother. This study explored the reasons for the early introduction of supplementary feeding before six months, and the issues faced by parturient women in practicing exclusive breast feeding (EBF) for their HIV-exposed infants in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Narratives from 319 parturient women with HIV (aged 18 years and above) were collected at three hospitals in the Eastern Cape through semi-structured interviews over a period of five months. ⋯ Early complementary feeding for HIV-exposed infants is influenced by maternal perceptions of breast milk transmission, breast and infant factors and socio-economic and cultural practices in the region. Thus, behavioural interventions tailored towards promoting exclusive breastfeeding practices in this population, starting from the pre-natal and continuing during the post-partum period, should also target the immediate family members. National policy should focus on creating an EBF-friendly environment at the workplace for women.
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Background and objectives: With the digitalization of modern healthcare delivery, digital media adoption in clinical practice is increasing. Also, healthcare professionals are more and more confronted with patients using smartphone-based health applications (apps). This exploratory study aimed at surveying perceptions on such apps in the context of lung health among a cross section of Austrian practitioners involved in pulmonary care. ⋯ Only 40% of participants indicated that they would recommend a COPD app to an older patient. Conclusions: In smoking cessation therapy, doctors commonly adhere to the "5 A's": Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange. We suggest adding "App" as sixth A, assuming that in patient follow-up most of the other A's could also be supported or even replaced by app features in the challenging task to tackle smoking-associated non-communicable diseases.