In the present work, polylactic acid (PLA), elastin and gelatin fibers, containing clindamycin, were prepared to test their potential application as wound dressings. They underwent release studies to ...determine the mechanism of drug release through mathematical models. The fibers have a homogeneous morphology, without pores. The studies of FTIR and thermal analysis corroborate the presence of each of the components in the fibers; the results of the feasibility tests showed encouraging percentages with a viability of 82% after 7 days of direct contact of the HUVEC cells with the membranes. Similarly, cell adhesion assays show the presence of viable and stretched cells on the fibers, the tendency of the cells to position themselves on the fibers and follow this conformation was observed. On the other hand, studies of antimicrobial activity against
S. aureus
show us that in fibers loaded with clindamycin they have inhibition halos greater than 8 mm.
The optimal conditions for the fibers preparation of cellulose acetate (CA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) containing triclosan within the fiber were successfully found; the physicochemical ...characteristics of these fibrous membranes were corroborated by FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, mechanical tests, SEM , and TEM analysis. The formation of composite fibers of CA and PVP containing triclosan at the core of the fiber was evidenced. A comparative study of the release properties of amoxicillin, epicatechin or triclosan embedded into fibers CA/PVP/CA was performed. As more interactions of the drug with CA or PVP occur, slower release of the drug into the release medium takes place. Regarding the drug delivery system design, it is important to consider the possible molecular interactions between the material components and predict how fast or slow the drug will be delivered into the corresponding medium.
As innovative technologies emerge, there is a need to evolve the environments in which these technologies are used. The trend has shifted from considering technology as a support service towards ...making it the means for transforming all complex systems. Smart cities focus their development on the use of technology to transform every aspect of society and embrace the complexity of these transformations towards something leading to the well-being and safety of people inhabiting these cities. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an essential aspect to be considered in the design of a smart city and its digital ecosystems, however, it remains unconsidered in most smart city's frameworks, despite the need for a specific space for smart OHS. This paper summarizes a 9-month process of generation of a value proposition for evolving the sector of OHS based on a value-map in whose creation several stakeholders have participated. They focused on identifying the products, the methods, the organizational structures and the technologies required to develop an updated, dynamic and robust prevention model focused on workers in smart and complex contexts, and to improve the organizations' capability to guarantee safety even in the most changing, digital and disruptive settings. To assess the relevance and validity of this value-map, a study was carried out to match the set of its elements and its specific and conceptual products discovered, considering also the definition of the past needs and future trends of the sector that a set of renowned stakeholders and key opinion leaders (with mastery in OHS from several companies and industries) have recently defined for the decade of 2020. A prospective analysis of this match is presented, revealing that there is still an existing gap to be covered in the context of smart cities design: the explicit guarantee of safety for workers.
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•Ag-doped CaO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method.•The obtained nanoparticles have shown good antimicrobial activity.•Ag-doped CaO nanoparticles exhibited cell growth ...promotion as well as non-cytotoxic effect.
CaO nanoparticles can be used in different fields, such as medical and food, some studies suggest that they have poor antimicrobial properties. In this work, CaO nanoparticles doped with different concentrations of Ag were synthesized by the sol-gel method, to improve their antimicrobial activity. Cytotoxicity was also determined by MTT assay. The results of this study showed that it was possible to increase the antimicrobial activity of the CaO nanoparticles by doping them with different concentrations of Ag. According to a cytotoxicity study, a percentage of cell viability above 70% was obtained, thus the nanoparticles of CaO doped with Ag are candidates to be used in medical and food applications.
To determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the factors associated with impaired renal function in the population attended in primary care (PC).
Cross-sectional and multicentre ...study carried out in the baseline patients of the IBERICAN study (Identificación de la poBlación Española de RIesgo CArdiovascular y reNal). CKD was considered with an estimated glomerular filtration (eGF) <60ml/min/1.73 m
or elevated albuminuria (≥ 30mg/g). According to the eGF, the CKD was classified in six stages (1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4 and 5) and according to albuminuria in three stages (A1 or normal / slightly increased, A2 or moderately increased and A3 or severely increased). The clinical characteristics and the relationship of CKD with the main cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and other variables of interest were analysed using unconditional logistic regression.
7,895 patients were included (mean age 57.9±14.8 years; 54.5% women). 14.4% (95% CI: 13.6-15.1) had CKD; 16.1% (95% CI: 14.9-17.3) in men and 12.9% (95% CI: 11.9-14.0) in women. A continuous increase of the prevalence was observed with age (24.8% in≥65 years) and with CVFR aggregation. The variables that were most associated with the probability of suffering CKD were left ventricular hypertrophy (OR: 1.95; p <.001), diabetes (OR: 1.58; P<.001) and hypertension (OR: 1.56; P<.001).
Fourteen out of every 100 patients included in the IBERICAN study have CKD. The prevalence of CKD affects a quarter of patients ≥ 65 years and increases exponentially with the aggregation of FRCV.
Although pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis has increased in the last decades in Spain, there are no consistent epidemiologic data. Our aim was to describe the changing pattern of ...pediatric IBD incidence in Spain in the last 14 years.
A retrospective survey of patients diagnosed below 18 years of age in the period 1996-2009 was performed. Patients' data were obtained from the hospitals' databases. To avoid reduced accrual of cases diagnosed by adult physicians, adult IBD units in referral centers were invited to participate. Seventy-eight centers participated in our survey. Rates of incidence were calculated using age-stratified population-based epidemiologic data. Incidence rates were compared for the last 14 years (1996-2009).
In total, data from 2107 patients were obtained: 1,165 Crohn's disease (CD, 55.3%), 788 ulcerative colitis (UC, 37.4%), and 154 IBD unclassified. The sex distribution was 56.4% male, with higher predominance for CD (59.3%) as compared to UC (52.8%) and IBD unclassified (53.2%) (P = 0.012). The median age at diagnosis was 12.3 years (p25-75 9.7-14.6) with significant differences between diseases. IBD incidence increased from 0.97 to 2.8/100,000 inhabitants <18 years/year in the study period. Although this increase is more evident for CD (from 0.53 to 1.7), UC has also risen considerably (0.39 to 0.88).
This is the first attempt to calculate the current incidence of pediatric IBD in Spain. A significant increase of incidence rates in the study period was observed. In the last 14 years pediatric IBD incidence has almost tripled, with a more important CD increase.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable disease frequently recognized in urban slums. Disease rates in Brazilian slums are incommensurate with the country's economic status and the existence ...of its universal healthcare system. Our study aimed to investigate what system issues may allow for disease persistence, focusing on issues surrounding access and utilization of primary and specialized healthcare services.
This was a two-part (formative phase followed by implementation phase) qualitative study based on interviews and focus groups and analyzed via content analysis.
One focus group and 17 in-depth interviews with community health workers, primary care providers, and cardiologists who serve slum residents in Brazil and six interviews with key informants (community health researchers and cardiologists) were performed. Interviews with community health workers and primary care providers were from a single heath post in the neighborhood of Liberdade, a populous and previously unstudied slum in Salvador. Cardiologists were recruited from tertiary care referral hospitals in Salvador.
Our findings revealed six major chronological categories/themes of issues and twenty subthemes that patients must overcome to avoid developing RHD or to have it successfully medically managed. Major themes include the effects of living in a slum (1), barriers to access and utilization of primary healthcare services (2), treatment in primary healthcare services (3), access/utilization of specialized healthcare services (4), treatment in specialized healthcare services (5), and certain systemic issues (6).
Slums make residents sick in a manner of ways, and various bottlenecks impeding medical access to both primary care and specialty care exist, requiring multifaceted interventions. We detail major themes and finally suggest interventions that can allow for the health system to successfully eliminate RHD as a public health concern for slum residents.
•Rheumatic heart disease paradoxically persists at high rates in Brazilian slums, despite theoretical access to universal health care.•A qualitative study was performed to discover why, with explanatory themes identified by interviewing slum clinic staff and cardiologists in local referral hospitals.•Themes centered around the effects of living in a slum environment, issues with barriers/access to care that include policy issues with screening, diagnosis, and treatment as well as local population health literacy and trust in the health care system.•We recommend various policies and call for an echocardiography-based study and a patient perspective study to verify provider-identified themes.
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