In this study, the effect of coated hydrogel layer on characteristics of the whole gelatin/silver nanoparticles multi‐coated polycaprolactone membrane (PCLGelAg) was investigated through systematic ...and typical wound dressing characterizations to select the optimal number of layers for practical applications. Scanning electron microscopy, free swell absorptive capacity and tensile test in both wet and dry conditions were conducted to characterize all fabricated membranes of six coating times. In vitro cytotoxicity and agar diffusion evaluation were also carried out to assess the biocompatibility and antibacterial activity of the membranes. The findings illustrated that as the coated layers increase, the absorptive capacity, and degradation rate were higher, the membranes were stiffer in dry state while the tensile strength in wet state, elongation, and cell viability were significantly decreased. PCLGelAg3 was chosen to be the best fit for wound healing since it maintained quite sufficient maximum buffer uptake, elasticity, cell viability along with inducing abnormalities in bacterial morphology and preventing biofilm formation.
(1) Background: Wounds with damages to the subcutaneous are difficult to regenerate because of the tissue damages and complications such as bacterial infection. (2) Methods: In this study, we created ...burn wounds on pigs and investigated the efficacy of three biomaterials: polycaprolactone-gelatin-silver membrane (PCLGelAg) and two commercial burn dressings, Aquacel® Ag and UrgoTulTM silver sulfadiazine. In vitro long-term antibacterial property and in vivo wound healing performance were investigated. Agar diffusion assays were employed to evaluate bacterial inhibition at different time intervals. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill assays were used to compare antibacterial strength among samples. Second-degree burn wounds in the pig model were designed to evaluate the efficiency of all dressings in supporting the wound healing process. (3) Results: The results showed that PCLGelAg membrane was the most effective in killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria bacteria with the lowest MBC value. All three dressings (PCLGelAg, Aquacel, and UrgoTul) exhibited bactericidal effect during the first 24 h, supported wound healing as well as prevented infection and inflammation. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that the PCLGelAg membrane is a practical solution for the treatment of severe burn injury and other infection-related skin complications.
The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of different oxidation degrees and volume ratios of components on the physical properties and biocompatibility of an in situ cross-linking ...chitosan-hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel for skin wound healing applications. Carboxymethyl groups (-CH2COOH) were introduced to the polymer chain of chitosan, producing N,O - Carboxymethyl Chitosan (NOCC). Hyaluronic acid was oxidized to obtain aldehyde hyaluronic acid (AHA) with three oxidation degrees (AHA40, AHA50 and AHA60). The gelation was induced by forming Schiff base linkage between aldehyde groups of AHA and amino groups of NOCC. Then, the polysaccharide derivatives were combined at three NOCC:AHA volume ratios (3:7, 5:5 and 7:3) to form composite hydrogels without using any additional cross-linker. FT-IR analysis, surface morphology observation and wettability test, in vitro degradation test and rheological analysis were carried out to characterize the hydrogels. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo wound healing evaluations were also conducted to study the biocompatibility of the composite. Our findings showed that when increasing the volume of NOCC, the homogeneity and hydrophobicity of the resulting hydrogels were also improved and their pore walls became thicker, leading to slower degradation rate. On the other hand, when raising the oxidation degree of AHA, the hydrophilicity of the gels decreased and less time was required to form the gel matrix. Besides, the obtained in vitro and in vivo results indicated that lower oxidation degree of AHA supports cell proliferation, cell attachment and wound healing process better. It is also concluded that NOCC-AHA40 5:5 hydrogel is most suitable for skin wound healing applications since it possesses superior morphology with high uniformity, favorable pore size and suitable density along with appropriate wettability. The NOCC-AHA gel matrix is expected to be used as a delivery system for other factors and employed as an effective bio-glue in further tissue engineering applications.
•Volume ratio of gel components affects its homogeneity, pore wall and hydrophobicity.•Oxidation degree of Aldehyde Hyaluronic Acid influences the gel's biocompatibility.•Gel applications depend on volume ratios and oxidation degree of its components.
•Non-lethal blasts can produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cavitation.
Blast induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been a prevalent injury in recent conflicts. Post-mortem studies have shown damage ...in the brain tissue close to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in bTBI cases compared to non-blast TBI cases. CSF cavitation is a potential mechanism for this brain/CSF interface injury. In this study, our aim was to explore the possibility and mechanism of blast induced CSF cavitation. We first developed a one-dimensional simplified human head surrogate and exposed it to nonlethal blast waves using a shock tube. High-speed videography and pressure sensors data showed the formation and collapse of cavitation in the CSF simulant. Then, we explored the mechanism of the cavitation using a finite element model of the head surrogate. We found that the pressure waves transmitting through the skull (outer wave) and tissue simulants (inner wave) are responsible for the generation and collapse of the cavitation bubbles, respectively. Next, we used this insight to explore the possibility of CSF cavitation in the human head using a detailed finite element model. The simulations verified the role of the inner and outer waves in the generation and collapse of cavitation. Our results suggested that CSF cavitation is likely to happen in the human head under blast loading. Finally, we studied the CSF cavitation in head surrogate models with different lengths. The results showed that the head length significantly affected the CSF cavitation, indicating the potential drawback of using small animals to study bTBI in human head. Our findings can improve our understanding of the brain/CSF interface injury after blast exposure and inform the design of protection systems and animal tests.
Despite its effectiveness in preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the rate of uptake of the HPV vaccine is low in Vietnam. This study aimed to investigate barriers related to ...knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) about the HPV vaccine and willingness to pay (WTP) for the vaccine among those using services in an urban vaccination clinic in Hanoi, Vietnam.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in a vaccination clinic of the Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health in Hanoi, Vietnam, from March to April 2016. KAP on the HPV vaccine was collected using a structured questionnaire. Double-bounded dichotomous-choice questions with open-ended questions were used to examine the WTP of respondents. Interval regression and stepwise logistic models were used to identify factors associated with WTP and the average amount that people would be willing to pay for the vaccine.
Of 492 vaccination service users, 67.9%, 94.6%, and 12.3% of respondents were aware of the best age for HPV vaccination, its benefits, and the target group for vaccination, respectively. While the majority believed that the HPV vaccine was safe (92.8%) and effective (90.8%), and desired to be vaccinated (71.1%), only 31.8% of users were vaccinated. Most of the respondents were willing to pay for the HPV vaccine (86.6%), and willing to pay an average amount of US$49.3. Those aged 20-29 years and earning more than 22 million VND/month (very rich) were more likely to pay for the HPV vaccine than people aged <20 years and earning <7 million VND/month. Users who had attained more than a high-school education and heard about the HPV vaccine from doctors, nurses, or other health professionals tended to be willing to pay for the vaccine at a lower price than individuals with below secondary-level education and who had not heard about the vaccine from these health professionals.
Sexual health education and financial assistance should be imparted alongside the HPV vaccination program.
Patient safety is a global challenge of preventing and mitigating medical errors which might harm patients during their course of treatment and care. This study was employed to contribute to the ...existing literature aimed to assess patient safety culture among health staff and to determine predictors of health staff perceptions of patient safety in hospitals in Vietnam.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals of Vietnam with a total of 763 participants. This study used the Hospital Patient Safety Scale developed by the American Health and Quality Research Organization.
In general, 8 of 12 patient safety dimensions in two hospital; and 10 of 12 dimensions in a third hospital had average scores of 60% and above positive responses. The communication openness and organizational learning dimensions were found to be significant different when comparing hospitals. Regarding sample characteristics, department (subclinical department) and health staff positions (nurses/technicians, pharmacists) were significant predictors in the total model including three hospitals (
= 0.07).
This study reported that communication openness and organization learning are two aspects that need to be improved they are strongly related to patient safety culture and to knowledge exchange among health staff. It has been suggested that hospitals should deliver patient safety training courses and establish a supportive learning environment to improve these challenges.
Patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) generally have an elevated expression of homeobox C6 (HOXC6) gene. We found that HOXC6 was the significantly upregulated gene in hypopharyngeal ...squamous cell carcinoma (FaDu) cells using RNA-seq analysis. However, it remains unclear whether HOXC6 plays a role in tumor process mechanism. Our study aimed to explore the potential oncogenic role and the detailed molecular mechanism of HOXC6 in FaDu cells. In this study, Sirt1 was validated to be overexpressed in FaDu cells and associated with HOXC6 expression. Overexpression of HOXC6 promoted the cell colony formation, whereas inhibition of Sirt1 by Sirt1 inhibitor EX527 reduced cell proliferation/colony formation and migration, and induced apoptosis in HOXC6 overexpressed FaDu cells. Interestingly, mechanistic study showed that EX527 mediated Sirt1 suppression led to decreased HOXC6 expression and upregulation of Sirt1 significantly increased the expression of HOXC6. HOXC6 was shown to cooperate with Sirt1 to enhance cell survival. We propose that HOXC6 promotes cell growth/colony formation, and that the HOXC6 may be a progression of hypopharyngeal carcinoma by activating Sirt1 pathways.
infections induce chronic gastric mucosal inflammation and peptic ulcer disease, and eradication is recommended.
To investigate antibiotic resistance and
eradication rates in children with ...gastroduodenal ulcers in Vietnam.
We performed gastroduodenal endoscopies,
cultures, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (clarithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, tetracycline, and levofloxacin) In children with gastroduodenal ulcers at Children's Hospital 2 from November 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.
A total of 76 participants were studied, with an average age of 9.3 ± 2.8 years (range: 4-15 years), including 52.6% males and 47.4% females. The antibiotic resistance rates were clarithromycin, 92.1%; amoxicillin, 50%; levofloxacin, 31.6%; metronidazole, 14.5%; and tetracycline, 0%. The successful eradication rate was 44.7%. Bismuth increased the eradication rate by 3.69-fold that without bismuth (p = 0.030). The eradication rate of levofloxacin was high (100%, p = 0.038) compared with other antibiotics. The effectiveness of high-dose amoxicillin in cases with >50%
amoxicillin resistance was only 32.6% (p = 0.015).
Increased antibiotic resistance among
resulted in decreased eradication efficacy, which was 44.7% in this study. Drug combinations, such as levofloxacin and bismuth, can increase the
eradication efficacy in children.
PDF
