•Cannabidiol-infused tampons achieved statistically significant pain reduction in dysmenorrhea cases.•Patient-reported acceptance of cannabidiol-infused tampons.•Clinically validated usability of ...menstrual tampons.
This study aimed to assess efficacy and usability of Cannabidiol (CBD) infused tampons for the relief of primary dysmenorrhea, a condition affecting 50–95% assigned female at birth. While primary dysmenorrhea affects a significant percentage of females, there remains a notable absence of specialized medications or devices to alleviate the intense pain that hinders daily activities. We have developed a CBD-infused tampon, lubricated for comfort and ease, recognising the potential benefits of cannabinoids in pain management.
A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, non-interventional study was conducted with 63 participants, screened against an inclusion and exclusion criteria, following a review of their medical history, gynecological examination, and confirmation of the absence of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Out of 114 screened individuals, 83 were eligible. Participants self-reported their pain levels and satisfaction with the CBD tampon using a modified Mankoski scale (1–10) for pain assessment.
63 participants completed the study, following through three consecutive menstruations. The CBD-infused tampon achieved statistically significant pain reduction during the first and third months of the study (p < 0.05). Less than 5% of participants experienced CBD-infused tampon-related irritation. Between 37 and 40% of the participants reported improvement in the level of vaginal dryness.
This study supports the efficacy and usability of the CBD-infused tampon. The findings indicate the potential of CBD-infused tampons as a promising option for managing menstrual pain. Further research and exploration of this innovative product can contribute to the management of primary dysmenorrhea.
Name of cellulose is referred to a type of natural carbohydrate with many hydroxyl groups and high water absorption capacity. Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer, found as the main ...constituent of plants (plant cellulose). Some bacteria such as Acetobacter xylinum are also able to synthesize bacterial cellulose. Cellulose‐based hydrogels are superabsorbent materials, which make 3D networks. Chemical bonds or other cohesive forces such as hydrogen bonding or ionic interactions connect the cellulose chains together. Hydrogels can swell and absorb water and other aqueous fluids in their 3D networks, but they are insoluble in them. Nowadays, an increasing demand emerges for biodegradable materials and products made from renewable resources such as cellulose. The excellent biocompatibility of cellulose has prompted the large use of cellulose‐based personal care products. Cellulose hydrogel is used for these products as the thickener and stabilizing agents or as moisturizing agent to improve the skin feel of the product. Hygienic cellulosic absorbent products such as diapers, panty liners, tampons, paper towels, and tissue papers are used as personal care products. These products are available in different absorbency ratings from junior to ultra‐absorbency. Using cellulose‐based hydrogel, superabsorbent products are made. In this review, applications of cellulose‐based hydrogels in personal care products were reviewed.
Plugs for containing faecal incontinence Deutekom, Marije; Dobben, Annette C; Deutekom, Marije
Cochrane database of systematic reviews,
07/2015, Letnik:
2015, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Background
Faecal incontinence is a distressing disorder with high social stigma. Not all people with faecal incontinence can be cured with conservative or surgical treatment and they may need to ...rely on containment products, such as anal plugs.
Objectives
To assess the performance of different types of anal plugs for containment of faecal incontinence.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group Specialised Register, which contains trials identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, MEDLINE In‐Process, ClinicalTrials.gov, World Health Organization (WHO) ICTRP and handsearching of journals and conference proceedings (searched 26 May 2015). Reference lists of identified trials were searched and plug manufacturers were contacted for trials. No language or other limitations were imposed.
Selection criteria
Types of studies: this review was limited to randomised and quasi‐randomised controlled trials (including crossovers) of anal plug use for the management of faecal incontinence.
Types of participants: children and adults with faecal incontinence.
Types of interventions: any type of anal plug. Comparison interventions might include no treatment, conservative (physical) treatments, nutritional interventions, surgery, pads and other types or sizes of plugs.
Data collection and analysis
Two reviewers independently assessed methodological quality and extracted data from the included trials. Authors of all included trials were contacted for clarification concerning methodological issues.
Main results
Four studies with a total of 136 participants were included. Two studies compared the use of plugs versus no plugs, one study compared two sizes of the same brand of plug, and one study compared two brands of plugs. In all included studies there was considerable dropout (in total 48 (35%) dropped out before the end of the study) for varying reasons. Data presented are thus subject to potential bias. 'Pseudo‐continence' was, however, achieved by some of those who continued to use plugs, at least in the short‐term. In a comparison of two different types of plug, plug loss was less often reported and overall satisfaction was greater during use of polyurethane plugs than polyvinyl‐alcohol plugs.
Authors' conclusions
The available data were limited and incomplete, and not all pre‐specified outcomes could be evaluated. Consequently, only tentative conclusions are possible. The available data suggest that anal plugs can be difficult to tolerate. However, if they are tolerated they can be helpful in preventing incontinence. Plugs could then be useful in a selected group of people either as a substitute for other forms of management or as an adjuvant treatment option. Plugs come in different designs and sizes; the review showed that the selection of the type of plug can impact on its performance.
Early detection of the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, is key to mitigating the spread of new outbreaks. Data from individual testing is increasingly difficult to obtain as people conduct non-reported ...home tests, defer tests due to logistics or attitudes, or ignore testing altogether. Wastewater based epidemiology is an alternative method for surveilling a community while maintaining individual anonymity; however, a problem is that SARS-CoV-2 markers in wastewater vary throughout the day. Collecting grab samples at a single time may miss marker presence, while autosampling throughout a day is technically challenging and expensive. This study investigates a passive sampling method that would be expected to accumulate greater amounts of viral material from sewers over a period of time. Tampons were tested as passive swab sampling devices from which viral markers could be eluted with a Tween-20 surfactant wash. Six sewersheds in Detroit were sampled 16–22 times by paired swab (4 h immersion before retrieval) and grab methods over a five-month period and enumerated for N1 and N2 SARS-CoV-2 markers using ddPCR. Swabs detected SARS-CoV-2 markers significantly more frequently (P < 0.001) than grab samples, averaging two to three-fold more copies of SARS-CoV-2 markers than their paired grab samples (p < 0.0001) in the assayed volume (10 mL) of wastewater or swab eluate. No significant difference was observed in the recovery of a spiked-in control (Phi6), indicating that the improved sensitivity is not due to improvements in nucleic acid recovery or reduction of PCR inhibition. The outcomes of swab-based sampling varied significantly between sites, with swab samples providing the greatest improvements in counts for smaller sewersheds that otherwise tend to have greater variation in grab sample counts. Swab-sampling with tampons provides significant advantages in detection of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater markers and are expected to provide earlier detection of new outbreaks than grab samples, with consequent public health benefits.
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•Tampons, designed for absorbency, were tested in sewers for capture of SARS-CoV-2.•Tampon swab sampling (4 h immersion) detects SARS-CoV-2 missed by grab samples.•Swabs captured 2–3 times more viral markers, on average, than paired grab samples.•Improved detection of SARS-CoV-2 with swabs varied significantly among sewersheds.•Swabs are especially advantageous at small sewersheds that often are more variable.
This article is a comment on Olesen's (
1986
) article "Analyzing Emergent Issues in Women's Health: The Case of the Toxic Shock Syndrome," which is reprinted in this issue. Here I provide some ...information about Olesen's background, which sheds light on the approach she took to analyzing toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and writing about it. I discuss the work of Esther Rome, Kathryn Shands, and other women's health activists who were concerned about TSS at the time. I also discuss the stigma of menstruation and how it led to the development of super-absorbent tampons that were responsible for many cases of TSS, and I highlight the current work of women's health activists who are trying to change attitudes toward menstruation and reduce the stigma that remains.
Riparian buffer zones play an important role as nutrient pollution controls for rivers. We provide a harmonized, explorative quantitative and spatially explicit continental assessment of nitrogen and ...phosphorus potential retention in riparian buffer zones along the European river network CCM2 (Catchment Characterization and Modellling). Diffuse emissions of nutrients from fertilized cropland and pasture, based on a statistical model (GREEN (Geospatial Regression Equation for European Nutrient Losses)), are partitioned into surface and subsurface flow pathways based on the innovative SUGAR (Surface water/Groundwatercontribution index) index. Surface flow N and P emissions are assumed to undergo attenuation as a function of riparian buffer width. In contrast, the attenuation of subsurface flow emissions and emissions from wetlands is assumed to be independent of buffer width. Buffer attenuation follows a nutrient-specific negative exponential decay function. For the study area, we estimate retention in surface runoff emissions of 33% for nitrogen and 65% for phosphorus. The results represent a valuable data source for water basin management with respect to water quality improvement, in particular buffer zone restoration.
Les zones tampons riveraines jouent un rôle important dans la régulation de la pollution en éléments nutritifs pour les cours d’eau. Nous proposons une évaluation harmonisée, exploratoire quantitativement et spatialement explicite de la rétention potentielle d’azote et de phosphore dans les zones tampons riveraines le long du réseau fluvial européen CCM2. Les émissions diffuses de nutriments provenant des terres cultivées fertilisées et des pâturages, basées sur un modèle statistique (GREEN), sont réparties en écoulements de surface et souterrain, voies basées sur l’indice novateur SUGAR. Les émissions de surface de N et de P sont supposées subir une atténuation en fonction de la largeur de la bande riveraine. En revanche, l’atténuation des émissions de flux de subsurface et les émissions des zones humides est supposée être indépendante de la largeur du tampon. L’atténuation dans la zone tampon suit une fonction négative de décroissance exponentielle spécifique du nutriment. Pour la zone d’étude, nous estimons la rétention des émissions de ruissellement à 33 % pour l’azote et 65 % pour le phosphore. Les résultats représentent une source précieuse de données pour la gestion des bassins hydrographiques en ce qui concerne l’amélioration de la qualité de l’eau, en particulier la restauration des zones tampon.
Abstract
Background
Studies describing the clinical features and short-term prognosis of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for menstrual toxic shock syndrome (m-TSS) are lacking.
...Methods
This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with a clinical diagnosis of m-TSS admitted between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2020 in 43 French pediatric (n = 7) or adult (n = 36) ICUs. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features and short-term prognosis, as well as to assess the 2011 Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) diagnostic criteria, in critically ill patients with m-TSS.
Results
In total, 102 patients with m-TSS (median age, 18 years; interquartile range, 16–24 years) were admitted to 1 of the participating ICUs. All blood cultures (n = 102) were sterile. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus grew from 92 of 96 vaginal samples. Screening for superantigenic toxin gene sequences was performed for 76 of the 92 vaginal samples positive for S. aureus (83%), and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 was isolated from 66 strains (87%). At ICU admission, no patient met the 2011 CDC criteria for confirmed m-TSS, and only 53 (52%) fulfilled the criteria for probable m-TSS. Eighty-one patients (79%) were treated with antitoxin antibiotic therapy, and 8 (8%) received intravenous immunoglobulins. Eighty-six (84%) patients required vasopressors, and 21 (21%) tracheal intubation. No patient required limb amputation or died in the ICU.
Conclusions
In this large multicenter series of patients included in ICUs for m-TSS, none died or required limb amputation. The CDC criteria should not be used for the clinical diagnosis of m-TSS at ICU admission.
None of the patients with menstrual toxic shock syndrome required limb amputation or died despite a high rate of vasopressor support and invasive mechanical ventilation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria should not be used for clinical diagnosis at intensive care unit admission.
Current principles in vital pulp therapy (VPT) modalities emphasise the importance of haemostasis and normal clotting in the achievement of successful treatment outcomes. However, the aforementioned ...notion could be challenged by the new and recent emerging evidence; suggesting that prolonged or excessive bleeding/haemorrhage (PB) in cases of intensly inflamed pulps, conventionally infamous as irreversible pulpitis (IP), may not impede the healing potential of the remaining dental pulp tissue following VPTs using endodontic biomaterials. "Tampon VPT (tVPT)" may be considered a treatment approach for the management of stated IP cases; characterised by severe pulpal inflammation and delayed clotting process. The presented hypothesis evaluates clinical studies, experimental research and molecular impacts on clotting within the inflamed dental pulp, so as to explore the efficacy as well as the safety of tVPT as a viable treatment option. Latest clinical investigations have reported positive outcomes with tVPT; even in the presence of IP with PB. It has been shown that inflamed dental pulp tissues exhibit molecular impacts on the clotting cascade, which may contribute to the delayed clotting process. Nonetheless, the healing capacity of the dental pulp is not negatively affected by hyperaemia. Additionally, enhanced blood flow in the inflamed pulpal tissues may be associated with improved healing and boosted hard tissue formation. Moreover, tVPT could possibly promote pulpal healing and/or regeneration through continuing the presentation of essential nutrients, e.g. oxygen, and growth factors to the injured tissue. Furthermore, increased blood flow may facilitate the recruitment of immune and reparative cells; promoting tissue repair and encouraging the formation of dentinal bridge(s) after VPTs. Consequently, the state-of-the-art research and their findings could support the hypothesis that tVPT may effectively manage IP cases with PB and contribute to favourable outcomes.
Minimally invasive vital pulp therapy (VPT) techniques have become increasingly popular for treating mature permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis. However, in cases where less invasive VPT ...approaches, such as miniature pulpotomy, fail to provide symptom relief and desired outcomes, alternative treatment strategies need to be explored. This case report presents the successful application of tampon pulpotomy, a modified full pulpotomy technique, in a vital molar tooth with irreversible pulpitis, after a previous miniature pulpotomy failure. The tampon pulpotomy procedure involved the placement of an endodontic biomaterial (
calcium-enriched mixture cement) over the pulpal wound to stop bleeding and create a favorable environment for pulpal healing/regeneration. The patient was followed up for a period of 10 years, during which the tooth remained asymptomatic, functional, and exhibited normal periodontal ligament. This case report highlights the potential effectiveness of tampon/full pulpotomy as a retreatment option in cases where more conservative VPT techniques have shown limited success, offering a conservative approach to preserve tooth structure and pulpal vitality.
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