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Background: CicatrylTM cream, a topical medical device, is indicated for the treatment of superficial wounds and small skin injuries., Objectives: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of CicatrylTM cream by measuring the recovery of the skin barrier after inducing wounds., Materials & Methods: A suction blister of about 6-mm diameter was induced on the inner side of each forearm of 44 healthy subjects. Using a process of randomisation, CicatrylTM cream was then applied to one wound for a maximum duration of 14 days, while the other wound was left untreated. The primary objective was to evaluate the effect of the test product on wound healing at Day 6, by comparing treated versus untreated wound areas measured by macrophotography. Secondary objectives were to evaluate healing, cutaneous barrier restoration and subjective efficacy of the cream as well as tolerability., Results: The mean wound area (± SD) at Day 6 was significantly smaller for treated wounds compared with untreated wounds (1.76±4.71 vs 15.76±7.61 mm2; p < 0.0001). For treated wounds, wound healing between Days 1 and 6 was 1.6-fold faster compared with untreated wounds (-7.90 vs-4.79 mm2/day; p < 0.0001), and the wounds healed in approximately half the time (6.8 vs 12.2 days for untreated wounds). Cutaneous barrier restoration occurred earlier for treated wounds (Day 6 vs Day 8 for untreated wounds). The cream was well tolerated, and no serious adverse events were observed., Conclusion: CicatrylTM cream improves wound healing, especially within the first six days, if applied in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Knee osteoarthritis is treated based on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) interventions. The most frequent failure cause identified in surgical practice is due to wear and oxidation processes of the prothesis' tibial insert. This component is usually manufactured from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). To estimate the clinical complications related to a specific prosthesis design, we investigated four UHMWPE tibial inserts retrieved from patients from Clinical Hospital Colentina, Bucharest, Romania. For the initial analysis of the polyethylene degradation modes, macrophotography was chosen. A light stereomicroscope was used to estimate the structural performance and the implant surface degradation. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the optical results and fulfilled the computation of the Hood index. The oxidation process in UHMWPE was analyzed based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The crystallinity degree and the oxidation index were computed in good agreement with the existing standards. Mechanical characterization was conducted based on the small punch test. The elastic modulus, initial peak load, ultimate load, and ultimate displacement were estimated. Based on the aforementioned experimental tests, a variation between 9 and 32 was found in the case of the Hood score. The oxidation index has a value of 1.33 for the reference sample and a maximum of 9.78 for a retrieved sample.

Medical photography is an important part of the medical file and is widely used in medical communication, especially in our discipline. His practice has to be the most standardized and reproducible as possible, which distinguishes it from artistic photography. Photography fix the light reflecting from a subject, so surgeon have to control of the light source in any environment. In the absence of dedicated studio, using external cobra or ring flashes with special diffusers allow the surgeon to have light sources adapted to the different conditions encountered in daily practice., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Internet photosharing websites is a very recent and powerful tool for the study of biodiversity, and a meeting point of general public fond of nature and professional naturalists. The article discusses when an uploaded picture is scientifically valuable, and the benefits of structured hosting websites for the most fruitful information retrieval. Examples are given of faunistic, biological, ecological and conservation results concerning Hemiptera provided by information download from photosharing websites.