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Immediate control of excessive bleeding and prevention of infections are of utmost importance in the management of wounds. Cryogels have emerged as promising materials for the rapid release of medication and achieving hemostasis. However, their quick release properties pose the challenge of exposing patients to high concentrations of drugs. In this study, hybrid nanocomposites were developed to address this issue by combining poly(vinyl alcohol) and κ-carrageenan with whitlockite nanoapatite (WNA) particles and ciprofloxacin, aiming to achieve rapid hemostasis and sustained antibacterial effects. A physically cross-linked cryogel was obtained by subjecting a blend of poly(vinyl alcohol) and κ-carrageenan to successive freezing–thawing cycles, followed by the addition of WNA. Furthermore, ciprofloxacin was introduced into the cryogel matrix for subsequent evaluation of its wound healing properties. The resulting gel system exhibited a 3D microporous structure and demonstrated excellent swelling, low cytotoxicity, and outstanding mechanical properties. These characteristics were evaluated through analytical and rheological experiments. The nanocomposite cryogel with 4% whitlockite showed extended drug release of 71.21 ± 3.5% over 21 days and antibacterial activity with a considerable growth inhibition zone (4.19 ± 3.55 cm). Experiments on a rat model demonstrated a rapid hemostasis property of cryogels within an average of 83 ± 4 s and accelerated the process of wound healing with 96.34% contraction compared to the standard, which exhibited only ∼78% after 14 days. The histopathological analysis revealed that the process of epidermal re-epithelialization took around 14 days following the skin incision. The cryogel loaded with WNAs and ciprofloxacin holds great potential for strategic utilization in wound management applications as an effective material for hemostasis and anti-infection purposes.

Gunshot injuries to the shoulder are rare and difficult to manage. We present a case series of seven patients who sustained a severe shoulder injury to the non-dominant side as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We describe the injury as ‘suicide shoulder’ caused by upward and outward movement of the gun barrel as the trigger is pulled. All patients were male, with a mean age of 32 years (21 to 48). All were treated at the time of injury with initial repeated debridement, and within four weeks either by hemiarthroplasty (four patients) or arthrodesis (three patients). The hemiarthroplasty failed in one patient after 20 years due to infection and an arthrodesis was attempted, which also failed due to infection. Overall follow-up was for a mean of 26 months (12 to 44). All four hemiarthroplasty implants were removed with no feasible reconstruction ultimately possible, resulting in a poor functional outcome and no return to work. In contrast, all three primary arthrodeses eventually united, with two patients requiring revision plating and grafting. These patients returned to work with a good functional outcome. We recommend arthrodesis rather than replacement as the treatment of choice for this challenging injury.Cite this article: Bone Joint J2013;95-B:820–4.

The organization of obstetric care in France brings all women in contact with the hospital system. Thus, hospital discharge data from the Program of Medicalization of the Information System (PMSI) constitute a potentially valuable source of information, particularly regarding rare events such as severe maternal morbidity. These data cover a large population but their quality has not been assessed in that field. Our objectives were to study the processes of production and the validity of PMSI data related to severe maternal morbidity.

Abstract:: This paper analyzes, theoretically and numerically, the diamond discretization (DD) of free particle transport equations. DD is one of the most commonly used discretizations used in particle transport theory, with applications ranging from the propagation of neutrons in nuclear physics to that of near-infra-red photons in medical imaging. Based on the theory of scalar hyperbolic equations in the Fourier domain, we show that DD performs very well when the boundary data are smooth and the absorption coefficient small. However, because high frequency modes are not damped at all by DD even in the dissipative case, several unphysical modes appear when the boundary conditions are not so smooth. These spurious oscillations are analyzed carefully and displayed numerically.

La fixation par collage peut être définie comme la solidarisation de plusieurs pièces de manière à éviter autant que possible tous mouvements relatifs entre elles. Cette solidarisation peut être soumise à des efforts et à des sollicitations diverses : tractions axiales, couples, chocs, vibrations, dilatations, agressions chimiques, etc.

The serine protease CD26/dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (CD26/DPP IV) and chemokines are known key players in immunological processes. Surprisingly, CD26/DPP IV not only removed the expected Gly1-Pro2 dipeptide from the NH2 terminus of macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) but subsequently also the Tyr3-Gly4 dipeptide, generating MDC(5-69). This second cleavage after a Gly residue demonstrated that the substrate specificity of this protease is less restricted than anticipated. The unusual processing of MDC by CD26/DPP IV was confirmed on the synthetic peptides GPYGANMED (MDC(1-9)) and YGANMED (MDC(3-9)). Compared with intact MDC(1-69), CD26/DPP IV-processed MDC(5-69) had reduced chemotactic activity on lymphocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells, showed impaired mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ through CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4), and was unable to desensitize for MDC-induced Ca2+-responses in CCR4 transfectants. However, MDC(5-69) remained equally chemotactic as intact MDC(1-69) on monocytes. In contrast to the reduced binding to lymphocytes and CCR4 transfectants, MDC(5-69) retained its binding properties to monocytes and its anti-HIV-1 activity. Thus, NH2-terminal truncation of MDC by CD26/DPP IV has profound biological consequences and may be an important regulatory mechanism during the migration of Th2 lymphocytes and dendritic cells to germinal centers and to sites of inflammation.

An analysis is presented with magnetohydrodynamics natural convective flow of a viscous Newtonian fluid saturated porous medium in a vertical slot. The flow in the porous media has been modeled using the Brinkman model. The fully-developed two-dimensional flow from capped to open ends is considered for which a continuum of solutions is obtained. The influence of pertinent parameters on the flow is delineated and appropriate conclusions are drawn. The asymptotic behaviour and the volume flux are analyzed and incorporated graphically for the three-parameter family of solution.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.