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The diabetic patients in Sri Lanka use Gymnema lactiferum leaves as a treatment for diabetes. However, scientific data is not available on this plant. A clinical trial was conducted including 26, type 2 diabetic patients with hypercholesterolemia. The treatment group received a suspension of G. lactiferum leaf powder twice daily for four weeks. Blood parameters of both groups (treated and control) were determined at the beginning and the end of the study period. Study indicates significant effects on FBS (p=0.002), cholesterol (p=0.004), and LDL lowering (p=0.023) and a significant postprandial glucose lowering effect (p=0.026 for 60 min and p=0.022 for 120 min, after four weeks). In spite of the short study period, a significant reduction (p=0.012) in HbA1C levels was also observed.

Jeroen Jansz holds the Chair of Communication and Media in the Department of Media & Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He was co-founder of the Special Interest Group Game Studies in the International Communication Association and the Dutch chapter of the Digital Games Research Association. Liesbet van Zoonen is professor of Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, dean of the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities and holds a chair in Media and Communication at Loughborough University (UK). This qualitative interview study explores the practices of adult female gamers who play the videogame The Sims, focusing on the motivations they have for playing and how playing a video game might influence their digital competence. We address the wider context of leisure and the household, investigating to what extent playing videogames has become domesticated in the daily life of the family. It is found that female gamers play The Sims because they enjoy the particular way it allows them to take control, fantasize, and be challenged. For some, it is clear that playing this video game has increased their digital skills. We notice that there is an interesting similarity between the pleasures of playing this videogame and more traditional ways of female media engagement such as reading women’s magazines or romance novels and watching soap operas. Our gamers similarly enjoy The Sims as leisurely moments for themselves, clearly and intentionally separated from domestic and family duties. We conclude that playing a videogame can be seen as a highly modern and liberating practice, as both playing in general and using ICT have traditionally not been a part of the female leisure domain.

Skin tears are defined as a break in the skin greater than 2cm, also known as cuts, lacerations, grazes or skin tears. Skin tears can occur in many different scenarios, such as a mechanical fall or incidental shear or friction and are most common in the elderly population.2 The correct dressing choice is required to address coagulation status, infection risk, wound product wastage, pain and quality of life management for the resident. Sussman and Ryan (2019, p. 11)9 issued a statement to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission on behalf of Wounds Australia (2019) and noted that 'The major risks of the use of inappropriate dressings are: delayed healing, wound deterioration, potential infection, pain and stress to the consumer. The impact on cost of treatment of using inappropriate products is significant'. There are various products in place at present in the aged care sector to manage skins tears. Currently, these options require the skilled nurse to use an aseptic technique and a combination of various products, as well as a dressing pack, to address the complexity of the aging skin. This study evaluated the introduction of a First Responder Skin Tear Wound Management Pack (STWMP). The primary aim of the eight-week project, applied across four aged care sites, was to evaluate the implementation of a first responder STWMP in which any health care worker could apply the correct regime, decreasing the risk of progression of a skin tear to a chronic or complex wound. The results showed a reduction in skin tear time, therefore an increased rate of healing and reduction in staff time, all creating a reduction in the burden of disease that skin tears have in the aged care sector. In addition, it highlighted some design features and early data to inform further research into the impact of pre-education and socialisation of the first responder STWMP in practice. The first responder STWMP clearly has the potential to promote best and early practices for all residents' skin in a multi-disciplinary team with a resident-centred approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary graft failure (PGF) is a devastating complication that occurs in the immediate postoperative period following heart transplantation. It manifests as severe ventricular dysfunction of the donor graft and carries significant mortality and morbidity. In the last decade, advances in pharmacological treatment and mechanical circulatory support have improved the outlook for heart transplant recipients who develop this complication. Despite these advances in treatment, PGF is still the leading cause of death in the first 30 days after transplantation. In today's climate of significant organ shortages and growing waiting lists, transplant units worldwide have increasingly utilised “marginal donors” to try and bridge the gap between “supply and demand.” One of the costs of this strategy has been an increased incidence of PGF. As the threat of PGF increases, the challenges of predicting and preventing its occurrence, as well as the identification of more effective treatment modalities, are vital areas of active research and development.