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Purpose: Anxiety disorders are a common mental health problem on college campuses. Underused creative programs offer intrinsic value to the successful integration of college students. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the use of building block therapy (LEGO® ) in stress management/reduction in comparison to traditional art therapy through the use of coloring books. Methods: Researchers conducted an intervention over for one-month with eight 1-hour sessions of coloring (n=5) or building (n=5) and compared to a control group (n=6). Students completed pre- and post-study surveys as well as pre- and post-session surveys. Descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon Signed-ranks test were used for the pre- and post-study data of the control, coloring and building block groups to assess and compare changes in the individuals or between the groups. Results: Building block therapy was found to be non-inferior to the proven stress reduction method of coloring. The coloring group was found to be significant in the perceived reduction of stress (p [less than or equal to] 0.001) with an initial mean of 3.43 and final mean of 1.62, and the building block group was found to be significant (p [less than or equal to] 0.001) with an initial mean of 2.75 and final mean of 1.48. Conclusions: This pilot study sheds light on the importance of creativity in stress reduction. Looking beyond the conventional and enjoying the art of play, adults are able to use "toys" as a method of escape and relaxation. This research will help to elaborate on the anecdotes of pop-culture icons such as David Beckham, Trey Parker and Ed Sheeran to the efficacy of building block activities in stress reduction and help university students better understand alternative methods to mental health therapy and stress reduction. Recommendations: Through building blocks and art therapy students have an opportunity to socialize with other students. This adds significance to the beneficence of building blocks as a stress management tool and may increase possibilities for building social support networks. This study may help faculty and staff of similar universities to explore similar methods to help improve student success and retention.

Infection is a major contributing factor to delayed healing in chronic wounds. The misuse of antimicrobials is common to all specialties, and recent publications have highlighted the importance of antimicrobial stewardship in wound care. In view of this, the authors audited the prescription of systemic and topical antimicrobials as well as microbiological sampling practices in a multidisciplinary complex wound clinic. Only 9.3% of patient encounters resulted in the use of systemic antibiotics, whereas topical antimicrobials were used more frequently. Microbiological sampling was rarely performed, and swabbing was done more often than tissue biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic sclerosis, also known as systemic or diffuse scleroderma, is an uncommon autoimmune connective tissue disease. Although not fully understood, the disease process is thought to involve immune dysfunction, vascular abnormalities and excess collagen deposition. Skin ulcers are reported to occur in up to 50% of patients and have a major impact on patients' quality of life (Khimdas et al, 2011). Specific problems include digital ulcers, ulcers over joint contractures or calcinosis, and lower limb ulcers, which can be severe and associated with gangrene. The authors describe cases of chronic wounds seen in patients with an underlying diagnosis of systemic sclerosis, highlighting the challenging nature of managing this condition for the wound specialist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although rare in the UK, there are certain types of infective organisms that can cause chronic wounds. In these circumstances, conventional wound care is rarely successful and the causative organism needs to be targeted with specific therapy. Often, these organisms are contracted abroad and may be seen in returning travellers or immigrants. In addition, patients who are immunosuppressed are at risk of opportunistic infections. Thorough patient assessment is key to establish a diagnosis, but a high index of suspicion may also be needed. This article describes three cases in which unusual infective organisms were the principal cause of chronic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]