BACKGROUND Knowledge of specific risk factors for incisional Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is essential to create a specific SSI risk stratification index for colorectal surgery patients. OBJECTIVE Identify factors increasing the risk of incisional SSI that lead to the development of a more efficient tool for predicting and comparing surgical site infection rates among surgeons and institutio...

OBJECTIVE A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate whether wound protectors reduce the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after gastrointestinal and biliary tract surgery. BACKGROUND The effectiveness of impervious wound edge protectors for reduction of SSI remains unclear. METHODS A systematic review was conducted in Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochran...

Studies in Arabidopsis and rice suggest that manipulation of starch synthase I (SSI) expression in wheat may lead to the production of wheat grains with novel starch structure and properties. This work describes the suppression of SSI expression in wheat grains using RNAi technology, which leads to a low level of enzymatic activity for SSI in the developing endosperm, and a low abundance of SSI...

To reduce the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after radical cystectomy, a new closing method using subcutaneous continuous aspiration drain was developed and compared to the conventional closing method. The new method involved (a) closed aspiration with an indwelling aspiration drain without suture of the subcutaneous fat and (b) covering with hydrocolloid wound dressing after suture...

Proteinase specificity of a proteinaceous inhibitor of subtilisin (SSI; Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor) can be altered so as to strongly inhibit trypsin simply by replacing P1 methionine with lysine (with or without concomitant change of the P4 residue) through site-directed mutagenesis. Now the crystal structure of one such engineered SSI (P1 methionine converted to lysine and P4 methionine...

Given increasing evidence that medical care cannot fully explain variation in population health and increasing research on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and health, might non-health policies affect health? This research examines whether Supplemental Security Income (SSI) affects disability among the elderly. We use the 1990 and 2000 censuses, employing state and year fixed effe...

INTRODUCTION Surgical site infections (SSIs) often manifest after patients are discharged and are missed by hospital-based surveillance. METHODS We conducted a case-reference study nested in a prospective cohort of patients from six surgical specialties in a teaching hospital. The factors related to SSI were compared for cases identified during the hospital stay and after discharge. RESULTS...

BACKGROUND There is a great need for safe surgical services in sub-Saharan Africa, but a major difficulty of performing surgery in this region is the high risk of post-operative surgical site infection (SSI). METHODS We aimed to systematically review which interventions had been tested in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the risk of SSI and to synthesize their findings. We searched Medline, Embas...

This study explores how web-based scaffolding tools provide instructional support while implementing a socio-scientific inquiry (SSI) unit in a science classroom. This case study focused on how students used web-based scaffolding tools during SSI activities, and how students perceived the SSI unit and the scaffolding tools embedded in the SSI activities. A web-based SSI unit was developed and u...

Meteosat satellite images are processed to yield values of the incoming surface solar irradiance (SSI), one of the Essential Climate Variables. Two HelioClim databases, HC-1 and HC-3, were constructed covering Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean, and contain daily and monthly means of SSI. The HC-1 database spans from 1985 to 2005; HC-3 began in 2004 and is updated daily. Their quality and li...