BACKGROUND Antimicrobial silver dressings are used beneath graduated compression in the treatment of venous ulceration. There is little information on whether their use is effective. This was a prospective randomized trial and cost-effectiveness analysis of silver-donating versus non-silver low-adherence dressings in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. METHODS Patients were randomized between...

The objective of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial effect of 2% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) by agar diffusion test and by direct exposure test. Five microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aernginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and one mixture of these were used. These strains were inoculated in brain heart infusio...

Investigations were carried out to determine antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and total phenol content of three wild species of Ephedra compared with their respective callus cultures. Callus induction was performed in a standard Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with the following hormonal ranges (mg/L) for every species NAA:1.5, Kin:1 for Ephedra strobiliacea, NAA:2, Kin:1 for Ephedra pr...

BACKGROUND O'Neill's recent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance expressed the view that by 2020 high-income countries should make it mandatory to support antimicrobial prescribing with rapid diagnostic evidence whenever possible. METHODS Routine microbiology diagnosis of 95 respiratory specimens from patients with severe infection were compared with those generated by the Unyvero P55 test, whi...

The cost-effectiveness of a series of mutually exclusive colorectal cancer screening programmes with varying screening interval and target group are analysed. Costs and effects for 60 possible screening programmes are simulated on the basis of data collected from a randomized trial initiated in 1985 in Funen County, Denmark. The screening test applied is the unhydrated Hemoccult-II. The analysi...