OBJECTIVE To examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of antimicrobial silver-donating dressings for venous leg ulcers compared with simple non-adherent (also known as low-adherent) dressings. DESIGN A pragmatic, prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT) and cost-effectiveness analysis of silver-donating versus low-adherent dressings in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. A non-ra...

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are challenged with ensuring appropriate antimicrobial use while minimizing expenditures. ASPs have consistently demonstrated improved patient outcomes and significant cost reductions but are continually required to justify the costs of their existence and interventions due to the silo mentality often adopted by hospital administrators. As new technolog...

Investigations, which are related to plasma efficiency on the treated leather surface, significant in development of ecologically and economically friendly processes obtaining material desired functional properties. Through pretreatments using different chemical-physical reactions surface layer occurred resulting improved reactivity. In this paper, modification functionalization bovine 1,2,3,4-...

An ideal preparation of 45S5 bioactive glass suspensions/slurries for root canal disinfection should combine high pH induction with capacity for continuing release of alkaline species. The hypothesis of this study was that more material per volume of bioactive glass slurry is obtained with a micrometric material (< 5 microm particle size) or a micrometric/ nanometric hybrid, rather than a solel...

The use of analogies to explain difficult subjects has always been reckoned as an expedient of great utility. Analogical reasoning from Y to X can lead to correct conclusions, but not all implications that can be correctly drawn from Y can be applied to X. In a learning context, the use of analogies without the corresponding warning about differences between the subjects will produce invalid kn...

BACKGROUND Bacteria in dental plaque are one of the main factors causing periodontal disease. The aim was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of antimicrobial dentifrices with herbal extracts and conventional toothpaste with no antimicrobial action for improvement of oral hygiene and reduction of gingival inflammation. METHODS 48 volunteers with chronic marginal gingivitis were randomly...

BACKGROUND Although in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies have suggested that benzalkonium chloride (BAK) in topical ophthalmic solutions may be detrimental to corneal epithelial cells, multiple short- and long-term clinical studies have provided evidence supporting the safety of BAK. Despite the conflicting evidence, BAK is the most commonly used preservative in ophthalmic products largely d...

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to public health the world over. Global health governance strategies need to address the erosion of antimicrobial effectiveness on three levels. Firstly, mechanisms to provide incentives for the pharmaceutical industry to develop antimicrobials for diseases threatening the developing world need to be sought out. Secondly, responsible use of antimicro...

SETTING Initial isolates should be tested for drug susceptibility to confirm the anticipated effectiveness of chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate E-test strips for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. DESIGN A proportion method using Lowenstein-Jensen medium and the Bactec radiometric system were compared with the E-test (isoniazid [INH], rifampicin [RMP], ethambutol [EMB] ...