Curcumin-loaded ZnO nanocomposites act as an effective, synergistically-enhanced combination delivery/therapeutic agent, holding promise for anticancer and antimicrobial therapy with reduced toxicities.
Healing agent, epoxy encapsulated calcium carbonate microcapsules were prepared using a facile method as a self-healing composite for protective metal coatings.
Metformin is the first line medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus worldwide. It has been considered a cost effective and safe drug for decades. Though, lactic acidosis is a recognized adverse effect of metformin, it is sparsely seen with therapeutic doses. However, it occurs frequently in patients with metformin overdose and in the presence of renal insufficiency. Metformin associated lactic acidosis (MALA) carries a mortality rate of almost 50%. Early initiation of renal replacement therapy has shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients. Metformin overdose is relatively uncommon and only few cases of severe metformin overdose are reported in the literature. Here, we discuss five cases of MALA due to severe metformin poisoning. Four of them were successfully treated with early use of renal replacement therapy.
Background: Proper hand hygiene (HH) is of utmost importance in reducing the prevalence of healthcare associated infections. The World Health Organisation (WHO) HH strategy has been shown to be the most effective approach leading to practice improvements. An audit was conducted to assess the adherence to HH recommendations amongst the healthcare workers (HCW) at a medical unit in National Hospital Kandy (NHK) in July 2021. Methods: Audit standards were set to WHO five-moments HH. Four medical personnel were trained using WHO HH audit tool and asked to discreetly observe up to four HCW to assess HH over 20-minute sessions. HH compliance in total (TC), each moment and each HCW category were calculated in percentages and compared. HH compliance of 100% is the gold standard. Results: Total of 1134 opportunities were observed. TC was 49%. Moments specific compliance were, before touching a patient (moment1): 51%, before an aseptic procedure (moment2): 67.4%, after body fluid exposure risk (moment 3): 65.2%, after touching a patient (moment 4): 69.2% and after touching patient's surrounding (moment 5): 26.7%. HCW specific compliance of doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants (HCA), medical students, allied healthcare workers (AHC), and nursing students were 54%, 49.6%, 44.8%, 4.7%, 37.1% and 11.7% respectively. Doctors were significantly more likely to be compliant overall (in all moments), and specifically in moment 4 and moment 5 HH. Conclusions and recommendations: Overall HH compliance among HCW was inadequate at the observed study setting. Doctors demonstrated a better HH compliance than other healthcare categories. HH compliance was better in moment 4 and moment 2 than other moments. After reinforcement of HH practices, a re-audit is recommended to assess the improvement.
Artificial Intelligence (Al) has emerged as a transformative force in various fields, and its potential in medicine is particularly remarkable. The application of Al in healthcare holds immense promise, as it has the ability to revolutionise medical practice and the delivery of healthcare services. Over the past decade, Al has made significant strides in numerous medical specialties, presenting opportunities to enhance patient care, diagnostics, personalised treatment plans, and administrative processes within healthcare organisations. However, despite the tremendous opportunities presented by Al in medicine, there are also significant challenges to overcome.
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