This study applied poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), a biomedical ceramic powder as an additive (nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) or β-tricalcium diphosphate (β-TCP)), and sodium chloride (NaCl) and ammonium bicarbonate ((NH4)HCO3) as porogens; these stuffs were used as scaffold materials. An improved solvent-casting/particulate-leaching method was utilized to fabricate 3D porous scaffolds. In this study we examined the physical properties (elastic modulus, porosity, and contact angle) and degradation properties (weight loss and pH value) of the 3D porous scaffolds. Both nHA and β-TCP improved the mechanical properties (elastic modulus) of the 3D porous scaffolds. The elastic modulus (0.15~1.865 GPa) of the various composite scaffolds matched that of human cancellous bone (0.1~4.5 GPa). Osteoblast-like (MG63) cells were cultured, a microculture tetrazolium test (MTT) was conducted and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the 3D porous scaffolds was determined. Experimental results indicated that both nHA and β-TCP powder improved the hydrophilic properties of the scaffolds. The degradation rate of the scaffolds was accelerated by adding nHA or β-TCP. The MTT and ALP activity tests indicated that the scaffolds with a high ratio of nHA or β-TCP had excellent properties of in vitro biocompatibility (cell attachment and proliferation).
The quality of healthcare is crucially linked to patient satisfaction, particularly in the provision of neuraxial analgesia for labor pain. Neuraxial analgesia for labor pain control should ideally be readily available when requested. However, in real-world practice, anesthesiologists may not always respond immediately to maternal demands, which can compromise the quality of care. To address this issue, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of involving a dedicated nurse in epidural care to improve maternal satisfaction. This study was conducted in a single tertiary center. Medical records of women with singleton pregnancies above 36 gestational weeks who received neuraxial analgesia for labor pain control were reviewed (N = 354). Among them, 104 women (29%) received care from a dedicated nurse. The results showed that involving a dedicated nurse led to higher maternal satisfaction scores before (4.7 ± 0.5 versus 4.5 ± 0.6, p = 0.001), during (4.7 ± 0.6 versus 4.5 ± 0.6, p = 0.002), and at 24 h postpartum (4.7 ± 0.5 versus 4.5 ± 0.5, p = 0.001), without any adverse impact on maternal, neonatal, or epidural-related complications. These findings suggest that allocating a dedicated nurse to epidural care can effectively enhance maternal satisfaction and potentially improve overall care quality.
This cohort study examines obstetric and neonatal outcomes associated with predelivery screening policy implementation aimed to prevent COVID-19 in a Taiwan hospital.
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