Articles

In 2010, a study identified that only about 40% of doctors and other health care providers comply with proper hand hygiene techniques in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. These statistics are alarming as healthcare professionals are the ones who set the gold standard for hygiene and sterility, but they continue to find it difficult to demonstrate this standard in every practice [1]. Even with The Joint Commission supporting that hand hygiene as the most critical intervention for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), the compliance rate for hand hygiene has not drastically improved [2]. The goal of this article brief is to answer the question why hasn’t handwashing improved even with the evidence to support that proper hand hygiene decreases HCAIs? 

Background: In health care systems nursing care documentation is a vital and powerful tool that ensures continuity of care and communication between health personnel for better patient outcomes. Knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses’ towards nursing care documentation affect the quality and coordination of patients’ care. Hence, this study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors towards nursing care documentation among nurses in West Gojjam Zone public hospitals, Amhara Ethiopia. Method: Institutional based cross sectional study was conducted among 246 nurses in West Gojjam Zone public hospitals from February to March 8, 2018. The study participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected by using pre-tested and validated self-administered structured questionnaire with internal reliability of Cronbach’s Alpha values 0.912, 0.784 and 0.713 for knowledge, attitude and practice questions respectively. Epi data version 3.1 and SPSS version 20 was used for data entry and analysis respectively. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were used. Result: The overall response rate was 97.56%. Among 240 respondents 54.6% of them had good knowledge, 50% of study participants had favorable attitude and 47.5% of study participants had good nursing care documentation practice. Sex and monthly salary were found to be statistically significant with knowledge of nurses. Work setting, work experiences and knowledge of nurses had significant association with nurses’ attitude towards nursing care documentation. Availability of operational standards, knowledge and attitude of nurses had significant association with nursing care documentation practice. Conclusions and Recommendation: Results of this study showed that knowledge, attitude and practice of West Gojjam zone public hospital nurses on nursing care documentation were poor. Therefore; in order to solve this problem each hospital should recruit nurses until hospitals are saturated enough. It is recommended to avail nursing care documentation standards/guidelines in each hospital and to give training about it and also it is recommended to conduct multisite studies especially qualitative type to increase its quality.

Introduction: High proportion of stroke survivors have impaired functional mobility and decrease in overall quality of life (QoL). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (non-invasive brain stimulation) and over-ground walking task (OGWT) (functional task-oriented training) have been suggested to improve functional mobility and QoL of stroke survivors. Hence, this study determined the efficacy of tDCS (anodal and cathodal) with OGWT on functional mobility and QoL of stroke survivors. Materials and methods: Seventy eight (78) stroke survivors were randomised into three groups: anodal group (anodal tDCS with OGWT); cathodal group (cathodal tDCS with OGWT) and control group (OGWT only). Participants had two sessions of intervention per week for six weeks. Functional mobility was assessed using 10 meter walk test (10MWT) measuring steps, time and velocity while QoL was measured using Stroke Specific QoL (SSQoL) scale. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Participants (46 males) were aged 56.78 ± 10.24 years. The groups were matched for functional mobility and QoL at baseline and only work/productivity domain of SSQoL showed statistically significant difference (p = 0.028). Each group showed statistically significant improvement between baseline and post-intervention scores of items in functional mobility (p ≤ 0.001) and total SSQoL (p ≤ 0.001). Anodal group showed better statistically significant improvement in step (p = 0.008), time (p = 0.024), velocity (p = 0.001) and total SSQoL (p = 0.016) among the groups when the mean differences were compared. Conclusion: tDCS with OGWT is efficacious in improving functional mobility and QoL of stroke survivors. Specifically anodal tDCS with OGWT showed better clinical improvement in step, time, velocity and QoL in stroke survivors.

The demand for materials and devices that are capable of controlling heat flux has attracted many interests due to desire to attain new sources of energy and on-chip cooling. Excellent properties of DNA make it as an interesting nanomaterial in future technologies. In this paper, we aim to investigate the thermal flow through two sequence combinations of DNA, e.g, (AT)4 (CG)4 (AT)4 (CG)4 and (CG)8 (AT)8. Two interesting phenomena have been observed respectively. In the first configuration, an oscillatory thermal flux is observed. In this way, an oscillating heat flux from a stationary spatial thermal gradient is provided by varying the gate temperature. In the second configuration, the system behaves as a constant heat current source. The physical mechanism behind each phenomenon is identified. In the first case, it was shown that the transition between thermal positive conductance and negative differential conductance implies oscillatory heat current. In the latter, the discordance between the phonon bands of the two coupled sequences results in constant thermal flow despite of increasing in temperature gradient.

Present piece of idea exhibits to divert attention towards automated high precision Life Support System (LSS) instead of manual one using medical intelligence devices while treating and diagnosis to the patient, where Ventilator, inhaler and respiratory control is most important factor during operation, surgeries and in other likewise medical emergency situations to maintain proper saturation in patient lungs to sustain their lives. This work gives idea, how we can design A.I based Inhaler System for the same. 

Graphical abstract Biodegradation of implanted gold in human tissue. TEM images reveal markedly biodegradation of implanted gold and re-crystallization of dissolved gold as nanoparticle of different size, shape and crystallinity. Highly crystalline icosahedral Au nanoparticle and the corresponding power spectrum are shown on top. Background: Despite the importance of biodegradation for the durability of metal prosthesis and the widely use of gold implants, there exist a lack of knowledge regarding the stability of pure gold in tissue. Methods: We studied biodegradation of grids of pure gold, nickel, and copper as well as middle ear prosthesis of gold, platinum or titanium. Metals were implanted into rat skin and humans. Dissolution and re-crystallization process of the metals was analysed using SEM, TEM, power spectra as well as elemental analysis by EDX and EELS/ESI. Results: Biodegradation of gold was detected, presumably by solving and re-precipitation of gold around implants. Gold cluster, nanoparticles, and mesostructures were detected, formed by dissolution and re-crystallization process. This process results into a migration of gold into the farer off tissue. Cellular filaments as biomolecular templates facilitate the formation of mesostructures. Loss of function of middle ear prosthesis by biodegradation is caused by chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Indeed, similar processes were detected with platinum, but in a very lower level. Conclusion: Noble metal implants undergo biodegradation in oxidative environment in tissue. The dissolution – recrystallization process can be explained by enzyme catalysed redox processes comprising reactive oxygen species and reduction agents as ascorbic acid present in cells and body tissue. Enymes like myeloperoxidase inside lysosomes of inflammatory cells produce hypochloride ions and H2O2 which can dissolve the gold. General significance: The crucial role of the specific chemical environments of gold implants in tissue for their chemical stability and durability of function has been demonstrated. Due to widely use and importance of gold implants, this finding is of general interes.

Background: NSU is generally caused by right cerebral hemisphere lesions with a preeminent localization on the frontoparietal lobe. Aim: To assess the correlation between the typology and the brain lesion site and the consensual consent modality of body image modification after an integrated rehabilitative and neuropsychological treatment. Setting: A rehabilitation institute for the treatment of neurological gait disorders and neuropsichological failures. methods: Patients recruited were divided according to the brain lesion site into 3 groups (IG = ischemic group = 5 patients; HG = hemorrhagic group = 4 patients; IG + HG = ischemic + hemorrhagic group = 3 patients) based on CT brain performed in the post-acute phase. At time T0, the patients recruited underwent a systematic review of their current neuroradiological profile (location delineation and type of brain injury) compared with a consensual framing of the neuromotor and neuropsychological profile acquired at the time of taking charge in the ward. At time T1 and after the drafting and implementation of the rehabilitation treatment plan foreseen in the study (1 to 4 months after T0), the patients in our sample underwent a re-evaluation of their neuromotor and neuropsychological profile with controls of the same outcome parameters considered at time T0. Results: A parametrically but not statistically significant modification of the results obtained was observed by measuring the MI ULl, MI LLl and TCT scales in the group with hemorrhagic brain injury; the analysis of variance did not show any statistical significance in the relationship between the type of stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic or both) and the motor impairment passing from time T0 to time T1. The analysis of variance did not reveal a statistically or parametrically significant relationship between the type (ischemic, hemorrhagic and ischemic + hemorrhagic) of cerebral stroke and the variations of the neuropsychological profile. The T-Student test showed statistically significant changes in the importance of the lesion site in defining the degree of motor disability. In particular, we observed, about the presence of frontal lobe lesions, a statistically significant variation passing from the T0 time to the T1 time for the following motor scales in 9 of 12 recruited patients: MI LLl (26.4 vs. 62, with p < 0.05), TCT (43.6 vs. 80.6, with p < 0.01 for equal variance assumed and p < 0.05 for equal variance not assumed), FAC (0.8 vs. 2.3 with p < 0,01 for equal variance assumed and p < 0.05 for equal variance not assumed). Conclusion: We have confirmed the importance of the anatomical-dysfunctional correlation as a key concept from which to start in any neurorehabilitative treatment approach. Our work has highlighted the basic role of the right frontal lobe in the programming and execution of the gesture and its kinesthetic control as regards the left lower limb and the trunk.

Biological membranes present an essential constituent of living cells. Their main role is to separate the interior of a cell from its surrounding, however allowing the selective transfer of specific material through it. Configuration changes of membranes are often correlated with important biological processes [1-7].

Nanocontainers of the type CuO, ZnO and CeMo were developed in the present work and incorporated into commercial paints. The nanocontainers were filled with bromosphaerol (CuO and ZnO), SeaNineTM 211 (CuO and ZnO), and 8Hydroxyquinoline (CeMo). The new resulting paints were tested in the lab and in the sea via painting a fraction of two ships. The outcome of this work is encouraging demonstrating that the new nanotechnology-based paints yield to superior commercial paints that may present a major milestone in the new generation of marine paints

The concept of space-matter motion in the new Cartesian physics, based on the identity of space and matter, creates the basis for the study of consciousness as the action of the brain in space inside and outside itself and offers a way of materialistic explanation of life on Earth. She claims that consciousness in living matter arises when the brain begins to create the surrounding space the image of themselves and the world. And since space according to Descartes is identical to matter, the images created by the brain of itself and the external world in the surrounding space have a material basis and therefore the displayed organs interact with each other and the external world.