The prognosis of stage I pressure ulcers cannot be predicted; therefore, nursing interventions for preventing their deterioration have not been clearly established. This study describes the clinical course of stage I pressure ulcers and prospectively investigates the factors related to their deterioration. Thirty-one stage I pressure ulcers in 30 patients ...

AIM: This paper reports the findings of a pilot study exploring the experience of older people living with pressure ulcers. BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers are known to be a significant health burden, but little is known of the impact on the quality of life of the sufferer. They mainly affect older ...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Despite the prevalence of orthopaedic injuries to horses, there is no objective means of quantifying the intensity of musculoskeletal pain. HYPOTHESES: Mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) can be measured repeatably by pressure algometry in horses and MNTs are correlated with both severity of clinical signs and subjective ...

Pressure ulcers represent a major health problem causing a considerable amount of suffering for patients and a high financial burden for healthcare systems. The geriatric population with an increased risk of pressure ulcer development is rising constantly as a result of chronic degenerative diseases that can lead to prolonged immobilization ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the daily-lifestyle influences on the development of pressure ulcers in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Qualitative investigation using in-depth interviewing and participant observation. SETTING: Participants were studied in their homes and other naturalistic contexts. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty men and women of diverse ethnicities with paraplegia or ...

Understanding the historical dynamics, composition, and environmental disturbances of forest landscapes provides a context for monitoring changes, describing trends, and establishing reference conditions. This study analyses the temporal changes in forest ecosystem structure in Artvin Forest Planning Unit (AFPU), Turkey, during 1972-2002 period based on digitized forest stand type maps ...

The long-lasting imprint of acute pain in the central nervous system may contribute to the transition of acute pain to chronicity. The long-term potentiation (which is proposed as a mechanism of memory) and central sensitization were each reported as a form of synaptic plasticity, and both can be initiated by ...

BACKGROUND: The reliability and validity of pressure ulcer diagnosis and grading are major methodological issues in studies and reports on pressure ulcer frequency. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to estimate the reliability and validity of pressure ulcer diagnosis and grading within the interdisciplinary pressure ulcer project of the ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ylang ylang oil (Cananga odorata, Annonaceae) on human physiological parameters and self-evaluation after transdermal absorption. Forty healthy volunteers participated in the experiments. Physiological parameters recorded were skin temperature, pulse rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. Self-evaluation was assessed by ...

PURPOSE: To provide the practitioner with updated information about pressure ulcers and their management. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in better understanding the scientific principles governing pressure ulcer development and treatment. OBJECTIVES: After reading this article and taking this test, ...

Pressure ulcers remain a complex and costly problem to the health care system. As the population ages, a greater number of individuals will be at high risk for developing pressure ulcers. An understanding of the physiologic changes that occur with aging skin is important in preventing and treating chronic wounds. ...

Many fish species transform in body shape during growth, but it remains unclear how this influences the mechanics of locomotion. Therefore, the present study focused on understanding how drag generation during coasting is affected by ontogenetic changes in the morphology of zebrafish (Danio rerio). The shapes of the body and ...

Impairment of the cutaneous microcirculation is a major predisposing factor in inflammation and ulceration in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Increase of capillary filtration rate predisposes to the formation of edema. Local lymphedema is a complication of CVI, often underdiagnosed. This review is focused on CVI but excludes the ...

CONTEXT: Pressure ulcers are common in a variety of patient settings and are associated with adverse health outcomes and high treatment costs. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence examining interventions to prevent pressure ulcers. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL (from inception through June 2006) and Cochrane ...

Despite the fact that coverage is one of the most widely used descriptors for seagrass meadows, the spatial structure of coverage at mesoscale has not often been taken into account. The present work investigates the structure of P. oceanica coverage at mesoscale and its possible relationship with several factors (depth, ...

The Axios River delta and the Inner Thermaikos Gulf coastal zone have experienced a long period of human interventions during the past 100 years. A post-evaluation of long run coastal zone changes under the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework is presented. The DPSIR approach is then used to project out into ...

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of two instruments (the Braden scale and a multi-pad pressure evaluator) for predicting pressure ulcer development. A prospective cohort design was used and 105 intensive care unit patients participated in this study. The result was a 33% incidence of pressure ...

Road expansion and associated increases in bunting pressure are a rapidly growing threat to African tropical wildlife. In the rainforests of southern Gabon, we compared abundances of larger (>1 kg) mammal species at varying distances from forest roads and between hunted and unhunted treatments (comparing a 130-km2 oil concession that ...

Pressure ulcers remain prevalent in hospitals and nursing homes despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines for prevention and care. To evaluate the level of evidence-based literature and its application in pressure ulcer treatment, a search was conducted of relevant English and German articles published between 1994 and 2002 using the ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for pressure ulcers that may place the patient with cancer at higher risk. The role of nursing to provide pressure ulcer preventive measures will be discussed. DATA SOURCES: Current research and published literature CONCLUSION: Research suggests that comprehensive prevention programs are effective in reducing pressure ...

OBJECTIVES: To study incidence and severity of steal phenomena in hemodialysis patients and to investigate possible methods for its detection. METHODS: A questionnaire was composed based on a literature search. A subgroup of patients having steal as identified by the questionnaire was studied using physical examination, arterial blood pressure, skin ...

Writer's Cramp (WC) is a focal, action-related dystonia, which induces hypertonic co-contractions and severely impairs handwriting. One behavioral treatment approach is the handwriting training developed by Mai and Marquardt (1999), [Mai, N., & Marquardt, C. (1999). Schreibtraining in der neurologischen Rehabilitation. In EKN-Materialien für die Rehabilitation. Dortmund: Borgmann] which includes ...

Absence of pressure ulcers is increasingly being used as an indicator of quality nursing care, based on the premise that pressure ulcers are preventable. This retrospective study examined the occurrence, presentation, and timing of pressure ulcer development in 150 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Pressure ulcer incidents were recorded in groups ...

To evaluate the ability of research nurses to identify pressure ulcers, the authors assembled digital photographs of the skin of 160 consenting elderly patients (80% African American, 63% women). The series included 39 photos of pressure ulcers, 109 of normal skin, and 12 of other skin conditions, determined by consensus ...

ABSTRACT Cultivar mixtures can reduce potato late blight severity on susceptible cultivars. While alternating rows of susceptible and resistant cultivars would be more acceptable than random mixtures for commercial use, they increase the genotype unit area, which is an unfavorable factor for mixture efficiency, and have been minimally efficient when ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine differences between alternating pressure overlays and alternating pressure replacement mattresses with respect to the development of new pressure ulcers, healing of existing pressure ulcers, patient acceptability and cost-effectiveness of the different pressure-relieving surfaces. Also to investigate the specific additional impact of pressure ulcers on patients' well-being. DESIGN: ...

Noninvasive functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the sacral nerve roots can activate gluteal muscles. We propose the use of sacral anterior root stimulator (SARS) implants to prevent ischial pressure ulcers in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population. In this study, we (1) investigated the acute effects of sacral FMS on ...

A criterion-referenced Web-based test was designed and administered to 256 individuals at 48 randomly sampled National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) member hospitals to determine the reliability of the NDNQI pressure ulcer indicator. Overall kappa values for pressure ulcer identification, staging, and sourcing indicate moderate to near perfect reliability. ...

In the Soa Basin of central Flores, eastern Indonesia, stratified archaeological sites, including Mata Menge, Boa Lesa and Kobatuwa (Fig. 1), contain stone artefacts associated with the fossilized remains of Stegodon florensis, Komodo dragon, rat and various other taxa. These sites have been dated to 840-700 kyr bp (thousand years ...

This article outlines the principle areas for consideration form the NICE (2005) guideline for pressure ulcer prevention and treatment. All key areas are included and recommendations made for their implementation into clinical practice. A conclusion is made that pressure ulcer prevention is a key indicator of quality care and that ...

Transmission of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, is known to depend on various environmental factors which are subject to human influence. Epidemiological data suggest that in most endemic regions anthropogenic landscape changes (e.g. deforestation and agricultural practices) have led to more favourable conditions ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if educating nursing home staff about pressure ulcer prevention reduces the differential risk of pressure ulcer development in black and white nursing home residents. DESIGN: Subanalysis of a study designed to monitor the emergence of all pressure ulcers in nursing home residents during 12-week baseline and intervention ...

This study assessed whether glycosylated hemoglobin could be used as an index to distinguish between iron-deficiency anemia and thalassemia minor. Glycosylated hemoglobin was measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography in 40 ss -thalassemia minor patients, 20 iron-deficiency anemia patients, and 38 healthy controls, all nondiabetic. Median glycosylated hemoglobin was lower in ...

To assess the cost effectiveness of alternating pressure mattresses compared with alternating pressure overlays for the prevention of pressure ulcers in patients admitted to hospital. Cost effectiveness analysis carried out alongside the pressure relieving support surfaces (PRESSURE) trial; a multicentre UK based pragmatic randomised controlled trial. 11 hospitals in six ...

To compare whether differences exist between alternating pressure overlays and alternating pressure mattresses in the development of new pressure ulcers, healing of existing pressure ulcers, and patient acceptability. Pragmatic, open, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. 11 hospitals in six NHS trusts. 1972 people admitted to hospital as acute or elective patients. ...

Blood stain patterns from wounds are determined in part by the nature of the injuries, but also by the types of vessels that have been traumatised. Characteristic spray from arterial injury usually results in a fine projected bloodstain pattern, often found at some distance from the victim. In contrast, venous ...

The primary cause of pressure sores is the interference with the blood supply of the tissues which, if prolonged, will result in their death. In most cases, the prolonged pressure which occludes vessels is caused by the inability of the patient to feel pain and/or move. Fortunately the surface area ...

The problem is that when the surface of the body is denervated, it is liable to break down from a number of widely different mechanical stresses. The obvious common factor of denervation or loss of sensation has allowed many workers to assume that loss of nerves is the most significant ...

OBJECTIVE: We compared the shear forces exerted over the heel between a pressure ulcer preventive dressing and a thin-film dressing in a clinical setting. Interface pressures were measured as well. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental clinical trial. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Participants were 30 elderly patients (5 men, 25 women; mean age, 86.4 +/- ...

Pressure ulcers cause distress to patients and give health professionals cause for concern because of the dramatic effects on patients' quality of life, as well as the implications for resources (Hampton and Collins 2001). By understanding the changes in tissue physiology that take place and the complications of sitting, nurses ...

BACKGROUND: The pathology literature suggests three types of pressure ulcer with six possible mechanisms leading to tissue breakdown. A limitation of current evidence is the difficulty in replicating the clinical situation and in determining the point at which a tissue assault becomes irreversible and results in tissue breakdown. In particular ...

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers frequently occur in hospitalised patients. The prevalence of pressure ulcers grade 2 or worse varies from 3% to 12% in hospitalised patients. Incidence figures are not frequently reported. While incidence and prevalence are both measures of disease frequency, they provide different perspectives on pressure ulcers. OBJECTIVES: To ...

AIM: This research was conducted for the purpose of determining the incidence of surgery-related pressure ulcer formation. BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing surgery are prone to develop pressure ulcers during surgery. Pressure ulcer incidence in surgery population is reported between 3.5% and 29.5%. Some of these factors that occur during surgery are ...

PURPOSE: Clinicians often observe child wheelchair users wheeling on tyres that are not inflated to manufacturer's recommendations. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in energy expenditure that are related to decreased tyre pressure. METHODS: A within subject repeated measures design was used to assess the energy requirements ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of gluteal neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMES) using implanted percutaneous electrodes to improve regional tissue health and decrease the risk of pressure ulcer development. DESIGN: Case study of long-term use of gluteal NMES. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANT: A patient with a C4-level American Spinal Injury Association grade ...

AIM: This paper reports a study examining the interrater and intrarater reliability of classifying pressure ulcers according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification system when using photographs of pressure ulcers and incontinence lesions. BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcer classification is an essential tool for assessing ulcers and their severity and ...

Habitat fragmentation is expected to impose strong selective pressures on dispersal rates. However, evolutionary responses of dispersal are not self-evident, since various selection pressures act in opposite directions. Here we disentangled the components of dispersal behavior in a metapopulation context using the Virtual Migration model, and we linked their variation ...

AIM: This paper reports a systematic review conducted to determine the effectiveness of the use of risk assessment scales for pressure ulcer prevention in clinical practice, degree of validation of risk assessment scales, and effectiveness of risk assessment scales as indicators of risk of developing a pressure ulcer. BACKGROUND: Pressure ...

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers represent a major cost to the healthcare systems of the world but preventative measures are expensive and could be better targeted. Current risk screening mechanisms are often subjective and could be improved. AIMS: To evaluate whether a biochemical assessment tool (Prognostic Inflammatory and Nutritional Index; PINI) based ...

A 15-year-old male died of cardiac rupture due to blunt chest trauma from a traffic accident involving a low-speed scooter carrying 3 people and a head-on collision with a tree. The victim was sitting on the footrest of the scooter. It was concluded that the victim was compressed between the ...