It is time to be “cool” about maintaining skin integrity

Author(s):  
Davide Filingeri ◽  
Peter R. Worsley ◽  
Dan L. Bader
Keyword(s):  
Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 854
Author(s):  
Ahmad Hivechi ◽  
Peiman Brouki Milan ◽  
Khashayar Modabberi ◽  
Moein Amoupour ◽  
Kaveh Ebrahimzadeh ◽  
...  

Loss of skin integrity can lead to serious problems and even death. In this study, for the first time, the effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by cold-adapted yeast R. mucilaginosa sp. GUMS16 on a full-thickness wound in rats was evaluated. The GUMS16 strain’s EPS was precipitated by adding cold ethanol and then lyophilized. Afterward, the EPS with polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin was fabricated into nanofibers with two single-needle and double-needle procedures. The rats’ full-thickness wounds were treated with nanofibers and Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s Trichrome staining was done for studying the wound healing in rats. Obtained results from SEM, DLS, FTIR, and TGA showed that EPS has a carbohydrate chemical structure with an average diameter of 40 nm. Cell viability assessments showed that the 2% EPS loaded sample exhibits the highest cell activity. Moreover, in vivo implantation of nanofiber webs on the full-thickness wound on rat models displayed a faster healing rate when EPS was loaded into a nanofiber. These results suggest that the produced EPS can be used for skin tissue engineering applications.


Author(s):  
Christoph Liebich ◽  
V. Vanessa Wegin ◽  
Christine Marquart ◽  
Irene Schubert ◽  
Marie-Luise von Bruehl ◽  
...  

AbstractAn athlete’s skin has to cope with various stressors that influence skin integrity. This study investigated the effect of intense sporting activity at a competitive level on skin health, independent of the type of sport. The prevalence of dermatoses in elite athletes who exercise 8 or more hours per week was compared to recreational athletes. By applying a questionnaire, we acquired data from n=492 recruited athletes and recreational athletes regarding the prevalence of dermatoses, the extent of physical activity, and sports discipline practiced. Compared to the reference group, elite athletes showed less inflammatory, traumatic, infectious, and sebaceous skin diseases and especially neurodermitis, pruritus, bullae, tinea pedis, acne, and herpes were less common. Women suffered from skin diseases more often than men. With advanced age, the incidence of dermatoses increased, but less so among elite athletes. The discipline practiced and the duration of training, especially when performed outdoors, strongly influenced the development of dermatoses. Even though the skin of athletes is exposed to higher stress levels and physical strain, we can state that intensive physical activity seems to act as a protecting factor against skin diseases and significantly promotes skin health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-157
Author(s):  
Fiona MacVane Phipps ◽  
Alan D Price ◽  
James Ackers-Johnson ◽  
Penny A Cook ◽  
Alexandra M. Clarke-Cornwell ◽  
...  

Background Several industry funded studies between 2001–2018 have compared the use of a single brand of baby wipes to cleansing with water and either cloth or cotton wool during nappy changes. All of these studies found that wipes were safe and effective from birth. Recommendations from these studies have included the need for brand or formula comparison but to date, no previous study has done this. Aims The ‘Baby skin integrity comparison survey’ (BaSICS) study was designed to compare three brands of baby wipes to determine if there was any difference in the incidence of irritant diaper dermatitis (IDD or nappy rash) during the first eight weeks of life. Methods Mothers who were allocated to a single brand of nappy but divided into three baby wipe allocation groups, collected and reported survey data on infant skin integrity during one nappy change daily with the use of a user-friendly smartphone application. Findings All brands of wipes were acceptable to mothers and safe and effective when cleaning during nappy changes. The brand containing the fewest ingredients showed a clinically significant advantage of fewer incidents of rash than the other two brands. Conclusion This study demonstrated that wipe formulation is a significant factor in prevention or reduction of IDD during the first eight weeks of life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 465-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia García-Mayor ◽  
Juan Carlos Morilla-Herrera ◽  
Inmaculada Lupiáñez-Pérez ◽  
Shakira Kaknani Uttumchandani ◽  
Álvaro León Campos ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-267
Author(s):  
Priscilla Pather ◽  
Anna Doubrovsky ◽  
Leanne Jack ◽  
Fiona Coyer

Objective: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients possess multiple risk factors for developing loss of skin integrity, particularly incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). IAD is an inflammatory skin condition resulting from repeated and prolonged contact with urine, faeces or both. This study aimed to measure the incidence and clinical characteristics of adult ICU patients with IAD. Method: This was a prospective observational study conducted over three months in an adult ICU. Included patients were ≥18 years who experienced faecal incontinence during their intensive care admission. Patients were excluded if they had an ileostomy or colostomy, had IAD on admission, or were continent of urine and faeces. Skin inspections were performed every second day on all recruited patients by trained research nurses. Other data were collected from patient medical records. Results: A total of 37 patients took part in the study. Incidence of IAD was 35.1%; 13 patients who had incontinence developed IAD. The mean time to onset of IAD was 3.69 days, median 3 days (SD: 1.8, range: 2–8 days). Of the 13 patients who developed IAD, 12 (92.3%) patients were initially assessed as having category 1 IAD and one (7.7%) patient was initially assessed with category 2 IAD. Of the patients with category 1 IAD, one patient (7.7%) progressed to category 2 IAD severity. Conclusion: A larger sample is recommended to fully explore ICU patient characteristics and IAD development. The incidence of IAD in ICU patients was high at 35%, indicating this condition requires due consideration in ICU patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Ryszard Mądry ◽  
Jerzy Strużyna

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is composed of several layers each having different properties and physiological functions. The loss of skin integrity due to injury or disease can lead to acute physiological and immune disorders which may even result in death. The following properties are taken into consideration when choosing an appropriate dressing for the burn wound: the ability to support epithelialization and granulation, reduction of pain, patient discomfort, and costs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of silver dressings in treatment of burns, frostbites, Lyell’s syndrome and chronic wounds. The use of silver dressings in thermal injuries, Lyell’s syndrome and chronic wounds had a significant effect on treatment progress. Silver dressings can be a temporary substitute for the epidermis in burns, frostbites, Lyell’s syndrome and chronic wounds.


Author(s):  
Christine Olney ◽  
Jennifer Leestma ◽  
Andrew Hansen ◽  
John Ferguson ◽  
Mary Murphy Kruse ◽  
...  

Veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at high risk for developing debilitating pressure injuries, particularly to their seated areas (e.g. coccyx, sacral and gluteal) [1]. To prevent development of a pressure injury the Veteran with SCI is encouraged to invoke multiple prevention strategies [2]. One recommended prevention strategy is to conduct twice daily skin self-screenings. Skin self-screening is usually conducted in the bed, prior to arising in the morning and prior to sleep in the evening. The current method to conduct skin self-screening utilizes a mirror at the end of a long handle. The Veteran with SCI examines at-risk areas for changes in their skin integrity such as discoloration, swelling, or changes in skin texture. This method can take up to 20 minutes to complete. In the event there is a change to skin integrity, the pressure injury prevention protocol advises the Veteran with SCI to off-load that particular area for at least 24 hours [3]. Further, he/she is advised to consult with their skin specialist if the area does not resolve to normal color or texture within that next 24 hour period. The consequences of ignoring an early stage pressure injury can be serious e.g. weeks to months of hospitalization attempting to heal the injury, tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare costs, possible surgery to close the wound and possibly death [4]. Informal interviews with Veterans with SCI clarified and validated that conducting skin screening with the mirror could be very challenging due to barriers such as: not having a baseline image to compare to; the mirror image not being viewable to the user due to lack of user flexibility or body habitus; the mirror does not easily allow a complete view of all the at-risk areas; the user not being able to discern what he/she is actually viewing possibly due to mirror image distortion and limited visual acuity. The need for a better skin self-screening device was evidenced by the advanced pressure injuries Veterans presented to their healthcare providers. Finding a pressure injury in the early stages of development and intervening immediately, such as repositioning, can improve the trajectory of the injury [5]. Therefore the project goal was to offer a better tool for and improve the efficacy of skin self-screening for the Veterans with SCI. To overcome the identified barriers, our team of VA clinicians and engineers of the Minneapolis Adaptive Design & Engineering (MADE) program invented such a device at the Minneapolis VA. This paper presents the patient centered iterative process that was used to develop a skin self-screening device and the future directions for this technology.


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