Palestinian Experience in Stage Four Pressure Ulcer

Pressure ulcer (now called Pressure injury) happens when the bony prominence like the sacrum exposes to pressure for a long period and also can cause soft tissue injury. In order to prevent and cure pressure-induced wounds, continuous and attentive repositioning is necessary. Wound management begins with the identification and aggressive management of the modifiable factors, such as positioning, incontinence, spasticity, diet, devices, and medical comorbidity, which contribute to pressure injury formation. Initial interventions include washing, cleaning, and maintaining the surfaces of the wound. In certain cases, it may be sufficient to debride the non-viable or contaminated tissue; however, operational care in more severe cases or to encourage patient satisfaction may be necessary. Our patient is a 50-year-old overweighted man, nonsmoker, and confined to a wheelchair presented with a 20*20*8 stages 4 ulcers in the sacral area after multiple failed bedside debridement. When we use the fasciocutaneous we should consider the depth of the wound and fill dead space. Here we the local situation in Palestine as those patients are usually neglected and their management is restricted to bedside debridement, with no experience in flap reconstruction operations which would dramatically improve patients’ lives. We believe that further awareness is demanded for such procedures.

Measurements of surface scale changes in different denture base materials by stereophotogrammetric technique

Background. This study aimed to evaluate the surface scale changes in the denture base material using different polymerization techniques, such as heat-cure/pressure polymerization system and injection molding technique with the stereophotogrammetric technique. The function of a complete denture is related to the adaptation of its base to the supporting areas. Proper adaptation of the base depends on the stability and retention of dentures. The surface scale changes of dentures during processing and in service are of great importance since they affect the denture base material’s fit. Methods. This study focused on the use of a computer-assisted stereophotogrammetric method for measuring changes in the volume of three different denture base resins of an edentulous maxillary ridge. A stone master model simulating the shape of an edentulous maxillary arch was used to prepare three groups of denture base resins. The stereophotographs were evaluated to determine the surface scale differences of maxillary jaws. Results. The results showed no significant differences between the denture borders for three denture base materials (P > 0.05). Conclusion. In the evaluation made using this technique, no significant difference was found in the different polymerization techniques in terms of surface scale changes for three denture base materials. Stereophotogrammetry, especially the digital stereophotogrammetric technique, has several useful research applications in prosthodontics.

Effect of Autoclave Process Variables on Film Adhesive Bond With Polycarbonate Adherends

This study investigates the effect of autoclave curing process variables on the bond strength between film adhesive and polycarbonate adherends. Bond strength is measured in terms of the tensile shear load transfer capacity (LTC). Studied variables include cure temperature, cure pressure and their respective rates as well as the duration of cure time. Test coupons are made of two layers’ polycarbonate lexan adherends that are autoclave-bonded using aliphatic polyether film adhesive (Huntsman PE399). The relative significance of variables and variable combinations are investigated for their effect on the bond strength. Experimental test data shows interaction between autoclave variable cure temperature in combination with cure time, temp ramp rate and pressure ramp rate have significant effect on bond strength and failure mode.

Characterisation of an under-cured epoxy adhesive for use on the riv-bonded Bloodhound SSC lower chassis

Bloodhound SSC is a vehicle that aims to raise the World Land Speed Record to over 1000 mile/h in Hakskeen Pan, South Africa. Its lower chassis is a riv-bonded fabrication made using steel sheet for skins and aluminium alloy machinings for bulkheads. Fasteners alone were enough to satisfy the lower chassis structural requirements; however, Redux 312/5 epoxy adhesive was used to increase the stiffness of the structure and limit potential corrosion due to water and soil ingress. The use of dissimilar metals in the chassis could lead to panel buckling during elevated cure temperatures, meaning a low adhesive cure temperature of 80–90 ℃ was required to minimise this risk. As the cure pressure for the lower chassis adhesive was achieved using only rivets, the variation of cure pressure was experimentally investigated and found to be within the manufacturer’s recommendations for large sections of the lower chassis. Tensile testing indicated the chassis could be cured at 80 ℃ instead of the optimum 121 ℃, without significant loss of mechanical strength. A thermal characterisation of the adhesive was conducted using dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. A variety of cure profiles was investigated and resulted in a cure profile that maximised the glass transition temperature ( Tg). An increase in cure duration to 8 h was recommended, which resulted in an increase in Tg by 15–24 ℃ to 83–92 ℃.