METHODS: The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) procedure guidelines version 2.0 for FDG-PET tumor imaging has adhered for this purpose. A NEMA2012/IEC2008 phantom was filled with tumor to background ratio of 10:1 with the activity concentration of 30 kBq/ml ± 10 and 3 kBq/ml ± 10% for each radioisotope. The phantom was scanned using different acquisition times per bed position (1, 5, 7, 10 and 15 min) to determine the Tmin. The definition of Tmin was performed using an image coefficient of variations (COV) of 15%.
RESULTS: Tmin obtained for 18F, 68Ga and 124I were 3.08, 3.24 and 32.93 min, respectively. Quantitative analyses among 18F, 68Ga and 124I images were performed. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast recovery coefficients (CRC), and visibility (VH) are the image quality parameters analysed in this study. Generally, 68Ga and 18F gave better image quality as compared to 124I for all the parameters studied.
CONCLUSION: We have defined Tmin for 18F, 68Ga and 124I SPECT CT imaging based on NEMA2012/IEC2008 phantom imaging. Despite the long scanning time suggested by Tmin, improvement in the image quality is acquired especially for 124I. In clinical practice, the long acquisition time, nevertheless, may cause patient discomfort and motion artifact.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four rats were divided into three groups: normal saline, octenidine dihydrochloride and povidone-iodine. Wounds were made on the rats' backs, and A. baumannii germs were inoculated into the wounds. After 3 hours, the wound was irrigated with wound cleansing solution according to the group for 30 seconds. Each wound was taken swab culture before and after wound irrigation and tissue culture 5 hours after wound irrigation.
RESULTS: All specimens showed bacterial colony growth with a median value of 1.22 × 105 CFU before irrigation. Wound irrigation with normal saline did not reduce colony counts, while there was a 3-log reduction to 5-log reduction in the octenidine and povidone-iodine groups. Statistically, there was no significant difference in the mean number of colonies between the octenidine and povidone-iodine groups after irrigation (p = 0.535). However, 3 hours after irrigation, all specimens that experienced 3-log reduction showed regrowth to more than 1 × 105 CFU. In contrast, specimens subjected to 5-log reduction did not exhibit any regrowth.
CONCLUSION: The antiseptic effectiveness of octenidine dihydrochloride is equivalent to povidone-iodine in eradicating A. baumannii colonies in wounds in vivo.
METHODS: Based on data collected through PubMed using specified search criteria based on above topics and clinical experience of the authors, this article will review preclinical and clinical safety and efficacy data on the use of povidone iodine in wound healing and its implications for the control of infection and inflammation, together with the authors' advice for the successful treatment of acute and chronic wounds.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Povidone iodine has many characteristics that position it extraordinarily well for wound healing, including its broad antimicrobial spectrum, lack of resistance, efficacy against biofilms, good tolerability and its effect on excessive inflammation. Due to its rapid, potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, and favorable risk/benefit profile, povidone iodine is expected to remain a highly effective treatment for acute and chronic wounds in the foreseeable future.
AIM: To investigate the effect of four commonly used wound care regimens on the tensile strength of suture materials.
METHODS: The failure load of 9 different suture materials was tested using the Instron Electroplus E3000 tensile testing machine (Instron Corporation, Norwood, Massachusetts). Tensile strength was represented as the failure load, measured in Newtons (N), and defined as the maximal load that could be applied across the suture prior to failure. Each suture was tested dry and after immersion in one of 4 products for 7 days and tested on day 7. The immersion agents tested were: sodium chloride 0.9%, MicroSafe® (Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Petaluma, CA), Aqueous Povidone-iodine 10% solution (Betadine-Mundipharma), and Fucidin ointment.
RESULTS: Sodium chloride 0.9%, MicroSafe®, Aqueous Povidone-iodine 10%, and Fucidin seem to increase the failure load of most absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. However, the failure load of Polyglactin 910 suture (Surgilactin, coated, violet-Ethicon) is reduced by long-term exposure to either sodium chloride 0.9% or MicroSafe®, while the failure load of the Polydioxanone suture (PDS Plus-Ethicon) is reduced by long-term exposure to MicroSafe® only.
CONCLUSION: In our experiment, the commonly used wound care products have been shown to alter the tensile strength of suture materials. Further human studies are required to ascertain the clinical validity and applicability of our findings.