ABSTRACT
A healthy young woman with a sizeable lumbar tattoo was admitted to the delivery room in active labour at full-term gestation. She was experiencing strong, painful contractions and anxiety, concerned about the possible risks of receiving an epidural through a tattoo. Although there is little published evidence to suggest complications of performing an epidural through a tattoo, some studies report 'tissue coring phenomenon'. The anaesthesiology team informed the patient of the risks inherent in a traditional epidural and the potential long-term risks of receiving an epidural through the tattoo. Upon signing the informed consent form, the modified epidural technique was performed, and its administration proceeded without complications. A healthy boy was born 3.5 hours later in a vacuum-assisted delivery. This article describes the modified epidural technique designed to minimise tissue coring, and the results of 18 months of uneventful patient follow-up.
Subject(s)
Analgesia, Epidural , Tattooing , Female , Humans , Analgesia, Epidural/methods , PainABSTRACT
Several migrant populations have been identified worldwide as high-risk groups for psychosis because of their experience of social adversity. Recent evidence suggests that the local contexts in which these populations live should be addressed in their complexity to take into account individual and larger societal environmental aspects. This study aimed to assess the lived experiences of a group of migrant Cape Verdean patients, who had been recently hospitalized for a first episode of psychosis in a mental health service on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal. The study used Photovoice, a qualitative participatory research method in which people's experiences are documented through photography. Six individuals were recruited, and five weekly sessions were conducted to collect data that were analyzed thematically. Emergent themes addressed two main categories of well-being and illness. Participant concepts of well-being were rooted in a definition of freedom encompassing cultural expression, conveyed by familiar environments and supporting communities. Cultural differences may be experienced as important obstacles for well-being and can be associated with feelings of oppression and guilt. Participants' accounts focused on positive aspects of life despite illness and on personal concepts of recovery. The study findings contribute to knowledge of the dynamics of migrants' social experience and underscore the importance of socially and culturally informed mental healthcare institutions.
ABSTRACT
The present study reports on the influence of partial replacement of MgO by ZnO on the structure, crystallisation behaviour and bioactivity of alkali-free bioactive glass-ceramics (GCs). A series of glass compositions (mol%): 36.07 CaO-(19.24-x) MgO-x ZnO-5.61 P2O5-38.49 SiO2-0.59 CaF2 (x=2-10) have been synthesised by melt-quench technique. The structural changes were investigated by solid-state magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR), X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The sintering and crystallisation behaviours of glass powders were studied by hot-stage microscopy and differential thermal analysis, respectively. All the glass compositions exhibited good densification ability resulting in well sintered and mechanically strong GCs. The crystallisation and mechanical behaviour were studied under non-isothermal heating conditions at 850 °C for 1h. Diopside was the primary crystalline phase in all the GCs followed by fluorapatite and rankinite as secondary phases. Another phase named petedunnite was identified in GCs with ZnO content >4 mol. The proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) on GCs was revealed to be Zn-dose dependent with the highest performance being observed for 4 mol% ZnO.
