[Pressure ulcer prevention with pressure-reducing seat cushions]. / Preventie van decubitus met drukreducerende zitkussens.

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the effectiveness of pressure-reducing seat cushions. DESIGN: Literature review. METHOD: Investigation of the literature yielded 8 relevant studies. These studies encompassed three clinical trials with a total of 296 patients, and five laboratory experiments with a total of 107 subjects, including patients. The publications were written at level A (RCT and meta-analysis) and level B (other study forms) according to the principles of evidence-based medicine. Both the pressure parameters of the pressure-reducing seat cushion and the development of pressure ulcers were used as measures for outcome. A 7.6 cm foam cushion was used as reference; it was not considered as one of the pressure-reducing systems. RESULTS: Two studies compared different types of air seat cushions with a foam/gel seat cushion. The best distribution of pressure was found for the air compartment seat cushion. This type of seat cushion provided the smallest contact surface with high pressures. Three studies compared the pressure-reducing systems with a 7.6 cm foam cushion. The methodologically most solid one of these three studies found a lower incidence of sitting-related pressure ulcers for users of a pressure-reducing system (0.9 vs. 6.7%; p = 0.04). The two other studies had too low a power to show significant differences. These two compared different types of foam/gel seat cushions and a low profile air seat cushion and found no significant differences in distribution of pressures. One study compared various foam cushions of differing thickness and found that foam cushions most optimally distributed pressure at a thickness of 8 centimetres. CONCLUSION: Pressure-reducing systems are effective in preventing pressure ulcers. Within the group of pressure-reducing systems, the air compartment seat cushion has the best pressure-distributing properties.

Five millennia of wound care products--what is new? A literature review.

The first wound an wound treatments were described five millennia ago. Since then, various principles of wound care have been passed on from generation to generation. In contrast to large numbers of general technological inventions over the last 100 years, progress beyond ancient wound care practices is a recent phenomenon. It is essential to know the historical aspects of wound treatment (both successes and failures) in order to continue this progress and provide future direction. A survey of the literature shows that concepts such as "laudable pus" persisted for hundreds of years and that lasting discoveries and meaningful progress did not occur until grand-scale manufacturing and marketing started. Landmarks such as understanding the principles of asepsis/antisepsis, fundamental cellular research findings, knowledge about antibiotics/antimicrobials, moist wound healing, and the chemical and physical processes of wound healing have provided the foundation to guide major developments in wound management, including available evidence-based guidelines. Although research regarding interaction of basic wound management principles remains limited, the combined efforts of global research and clinical groups predict a bright future for improved wound management.

The role of topical negative pressure in wound repair: expression of biochemical markers in wound fluid during wound healing.

The clinical effects of topical negative pressure therapy (TNP) on wound healing are well described in numerous articles. While the mechanism(s) of action are not completely understood, it is postulated that reduction of local and interstitial tissue edema, increased perfusion of the (peri-) wound area, changed bacterial composition, and mechanical stimulation of the woundbed contribute to the clinical success. Our hypothesis is that with the removal of excessive fluid, proteolytic enzymes negatively influencing the healing process are removed. Our aim was to assess whether the concentrations of albumin, matrixmetalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) were different between wounds treated with TNP and conventional gauze therapy. We analyzed wound fluid samples of 33 wounds treated with either TNP therapy (n=15) or conventional therapy (n=18) on albumin, pro- and activated MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the ratio of total MMP-9/TIMP-1. Albumin levels were found to increase significantly in acute wounds compared with chronic wounds; however, no difference could be found on comparing TNP with conventional therapy. We did find significantly lower levels of pro-MMP-9 and lower total MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in TNP-treated wounds during the follow-up of 10 days. These data strongly suggest that TNP therapy influences the microenvironment of the wound.

Using an indentation measurement device to assess foam mattress quality.

Foam mattress quality affects pressure ulcer risk but no reliable method to assess mattress fatigue and indentation is available. To ascertain Indentation Quality values of standard 14-cm (5-inch) foam mattresses after 15 years of use, a convenience sample of 50 visco-elastic foam mattresses from a total of 1,000 same-brand mattresses used in a Dutch University hospital was tested using a durometer. Indentation Quality values were obtained on the mattress cover at a relatively unloaded zone (corner), at the head and heel zones, the knee and shoulder areas, and in the middle (buttocks area). Indentation Quality values ranged from a mean of -11.91 mm (+/-2.58) in the unloaded zone to a mean of -26.96 mm (+/-4.31) in the middle zone (buttocks area, P <0.001 compared to all other mattress areas). The value at the relatively unloaded zone was significantly and positively related to the values at the head and the heel zones (r = .70, P <.01) and the knee and the shoulder zones (r = .33, P <.05). The value at the buttocks zone was positively related to the value at the knee and the shoulder zones (r = .35, P <.05). The study showed that mattresses that appeared similar had a wide range of indentation values (indicating a need for individual assessments to monitor their quality) and that Indentation Quality values, determined using the durometer, facilitate objective and quantifiable mattress assessments. Consideration of the consequences of foam mattress life span on quality of care, hospital management practices, and cost analysis is justified.

Pleomorphic presentation of cutaneous lesions associated with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in patients with multiple myeloma.

The clinical course and histologic findings of cutaneous adverse reactions associated with bortezomib treatment are presented in this study. Bortezomib (Velcade) is a proteasome inhibitor, which is used as a novel anticancer drug in the treatment of multiple myeloma. We have conducted an observational analysis of 47 patients with myeloma who were treated with bortezomib in 3 prospective clinical trials. Cutaneous adverse reactions were observed in 6 patients (13%). Five patients presented with sharply demarcated erythematous plaques or nodules on the trunk and one patient had generalized morbilliform erythema with ulcerations and fever. The time between the first bortezomib dose and occurrence of the cutaneous eruptions was at least 30 days. The cutaneous eruptions usually resolve within a few days. One patient withdrew from further treatment because of severe cutaneous toxicity. The histologic findings ranged from perivascular dermatitis to interstitial and interface dermatitis corresponding with clinically more extensive lesions.

Clonal identity between skin and synovial tissue in a case of mycosis fungoides with polyarthritis.

Polyarthritis in the presence of a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare phenomenon. We describe a case of mycosis fungoides with development of a symmetric erosive polyarthritis of the small hand joints and feet, diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis. An identical monoclonal T-cell population in the skin and in the synovium was detected by T-cell receptor gene rearrangement analysis, illustrating articular dissemination of lymphoma cells. Differentiating mycosis fungoides-associated arthritis from rheumatoid arthritis may have important implications for treatment. Based on this case, the relevant literature, and the newest disease concepts, pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic options of mycosis fungoides-associated arthritis are discussed.

Molecular immunoglobulin/T- cell receptor clonality analysis in cutaneous lymphoproliferations. Experience with the BIOMED-2 standardized polymerase chain reaction protocol.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Molecular clonality analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes is a widely used diagnostic tool for discrimination between polyclonal, oligoclonal, and monoclonal lymphoproliferative skin lesions. We studied Ig/TCR clonality in a series of 60 patients with an initial suspicion of (primary) cutaneous B- or T-cell lymphoma (CBCL/CTCL). Clonality of Ig/TCR gene rearrangements was assessed by Southern blot (SB) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis using standardized PCR primers and protocols of the BIOMED-2 Concerted Action BMH4-CT98-3936. The obtained PCR products were subjected to heteroduplex (HD) and GeneScan (GS) analysis. We compared the data of 154 samples with the histopathologic diagnosis, based on the EORTC classification of skin lymphomas. DESIGN AND METHODS: Molecular results were largely concordant with histopathology. In 12 CBCL patients PCR analysis of Ig gene rearrangements detected clonality in 83% of cases whereas SB did so in 92%. Clonal TCR gene rearrangements were detected by SB in 68% of CTCL patients, whereas TCRG and TCRB PCR analysis detected clonality in 76% and 66% of cases, respectively. PCR GS analysis of TCR rearrangements appeared to be slightly more informative than HD analysis. Clonality assessment was particularly informative for studying involvement of extracutaneous sites, such as regional lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and bone marrow. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the BIOMED-2 multiplex PCR analysis strategy is a reliable and useful technique in the diagnostic process of patients with an initial suspicion of (primary) CBCL/CTCL and for assessment of extracutaneous dissemination, provided that the results are interpreted in the context of clinical, histologic and immunophenotypic data.

Discriminating basal cell carcinoma from its surrounding tissue by Raman spectroscopy.

The objective of this in vitro study was to explore the applicability of Raman spectroscopy to distinguish basal cell carcinoma from its surrounding noncancerous tissue; therefore, identifying possibilities for the development of an in vivo diagnostic technique for tumor border demarcation. Raman spectra were obtained in a two-dimensional grid from unstained frozen sections of 15 basal cell carcinoma specimens. Pseudo-color Raman images were generated by multivariate statistical analysis and clustering analysis of spectra and compared with histopathology. In this way a direct link between histologically identifiable skin layers and structures and their Raman spectra was made. A tissue classification model was developed, which discriminates between basal cell carcinoma and surrounding nontumorous tissue, based on Raman spectra. The logistic regression model, shows a 100% sensitivity and 93% selectivity for basal cell carcinoma. The Raman spectra were, furthermore, used to obtain information about the differences in molecular composition between different skin layers and structures. An interesting finding was that in four samples of nodular basal cell carcinoma, the collagen signal contribution in spectra of dermis close to a basal cell carcinoma, was markedly reduced. The study demonstrates the sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy to biochemical changes in tissue accompanying malignancy, resulting in a high accuracy when discriminating between basal cell carcinoma and noncancerous tissue.