Effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy in complex surgical treatment of necrotizing fasciitis of the upper limb

BACKGROUND Necrotizing fasciitis(NF)of the upper extremities is a severe surgical pathology,and the incidence of this disease has been steadily increasing in recent decades.Surgical treatment is accompanied by the formation of extensive wounds,which can be treated with significant difficulties.In recent years,negative pressure wound therapy(NPWT)has proven to be highly effective.It is also promising for the treatment of NF.AIM To explore the effectiveness of NPWT in the treatment of NF of the upper extremities.METHODS The results of the treatment of 36 patients with NF of the upper extremities in two groups(NPWT group and control group;2022−2023)were retrospectively analyzed.In the NPWT group,the NPWT method(120 mmHg;constant mode)was used after surgical treatment.The number of vacuum-assisted dressings in patients ranged from 1 to 3,depending on the dynamics of the wound process.The duration of fixation of one bandage was up to 2−3 d.In the control group,conventional methods of local wound treatment were used.The following indicators were analyzed:The treatment delay,the prevalence of inflammation,the microbial landscape,the number of debridements,the duration of wound preparation for surgical closure,and the nature of skin plastic surgery.RESULTS Most patients experienced a significant treatment delay[4 d,interquartile range(IQR):2–7 d],which led to the spread of the pathological process to the forearm and shoulder.The most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus(14;38.9%)and Streptococcus pyogenes(22;61.1%).The average number of debridements per patient was 5(IQR:3–7),with no difference between groups.The average time to prepare wounds for surgical closure was 11±4 d in the NPWT group and 29±10 d(P=0.00001)in the control group.In the NPWT group,the wounds were more often closed with local tissues(15;83.3%),and in the control group,split-thickness skin grafts were more often used(4;50%).CONCLUSION The predominant isolation of Staphylococcus aureus and/or Streptococcus pyogenes from the lesions allowed us to classify these patients as NF type II.Multiple debridement procedures have become a feature of this disease treatment.The use of NPWT has significantly reduced the time required to prepare wounds for surgical closure.Early closure of wounds allows for more frequent use of local tissue repair,which ensures better results.NPWT is a highly effective way to prepare wounds for early surgical closure in patients with upper extremity NF.

Effect of ultra-high pressure treatment on structural and functional properties of dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets

The effects of ultra-high pressure treatment on structural and functional properties of dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets were analyzed.The results showed that ultra-high treatment changed monosaccharide composition,increased total dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets,especially at 400 MPa where soluble dietary fiber was greatly increased from 32.49%±0.23%to 41.92%±0.32%as compared to native one(p<0.05).Besides,ultra-high pressure treatment enhanced water-and oil-holding capacity,as well as swelling capacity of dietary fiber,which were related to its more porous structure and hydrophobic groups.Crystallinity and thermal stability of ultra-high pressure modified dietary fibers increased.Moreover,ultra-high pressure modified dietary fibers possessed stronger bile acid binding and pancreatic lipase inhibition capacities,suggesting its better potential in vitro hypolipidemic activity.Our findings suggested that ultra-high pressure treatment is a promising method to obtain dietary fiber with excellent functional properties,and can provide a basis for the high-value utilization of pomelo fruitlets as functional food with blood-lipid regulation.

Microstructure evolution and thermal expansion of Cu-Zn alloy after high pressure heat treatment

The thermal expansion coefficients of Cu-Zn alloy before and after high pressure treatment were measured by thermal expansion instrument in the temperature range of 25？700 ℃,and the microstructure and phase transformation of the alloy were examined by optical microscope,X-ray diffractometer（XRD） and differential scanning calorimeter（DSC）.Based on the experimental results,the effects of high pressure treatment on the microstructure and thermal expansion of Cu-Zn alloy were investigated.The results show that the high pressure treatment can refine the grain and increase the thermal expansion coefficient of the Cu-Zn alloy,resulting in that the thermal expansion coefficient exhibits a high peak value on the α-T curve,and the peak value decreases with increasing the pressure.

Heat treatment and granule medium internal highpressure forming of AA6061 tube

The new forming process of AA6061 alloy tube, including solution treatment, granule medium internal high-pressure forming and aging treatment, was developed. The AA6061 alloy tube via heat treatment satisfied the forming requirement, and the granule medium internal high pressure forming method for AA6061 alloy tube was also realized by using convenient implementation with low requirement of equipment and flexible design of product. At a solution temperature of 560℃ and time of 120 min, the elongation of the AA6061 extruded tube increases by 300% and the strength and the hardness dramatically decrease too. Therefore, the AA6061 alloy tube meets the requirement of internal high-pressure forming because of the improvement of formability. The experiments shows that the strength and hardness of AA6061 alloy workpiece recover to that of the as-received alloy at an aging temperature of 180℃ and time of 360 min, and the strength of AA6061 alloy workpiece is equal to the base alloy. The typical parts of convex ring tube, stepped shaft tube and hexagonal tube were successfully produced in lab by using the present forming method. The forming tests show that the maximum expansion ratio(MER) of the AA6061 extruded tube increases by 25.5% and the material properties of formed AA6061 alloy tube reached the performance of as-received alloy.

Surface Treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate Film Using Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in polymer surface processing because of their convenience, effectiveness and low cost. In this paper, the treatment of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface for improving hydrophilicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) in air is conducted. The discharge characteristics of APGD are shown by measurement of their electrical discharge parameters and observation of light-emission phenomena, and the surface properties of PET before and after the APGD treatment are studied using contact angle measurement, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the APGD is homogeneous and stable in the whole gas gap, which differs from the commonly filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). A short time (several seconds) APGD treatment can modify the surface characteristics of PET film markedly and uniformly. After 10 s APGD treatment, the

Effect of Air Pressure on Hardened Layer of U75V 60 kg/m Heavy Rail after Heat Treatment

The samples cut from U75V 60 kg/m heavy rail are heated to 900 ℃ in resistance furnace and then put into air spraying channel to be cooled for 80 s, and change air pressure from 0.16 MPa to 0.33 MPa, and observe the effect of air pressure on hardened layer. The thickness and hardness of hardened layer increases with the increase of air pressure, and the thickness is more than 24 mm at the center and top fillets of rail head, and more than 15 mm at the blow fillets of rail head when air pressure is more than 0.26 MPa. During the tempering after heat treatment, tempering temperature of rail head is more than 570 ℃ when air pressure is separately 0.16 MPa, 0.20 MPa and 0.23 MPa, which is higher than finishing temperature of pearlite transformation at the cooling rate of 3 ℃/s according to CCT curve of U75V steel. When air pressure is separately 0.26, 0.30 and 0.33 MPa, the tempering temperature is 529 ℃ lower than finishing temperature of pearlite transformation at the cooling rate of 3 ℃/s. Under this condition, pearlite transformation is finished totally, so in order to reduce air consumption and control the cost, proper air pressure for U75V 60 kg/m heavy rail heat treating should be 0.26 MPa; the cooling rate increases with the increase of air pressure, and the average cooling rate on the surface of rail head is more than 3.21 ℃/s when air pressure is more than 0.26 MPa, and the largest cooling rate occurs at the top fillets of rail head.

INFLUENCE OF HEAT TREATMENT ON OXIDATION PROPERTIES OF C/C COMPOSITES FABRICATED BY HIGH PRESSURE IMPREGNATION CARBONIZATION

Felt base carbon/carbon composites fabricated by super-high pressure impregnation carbonization process (SPIC) were heat treated at high temperature 2773K. The oxidation properties of felt base carbon/carbon composites were investigated at different temperatures (773-1173K), and the microstructures of carbon/carbon composites were studied by SEM and X-ray diffraction. The experimental results showed that the inter-laminar distance of (002) plane (d002) deceased while the microcrystalline stack height (Lc) increased. The oxidation rate of felt base carbon/carbon composites was invari-able at certain temperatures. The oxidation mechanism of carbon/carbon composites changed remarkably at the oxidation temperature 973K. At the initial oxidation stage of carbon/carbon composites, carbon matrix was oxidized much more rapidly than carbon felt.

Structural, Pasting, and Thermal Properties of Ultra-high Pressure-treated Lotus Seed Starch

Lotus seed starch （15%, w/w） was subjected to ultra-high pressure （UHP） at 500 MPa for 10～60 min. The effects of UHP on the structural, pasting, and thermal properties of starch were investigated using solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, HPSEC-MALLS-RI, and a rapid visco analyzer. The 13C CP/MAS NMR results revealed a reduction in the relative crystallinity and peak intensity of the crystalline state with increasing the UHP time. The molecular weight of native starch was 1.433 × 107 Da, which was higher than that of the UHP-treated starch. Viscograms of UHP-treated starch revealed an increase in paste viscosity, peak time, and pasting temperature and a reduction in breakdown and setback viscosity compared to the native starch. Furthermore, the DSC results showed a reduction in gelatinization temperature and gelatinization enthalpy with increasing the UHP time.

Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice regarding Pressure Ulcers Prevention and Treatment

Pressure ulcers (PU) are one of the most common hospital-acquired problems that occur in patients with mobility limitations. Such wounds can produce pain and deterioration of the underlying condition. Sometimes, they can be life-threatening, and their treatment can impose a financial burden on both the patient’s family and society. Nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practice are the most important weapons to fight this preventable burden of PU among patients with impaired mobility. The purpose of this study was to assess nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PU prevention and treatment at Clinique Prince Louis Rwagasore (CPLR) in Bujumbura, Burundi. A cross-sectional study design was used. Convenience sampling was used to invite all 28 qualified nurses and nurses’ aids who work in the services where critically ill patients are admitted to participate. A questionnaire was created, and underwent evaluation of face validity before using it to collect data which was analysed using SPSS 21.0. Results revealed that nurses’ knowledge and practice scores were low as participants scored less than 50% on the six knowledge items and the six practice items. However, the attitude scores were greater than 65% on the five items used to evaluate attitude. A strong negative correlation was found between nurses’ knowledge and their attitude scores (r = ?0.479, p = 0.015). Education level was negatively associated with nurses’ knowledge and practice scores of PU prevention and treatment. A high attitude score did not correlate with a higher practice score which might be explained by low knowledge scores (less than 50% on knowledge items). Continuous professional development (CPD) was recommended to improve nurses’ knowledge scores and implementation of PU preventive practices at CPLR.

Effects of ultra-high hydrostatic pressure on foaming and physical-chemistry properties of egg white

The influences of ultra-high hydrostatic pressure treatment on foaming and physical properties (solubility, hydrophobicity and sulfhydryl content) of egg white were investigated. A pressure range of 0-500 MPa, time range of 0-20 min and pH range of 7.5-8.5 were selected. The foaming property of egg white is improved by 350Mpa and 10min. The treatment resulted in in- crease of sulfhydryl content of egg white, while solubility and hydrophobicity were significantly decreased.

Effect of High Pressure Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Compressive Properties of Low Carbon Steel

The effect of high pressure heat treatment on microstructure and compressive properties of low carbon steel were investigated by optical microscope,transmission electron microscope,hardness tester and compression test methods.The results show that martensite appears in low carbon steel at 1-5GPa GPa and 950°C for 15 minutes treatment,high pressure heat treatment can improve the hardness and compressive properties of the steel,the yield strength of the steel increases with increasing pressure,and its compressive properties are better than that treated under normal pressure quenching.

Silver Nanowire Electrodes: Conductivity Improvement Without Post-treatment and Application in Capacitive Pressure Sensors

Transparent electrode based on silver nanowires(Ag NWs) emerges as an outstanding alternative of indium tin oxide film especially for flexible electronics. However, the conductivity of Ag NWs transparent electrode is still dramatically limited by the contact resistance between nanowires at high transmittance. Polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP) layer adsorbed on the nanowire surface acts as an electrically insulating barrier at wire–wire junctions, and some devastating post-treatment methods are proposed to reduce or eliminate PVP layer, which usually limit the application of the substrates susceptible to heat or pressure and burden the fabrication with high-cost, time-consuming, or inefficient processes. In this work, a simple and rapid pre-treatment washing method was proposed to reduce the thickness of PVP layer from 13.19 to0.96 nm and improve the contact between wires. Ag NW electrodes with sheet resistances of 15.6 and 204 X sq-1have been achieved at transmittances of 90 and 97.5 %, respectively. This method avoided any post-treatments and popularized the application of high-performance Ag NW transparent electrode on more substrates. The improved Ag NWs were successfully employed in a capacitive pressure sensor with high transparency, sensitivity, and reproducibility.

Effects of high-pressure heat treatment on the solid-state phase transformation and microstructures of Cu_(61.13)Zn_(33.94)Al_(4.93) alloys

The phase transformation activation energy of the Cu61.13Zn33.94A14.93 alloys, which were treated at 4 GPa and 700 ℃ for 15 minutes, was calculated by means of differential scanning calorimetry curves obtained at various heating and cooling rates. Then, the effects of high-pressure heat treatments on the solid-state phase transformation and the microstructures of Cu61.13Zn33.94A14.93 alloys were investigated. The results show that high-pressure heat treatments can refine the grains and can change the preferred orientation from （111） to （200） of α phase. Compared with the as-cast alloy, the sample with high-pressure heat treatment has finer grains, lower β＇→β and/β→β＇ transformation temperature and activation energy. Furthermore, we found that high cooling rate favours the formation of fine needle-like α phase in the range of 5-20℃/min.

High-Density Polyethylene(HDPE) Surface Treatment Using an RF Capacitive Atmospheric Pressure Cold Ar Plasma Jet

In this study,a high-density polyethylene（HDPE,5-mm-thick,0.95 g/cm3） surface was treated using an RF capacitive atmospheric pressure cold Ar plasma jet.By using this Ar plasma jet,a hydrophilic HDPE surface was formed during the plasma treatment.In particular, the effects of an additive gas（N;or O2） on the HDPE surface treatment were investigated in detail.It was shown that the addition of N2 or O2 gas had an important influence on the HDPE surface treatment.Compared to pure Ar plasma treatment,a lower value of water contact angle （WCA） was obtained when a trace of N2 or O2 gas was added.It was also found that besides the quantities of active species in the plasma jet,the treatment temperature played an important role in the HDPE surface treatment.This is because surface molecular motion is not negligible when the treatment temperature is close to the melting point of the polymer.

Study of relieving weld residual stresses in large pressure steel pipes of hydropower station by local explosion treatment

From comparing the test of local explosion treatment(LET)with the locaf heat treatment (LHT)in welded plates and welded steel pipes in field,LET has excellent effect of stress relief and high efficiency. Whereas the effect of stress relief for LHT with 575℃×1.5hr is poor.The mechanical properties of welded joints after LET are basically the same as those of as-welded joints.The practically measuring results on 4 large steel-pipe surfaces indicate that the welding residual tensile stresses in welds,which mostly is compression residual stress,are basically relieved.

High Pressure Water-Jet Technology for the Surface Treatment of Al-Si Alloys and Repercussion on Tribological Properties

Recent developments in high pressure water-jet technology have brought the process to the forefront as a means of surface treatment. Water jet technology offers cleaning, cutting, processing as well as potential refinement of surface properties. By adapting the process parameters the surface characteristics can be changed while the profile remains the same. In the present study, water-jet technology was used for the surface treatment of Al-Si alloy to investigate its effect on tribological properties. Dry sliding wear behavior was investigated against AISI 52100 bearing steel ball using a reciprocating ball-on-flat configuration. Optical microscopy examination reveals that ploughing of grains, transgranular and intergranular propagation of cracks;are the mechanisms by which material is removed during water jet treatment. While, on the other hand, SEM observation of the wear track reveals that plastic deformation and delamination are the dominant wear mechanism during the wear process. Water jet treatment was compared to hot isostatic pressing in terms of its effects on wear resistance and surface porosity of Al-Si alloy. It was found that, hot isostatic pressing reduces the total amount of porosity at the expanse of hardness while water jet treatment produces a compressed surface having higher hardness and compressive residual stress, which ultimately increases wear resistance.

Analysis on performance and test of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint

Analysis as well as application of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system and elements has become a trend. The structure and operation principle of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is introduced. The structure of the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is simple and is easy to be produced. The finite element model on two working conditions( preload condition with 30 N·m torque and static-loading condition with 70 MPa pressure) is built and computed. The width of contact area,the equivalent stress status,as well as the contact pressure status are plotted and analyzed. According to the national standard,test on air-tightness,blasting,and cyclic endurance is conducted and the results show that the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint has the sealability for ultra-high pressure up to 70 MPa,and the DN6 ultra-high pressure pipe joint can provide effective seal under70 MPa fluid pressure. The research can provide a thinking and method on designing ultra-high pressure pipe joint and push forward the development of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Hairtail Surimi in an Ultra-High Pressure Bioreactor

Amino acids have been extracted from Hairtail surimi using enzymes in an ultra-high pressure bioreactor. The extraction efficiency of different enzymes including papain, trypsin, and proteases (acid, neutral, alkaline) also has been evaluated, and it has been discovered that neutral protease behaved the best. The amino acids were analyzed using automatic amino acid analyzer, and the enzymatic digestion conditions were optimized. For neutral protease, the optimal condition was 50℃, 250 MPa, pH 7.0. Material to liquid ratio of enzyme is 6%. More than 29 amino acids were detected after 24 hours of hydrolysis;the enzymatic hydrolysis rate can reach 83.29%. The results show that enzymatic digestion under ultra-high-pressure provides a very promising approach to extract amino acids from Hairtail surimi.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment and Following Aging Effect of Chromium Surfaces

The results of atmospheric pressure plasma treatments using diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (type of surface dielectric barrier discharge) on chromium surfaces are reported. A significant increase of surface wettability was observed after short plasma exposition. A quantitative value of surface wettability, i.e. the surface free energy, changed from 29 mJ/m2 to over 80 mJ/m2. In time, a hydrophobic recovery of the plasma treated surfaces was observed. Careful study by surface free energy measurements and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to be able explaining the effects of plasma treatment. Studied samples were treated in air, oxygen and nitrogen plasma and aged in air and vacuum. Main reasons for increased wettability and aging effect are surface cleaning and transformations in chromium oxide. Additionally, generation of surface nitrate groups was found on the chromium surface as a result of plasma treatment in humid air.