The protective effect of a new absorbent incontinence design against an alkaline pH challenge on the epidermal barrier.

BACKGROUND: Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is one of the most common complications of incontinence. Improved diaper designs can minimize the occurrence of IAD. PURPOSE: To develop a novel diaper design to minimize the damaging effects of incontinence on the epidermal barrier. METHODS: An optimized diaper design was tested for surface dryness (ie, rewet), maintenance of a skin-adapted surface pH of 5.5, and ability to protect epidermal barrier function from an alkaline pH 10.7 challenge. RESULTS: The diapers released a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 1.2 (0.2) mg/cm2 of solution under pressure after the first loading and a mean of 2.9 (1.7) mg/cm2 after the second loading. The surface pH remained between 4.5 and 5.5 over 5 hours. In healthy skin, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increased by a mean of 3.43 (4.67) g/m2/h after the alkaline urine solution challenge with the new diaper design versus a mean of 8.38 (5.67) g/m2/h with a cellulose patch (P < .001) as a control. The mean erythema readings were 1.18 (1.30) g/m2/h for the new design and 2.56 (1.25) g/m2/h for the cellulose patches (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The new diaper design minimizes rewetting, maintains an acidic surface, and protects the epidermal barrier against an alkaline pH challenge. This design may help prevent IAD.

Nurses' perspectives and preferences on MoliCare Premium Elastic products for incontinence management.

BACKGROUND: With the wide range of absorbent incontinence products available, it is crucial to select the most suitable product for individuals with incontinence, ensuring that their expectations are met and their quality of life is not compromised. AIM: This study aimed to assess the key features of the newly introduced MoliCare Premium Elastic product by nurses working with residents with incontinence in nursing homes and compare the product characteristics with those of the previous design. METHODS: Forty-three nurses from five nursing homes in Germany were asked to complete a questionnaire focusing on key product performance aspects to elicit their views on the use of MoliCare Premium Elastic products. FINDINGS: All performance features of the new product design received positive ratings from most nurses: 84% considered the overall acceptance of the new design as 'Good', and 52% preferred the new MoliCare Premium Elastic. CONCLUSIONS: The new MoliCare SkinGuard absorbent core technology performed well on each performance characteristic, demonstrating the high quality of the product and its ability to meet the needs of people with incontinence.

Usability assessment of the MoliCare absorbent continence products by nursing specialists.

BACKGROUND: Incontinence is a common disorder among older adults with a higher prevalence in nursing home settings than in community dwellings. There is a wide variety of absorbent continence products on the market used to manage continence. AIM: The study aimed to investigate the experience of caregivers of residents with incontinence in care home settings using the new MoliCare Premium Form design and to compare some of the product features with the previous design. METHOD: A questionnaire focusing on the key performance characteristics of the product was developed and administered to 74 nurses in Germany to obtain their opinions on the use of MoliCare Premium Form products. FINDINGS: More than 90% of respondents rated each key performance aspect of the new product design as 'good' and 'OK'. More than 60% of the caregivers found the new product design to be better performing and 93% preferred the new design to the previous version. CONCLUSION: The newly redesigned continence pad performed very well on each of the individual performance features, indicating the high quality and optimised design of the product. The new design was found to be suitable and effective for individuals with incontinence.

Luminescent Organic Semiconducting Langmuir Monolayers.

In recent years, monolayer organic field-effect devices such as transistors and sensors have demonstrated their high potential. In contrast, monolayer electroluminescent organic field-effect devices are still in their infancy. One of the key challenges here is to create an organic material that self-organizes in a monolayer and combines efficient charge transport with luminescence. Herein, we report a novel organosilicon derivative of oligothiophene-phenylene dimer D2-Und-PTTP-TMS (D2, tetramethyldisiloxane; Und, undecylenic spacer; P, 1,4-phenylene; T, 2,5-thiophene; TMS, trimethylsilyl) that meets these requirements. The self-assembled Langmuir monolayers of the dimer were investigated by steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray reflectometry, and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, and their semiconducting properties were evaluated in organic field-effect transistors. We found that the best uniform, fully covered, highly ordered monolayers were semiconducting. Thus, the ordered two-dimensional (2D) packing of conjugated organic molecules in the semiconducting Langmuir monolayer is compatible with its high-yield luminescence, so that 2D molecular aggregation per se does not preclude highly luminescent properties. Our findings pave the way to the rational design of functional materials for monolayer organic light-emitting transistors and other optoelectronic devices.