Effects of Aloe Gel on Lactating Women with Nipple Trauma.

Background: To investigate the efficacy of aloe gel in reducing pain and promoting wound healing in postpartum women with nipple trauma. Method: There were 80 postpartum women who took part in this study having developed nipple trauma during breastfeeding in the obstetrics department of a tertiary grade A hospital in Suzhou from January to December 2021. Postpartum women with nipple trauma whose hospital bed numbers ranged between 15 and 33 were included in the test group, whereas those whose hospital bed numbers ranged between 35 and 53 were included in the control group. Both groups received health education and breastfeeding guidance. The control group applied lanolin cream to their nipple trauma, whereas the test group used aloe gel. We used a nipple trauma severity assessment table to determine the severity of nipple trauma in lactating women and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to determine the level of nipple pain and referred to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Standard for Diagnosis and Therapeutic Efficacy for Diseases and Syndromes to determine the healing time of their wounds. Results: The test group scored 3.70 ± 1.24 and 1.65 ± 0.74 points on the VAS on the first and third days following the intervention, whereas the control group scored 4.30 ± 0.94 and 2.23 ± 1.07 points, respectively. It took 3.75 ± 1.08 days and 4.45 ± 1.15 days for the nipple pain to completely disappear in the test group and the control group, respectively. The healing period for nipple trauma was 5.28 ± 1.26 days for the test group and 6.03 ± 1.61 days for the control group. All of the aforementioned distinctions were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Aloe gel can significantly alleviate the pain associated with nipple trauma in lactating women, accelerate wound healing, and reduce the duration of nipple trauma.

A self-developed contained bag for laparoscopic myomectomy morcellation.

OBJECTIVES: Open power morcellation during a laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) can result in the dissemination of benign or occult malignant tumor cells in the abdominopelvic cavity. The development of a new contained collection bag for power morcellation is now favored by gynecologic surgeons worldwide. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was a single-arm trial comprising 20 women who consecutively underwent an LM involving the use of a newly designed contained collection bag for power morcellation between November 3rd 2017 and April 31st 2018. There was also a historical control group consisting of 30 women who underwent open power morcellation during an LM between May 1st 2017 and October 31st 2017. All the essential information concerning the patients and surgically related data, including the myoma size, the operation duration, and the cell count of the intraperitoneal irrigating fluid, were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The uterus size and the maximum diameters of the uterus and the myoma of the two groups were not significantly different (p = 0.65, p = 0.71, and p = 0.31, respectively). Pseudopneumoperitoneum was established and clear visualization was guaranteed in all 20 cases in the experimental group. The remaining fragment tissue amount (mean ± SD) and weight (mean ± SD) in the collection bag after morcellation in the experimental group were 5.00 ± 1.48 and 3.87 ± 1.31 (g). All the collection bags were routinely examined after the LM using normal saline, and no leaks or lesions were found. The cell counts of the intraperitoneal irrigating fluid both before and after morcellation were less than 105-106/L. The pathology of all the tissues confirmed that there were no malignant tumors. The operation of the experimental group was 18 mins longer than that of the historical control group (p = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This newly designed collection bag system for LM morcellation is effective, feasible, and safe.

Risk factors for acute pulmonary embolism in patients with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: implications for nursing.

OBJECTIVE: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a serious complication after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). We aimed to analyze the risk factors for APE in patients with OPCABG. METHODS: In this retrospective, observational study, patients with OPCABG who were treated in our hospital from 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2020 were included. The basic characteristics of patients and results of preoperative laboratory examinations were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 707 patients with OPCABG were included and the incidence of APE was 3.21%. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a history of smoking, number of bypass grafting, duration of surgery, and age were significant risk factors for APE in patients with OPCABG. The areas under the curves of LVEF, number of bypass grafting, duration of surgery, and age were 0.773, 0.759, 0.738, and 0.723, respectively. The cutoff values of LVEF, number of bypass grafting, duration of surgery, and age were 59.84, 3.18, 237.42, and 73.28, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LVEF, a history of smoking, number of bypass grafting, duration of surgery, and age may be risk factors for APE in patients with OPCABG. Early measures should be taken to target these risks to prevent APE.

Vascular endothelial growth factor expression up-regulated by endometrial ischemia in secretory phase plays an important role in endometriosis.

Primary human endometrial cells were exposed to hypoxia preconditioning (HPC), HPC-hypoxia, and hypoxia conditions, and then endometrial tissue treated with ischemia preconditioning (IPC) was transplanted onto the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane to investigate the role of slight ischemia of endometrium in the pathologic process of endometriosis. IPC up-regulated vascular endothelial growth factor expression and decreased apoptosis of endometrial cells, thus facilitating the endometrial fragments' ectopic implantation.