In-vivo comparison of four absorbable sutures: Vicryl, Dexon Plus, Maxon and PDS

Absorbable sutures are initially equal or superior to nonabsorbable sutures in terms of tensile strength but are absorbed at variable rates by the action of hydrolysis. This study demonstrated that the in-vivo half-life tensile strength of the braided absorbable sutures polyglycolic acid (Dexon Plus) and polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) is 2 weeks, whereas those of the monofilament absorbable sutures polyglyconate (Maxon) and polydioxanone (PDS) are 3 and 6 weeks respectively. The addition of a single hitch or six knots reduced the in-vitro tensile strength by 30% to 35%. Polyglyconate (Maxon) suture demonstrated the best in-vitro knot security.     

The Role of Nutritional Status in Elderly Patients with Heart Failure

Evidence indicates that malnutrition very frequently co-occurs with chronic heart failure (HF) and leads to a range of negative consequences. Studies show associations between malnutrition and wound healing disorders, an increased rate of postoperative complications, and mortality. In addition, considering the increasing age of patients with HF, a specific approach to their treatment is required. Guidelines proposed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) for treating acute and chronic HF refer to the need to monitor and prevent malnutrition in HF patients. However, the guidelines feature no strict nutritional recommendations for HF patients, who are at high nutritional risk as a group, nor do they offer any such recommendations for the poor nutritional status subgroup, for which high morbidity and mortality rates have been observed. In the context of multidisciplinary healthcare, recommended by the ESC and proven by research to offer multifaceted benefits, nutritional status should be systematically assessed in HF patients. Malnutrition has become a challenge within healthcare systems and day-to-day clinical practice, especially in developed countries, where it affects the course of disease and patients’ prognosis.     

Independent vesicle pools underlie different modes of release during neuronal development

Mature presynaptic terminals release neurotransmitter both in response to activity and spontaneously. We found that axons of rat hippocampal neurons initially show very high levels of exclusively spontaneous release, which progressively switches over to the mature phenotype during synapse formation. These two modes of vesicle cycling derive from distinct pools throughout development and the initiation of activity-dependent release was independent of postsynaptic contacts, suggesting it is an autonomous presynaptic event.