Skin preparation with alcohol versus alcohol followed by any antiseptic for preventing bacteraemia or contamination of blood for transfusion

Skin Grafting, Cryopreservation, and Diseases: A Review Article

Food supplements may be consumed through diet and have been shown to modify skin functions, making them helpful in the management of skin aging. However, there are not many clinical trials that back up these assertions. The stratum corneum, which acts as the organism's contact with its environment, is the principal function of the epidermis of land vertebrates. Antioxidants are chemicals that slow down or prevent other molecules from oxidizing. In people's diets, their use has considerably expanded in recent years. Due to their benefits for health, nutrition, and therapy, natural antioxidants are increasingly being used in place of synthetic antioxidant components. A popular component thought to be an antioxidant is hydrolyzed collagen. With aging comes a steady loss of physiological integrity, capacity to handle stress from the inside out, and function. This is a byproduct of several intricate biological processes that are affected by diseases both local and systemic as well as constitutive and environmental variables. Systemic and constitutive (genetic) variables influence skin aging and its phenotypic manifestation. The biological process of skin aging is complicated and impacted by both external and endogenous causes. The primary contributor to skin cancer is sun exposure. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can kill skin cells by directly absorbing DNA damage. The skin's hydration is a crucial factor that affects its mechanical and physical characteristics. This study looks at how the stratum corneum's molecular and macroscopic characteristics interact and change with skin wetness. Although there is little information written about them and even less is understood about them, moisturizers are a crucial component of a dermatologist's toolkit. There is a plethora of anticipated skin products on the market, but their true scientific function is yet unknown. These items play a well-known part in many skin problems, while occasionally being dismissed as simple cosmetics.

Controlling Infectious Risk in Transfusion: Assessing the Effectiveness of Skin Disinfection in Blood Donors

Bacterial infectious risk is a major problem in transfusion medicine. The type of micro-organisms isolated during bacterial contamination of blood products indicates that the donor’s skin is its main source. In this context, the primary measures to reduce this risk are: (a) optimal disinfection of the donor’s arm and (b) satellite bag diversion of the initial volume of blood collected. This work aimed to verify the effectiveness of skin disinfection of the blood donor’s venipuncture site. Two methodological approaches were used: (a) qualitative and quantitative microbiological testing of the skin at the collection site, before and post-disinfection; (b) qualitative microbiological testing of the first deviated blood. Pre-disinfection testing showed skin microbial load values between 3 and >200 CFU/plate. More than two-thirds of the isolates were Gram-positive bacteria (77.8%) of which 57.7% were staphylococci. Among Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Acinetobacter spp. were isolated from the blood donors (BDs). Post-disinfection, a 100% reduction in microbial load was observed in 84.4% of BDs. Microbiological testing of the first blood diverted sample revealed the presence of microbial flora in 1.9% samples; of the isolates, 83.3% were non-aureus staphylococci. This study highlights the importance of the correct application of skin disinfection procedures in order to ensure blood safety.

Best Practices of Blood Cultures in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Bloodstream infections (BSI) have a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite scarcity of data from many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is increasing awareness of the importance of BSI in these countries. For example, it is estimated that the global mortality of non-typhoidal Salmonella bloodstream infection in children under 5 already exceeds that of malaria. Reliable and accurate diagnosis of these infections is therefore of utmost importance. Blood cultures are the reference method for diagnosis of BSI. LMICs face many challenges when implementing blood cultures, due to financial, logistical, and infrastructure-related constraints. This review aims to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art of sampling and processing of blood cultures, with emphasis on its use in LMICs. Laboratory processing of blood cultures is relatively straightforward and can be done without the need for expensive and complicated equipment. Automates for incubation and growth monitoring have become the standard in high-income countries (HICs), but they are still too expensive and not sufficiently robust for imminent implementation in most LMICs. Therefore, this review focuses on "manual" methods of blood culture, not involving automated equipment. In manual blood cultures, a bottle consisting of a broth medium supporting bacterial growth is incubated in a normal incubator and inspected daily for signs of growth. The collection of blood for blood culture is a crucial step in the process, as the sensitivity of blood cultures depends on the volume sampled; furthermore, contamination of the blood culture (accidental inoculation of environmental and skin bacteria) can be avoided by appropriate antisepsis. In this review, we give recommendations regarding appropriate blood culture sampling and processing in LMICs. We present feasible methods to detect and speed up growth and discuss some challenges in implementing blood cultures in LMICs, such as the biosafety aspects, supply chain and waste management.