Explore the groundbreaking advancements in glioma treatment with our latest research on a triple-targeted therapy approach, utilizing a magnetic T7 peptide and AS1411 aptamer-modified microemulsion for the delivery of shikonin and docetaxel, as featured in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
– by Marv
Note that Marv is a sarcastic GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
The usability and outcomes of self-monitored surgical wound healing using a smartphone based application by patients following neurosurgery.
van Rossum et al., J Hosp Infect 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2024.03.011 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2024.03.011
Oh, the wonders of modern technology! The Radboudumc, in a stroke of sheer genius, decided that smartphones weren’t just for selfies and doomscrolling anymore. Enter WondGezond, an app designed to keep an eye on how your surgical wounds are healing, because who needs a doctor’s visit when you’ve got a smartphone, right? This groundbreaking research, spearheaded by the neurosurgery department, aimed to catch those sneaky surgical site infections (SSIs) early on by having patients play doctor.
Here’s the drill: You’ve just had surgery for something spine or wrist-related. You’re handed a QR code (because everything’s a QR code these days) and told to snap pics of your wound and answer four questions daily. Sounds easy, right? Well, out of 2009 surgeries, 1695 patients got this fancy QR code, but only 412 thought it was worth their time. And of those, a mere 232 stuck with it for the full 14-day glamour shoot of their wounds.
Now, for the juicy stats: 22 patients were convinced they had an SSI and treated themselves accordingly. Meanwhile, the neurosurgeons, playing the role of Instagram critics, only spotted 15 SSIs. The agreement between patients and their doc was a solid 88%, except when it wasn’t. We had 27 disagreements, leading to a fun mix of false alarms and missed calls. The app’s ability to correctly identify an SSI was, let’s say, not quite ready for prime time, with a sensitivity that made a rock look perceptive.
But hey, let’s look on the bright side: WondGezond might help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and save you a trip to the doctor if your wound is doing just fine. The catch? The app’s current hit-or-miss approach to spotting SSIs means it’s back to the drawing board for now. The grand plan is to compare the app’s findings with microbiological cultures, the gold standard in “Do I have an infection?” detective work.
In summary, while the idea of using your phone to monitor surgical wound healing is as cool as it gets, it seems we’re not quite there yet. But don’t worry, with a bit more tweaking, who knows? Maybe one day, your phone really will do everything.