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Colloidal Silver
The medical uses of silver include its use in wound dressings, creams, and as an antibiotic coating on medical devices. Wound dressings containing silver sulfadiazine or silver nanomaterials may be used to treat external infections. The limited evidence available shows that silver coatings on endotracheal breathing tubes may reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. There is tentative evidence that using silver-alloy indwelling catheters for short-term catheterizing will reduce the risk of catheter-acquired urinary tract infections. Silver generally has low toxicity, and minimal risk is expected when silver is used in approved medical applications. Alternative medicine products such as colloidal silver are controversial. Mechanism of action Silver and most silver compounds have an oligodynamic effect and are toxic for bacteria, algae, and fungi ''in vitro''. The antibacterial action of silver is dependent on the silver ion. The effectiveness of silver compoun ...
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Silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. Silver is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native metal, native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc Refining (metallurgy), refining. Silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver metal is used in many bullion coins, sometimes bimetallism, alongside gold: while it is more abundant than gold, it is much less abundant as a native metal. Its purity is typically measured on a per-mille basis; a 94%-pure alloy is described as "0.940 fine". As one of the seven metals of antiquity, silver has had an enduring role in most human cultures. Other than in currency and as an in ...
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Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a type of lung infection that occurs in people who are on mechanical ventilation breathing machines in hospitals. As such, VAP typically affects critically ill persons that are in an intensive care unit (ICU) and have been on a mechanical ventilator for at least 48 hours. VAP is a major source of increased illness and death. Persons with VAP have increased lengths of ICU hospitalization and have up to a 20–30% death rate. The diagnosis of VAP varies among hospitals and providers but usually requires a new infiltrate on chest x-ray plus two or more other factors. These factors include temperatures of >38 °C or 12 billion/mL, purulent secretions from the airways in the lung, and/or reduction in gas exchange. A different less studied infection found in mechanically ventilated people is ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT). As with VAP, tracheobronchial infection can colonise the trachea and travel to the bronchi. VAT may be ...
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Amalgam (dentistry)
In dentistry, amalgam is an alloy of Mercury (element), mercury used to fill Tooth decay, teeth cavities. It is made by mixing a combination of liquid mercury and particles of solid metals such as silver, copper or tin. The amalgam is mixed by the dentist just before use. It remains soft for a short while after mixing, which facilitates it being snugly packed into the cavity and shaped before it sets hard. Dental amalgams were first documented in a Tang dynasty medical text written by Su Gong (苏恭) in 659, and appeared in Germany in 1528. In the 1800s, amalgam became the dental restorative material of choice due to its low cost, ease of application, strength, and durability. History of use There are, according to Geir Bjørklund, indications that dental amalgam was used in the first part of the Tang dynasty in China (AD 618–907), and in Germany by Strockerus in about 1528. Evidence of a dental amalgam first appears in the Tang dynasty medical text ''Xinxiu bencao'' (新 ...
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Silver Diammine Fluoride
Silver diammine fluoride (SDF), also known as silver diamine fluoride in most of the dental literature (although this is a chemical misnomer), is a topical medication used to treat and prevent dental caries (tooth decay) and relieve dentinal hypersensitivity. It is a colorless (most products) or blue-tinted (Advantage Arrest, SilverSense SDF), odourless liquid composed of silver, ammonium and fluoride ions at a pH of 10.4 (most products) or 13 (Riva Star). Ammonia compounds reduce the oxidative potential of SDF, increase its stability and helps to maintain a constant concentration over a period of time, rendering it safe for use in the mouth. Silver and fluoride ions possess antimicrobial properties and are used in the remineralization of enamel and dentin on teeth for preventing and arresting dental caries. SDF is also known as diammine silver fluoride, silver fluoride, and silver ammonium fluoride. It is frequently spelled "silver diamine fluoride" (with one ''m''); however, ...
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Cauterization
Cauterization (or cauterisation, or cautery) is a medical practice or technique of burning a part of a body to remove or close off a part of it. It destroys some tissue in an attempt to mitigate bleeding and damage, remove an undesired growth, or minimize other potential medical harm, such as infections when antibiotics are unavailable. The practice was once widespread for treatment of wounds. Its utility before the advent of antibiotics was said to be effective at more than one level: *To prevent exsanguination *To close amputations Cautery was historically believed to prevent infection, but current research shows that cautery actually increases the risk for infection by causing more tissue damage and providing a more hospitable environment for bacterial growth. Actual cautery refers to the metal device, generally heated to a dull red glow, that a physician applies to produce blisters, to stop bleeding of a blood vessel, and for other similar purposes., page 16. The main f ...
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Neonatal Conjunctivitis
Neonatal conjunctivitis is a form of conjunctivitis (inflammation of the outer eye) which affects newborn babies following birth. It is typically due to neonatal bacterial infection, although it can also be non-infectious (e.g. chemical exposure). Infectious neonatal conjunctivitis is typically contracted during vaginal delivery from exposure to bacteria from the birth canal, most commonly '' Neisseria gonorrhoeae'' or ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. Antibiotic ointment is typically applied to the newborn's eyes within 1 hour of birth as prevention for gonococcal ophthalmia. This practice is recommended for all newborns and most hospitals in the United States are required by state law to apply eye drops or ointment soon after birth to prevent the disease. If left untreated, neonatal conjunctivitis can cause blindness. Signs and symptoms Neonatal conjunctivitis by definition presents during the first month of life. Signs and symptoms include: * Pain and tenderness in the eyeball * Con ...
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Credé's Prophylaxis
Credé prophylaxis is the practice of washing a newborn's eyes with a 1% silver nitrate solution to protect against neonatal conjunctivitis caused by ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae'', thereby preventing blindness. The Credé procedure was developed by the German physician Carl Siegmund Franz Credé who implemented it in his hospital in Leipzig in 1880. Between 1881 and 1883, Credé published three papers in '' Archiv für Gynäkologie'', each titled "Die Verhütung der Augenentzündung der Neugeborenen" (Prevention of inflammatory eye disease in the newborn), describing his method and its results. The original procedure called for a 2% silver nitrate solution administered immediately after birth, as Credé erroneously believed that a 1% solution was ineffective due to a previous study by Hecker; however, this was eventually corrected and reduced back down to a 1% solution to reduce chemical irritation to the newborn's eyes. As neonatal conjunctivitis used to occur in around 10% ...
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Silver Proteinate
Silver proteinate (brand name: Protargol) is used in electron microscopy with periodic acid and thiocarbohydrazide or thiosemicarbohydrazide as a positive stain for carbohydrates such as glycogen. It can also be used for light microscopy to stain nerve tissue. It is normally available as 8% silver in combination with albumin. Staining ciliates with silver proteinate can reveal the infraciliature, an important character for identification of ciliates. Hundreds of ciliate species have been discovered using Protargol staining. Because of its bactericidal properties it was used to treat gonorrhea before the discovery of antibiotics. The inventor of the first silver protein formulation was Arthur Eichengrün, a German chemist working for Bayer. It was introduced for therapeutic use in 1897.State Medical Examining and Licensing Boards A Handbook of Useful Drugs: Protargol' 1913 Press Of The American Medical Association (''hosted on: chestofbooks.com'') See also * Medical uses of sil ...
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Silver Nitrate
Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called ''lunar caustic'' because silver was called ''luna'' by ancient alchemists who associated silver with the moon. In solid silver nitrate, the silver ions are three- coordinated in a trigonal planar arrangement. Synthesis and structure Albertus Magnus, in the 13th century, documented the ability of nitric acid to separate gold and silver by dissolving the silver. Indeed silver nitrate can be prepared by dissolving silver in nitric acid followed by evaporation of the solution. The stoichiometry of the reaction depends upon the concentration of nitric acid used. :3 Ag + 4 HNO3 (cold and diluted) → 3 AgNO3 + 2 H2O + NO :Ag + 2 HNO3 (hot and concentrated) → AgNO3 + H2O + NO2 The structure of silver nitrate has been examined by X-ray crystallography se ...
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X-ray
An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 Nanometre, nanometers to 10 Picometre, picometers, corresponding to frequency, frequencies in the range of 30 Hertz, petahertz to 30 Hertz, exahertz ( to ) and photon energies in the range of 100 electronvolt, eV to 100 keV, respectively. X-rays were discovered in 1895 in science, 1895 by the German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who named it ''X-radiation'' to signify an unknown type of radiation.Novelline, Robert (1997). ''Squire's Fundamentals of Radiology''. Harvard University Press. 5th edition. . X-rays can penetrate many solid substances such as construction materials and living tissue, so X-ray radiography is widely used in medical diagnostics (e.g., checking for Bo ...
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Acanthamoebidae
Acanthamoebidae is a family of single-celled eukaryotes within the group Amoebozoa. It gets its name from '' Acanthamoeba'', its best-known member. However, it also includes other species, such as '' Comandonia operculata'' and '' Protacanthamoeba bohemica''. Many kinds of Acanthamoebidae are highly prevalent in the soil and water of a variety of environments. They are similar to Hartmannella, but have differently structured pseudopodia, in regard to the actin microfilaments that comprise them. Its most prominent member, ''Acanthamoeba'', can be potentially pathogenic to humans and animals. It has been described as having a common origin with the Entamoebidae and Dictyosteliida. Structure Members of Acanthamoebidae have a specific form of pseudopodia, dubbed acanthopodia. These acanthopodia are continuously formed and reabsorbed, protrude from every area of the cell's surface, and are usually, short and fine. An exception would be ''A. astronyxis'' and ''A. comandoni'', in ...
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Nanoparticle
A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is a particle of matter 1 to 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. The term is sometimes used for larger particles, up to 500 nm, or fibers and tubes that are less than 100 nm in only two directions. At the lowest range, metal particles smaller than 1 nm are usually called atom clusters instead. Nanoparticles are distinguished from microparticles (1-1000 μm), "fine particles" (sized between 100 and 2500 nm), and "coarse particles" (ranging from 2500 to 10,000 nm), because their smaller size drives very different physical or chemical properties, like colloidal properties and ultrafast optical effects or electric properties. Being more subject to the Brownian motion, they usually do not sediment, like colloid, colloidal particles that conversely are usually understood to range from 1 to 1000 nm. Being much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light (400-700 nm), nanoparticles cannot be seen with ordinary ...
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