Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm Essay

Care of primigravida in labour reqiring an Epidural at 4cm - Essay Example The third stage involves an evaluation of the positive and negative points of the experience. The fourth stage is an analysis of the components of the experience. The fifth stage includes making a conclusion based on the facts gathered about the experience. Lastly, an action plan is devised based on the results of the experience. Baird and Winter (2005) identified reasons as to why reflection is important in professional practice such as enhancement of capacity to critique habitual practices, generate practice knowledge, develop ability to adapt to new situations, and to resolve conflicts and contradictions in theory and in professional practice. Reflection, according to Baird and Winter (2005), also aims to improve one’s self-esteem and satisfaction, and that the overall goal of reflection is to value, develop and professionalise the practice. Siviter (2008) supports the use of reflective practice in that it provides an avenue for a person to contemplate the reasons behind decision making and one’s own actions. As a person gains experience, his or her own skills and intuition will be developed subconsciously. A person usually relies on this skills and intuition but there are situations wherein one has to be certain in doing the right things for the right reasons. In addition, reflection helps a person avoid professional entropy, which pertains to a condition wherein a person loses his or her proficiency on a certain skill due to lack of practice. This applies even to the most basic and fundamental skills. This part of the reflection provides an account of the event that took place. I am a band 5 midwife working on supervised practice at a UK hospital. A patient was admitted showing signs of second stage of labour. The patient’s name is Ellen, who is 30 years old and has a body mass index (BMI) of 29. Immediate care was given Ellen, with epidural analgesia administered

Lab report 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

3 - Lab Report Example Studies have shown a generally low bioavailability and stability of oral catechins in humans. Nanoparticle-mediated delivery techniques of EGCG and TF have been found to improve their bioavailability to a level that would benefit their effectiveness as chemopreventives. The present study was conducted to compare the effects of theaflavins and EGCG, when used in the bulk form and in the biopolymer (polylactide-co-glycolide)-based nanoparticle form, on oxaliplatin- and satraplatin-treated lymphocytes from colorectal cancer patients and healthy volunteers. The results of DNA damage measurements by comet assay revealed opposite trends in bulk and nanoparticle forms of TF as well as EGCG. Both the compounds in the bulk form produced stastically significant concentration-dependent reductions in DNA damage in oxaliplatin- or satraplatin-treated lymphocytes. In contrast to this, when used in the nanoparticle form both TF and EGCG caused a concentration-dependent increase in DNA damage in the lymphocytes. The maximum increase noted with TF was around 2.5-fold. The reverse activities exhibited by the two forms, namely bulk- and nanoparticle forms, of TF as well as EGCG support the notion that TF and EGCG act as both antioxidant and pro-oxidant, depending on the form in which they are administered. In the bulk form, the compounds likely act as antioxidants, which was observed as a decrease in the DNA damage measured as Olive Tail Moment in the comet assays. It is also our hypothesis that, changing their mode of action in the nanoparticle form, both TF and EGCG act as pro-oxidants, and cause an increase in the DNA damage. Introduction One of the major causes of cancer development is oxidative stress. Oxidative stress leads to the cellular redox imbalance that has been observed in various cancer cells as compared to normal cells (Valko et al., 2006). Tissue homeostasis is disrupted when the balance between cell growth and apoptosis (cell death) is lost provoking uncontrolle d cell growth that results in cancer. Oxidative stress, which is prevalent in the tumour micro-environment, can affect the apoptotic potential of tumour cells. It can also affect many functions in cancer cells, including cell proliferation, promotion of mutations and genetic instability, modification of cellular sensitivity to anticancer compounds, invasion, and metastasis (Kumar et al., 2008). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydroxyl radicals, peroxides and superoxides, nitric oxide (NO') and peroxynitrite (ONOO-) that are generated in a normal cell both endogenously (by mitochondria, through metabolic processes, inflammation etc.) and via external sources, play a vital role in regulating several biological phenomena (Barzilai et al., 2002; Hussain et al, 2003). An excessive production of ROS or an inadequate anti-oxidant defense system, or both, in a normal cell can produce oxidative stress leading to DNA damage, and, further, induce an increased mutation rate and tumour dev elopment, possibly through a preferential selection of tumour cell mutations that confer a growth advantage (Sotgia et al., 2011). There is much evidence to show that oxidative stress plays an important role in the molecular mechanism of colorectal cancer (Keshavarzian et al., 1992; Bartsch et al., 2002). Free radicals formed during the metabolic activation of environmental genotoxic agents have been