What Are Surgical Sutures And When Are They Used?

 Sutures or stiches are one of the most commonly used medical consumable in surgery for repairing cuts and closing incisions. They are surgical threads used to hold skin, internal organs and blood vessels that are severed by either injury, surgery or incision. They can be used to hold all the tissues of the body together and that’s why surgeons use them. They are one of the most well-known methods of wound closure.

In addition, surgical sutures are extensively used in the medical profession for surgery as they are very effective in wound healing. They hold tissues together and provide support to them so that the healing can take place. They are available in various forms and offer different properties that come handy in a variety of situations and cases.

Used for sewing skin, sutures need a needle and thread to be applied and are secured with a surgical tie. They are also very helpful in minimizing the risks of infection and bleeding that are part of skin injuries and surgical incisions. They have been in use for decades and are one of the most common tools used by medical professionals.

When do we use sutures? 

We know sutures are used for wound closure but most of us may not be aware of their other uses. They are needed in cases the skin has a tear or a big opening following an injury or surgery. 

Sutures are needed or used in many cases, including -

• To repair skin tissue
• To restore the normal function of the injured skin or body part 
• To help in proper skin healing 
• To reduce the bleeding from cuts or wounds
• To reduce the risks or chances of bacterial contamination
• To achieve skin hemostasis
• To get good cosmetic results

Features of sutures 

Sutures are used by surgeons and medical professionals for their strength and ability to hold the skin and tissues together and help in healing or wound closure. Apart from these aspects, sutures also come with a variety of other features that add value to surgeries. 

• They are strong in nature and don’t break 
• They are non-toxic and don’t pose any risks to the body 
• Being hypoallergenic means they reduce chances of any reactions in the body 
• Sutures are flexible and they are easy to tie and knot 
• They don’t allow fluids to go inside the body and thus avoiding any infections
• They are of two types - absorbable and non-absorbable 
• The absorbable types are made to break down in tissues after a specific period of time 
• Absorbable sutures will degrade as a wound or incision heals 
• No medical help in needed with absorbable sutures while the non-absorbable needs removal by a surgeon 
• They are made to use for any skin, even sensitive skin or parts of the body 
• There are different types of sutures online available and only the nature of the wound will decide their use 
• They are made either using naturally occurring materials or synthetic materials such as silk, cotton, nylon, steel etc. 

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#Maternitystyle: Heavily-Pregnant Ciara flaunts her big bump and Gucci sneakers in new photos

31-year-old Ciara poses with her growing baby bump at a tennis court in a simple figure hugging black dress and tops of with a black & white pair of sunnies.

The singer captioned the photos: 'Truly A Balancing Game In These #Gucci Stacks & This Big Belly!'

Creative!

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Victoria Beckham bestowed with Order of the British Empire

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham was recognised for her charity works recently The former Spicy Girl was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Prince William at Buckingham Palace in London.

It was an absolute pleasure to be at Buckingham Palace today,” Beckham, 43 said in a statement. “I’m proud to be British, honored and humbled to receive my OBE from the Duke of Cambridge. If you dream big and work hard, you can accomplish great things.” Victoria’s husband David Beckham was likewise made an OBE in 2003.

Recall that Beckham became UN goodwill ambassador in 2014.

Congrats!

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Stephanie Okereke-Linus and Hubby Mark 5th Wedding Anniversary

The beautiful actress and mother of one took to social media to celebrate her 5th wedding Anniversary with her husband Linus Idahosa.  She shared above photo and wrote:

Dear God,

 On this particular day your ray of light shone on our Union and both our lives have never remained the same. Let your light continually shine upon us for without you we are nothing and with you we are everything.

To my Lover, best friend, best husband, Papa Maxwell -Happy 5th year Anniversary💋💋❤️❤️🥂#LinusIdahosa #stephanielinus

FKB wishes the couple a happy anniversary.

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Kate Middleton looks chic in red Armani suit for Heads Together Charity in London

Kate Middleton stepped out with her husband Prince William and brother-in-law to visit a school for mental campaign in London.

The 35-year-old Duchess of Cambridge looked gorgeous in red suit for the Heads Together charity event.

Nice dress.

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Drinking Beet Root Juice rejuvenates an aging brain -New Study

A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences has revealed that drinking a beetroot juice supplement before working out makes the brain of older adults perform more efficiently, mirroring the operations of a younger brain, according to a new study by scientists at Wake Forest University.

"We knew, going in, that a number of studies had shown that exercise has positive effects on the brain," said W. Jack Rejeski, study co-author. "But what we showed in this brief training study of hypertensive older adults was that, as compared to exercise alone, adding a beet root juice supplement to exercise resulted in brain connectivity that closely resembles what you see in younger adults."

While continued work in this area is needed to replicate and extend these exciting findings, they do suggest that what we eat as we age could be critically important to the maintenance of our brain health and functional independence.

This is the first experiment to test the combined effects of exercise and beetroot juice on functional brain networks in the motor cortex and secondary connections between the motor cortex and the insula, which support mobility, Rejeski said.

Beets contain a high level of dietary nitrate, which is converted to nitrite and then nitric oxide (NO) when consumed. NO increases blood flow in the body, and multiple studies have shown it can improve exercise performance in people of various ages.

The study included 26 men and women age 55 and older who did not exercise, had high blood pressure, and took no more than two medications for high blood pressure. Three times a week for six weeks, they drank a beetroot juice supplement called Beet-It Sport Shot one hour before a moderately intense, 50-minute walk on a treadmill. Half the participants received Beet-It containing 560 mg of nitrate; the others received a placebo Beet-It with very little nitrate.

The study concluded that Older adults who exercised and consumed Beet Root Juice demonstrated greater consistency within the motor community and fewer secondary connections with the insular cortex compared with those who exercised without Beet Root Juice. The exercise + Beet Root Juice group had brain networks that more closely resembled those of younger adults, showing the potential enhanced neuroplasticity conferred by combining exercise and Beet Root Juice consumption.

LE

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American Actress Julia Roberts becomes Word's Most Beautiful Woman for the 5th time

Julia Roberts was named People magazine's world's most beautiful woman in May 2017 issue.  This is her fifth time of gracing the cover.  She was earlier honoured in years 1991, 2000, 2005 and 2010.

The 49-year-old is married with three children.  

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Five Tips to improve workplace relationships

Dealing with employees who don’t get along or who have outright fallen out with each other is one of the most irritating and time-consuming tasks managers have to deal with.

Strained relationships in the office don’t just cause a bad atmosphere, they can have a real impact on productivity and performance. Employees don’t have the conversations they need to because they are worried about upsetting a colleague ‘yet again’. Team meetings are tense, irritable affairs where people play games and seek to undermine their colleagues. At worst – and if not addressed – disputes between peers can escalate into outright aggression with shouting matches in the office.

Managers have to deal with these difficult scenarios – but sometimes they can unwittingly be the cause. The way they organise work and manage the team can inadvertently cause rifts and bad feelings between colleagues.

So what are the factors that lead to strained working relationships – and how can managers make sure they are not exacerbating the situation?

1. People don’t understand each other’s roles
“She’s always out of the office, I never know where she is.”

“Why does he get all the interesting work while we’re left to deal with the dross?”

“I’m the only person who seems to be making an effort around here.”

Misunderstandings about colleagues’ roles are at the root of many difficult workplace relationships. If people don’t know what their peer’s priorities are, or what they are expected to deliver, they may come to the conclusion they are slacking or doing something they are not supposed to. Jealousy and resentment very quickly arise and before you know it, you’ve got a dysfunctional team. Managers need to make sure team members are clear about their own roles, but also understand the boundaries of other people’s jobs and what they are trying to achieve. If they have the bigger picture and can see how everyone fits in, they are more likely to collaborate and support each other.

See: 5 'New Tips' to Get Ahead in Your Career

2. Managers have their favourites

It’s human nature for managers to have their ‘favourites’. Maybe they rate some employees higher than others or naturally have a greater affinity with particular people. Sometimes, this plays out unconsciously in the ways teams are managed. Certain people always get the plum assignments, are first in line for training or are regularly singled out for praise. They are allowed to work flexibly whenever they want, and their holiday requests are always granted. Employees are not daft. They know if they are not one of the ‘chosen’ ones and will feel overlooked and undervalued. Resentment at unfair treatment – whether real or perceived – bubbles up and begins to cause problems between colleagues. Managers need to take a look in the mirror and ensure they are not inadvertently causing discord in the team by favouring particular employees.

3. The business doesn’t value collaboration

Is the work environment you are creating as a manager competitive or collaborative? Competition does, of course, have its place. Some disciplines, such as sales, thrive on setting employees up against one other in order to drive greater performance. You would be surprised, however, how many strategies and processes unwittingly set people up to compete when they could achieve better results through collaboration.

If people feel they need compete against peers, they will pursue their own agenda and may even actively try to undermine or even sabotage the work of their colleagues. Taking a more collaborative approach and making it clear employees should be supporting each other will result in improved performance, not to mention a more harmonious environment.

4. Colleagues genuinely don’t like each other

It’s a fact of life that some people just don’t like each other. Colleagues find each other’s habits irritating, are wound up by their general approach or don’t get each other’s sense of humour. In life, we can generally avoid the people we don’t like. At work, we are often forced to spend huge amounts of time in each other’s company. As a manager, you have to accept that however hard you try, there may be people in your team who are never going to hit it off.

The best you can do is try wherever possible to separate the warring factions, allocating people to different projects and avoiding situations where they will have to work closely together. If that’s not possible, you may need to appeal to the common sense of both parties, acknowledging they may have issues with each other, but setting some rules of engagement and pointing out the impact their behaviour is having on the morale and performance of the rest of the team.

Check 4 Types of Relationships That Can Make or Break Your Career

5. It’s all work and no play
The happiest teams are often those where people are able to work and have fun together. Enforced jollity is never a good idea, but if you can find ways for people to get to know each other on a personal level, it will lead to better working relationships all round. It doesn’t have to be a big event. The occasional team lunch, drinks at 4 pm on a Friday or a trip out to the local bowling alley are all easy to organise and can make a real difference to the way colleagues gel. Be conscious of the different ages, abilities and interests in your team, particularly if you are organising something physical. And remember that not everyone will want to socialise with colleagues – and that’s OK.

Source

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Kim Kardashian and Kylie Cosmetics collaborate on New Lipstick Formula

Kim Kardashian and her sister Kylie Jenner have launched new Creme Liquid Lipstick formula.  They collaborated together for the beauty products.  Kylie shared some images on social media with the following messages:

"The KKW X KYLIE collab of 4 nude lip kits with the new creme liquid formula launches Tuesday April 25th. So proud to collab with my little twin sissy!

 

"I love being able to collaborate with my sisters. The KKW X KYLIE 4 piece launches next Tuesday 4/25 at 3pm pst only on KylieCosmetics.com it was so fun creating something authentic and organic toKim Kardashian West with this new Créme Liquid Lipstick formula 😻 hope you guys love it!" Kylie Cosmetics

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5 'New Tips' to Get Ahead in Your Career

When it comes to job searching and advancing your career, the playing field has completely changed from past generations. Today's job candidates and employees have an entirely new world to navigate when it comes to networking, finding opportunities, applying for positions and getting ahead.

U.S. News interviewed Minshew writer of " The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career.", for her top-line advice to help modern job seekers in today's evolving candidate marketplace. She emphasizes the importance of implementing new approaches to the following five areas:

Build your personal brand. Minshew notes that when used strategically, a strong personal brand is the perfect vehicle to help job seekers connect with employers and establish themselves as experts in their line of work. "Brands are no longer just for products -- people need brands to show hiring managers who they are and what they know," Minshew says. She advises crafting three or four descriptors that best illustrate your personal brand, and then using those to draft a branding statement.

[See: Five Tips To Find Passion and Purpose In Your Current Career]

Embrace nuanced networking. In the past, networking was reserved for in-person conferences and events -- think handing out 10 business cards to the first 10 people you meet. Minshew points out that modern networking is fortunately much more nuanced and targeted than this, due to social media. She adds that while huge professional conventions are still one way to meet people, smart networkers know that it's more about quality than quantity of contacts. "Smaller and less-formal gatherings like dinner parties are a great way to form true connections, as is participating in chats on Facebook or Twitter," Minshew says. "Joining discussion threads (or starting your own) on LinkedIn is another good choice for identifying people who share your industry interests. Once you've made a connection, don't forget to follow up. 'The New Rules of Work' suggests sending [a follow-up] within 24 hours -- and if it makes sense, connecting on LinkedIn or Twitter, as well."

Find job openings. The days are over of combing through classifieds or job boards looking for any opportunity that seems roughly related to the type of role you want. "It's no longer efficient today to apply blindly to listings you find on the web, since there are much more effective tools available to help match candidates with positions that truly fit," Minshew says. She suggests these strategies:

-- Keeping close tabs on the companies on your wish list through networking and online resources

-- Asking a specific person in your network for an introduction or referral

-- Conducting an optimized job search online using search alerts and niche sites for specific industries

-- Using your social media network to identify opportunities by following companies you love and people who work there.

Craft your application.  Yesterday's application process was in many ways more personal than what job seekers face today. Minshew emphasizes that the "old rule" of applying for jobs often meant there was no choice but to find ways to connect with employers face-to-face, perhaps in the lobby of a corporate office. "Now when you apply online, you may feel like you're sending your resume off to a black hole rather than a real person," Minshew explains. "In the digital age, the basics of creating a compelling cover letter and materials that are customized to each employer still count, such as never just copying and pasting from a previous submission! But it also helps to get referred through your network to avoid sending in submissions blindly through the applicant tracking systems that many companies use."

[See: Here are 3 Skills You Need for a More Successful Career]

Ace your interviews. If you've tried to get a job lately, then you know you have to be prepared for much more than a formulaic meet-and-greet when you interview for a position. Minshew notes that today's interviewees might find themselves involved in a video conference, Skype call or other technology-fueled meeting. She adds that you might also be assessed through more challenging methods than simply answering typical interview questions, so that recruiters and hiring managers get a real-world look at how you think and might perform on the job. "While you should be prepared to answer standard questions about your professional background, it helps to think about how you might respond if asked 'behavioral questions' as well, such as, 'Tell me about a time you made a major mistake at work and how you handled it.'"

YF

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Selena Gomez steps out with boyfriend 'The Weeknd' at 2017 Coachella Music Festival

Selena Gomez attended the Coachella with her boyfriend Abel Tesfaye  - The Weeknd.  The 20-year-old singer rocked a floral sundress designed by British DJ and model Harley Viera-Newton to the festival grounds.  She matched her outfit with white sneakers and Alain Mikli sunnies.  The Weeknd rocked a ripped jeans and a button down-shirt.

You like?

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Salt makes you hungry, not thirsty, new study says

We’ve all heard it: eating salty foods makes you thirstier. But what sounds like good nutritional advice turns out to be an old-wives’ tale. In a study carried out during a simulated mission to Mars, an international group of scientists has found exactly the opposite to be true. “Cosmonauts” who ate more salt retained more water, weren’t as thirsty, and needed more energy.

The studies were carried out by Natalia Rakova (MD, PhD) of the Charité and MDC and her colleagues. The subjects were two groups of 10 male volunteers sealed into a mock spaceship for two simulated flights to Mars. 

The first group was examined for 105 days; the second over 205 days. They had identical diets except that over periods lasting several weeks, they were given three different levels of salt in their food.

The results brought some surprises – over the long term. Short-term, the results confirmed the bartender’s wisdom: salted peanuts will increase your beverage sales. Eating more salt also leads to a higher salt content in urine – no surprise there. Nor was there any surprise in a correlation between amounts of salt and overall quantity of urine. But the increase was not due to more drinking – in fact, a salty diet caused the subjects to drink less. The reason: Salt was triggering a mechanism to conserve water in the kidneys.

Before the study, the prevailing hypothesis had been that the charged sodium and chloride ions in salt grabbed onto water molecules and dragged them into the urine. The new results showed something different: salt stayed in the urine, while water moved back into the kidney and body. This was completely puzzling to Prof. Jens Titze, MD of the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg and Vanderbilt University Medical Center and his colleagues. “What alternative driving force could make water move back?” Titze asked.

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#Fashion: Olajumoke Orisaguna & Rosaline Meurer cover House of Maliq April 2017 Issue

Olajumoke Orisaguna and Actress Rosaline Meurer are cover stars for House Malig latest edition for April 2017.

Beautiful shots.
 

Shoot Credits: 

Jumoke’s Photography by @studio24nigeria 

Styled by – @missmaliq 

Makeup by @omalichamakeover 

Costumes – @judannclothings 

Accessories by – @dope_accessories_lekki Rosaline’s 

Photography by @studioqnig 

Styled by @missmaliq 

Makeup by – @glam_byajoke 

Costumes by – @dope_accessories_lekki 

Location – Lekki Phase 1 . Lagos Nigeria

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Barack and Michelle Obama share post-White House vacation photos

Barack and Michelle Obama were caught on camera posing for pictures during vacation on Friday. They were on the top deck of a yacht.  Check the pictures below:

Nice!

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