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Aquacel Hydrofiber is a moisture retentive topical dressing that has been demonstrated to be safe and efficacious for the management of partial-thickness burns, showing parity for most dressing related aspects to cadaver skin for this indication. Recently, 1.2% w/w silver has been added to the Aquacel Hydrofiber, to create Aquacel Ag. This new material releases silver within the dressing for up to two weeks, and it is this duration that differentiates it from other sustained release silver delivery products indicated for burn management. The dressing was tested in a phase II noncomparative trial in superficial, mid dermal, and mixed partial-thickness burns. Percentage and speed of reepithelialization were satisfactory and appear to be similar at least to results noted with silver sulfadiazine, although, no direct comparisons were performed in this study. Pain reduction between baseline and postburn day number three and five was statistically significant. Conformability, general ease of use and other functional dressing properties were rated very positively. Overall, Aquacel Ag combines several properties known to be beneficial for the management of partial-thickness burns and is a very good choice for superficial and mid-thickness burn injuries.

The field of wound care has been inundated with "active" dressings--those that deliver biologically active substances to the wound site--and much attention has been given to those containing silver. Silver is a broad-spectrum agent: it is bactericidal to a large number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms, many aerobes and anaerobes, and several antibiotic-resistant strains. More than 10 dressings containing pure silver are currently available; all claim to enhance wound healing through the antimicrobial activity of silver. But research findings on silver's antimicrobial efficacy are often inconclusive or contradictory. How, therefore, can clinicians decide which dressing is most appropriate for each patient? A grading system for reviewing the literature is presented.

Purpose This study aims to draw researchers’ attention to the need to differentiate within the emerging market multinational companies (EMNCs) category. This study focuses on international business in Latin America to argue that the region’s specific institutional characteristics have consequences for within-firm decision-making regarding internationalization strategies. Additionally, the study suggests that to develop a more specific understanding of international business in emerging markets, it is important to consider how decision-makers define value and how they can capture such value. Design/methodology/approach The approach used in this study draws on the bathtub analogy used in micro-foundations research in international business. It proposes a multilevel analysis in which micro-level variation in within-firm decision-making is considered, while accounting for the conditioning effects of macro-level contextual factors. Findings The study identifies characteristics of the Latin American institutional context that are relevant to international business strategies and that potentially differ from other emerging market contexts. These include the pendular shifts to and from pro-market economic reform, fragmented government intervention in business, underdeveloped capital markets, low competition among firms and polarized labor markets. The study explains how these characteristics shape the definition of value and firm strategies to capture value in international markets, and provides examples from firms in different industries. Originality/value This study applies a value creation and capture perspective to international business in Latin America, allowing for the simultaneous consideration of macrolevel institutional characteristics and microlevel variation in decision-making regarding internationalization strategies. This perspective not only helps to distinguish Latin American EMNCs from companies from other emerging market contexts, but also explains the considerable variation in the internationalization strategies of firms within the region.

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