Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Jun 2007
Differential effect of burn injury on fibroblasts from wounds and normal skin.
Although there are well-recognized fluctuations in the systemic concentration of cytokines and growth factors after burn injuries, the effect on wound-healing potential in patients is not well understood. The objective of this study was to characterize the proliferation rate and response of wound and dermal fibroblasts to cytokines in burn patients compared with normal subjects. ⋯ The data suggest that systemic mediators markedly alter the proliferation potential of dermal fibroblasts but not of wound fibroblasts. However, the wound environment substantially alters both the proliferation rate and the responsiveness of fibroblasts to cytokines. Thus, the data support the value of using wound fibroblasts during preliminary in vitro experiments to investigate wound-healing modification by cytokine manipulation.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · May 2007
Scarring occurs at a critical depth of skin injury: precise measurement in a graduated dermal scratch in human volunteers.
The association between scarring and the depth of dermal injury or burn is clinically recognized but not quantified. The authors tested the hypothesis that there is a critical depth beyond which a fibrous scar develops. ⋯ The dermal scratch provides a well-tolerated, standardized, and reproducible wound model for investigating the healing response to dermal injury of different depths. There is a threshold depth of dermal injury at which scarring develops.
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The prognostic factors that determine outcome in patients with necrotizing fasciitis remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the variables that affect the mortality and morbidity of patients with necrotizing fasciitis and to create a simple method for estimating the probability of mortality. ⋯ Age, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, and immune status are significant determinants of mortality and can predict the probability of death from necrotizing fasciitis soon after admission. This objective information can guide clinicians in communication with patients and in making clinical decisions.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · May 2007
Letter Case ReportsThe role of vacuum-assisted wound closure in blast injury.