Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Autologous split-thickness skin grafting has been proven to provide the best cosmetic and functional outcome after cutaneous burn injuries and thus is the standard of care. Clinical observations have shown that female burn patients frequently have greater difficulty choosing a donor site than do male burn patients. However, there is a lack of data characterizing donor-site preferences among women with burns. ⋯ Given these strong preferences among female patients, posterior donor sites should be considered and discussed as compared with the current standard of using lateral or anterior thigh donor sites.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Mar 2014
Transplantation of the LGR6+ epithelial stem cell into full-thickness cutaneous wounds results in enhanced healing, nascent hair follicle development, and augmentation of angiogenic analytes.
The recently discovered leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 6 (LGR6+) epithelial stem cell located within the follicular bulge of the adnexal compartment is capable of producing all cellular lineages of the skin. In this study, the authors sought to determine whether these cells can be transplanted for use as a type of cellular therapy for the repair of full-thickness wounds in which the native stem cell niche has been obliterated. ⋯ The LGR6+ epithelial stem cells appear to hold great promise for the development of a clinically useful stem cell–based therapy for the repair of full-thickness wounds and hair regeneration. These results indicate that transplantation of LGR6+ epithelial stem cells promotes epithelialization, hair growth, and angiogenesis in tissues destined for scar formation.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Feb 2014
Comparative StudyA comparison of the dorsal digital island flap with the dorsal branch of the digital nerve versus the dorsal digital nerve for fingertip and finger pulp reconstruction.
Traumatic fingertip and finger pulp defects can be treated with dorsal digital island flaps. Either the dorsal branch of the digital nerve or the dorsal digital nerve can be included in the flap for sensory reconstruction. However, it is still unclear whether there are differences in the results between the two donor nerves. ⋯ Therapeutic, III.