Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Renal failure is the most common organ failure in severely burned patients. However, defining acute kidney injury and renal failure is very challenging. This study was designed to determine the relationship between a biomarker commonly measured on admission, serum creatinine, and outcomes in burn patients. ⋯ Elevated creatinine on admission is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. We suggest that admission creatinine can be used as a "red flag" to identify patients at a higher risk for poor outcomes.
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Burns, an endemic public health problem has had a dynamic epidemiology in India, in sync with economic and social changes. In the last decade a major shift of kitchen fuel usage from kerosene to the Liquefied Petroleum Gas has resulted in an increase in the incidence of burns from LPG mishaps. This prospective descriptive study conducted in a tertiary care burn centre in an urban area aims to determine the causes of LPG related burns, its injury profile, identify the population at risk and also to determine the level of knowledge of users regarding the safety issue with LPG usage. ⋯ Leakage from larger cylinders was more common and malfunction of valve/regulator was the most common cause. Level of knowledge was dismally low across all socioeconomic strata. Our study highlights impact of changing socioeconomic pattern of the country on burns epidemiology and the glaring lack of public awareness regarding safe management principles.
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Physical changes to appearance caused by burn injuries can have significant psychological consequences. Medical tattooing is an intervention aimed at restoring appearance but little is known about the experiences of patients or the psychological impact of medical tattooing following burns. This study aimed to explore burn patients' psychological experiences of medical tattooing. ⋯ Medical tattooing may be a potentially valuable intervention psychologically, although support and information seem important and further research is required.
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Burn hypertrophic scarring pain is a common and perennial complaint which not only affects patients' quality of life, but also their recovery and reintegration. Physical therapy and medicine regimens are all available for the treatment of hypertrophic scarring pain. Unfortunately, the efficacy of clinical practice is not very satisfactory and the management of hypertrophic scarring pain remains challenging. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to explore the risk factors for hypertrophic scarring pain and further identify whether it is neuropathic pain, aiming to guide the clinical therapy and help patients live a pain-free life. ⋯ The model in our study has clarified that sex, age, target scar location, burn depth of target scar, hyperplasia time, and vascularity, especially pliability, may provide excellent prediction of hypertrophic scarring pain outcome; for neuropathic pain, only hyperplasia time has further prospects, with mVSS total as a potential forecast. In an era increasingly aware of life quality, this work may contribute to the elaboration of strategies to hypertrophic scarring pain management, provide an individualized therapy, and help patients live a pain-free life.
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Impaired wound healing is one of a variety of severe diabetic complications and involves many factors, including consistent oxidative stress, prolonged inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, and delayed re-epithelialization. Despite the severe negative impacts that impaired wound healing has on patients' lives, detailed mechanisms and effective therapies are still not fully developed. ⋯ Further in vivo experiments in diabetic rats showed that topical administration of pterostilbene exhibited stronger efficacy than resveratrol in normalizing oxidative stress, HIF1α activity, and accelerating burn wound healing in diabetes. We conclude that topical administration of pterostilbene accelerates burn wound healing in diabetes through activation of the HIF1α signaling pathway; thus, pterostilbene may be a potential candidate for clinical treatment of burn wound healing in diabetes.