Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Both artesunate and fractional CO2 laser have been proved effective in the treatment of hypertrophic scars, yet little data are available for the efficacy of artesunate combined with fractional CO2 laser. In order to assess the pre-clinical significance and the underlying mechanism of this combined treatment profile, we attempted to observe the effectiveness of this therapy in rabbit models through determining the expression of BMP-7 and Fas. ⋯ Artesunate combined with fractional CO2 laser is effective in hypertrophic scarring in this rabbit model. Our findings can serve as a potential alternative strategy to treatment of hypertrophic scar in clinical practice.
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Disparities affecting incarcerated burn-injured patients: Insight from the National Burn Repository.
Incarcerated patients are a vulnerable population and little is known regarding the epidemiology of burn injury and subsequent outcomes. This study utilizes a national database to assess disparities in care affecting this understudied population. ⋯ Although incarcerated burn-injured patients sustain smaller injuries and receive fewer operations they remain hospitalized for similar durations as non-incarcerated patients. Enhanced understanding of burn etiologies and injury characteristics as well as improved insight into the impact of psychosocial factors such as substance abuse and prevalence of psychiatric disorders may help improve care.
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The aim of this study was to explore expression levels and clinical values of miR-21 and miR-210 in patients with sepsis after burns. ⋯ In serum of patients with sepsis after burns, miR-21 expression reduces remarkably and miR-210 expression rises. The miR-21 and miR-210 are related to the degree of inflammatory responses in septic patients, and their combined detection has a certain value for diagnosing the disease and predicting its prognosis.
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Observational Study
Relieving pain and distress symptoms in the outpatient burn clinic: The contribution of a medical clown.
High levels of pain and emotional distress characterize the experience of patients, at burn outpatient clinic and reflect on their accompanying persons and the medical personal. ⋯ Presence of a medical clown induced a positive atmosphere in the clinic. It is possible that the effect of humor through stress reduction mechanism lessened agony. Furthermore, the distraction the clown evoked played a role in the decrease of pain and emotional distress. We recommend implementing psychosocial oriented interventions such as those performed by a medical clown to improve the emotional atmosphere in the ambulatory clinic of patients, accompanying persons and healthcare personnel.
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Burns represent a large portion of injuries attending emergency departments each year, with children accounting for the biggest proportion. Appropriate first aid has been shown to help improve the outcome of burns, and decrease the need for surgical intervention. Several studies outside of Ireland demonstrate inadequate parental knowledge of burns first aid, but few evaluated interventions to improve knowledge. Consequently our aim was to assess parental/caregiver knowledge in Ireland, and determine if knowledge levels could be raised following a short educational video intervention. ⋯ The study found poor parental knowledge of burns first aid in Ireland and shows the use of an educational video was effective in raising knowledge levels.