Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Organ protection is desirable in severe burn/scald injuries, and damage mechanisms and thus effective therapies following scald injury have not been fully elucidated. Our aim was to examine the beneficial effects of ulinastatin on pulmonary damage associated with scald injury. Lewis rats were subjected to 30% total body surface area (TBSA) scald injury and were randomly divided into a burn control (S group) and an ulinastatin-treated group (U group). ⋯ The spleen HLA-DR expression demonstrated the immunoregulatory effects of ulinastatin, which effectively protected the pulmonary tissues from scald-induced injury. Our results demonstrated that pulmonary damage was associated with autoimmunity and oxidant attack after severe scald. Ulinastatin exhibits significant protective effects on these effects.
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Firewalking is a common Taoist cleansing ceremony in Taiwan, but burns associated with the practice have rarely been reported. We analyzed the patients with plantar burns from one firewalking ceremony. ⋯ From our experience treating patients with deep disseminated second- to third-degree plantar burns caused by firewalking, we conclude that they should be treated conservatively, with secondary healing rather than a skin graft.
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The use of staples for skin graft fixation is practiced in many burn centers worldwide. This application provides a fast and easy means of fixation. However, buried staples are frequently encountered if the staples are forgotten or removed too late. ⋯ In our center, we adopt a simple retrieval technique for the buried staples with the assistance of C-arm image intensifier. This method allows quick identification and removal of buried staples while minimizing tissue disruption. We describe this technique in the following article.
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To evaluate the role of the chemical burns caused by hydroxide ion in the fatal effects of tetramethylammonium ion (TMA) in dermal exposure to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), we conducted a rat study consisting of two-step treatments with dermal exposure to NaOH and tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl). ⋯ The toxicity of dermal exposure to TMA alone is limited, but fatal effects can be introduced by pre-treatment with hydroxide ion. Therefore, the chemical burn caused by hydroxide ion plays an essential role in the toxicity, implicating that effective neutralizing may help decreasing the fatality rate.
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The depth of any burn wound is an important determinant of its management and outcome. It also governs the outcome of wound healing and scarring making initial depth assessment extremely vital. ⋯ We describe a useful adjunct to clinical burn depth assessment, a VACUETTE(®) venous blood sampling device. This single cheap, ubiquitous and sterile device usually used for phlebotomy allows subjective assessment of the most useful parameters in the assessment of burn wounds, including, capillary refill, evaluation of sensation to blunt and sharp stimuli including pain.