Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The aim of this study was to determine the reasons why children with burns are admitted upon primary presentation to a tertiary burns centre. The study was a retrospective chart review of all children admitted to the Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre with a burns injury over an 18 month period. ⋯ The findings of this study demonstrate that it is not just children with severe burns who are admitted. One third of children are admitted because of the impact of the burn injury on the family, not because of a need for immediate management of the burns injury itself. The full impact of paediatric burns on our healthcare system is not solely determined by the physical characteristics of the burn itself.
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One of the major obstacles in the treatment of severe electrical burns is properly handling the resulting uncontrolled inflammation. Such inflammation often causes secondary injury and necrosis, thus complicating patient outcomes. Vascular endothelial grow factor (VEGF) has emerged as an important mediator for the recruitment of monocytes to the site inflammation. This study was designed to explore the effects and possible mechanism of VEGF on monocyte-endothelial cellular adhesion. To do so, we used a cultured human monocytic cell line (THP-1) that was stimulated with serum derived from rats that had received electrical burns. ⋯ Our results indicate that VEGF is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammation after electrical burns. Inhibition of VEGF activity could attenuate monocyte-endothelial cells adhesion by suppressing the state of phosphorylation of AKT, which is downstream of the PI3K signaling pathway.
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The prevalence of burns in the general population is high. Despite new research findings, skin burns and its resulting tissue damage are still not entirely understood. In particular, little is known about the depth-dependent alteration of skin biomechanical properties of these wounds. ⋯ The alteration of skin biomechanical properties is a function of damaged tissue structures. The presented results demonstrate a depth-dependent decrease of principal elastic parameters with an increasing depth of burn and the results indicate progressive tissue damage over the time.
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This study sought to investigate the interactive effects of acupuncture on pain and distress and the local progress in the burn wound in an experimental major burn model. Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: S group (sham/observation during 7 days after injury); SA group (sham/acupuncture/observation during 7 days after injury); B1 group (burns/observation during 1h after injury); BA1 group (burns/acupuncture/observation during 1 h after injury); B7 group (burns/observation during 7 days after injury); and BA7 group (burns/acupuncture/observation during 7 days after injury). Pain and distress scores were evaluated throughout the study. ⋯ The number of microvessels in burn wounds of BA7 group was significantly higher than that of the other groups. Our data suggest that acupuncture provides low pain and distress scores in experimental rat model, and it contributes to wound healing with an enhanced angiogenesis during the acute phase of burns. Future clinical and experimental studies should be conducted to discern the benefits from acupuncture in pain management of burn patients.