Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn injuries disproportionally affect the world's poorest populations. However, there has been a lack of research that has investigated the social, cultural or contextual factors associated with this injury mechanism in these areas. As a result, there is a scarcity of information from which to develop culturally appropriate and targeted burn prevention initiatives. ⋯ Parents recognise that there are a number of burn hazards and risks present around the home however factors that prevented them acting included: a lack of knowledge about injury prevention, a lack of household safety equipment, a lack of control to make alternations to their housing and an inability to adequately supervise their children. In the future it is crucial that the local context and community are consulted in the development of any future burn injury prevention strategies to ensure that they are appropriate, accepted and effective.
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Epidemiological studies focusing on occupational pathologies can be an important medium through which to bring about change with respect to workplace accidents, both in terms of prevention planning and management as well as the appropriate care following an accident. Ocular chemical burns benefit from urgent attention as, if not treated early and appropriately, the tissue of the eye and its functionality can be seriously compromised. The objective of this study was to collate epidemiological data on workplace ocular chemical burns which could in turn serve to identify key action points in terms of occupational health. ⋯ Appropriate early medical assistance is essential. The production and distribution of clinical guides for health care workers could optimise first line assistance and mitigate possible training deficiencies.
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Partial burn injury in older patients is associated with higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and conversion to full thickness burn (Finnerty et al., 2009; Pham et al., 2009). Both human and mouse models demonstrate an altered systemic immune response in older subjects, however less is known about the localized response (Jeschke et al., 2016; Farinas et al., 2018; Mohs et al., 2017). We hypothesized that a mouse model could demonstrate differences in the localized inflammatory response of the old. ⋯ EOTAXIN is one of the primary chemoattractants for selective eosinophilic recruitment and activation. While eosinophils are important for wound healing, a hyperactive eosinophilic response can result in tissue damage. We hypothesize that the increased baseline serum EOTAXIN in the old may prime their hyperactive response, and may contribute to their worse clinical outcomes. Long-term eosinophil activation requires further study, however our findings indicate a role for EOTAXIN and eosinophils in burn response.