Extensive subpial cortical demyelination is specific to multiple sclerosis.

Cortical demyelinated lesions are frequent and widespread in chronic multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and may contribute to disease progression. Inflammation and related oxidative stress have been proposed as central mediators of cortical damage, yet meningeal and cortical inflammation is not specific to MS, but also occurs in other diseases. The first aim of this study was to test whether cortical demyelination was specific for demyelinating CNS diseases compared to other CNS disorders with prominent meningeal and cortical inflammation.

Fungal periapical abscess and the burn patient: A report of two cases of an unreported source for systemic infection.

Fungal infections in the intensive care unit are becoming a more common occurrence, especially in the care of the burn patient. Fungal infections in the critically burned patient, who by nature have a heightened inflammatory state and impaired immune response, have been found to carry a profound degree of morbidity and mortality. We present our experience in the care of severe thermal injuries; a series of patients with endodontic fungal infection which, as we found, pose a significant risk for the development of systemic infection and sepsis.

Expression of the Antioxidative Enzyme Peroxiredoxin 2 in Multiple Sclerosis Lesions in Relation to Inflammation.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, characterized by demyelination and axonal damage as well as neuronal degeneration. Since oxygen-derived free radicals are an important factor leading to tissue damage in inflammatory multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, research on antioxidative systems is essential to identify endogenous factors which can possibly counteract oxidative damage. As an important scavenging enzyme family, peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) play a crucial role in preventing oxidative damage; however little is known about their expression and function in MS lesions.

Reimbursement for out-of-state burn patients is not always lower than that for in-state patients at regional burn centers.

Because burn care in the United States is regionalized, burn patients are often transported across state lines to receive their burn treatment. The authors hypothesized that there are differences between in-state and out-of-state reimbursement for burn care. This project was conducted by the American Burn Association (ABA) Government Affairs Committee through the ABA Multicenter Trials Group.

Not the usual suspects: human wound myiasis by phorids.

Infestation of animal tissues by dipteran larvae (myiasis) commonly occurs in many species, but it is unusual for humans in temperate regions. Nevertheless, human myiasis is regularly observed in many primary care facilities in the United States. Beyond medical issues associated with treating human myiasis, both the causal agent and the longevity of myiasis can have legal implications, for example, as evidence of neglect.

Effect of blood transfusion on outcome after major burn injury: a multicenter study.

Objective: To delineate blood transfusion practices and outcomes in patients with major burn injury.

Context: Patients with major burn injury frequently require multiple blood transfusions; however, the effect of blood transfusion after major burn injury has had limited study.

Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort analysis.

Effects of oxandrolone on outcome measures in the severely burned: a multicenter prospective randomized double-blind trial.

Severe burns induce pathophysiologic problems, among them catabolism of lean mass, leading to protracted hospitalization and prolonged recovery. Oxandrolone is an anabolic agent shown to decrease lean mass catabolism and improve wound healing in the severely burned patients. We enrolled 81 adult subjects with burns 20% to 60% TBSA in a multicenter trial testing the effects of oxandrolone on length of hospital stay.

Multicenter postapproval clinical trial of Integra dermal regeneration template for burn treatment.

The safety and effectiveness of Integra Dermal Regeneration Template was evaluated in a postapproval study involving 216 burn injury patients who were treated at 13 burn care facilities in the United States. The mean total body surface area burned was 36.5% (range, 1-95%).