The surgical strategy of Purpura fulminans triggered by pyothorax associated with lung cancer.

Purpura fulminans is a rare disease that usually causes sepsis and is accompanied by disseminated intravascular coagulation and symmetric gangrene of distal extremities. We had to consider the most appropriate surgery approach. The most important point was attempting to rescue the patient's ability to walk under his own power.

Glucocorticoids suppress fibroblast apoptosis in an in vitro thermal injury model.

The wounds of full- and deep partial-thickness burns result in hypertrophic scars and lead to skin contracture more severely than those of superficial partial-thickness burns. Therefore, preventing burn progression may help improve the aesthetic and functional outcomes after healing. Although a number of studies have focused on elucidating the underlying mechanisms of and preventing burn wound progression, it is still difficult to rescue burned dermis unless early tangential excision is performed.

The Utility of Silk-elastin Hydrogel as a New Material for Wound Healing.

Cutaneous ulcers are treated with dressing materials and/or ointments to keep the wound in an appropriately moist environment. However, chronic cutaneous ulcers commonly have bacterial colonization that can cause local infection in such an environment. Therefore, the dressing materials and/or ointments should have antibacterial potency to treat chronic ulcers.

The Lesser Palatine Nerve Innervates the Levator Veli Palatini Muscle.

When the lesser palatine nerve (LPN) is supposed to be a branch of the trigeminal nerve and innervate sensation of the soft palate, whether the LPN contains motor fibers is unclear. In this study, we monitored the electromyogram of the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle on stimulating the LPN during palatoplasty in 3 patients. The electromyogram of the muscles showed the myogenic potential induced by electrostimulation of the LPN.

Preparation of Partial-Thickness Burn Wounds in Rodents Using a New Experimental Burning Device.

Objective: The manual application of hot water or hot metal to an animal's skin surface is often used to prepare burn wound models. However, manual burn creation is subject to human variability. We developed a new device that can control the temperature, time, and pressure of contact to produce precise and reproducible animal burn wounds and investigated the conditions required to prepare various burn wounds using our new device.

Three-dimensional imaging of palatal muscles in the human embryo and fetus: Development of levator veli palatini and clinical importance of the lesser palatine nerve.

Background: After palatoplasty, incomplete velopharyngeal closure in speech articulation sometimes persists, despite restoration of deglutition function. The levator veli palatini (LVP) is believed to be significantly involved with velopharyngeal function in articulation; however, the development and innervation of LVP remain obscure. The development of LVP in human embryos and fetuses has not been systematically analyzed using the Carnegie stage (CS) to standardize documentation of development.

The efficacy of a novel collagen-gelatin scaffold with basic fibroblast growth factor for the treatment of vocal fold scar.

Vocal fold scar remains a therapeutic challenge. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was reported to have regenerative effects for vocal fold scar, although it has the disadvantage of rapid absorption in vivo. A collagen-gelatin sponge (CGS) can compensate for the disadvantage by providing a sustained release system.

A retrospective analysis on the proper size of tissue expanders to treat scalp lesions.

Background: Tissue expanders have become established instruments for scalp reconstruction. However, selection of the size of the expander has not been investigated systematically, and it generally depends on the experience of the surgeon.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 21 patients who had undergone treatment for scalp lesions using tissue expanders without any complications and measured 2 variables: the volume of the expanders per area of the excised lesions and the hypothetical stretched functional skin width relative to the width of the excised lesions.

Conchal Cartilage Graft for Correction of Bilateral Cleft Lip Nasal Deformities during Childhood.

Background: Various methods for primary repair of bilateral cleft lip have been developed, but they often produce inadequate results, such as an upturned nose or a short columella. We perform primary lip repair with muscle reconstruction to correct depression of the nasal floor and inferoposterior displacement of the alar base. Then, open rhinoplasty to project the nasal tip is performed during childhood.

Biocompatibility and efficacy of collagen/gelatin sponge scaffold with sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor on vocal fold fibroblasts in 3-dimensional culture.

Objective: Treatment of vocal fold scarring remains challenging. We have previously reported the therapeutic effects of local injection of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in animal models and humans. A novel collagen/gelatin sponge (CGS) is capable of sustained release of bFGF, which compensates for its quick absorption in vivo, avoiding multiple injections.

Treatment for infection of artificial dura mater using free fascia lata.

Synthetic artificial dura mater materials, such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene sheets, are widely used in dura mater reconstruction in cases involving brain tumors or trauma surgery. In patients with postoperative infection related to the use of artificial dura mater, surgical debridement of the infected wound and removal of the artificial dura mater materials are necessary to control infection. In cases involving cerebrospinal fluid leakage, dura mater reconstruction must be performed immediately.

Comparison of ultrasonography-assisted closed reduction with conventional closed reduction for the treatment of acute nasal fractures.

Ultrasonography has often been reported to be a useful tool in cases of nasal fracture, not only for diagnosing such fractures but also for intraoperatively assessing surgical outcomes. In this study, we examined the utility of ultrasonography for intraoperatively assessing the results of surgery for acute nasal fractures. In the conventional group, the outcome of each fracture reduction procedure was intraoperatively confirmed by visual inspection and palpation.

Treatment of acute temporomandibular joint dislocation using manipulation technique for disk displacement.

Temporomandibular joint dislocation is not frequently encountered, but it is often difficult to reduce the dislocation with conventional methods described in textbooks. The key points to success of reduction depend on the patient's position, route of approach, and timing of reducing each side. We apply a manipulation technique for disk displacement to the reduction that corresponds to these key points.

Enhanced wound healing by topical administration of mesenchymal stem cells transfected with stromal cell-derived factor-1.

The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) genetically engineered with stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) to heal skin wounds. When transfected with SDF-1 plasmid DNA, MSC which were isolated from the bone marrow of rats, secreted SDF-1 for 7 days. In vitro cell migration assay revealed that the SDF-1-engineered MSC (SDF-MSC) enhanced the migration of MSC and dermal fibroblasts to a significantly greater extent than MSC.

Autologous skin reconstruction by combining epidermis and acellular dermal matrix tissue derived from the skin of giant congenital melanocytic nevi.

Giant congenital melanocytic nevi (GCMN) are defined as nevi greater than 20 cm in diameter. It is difficult to completely remove GCMN because of the lack of available skin grafts for covering the resultant defects. This study examined whether it is possible to produce reconstructed skin by combining epidermal and acellular dermal matrix (ADM) tissue derived from excised GCMN.

A case of giant naevus followed up for 22 years after treatment with artificial dermis.

We present an ultra-long followed-up case in which an artificial dermis was used for the treatment of a giant naevus. A 5-year-old boy had a giant naevus on his lower back and both buttocks. The light black pigmentation extended to the lower abdomen and both upper thighs.

Novel collagen/gelatin scaffold with sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor: clinical trial for chronic skin ulcers.

Chronic skin ulcers such as diabetic ulcers and venous leg ulcers are increasing and are a costly problem in healthcare. We have developed a novel artificial dermis, collagen/gelatin sponge (CGS), which is capable of sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for more than 10 days. The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of CGS impregnated with bFGF in the treatment of chronic skin ulcers.

Efficacy of the controlled release of concentrated platelet lysate from a collagen/gelatin scaffold for dermis-like tissue regeneration.

Introduction: A collagen/gelatin scaffold (CGS) can provide a sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which promotes wound healing. However, bFGF is approved for clinical use in Japan and China only. One potential alternative to bFGF is platelet lysate (PL), a safe and easily attainable source of a wide range of growth factors necessary for tissue repair.

Treating a collagen scaffold with a low concentration of nicotine promoted angiogenesis and wound healing.

Background: Nicotine, one of the major pharmacologically active agents of cigarette smoke, has various effects on cell proliferation, and it has recently been reported to have angiogenic effects. In our previous study, we showed that the topical administration of nicotine at a low concentration accelerated wound healing. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nicotine and synergistic effects of combination treatment with nicotine and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in a murine excisional wound model treated with artificial dermis.

Adipogenesis using human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells combined with a collagen/gelatin sponge sustaining release of basic fibroblast growth factor.

We have developed a collagen/gelatin sponge (CGS) that can provide a sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). In our previous study, it was shown that CGS impregnated with the appropriate dosage of bFGF accelerates dermis-like tissue formation two or three times earlier than an existing collagen sponge. In this study, adipogenesis was evaluated using CGSs disseminated with adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs).

An exploratory clinical study on the safety and efficacy of an autologous fibroblast-seeded artificial skin cultured with animal product-free medium in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

Cultured dermal substitutes have been used for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers; however, the biological risks of animal-derived materials in the culture process such as foetal bovine serum (FBS) have been reported. In this study, we prepared an autologous fibroblast-seeded artificial dermis (AFD) using animal-product-free medium supplemented with 2% patient autologous serum and without any animal-derived materials such as trypsin in the culturing process. We applied the AFD in five patients with diabetic ulcers and investigated its safety and efficacy.

Evaluation of a novel collagen-gelatin scaffold for achieving the sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor in a diabetic mouse model.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of a scaffold, collagen-gelatin sponge (CGS), to release basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in a sustained manner, using a pressure-induced decubitus ulcer model involving genetically diabetic mice. We confirmed that CGSs impregnated with a bFGF concentration of up to 50 µg/cm(2) were able to sustain the release of bFGF throughout their biodegradation. We prepared decubitus ulcers on diabetic mice.

An exploratory clinical trial for combination wound therapy with a novel medical matrix and fibroblast growth factor in patients with chronic skin ulcers: a study protocol.

Background: Chronic skin ulcers such as diabetic ulcers and venous leg ulcers are increasing and are a costly problem in health care. We have developed a novel artificial dermis, collagen/gelatin sponge (CGS), that is capable of the sustained release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for more than 10 days. The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of CGS impregnated with bFGF in the treatment of chronic skin ulcers.