Impact of COVID-19 on global burn care.

Background: Worldwide, different strategies have been chosen to face the COVID-19-patient surge, often affecting access to health care for other patients. This observational study aimed to investigate whether the standard of burn care changed globally during the pandemic, and whether country´s income, geographical location, COVID-19-transmission pattern, and levels of specialization of the burn units affected reallocation of resources and access to burn care.

Methods: The Burn Care Survey is a questionnaire developed to collect information on the capacity to provide burn care by burn units around the world, before and during the pandemic.

Clinimetric properties of a translated and culturally adapted Norwegian version of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale for use in clinical practice and research.

Purpose: To translate and culturally adapt the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, POSAS, to Norwegian and explore its test-retest, intra- and inter-tester reliability.

Methods: POSAS was translated into Norwegian following international guidelines in collaboration with an international translation bureau. Twenty-six adults and 24 children were recruited from a burns outpatient clinic.

Skin banking at a regional burns centre-The way forward.

In India approximately 1 million people get burnt every year and most of them are from the lower or middle income strata. Therefore it is obligatory to find out an economic way of treatment for the affected populace. Since use of human skin allograft is the gold standard for the treatment of burn wound, in-house skin banking for a burn unit hospital is prerequisite to make the treatment procedure affordable.

The incidence of Orofacial Cleft in live births in New Zealand.

Aim: To determine the incidence of orofacial cleft at birth in New Zealand over 10 years from January 2000.

Methods: Comparison of data collected from cleft units and data held on the national minimum dataset.

Results: The overall incidence of OFC in New Zealand over a 10 year period was found to be 1.

Early experience with fat grafting as an adjunct for secondary burn reconstruction in the hand: Technique, hand function assessment and aesthetic outcomes.

Introduction: Fat transfer is increasingly used as part of our reconstructive armamentarium to address the challenges encountered in secondary burn reconstruction. The aim of this study was to review our experience with autologous fat transfer in relation to hand function, scarring and cosmesis, in patients undergoing secondary reconstruction after burns.

Method: Retrospective analysis of burn patients (2010-2013) who underwent autologous fat transfer to improve scarring, contour deformity and/or scar contracture was performed.

Evaluation of a pediatric scald burn clinical pathway.

Scald burns make up more than 75% of the pediatric burns patients who are admitted to our burns unit. A pediatric scald burn pathway was implemented at our center in November 1999, the aim of which was to improve consistency in the management of the acute phase of injury. This study assessed the effectiveness of the first 18 months of this scald burn pathway.

Role of IGF system of mitogens in the induction of fibroblast proliferation by keloid-derived keratinocytes in vitro.

Keloids are proliferative dermal growths representing a pathological wound-healing response. We report high proliferation rates in normal (NF) and keloid-derived fibroblasts (KF) cocultured with keloid-derived keratinocytes (KK). IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 mRNA and secreted IGFBP-3 in conditioned media were increased in NF cocultured with KK compared with NF but markedly reduced in KF cocultured with KK or normal keratinocytes (NK).

Protective effects of curcumin against oxidative damage on skin cells in vitro: its implication for wound healing.

Background: Curcumin, isolated from turmeric, has been known to possess many pharmacologic properties. It has been proven to exhibit remarkable anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Turmeric curcumin may be a good potential agent for wound healing.

Anti-oxidant effects of the extracts from the leaves of Chromolaena odorata on human dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes against hydrogen peroxide and hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase induced damage.

In cutaneous tissue repair, oxidants and antioxidants play very important roles. In local acute and chronic wounds, oxidants are known to have the ability to cause as cell damage and may function as inhibitory factors to wound healing. The administration of anti-oxidants or free radical scavengers is reportedly helpful, notably in order to limit the delayed sequelae of thermal trauma and to enhance the healing process.

Investigating plant-based medicines for wound healing with the use of cell culture technologies and in vitro models: a review.

Introduction: Cell culture and molecular technologies are basic yet sophisticated research tool used to investigate plant-based medicine for wound healing.

Methods: Cell viability and proliferation assay is used to determine whether there are any positive effects and to discover what is the limiting cytotoxic concentration in vitro. The scratch technique, fibroblast-populated collagen lattices and aortic rings embedded gels are used as the in-vitro models of wound re-epithelialization, contraction and angiogenesis.