Treatment of large distal extremity skin wounds with autogenous full-thickness mesh skin grafts in 5 cats

Five cats with large, distal extremity abrasion wounds were treated with an autogenous, full-thickness, mesh skin graft. Survival of the mesh grafts in all five cats was considered between 90 and 100%. Successful grafting requires asepsis, an adequately prepared recipient bed consisting of healthy granulation tissue, proper harvesting and preparation of the graft, meticulous surgical technique and strict postoperative care. Factors that are essential for the survival of skin grafts include good contact between the graft and the recipient bed, normal tension on the sutured graft, strict immobilization after grafting and prevention of accumulation of blood or serum under the graft. Meshing the graft provides more graft flexibility over uneven surfaces and allows adequate drainage. In contrast to previous proposals, the authors recommend no bandage change before the fourth day after grafting. Full-thickness mesh skin grafting can be used to successfully treat large distal skin wounds in cats.

Frederiksenia canicola gen. nov., sp. nov. isolated from dogs and human dog-bite wounds.

Polyphasic analysis was done on 24 strains of Bisgaard taxon 16 from five European countries and mainly isolated from dogs and human dog-bite wounds. The isolates represented a phenotypically and genetically homogenous group within the family Pasteurellaceae. Their phenotypic profile was similar to members of the genus Pasteurella. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry clearly identified taxon 16 and separated it from all other genera of Pasteurellaceae showing a characteristic peak combination. Taxon 16 can be further separated and identified by a RecN protein signature sequence detectable by a specific PCR. In all phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA, rpoB, infB and recN genes, taxon 16 formed a monophyletic branch with intraspecies sequence similarity of at least 99.1, 90.8, 96.8 and 97.2 %, respectively. Taxon 16 showed closest genetic relationship with Bibersteinia trehalosi as to the 16S rRNA gene (95.9 %), the rpoB (89.8 %) and the recN (74.4 %), and with Actinobacillus lignieresii for infB (84.9 %). Predicted genome similarity values based on the recN gene sequences between taxon 16 isolates and the type strains of known genera of Pasteurellaceae were below the genus level. Major whole cell fatty acids for the strain HPA 21(T) are C14:0, C16:0, C18:0 and C16:1 ω7c/C15:0 iso 2OH. Major respiratory quinones are menaquinone-8, ubiquinone-8 and demethylmenaquinone-8. We propose to classify these organisms as a novel genus and species within the family of Pasteurellaceae named Frederiksenia canicola gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is HPA 21(T) (= CCUG 62410(T) = DSM 25797(T)).

Microglia at brain stab wounds express connexin 43 and in vitro form functional gap junctions after treatment with interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α

Gap junctional communication between microglia was investigated at rat brain stab wounds and in primary cultures of rat and mouse cells. Under resting conditions, rat microglia (FITC-isolectin-B4-reactive cells) were sparsely distributed in the neocortex, and most (95%) were not immunoreactive for Cx43, a gap junction protein subunit. At brain stab wounds, microglia progressively accumulated over several days and formed aggregates that frequently showed Cx43 immunoreactivity at interfaces between cells. In primary culture, microglia showed low levels of Cx43 determined by Western blotting, diffuse intracellular Cx43 immunoreactivity, and a low incidence of dye coupling. Treatment with the immunostimulant bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the cytokines interferon-γ (INF-γ) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) one at a time did not increase the incidence of dye coupling. However, microglia treated with INF-γ plus LPS showed a dramatic increase in dye coupling that was prevented by coapplication of an anti-TNF-α antibody, suggesting the release and autocrine action of TNF-α. Treatment with INF-γ plus TNF-α also greatly increased the incidence of dye coupling and the Cx43 levels with translocation of Cx43 to cell–cell contacts. The cytokine-induced dye coupling was reversibly inhibited by 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid, a gap junction blocker. Cultured mouse microglia also expressed Cx43 and developed dye coupling upon treatment with cytokines, but microglia from homozygous Cx43-deficient mice did not develop significant dye coupling after treatment with either INF-γ plus LPS or INF-γ plus TNF-α. This report demonstrates that microglia can communicate with each other through gap junctions that are induced by inflammatory cytokines, a process that may be important in the elaboration of the inflammatory response.

Skin wounds and severed nerves heal normally in mice lacking tenascin-C.

A large number of functions have been demonstrated for tenascin-C by antibody perturbation assays and in vitro cell culture experiments. However, these results contrast sharply with the lack of any apparent phenotype in mice with a genetic deletion of tenascin-C. A possible explanation for the lack of phenotype would be expression of some altered but functional tenascin-C in the mutant. We report the generation of an independent tenascin-C null mouse and conclude that the original tenascin-C knockout, which is genetically very similar to ours, is also a true null. As found previously, the absence of tenascin-C has no influence on development, adulthood, life span, and fecundity. We have studied in detail two models of wound healing. After axotomy, the regeneration of the sciatic nerve is not altered without tenascin-C. During healing of cutaneous wounds, deposition of collagen I, fibulin-2, and nidogen is identical in mutant and wild-type mice. In contrast. fibronectin appears diminished in wounds of tenascin-C-deficient mice. However, the lack of tenascin-C together with the reduced amount of fibronectin has no influence on the quality of the healing process.

How fast do European conifers overgrow wounds inflicted by rockfall?

The capacity of trees to recover from mechanical disturbance is of crucial importance for tree survival but has been primarily investigated in saplings using artificially induced wounds. In this study, mature Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Abies alba Mill. trees growing on alpine slopes that were wounded by naturally occurring rockfall were analyzed to determine their efficiency in overgrowing wounds. In total 43 L. decidua, P. abies and A. alba trees were sampled. First, 106 samples from 27 L. decidua and P. abies trees were analyzed to reconstruct yearly and overall overgrowth rates. Cross sections were taken at the maximum extension of the injury and overgrowth rates were determined on a yearly basis. Results clearly showed that L. decidua overgrew wounds more efficiently than P. abies with an average overgrowth rate of 19° and 11.8° per year, respectively. The higher on the stem the injury was located, the faster the wound was closed. Young and small trees overgrew wounds more efficiently than older or thicker trees. In contrast, no correlation was observed between injury size or increment before/after wounding and wound closure. Second, cross sections from 16 L. decidua, P. abies and A. alba (54 injuries) were used to assess closure rates at different heights around the injury. Overgrowth was generally smallest at the height of the maximum lateral extension of the injury and increased at the upper and lower end of the injury. The efficiency with which L. decidua closes wounds inflicted by rockfall makes this species highly adapted to sites with this type of mechanical disturbance.

Roster of Cuyahoga county soldiers, sailors and marines wounded in action, killed in action, died of wounds [or] gassed. : World war 1914-18 /

"These data ... were taken from the 'Official roster' of Ohio soldiers, sailors and marines participating in the world war, as published by the state of Ohio."--Pref.

Gun-shot wounds of the small intestines /

Printed wrappers.

A practical treatise on wounds and other chirurgical subjects; to which is prefixed a short historical account of the rife and progress of surgery and anatomy ... /

Mode of access: Internet.

A treatise on the operations of surgery, with a description and representation of the instruments used in performing them : to which is prefixed an introduction on the nature and treatment of wounds, abscesses and ulcers /

Mode of access: Internet.

Antiseptic surgery : an address delivered at St Thomas's Hospital with the subsequent debate to which are added a short statement of the theory of the antiseptic method, a description of the materials employed in carrying it out, and some applications of the method to operations and injuries in different regions of the body, and to wounds received in war /

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Acupressure : a new method of arresting surgical haemorrhage and of accelerating the healing of wounds /

Mode of access: Internet.

An inquiry into the process of nature in repairing injuries of the intestines: illustrating the treatment of penetrating wounds and strangulated hernia.

Mode of access: Internet.

The principles of surgery, as they relate to wounds, ulcers, fistulæ, aneurisms, wounded arteries, fractures of the limbs, tumors, the operations of trepan and lithotomy. Also of the duties of the military and hospital surgeon.

Mode of access: Internet.