Application of artificial skin combined with external fixator in the treatment of severe open fractures of legs / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate therapeutic effects of external fixator combined with artificial skin for the treatment of lower limb open fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2009 to February 2011,56 patients with lower limb open fractures were treated with external fixator and artificial skin following debridement. There were 42 males and 14 females, with a mean age of 43.6 years (ranged, 18 to 68 years). Wound surface or cavities were filled with artificial skin with embedded drainage tubes connected to vacuum bottle. The wounds were closed with secondary suturing, or free flap, or flap transfer at 5-7 days after primary operation. The therapeutic effects were evaluated by observing the wound healing, wound bacterial culture, healing time, recovery of limb function.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The wounds of 56 patients all healed. Fifty-three patients had bone primary union, and 3 patients had delayed union. The average union time was 5.8 months. There was pin-tract infection in 3 cases and superficial infection in 1 case. According to Ovadia evaluation criteria,45 patients got an excellent results, 9 good and 2 fair.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Artificial skin combined with external fixator is a simple and effective treatment method for Gustilo III type severe open fractures of legs, which is effective to provide rapid fixation, seal wounds, and shorten secondary healing time of wounds.</p>

Preliminary study on cardiac allograft rejection in mice by Extractum trametes robiniophila murr / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Extractum trametes robiniophila murr on cardiac allograft rejection in mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All abdominal heterotopic heart transplantation models were divided into three groups as follows: (A) Extractum trametes robiniophila murr group. (B) Rejection group. (C) Isograft group. In each group, mean survival times (MST) of transplanted hearts and their pathologic histological changes at postoperative fifth day were observed. With fluoroimmunoassay, granzyme B and CD8(+) expressions were examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The MST of heart allografts in group A were (6.38 +/- 0.69) d, significantly shorter than that of group B [(8.31 +/- 0.59) d] (P < 0.01). In group A, acute rejection was present in advance; transplanted hearts were seriously damaged into acute rejection pathological grade 3, and CD8(+) T lymphocytes infiltrated diffusely and the expression of granzyme B increased significantly as compared with other groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Exclusive application of Extractum trametes robiniophila murr can promote the acute rejection of graft in early phase of postoperation, and the mechanism may be the promoted proliferation and infiltration of CD8(+) T lymphocytes and the increased expression of granzyme B.</p>