[Injury and repair of the peripheral nerve].

Peripheral nerve injury is amongst the most common causes of acquired temporary or permanent handicap, often necessitating repeated medical interventions. Currently the mainstay of treatment is surgical, however, functional heating rates are low. An enlarging base of knowledge exists regarding the balance of power between molecular factors supporting regeneration and those inhibiting it in the immediate environment of the axon. This knowledge has begun seeping into clinical practice in the form of surgical interventions combined with local molecular treatments, but these developments are just commencing. This article reviews the anatomy of the peripheral nerve, its' natural repair process after injury, current treatment options and future prospects rising from the basic science research.

Pediatric burns in the Bedouin population in southern Israel.

Burn trauma is an important public health concern, with increased risk for burns in children. A cross-sectional study was performed to describe the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors for burns in hospitalized Bedouin children in Soroka University Medical Center during the years 2001-2002. In a population of 558 hospitalized burn-injured patients, 282 Bedouin children were identified. Two hundred and sixty five patients (94.0%) had burns involving less than 20% of the body surface area. Cause of the burns was scald in 190 patients (67.4%), fire in 80 patients (28.4%), chemical in 8 patients (2.8%), and explosion in 2 patients (0.7%). Two female patients (0.7%) aged 11 and 17 years died of their burns that were caused by fire. The mean length of hospitalization was 9.8 days. Pediatric burn injury has become a significant public health problem in the Bedouin population of the Negev. To reduce the burden of burn injury, it is necessary to increase current efforts in prevention of burns.