Combination Treatment for Inhibition of the Growth of Staphylococcus aureus with Recombinant SAP8 Endolysin and Nisin.

Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogenic species of genus Staphylococcus involved in foodborne illness always remain among the top priorities of the world major concerns. In the present study, we have used recombinant SAP8 endolysin from the bacteriophage SAP8 and commercial nisin to inhibit the viability of pathogenic S. aureus KCTC 3881 cells; however, the approach was not identified as cost-effective. A gradual decrease in the viable S. aureus KCTC 3881 cell counts was observed with an increase in the concentrations of recombinant SAP8 endolysin and nisin. However, combined treatment with recombinant SAP8 endolysin and nisin decreased the viable S. aureus KCTC 3881 cell counts in a significant manner. The combination of 0.01 µM of recombinant SAP8 endolysin with 9 IU/mL and 18 IU/mL of nisin demonstrated a promising decrease in the viable cell counts of the strain. Under the scanning electron microscope, the combination treatment with 0.01 µM of recombinant SAP8 endolysin and 18 IU/mL of nisin showed complete cellular destruction of S. aureus KCTC 3881. We propose that a combination of recombinant SAP8 endolysin and nisin could be a strong alternative to antibiotics to control the growth of S. aureus including MRSA.

Synergistic Inhibition by Bacteriocin and Bacteriophage against Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a representative pathogenic bacterium carefully controlled in the dairy industry because it causes bovine mastitis and thus, can enter the dairy chain. Furthermore, the emergence of multi-drug resistant S. aureus is a big problem. We previously isolated a Lactococcus lactis strain producing a bacteriocin that exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. In this study, we investigated the synergistic inhibition of S. aureus by the bacteriocin and a bacteriophage (SAP84) which is specific to the organism. The bacteriocin (12.5-100 AU/mL) inhibited the growth of S. aureus KCTC 3881 in a dose-dependent manner, as did the bacteriophage SAP84 (0.001-1 MOI; multiplicity of infection). Co-treatment with the bacteriocin (100 AU/mL) and the bacteriophage (0.1 MOI) significantly inhibited the growth of S. aureus compared to each treatment alone (bacteriocin or bacteriophage), indicating the two components showed synergistic inhibition of S. aureus. Therefore, the bacteriocin and bacteriophage combination can be used as a good strategy for controlling pathogenic bacteria.

Palmar crease release and secondary full-thickness skin grafts for contractures in primary full-thickness skin grafts during growth spurts in pediatric palmar hand burns.

Pediatric palmar hand burns are a difficult problem because of the serious hand deformity, with functional impairment resulting from rapid growth. In cases of severe pediatric palmar hand burns, a secondary full-thickness skin graft after a primary full-thickness skin graft offers a reliable way of obtaining the required functional and aesthetic outcomes.This study retrospectively evaluated 28 children who required palmar crease releases and secondary full-thickness skin grafts during the past 12 years. The case records were reviewed for sex and age distributions, injury mechanism, and time interval between the primary and secondary full-thickness skin grafts. Surgical procedures included secondary full-thickness skin grafts and incisional releases of grafted skin on the involved creases. There were 19 men and 9 women. The mean age at the time of the burn injury was 10.1 months (range, 5-19 months). The mean age at the time of the secondary full-thickness skin graft was 8.3 years (range, 3-17 years). The most common mechanism of burn injury was steam (n = 24). The median time interval from the primary to the secondary full-thickness skin graft was 67 months (range, 8-156 months). The number of released creases was 81. The number of palmar web contractures in 23 patients was 52. A secondary full-thickness skin graft was more frequently necessary in patients with a primary full-thickness skin graft in the proximal digital crease and palmar web areas. All patients achieved adequate digital length and palmar web contour after surgery. Our patients should be observed until the rapid pubertal growth period.

Pseudoangiosarcomatous squamous cell carcinoma developing on a burn scar: a case report and review of the literature.

Pseudoangiosarcomatous squamous cell carcinoma, also known as pseudovascular, pseudovascular adenoid and pseudoangiomatous squamous cell carcinoma, is an exceedingly rare, aggressive variant of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with extreme acantholysis resulting in angiosarcoma-like areas. Histologically, a pseudoangiosarcomatous pattern includes complex anastomosing channels and spaces lined with neoplastic cells. The neoplastic cells exhibit cytokeratin and vimentin positivity but yield negative results with CD31 and CD34. This case report describes pseudoangiosarcomatous squamous cell carcinoma developing on a burn scar on the ankle. In this report, we emphasize the importance of establishing a diagnosis with histological and immunohistochemical examination, and we review the described incidence of the age and sites with the prognosis for the treatment of pseudoangiosarcomatous squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Modified dovetail-plasty in scar revision.

Scar revision is one of the fundamental techniques in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Local flaps, such as a Z-plasty, W-plasty, or geometric broken-line closure, have been used for scar revision. Camouflaging a scar during scar revision for marginal scars from skin grafts and flaps, trapdoor scars, and linear scars is difficult. We describe our experience with the use of modified dovetail-plasty for scar revision in these difficult areas. Our study group consisted of 28 cases among 22 patients (9 males and 13 females) with a mean age of 33.6 years (range, 6-61 years). The conspicuous scars were located on the face (50%) and extremities (50%). The authors designed Y-shaped incision lines to relax the skin tension lines on one side of the excision line and trapezoid incision lines on the other side. There were 16 follow-up operations performed over 6 months after the initial operation among a total of 22 patients. There were scar depressions (2 patients) and a hypertrophic scar (1 patient) at the interval area between the dovetail flaps. A diffuse hypertrophic scar occurred in 1 patient with a dorsal foot scar. The overall success rates of the procedure as assessed by the surgeons were as follows: excellent (75%), good (12.4%), fair (6.3%), and poor (6.3%). This new local flap can achieve an inconspicuous scar using a blurred scar line and reducing tension. The authors recommend a modified dovetail-plasty for the revision of trapdoor scars and scars under excessive tension.

The impact of laser Doppler imaging on the early decision-making process for surgical intervention in adults with indeterminate burns.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze whether laser Doppler imaging (LDI) can lead to earlier decision-making regarding the need for surgery in adults with indeterminate burns. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, we developed a prediction model for surgery in adults with indeterminate burns. Patient data (n=101) from January 2007 to December 2009 were used for model development, and those (n=40) from January 2010 to October 2010 for external validation. RESULTS: Between non-surgical and surgical groups, there were significant differences for mean age (p=0.009), % total body surface area burn (p=0.016), site of burn wound (p=0.033), and mean perfusion units (PU) (p<0.001). Multiple logistic regression showed that only the mean PU differed significantly between the groups. The area under the curve (AUC) of the equation derived from multiple logistic regression was 0.938, which did not differ from that of the mean PU alone (0.931; p=0.453). Using a cut-off point of 154.7PU, the sensitivity of LDI was 78.3% and the specificity was 92.7%. This cut-off point also yielded a sensitivity of 77.8% and specificity of 95.5% in the external validation dataset. CONCLUSION: LDI can help make a decision for surgery in the early stages of care for adults with indeterminate burns.

Unique profile of ordered arrangements of repetitive elements in the C57BL/6J mouse genome implicating their functional roles.

The entirety of all protein coding sequences is reported to represent a small fraction (~2%) of the mouse and human genomes; the vast majority of the rest of the genome is presumed to be repetitive elements (REs). In this study, the C57BL/6J mouse reference genome was subjected to an unbiased RE mining to establish a whole-genome profile of RE occurrence and arrangement. The C57BL/6J mouse genome was fragmented into an initial set of 5,321 units of 0.5 Mb, and surveyed for REs using unbiased self-alignment and dot-matrix protocols. The survey revealed that individual chromosomes had unique profiles of RE arrangement structures, named RE arrays. The RE populations in certain genomic regions were arranged into various forms of complexly organized structures using combinations of direct and/or inverse repeats. Some of these RE arrays spanned stretches of over 2 Mb, which may contribute to the structural configuration of the respective genomic regions. There were substantial differences in RE density among the 21 chromosomes, with chromosome Y being the most densely populated. In addition, the RE array population in the mouse chromosomes X and Y was substantially different from those of the reference human chromosomes. Conversion of the dot-matrix data pertaining to a tandem 13-repeat structure within the Ch7.032 genome unit into a line map of known REs revealed a repeat unit of ~11.3 Kb as a mosaic of six different RE types. The data obtained from this study allowed for a comprehensive RE profiling, including the establishment of a library of RE arrays, of the reference mouse genome. Some of these RE arrays may participate in a spectrum of normal and disease biology that are specific for mice.

Relationship between healing time and mean perfusion units of laser Doppler imaging (LDI) in pediatric burns.

BACKGROUND: Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) is a noninvasive technique used to assess burn depth. However, there have been no studies regarding the use of LDI in predicting burn healing time. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to evaluate the relationship between healing time and the amount of perfusion seen on LDI and to determine a cut-off value for LDI that predicts if a burn will heal within 14 days. STUDY DESIGN: Consecutive patients younger than 15 years old with partial-thickness burns were recruited from May to November 2006 for this prospective observational study. The mean number of perfusion units (PU) as determined by LDI (Periscan PIM 3 system) was obtained within 2-3 days following injury. Healing time was estimated clinically by two physicians and marked by the observation of reepithelization. The mean PU was compared between the early (healed with 14 days) and late healing groups (healed later than 14 days). The usefulness of the mean PU in predicting healing time within 14 days was estimated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients with 181 partial-thickness burn wounds were enrolled in this study. The mean PU from LDI was higher in the early healing group compared to the late healing group (380.2+/-157.8 vs. 185.8+/-115.8, p<0.001). When using 250 PUs as a cut-off value to predict early healing, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.6% and 76.9%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.844 (p<0.001, 95% CI=0.780-0.908). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the mean PU as determined by LDI can be used as a valuable tool in predicting the healing time of burn wounds.