Primary Oral Mucormycosis Due to Rhizopus microsporus after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

We herein report a rare case of oral mucormycosis following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Oral mucormycosis due to Rhizopus microsporus manifested as localized left buccal mucositis with a 1-cm black focus before neutrophil recovery. Combination therapy with liposomal amphotericin B was initiated and surgical debridement was performed; however, the patient died due to progressive generalized mucormycosis. Considerable attention needs to be paid to the diagnosis and management of oral mucormycosis in post-transplant patients, thereby suggesting the importance of fully understanding the risk factors.

Improvement of blood lipid profiles by Goishi tea polyphenols in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.

Dyslipidaemia is a risk factor for arteriosclerosis. Recent studies have shown that dyslipidaemia is effectively prevented by various polyphenols. In this clinical study (UMIN trial: 000024028), we evaluated the beneficial effects of polyphenols contained in Goishi tea on blood lipid profiles. Seventy-seven subjects with LDL cholesterol (CHO) ≧120 mg/mL were randomly divided into two groups for 12 weeks of polyphenol intake as follows: the Goishi tea group for daily consumption of Goishi tea containing 122 mg of polyphenols and the placebo group for the corresponding consumption of a placebo drink containing 12.2 mg of polyphenols. Intake of Goishi tea polyphenols tended to increase HDL CHO and suppress the elevation of triglycerides. These effects were particularly notable among the subjects with a body mass index <25 kg/m2. These findings suggest that Goishi tea polyphenols may suppress arteriosclerosis and reduce cardiovascular event risk by improving blood lipid profiles and thereby preventing dyslipidaemia.

Novel Application of Cultured Epithelial Autografts (CEA) with Expanded Mesh Skin Grafting Over an Artificial Dermis or Dermal Wound Bed Preparation.

Cultured epithelial autografts (CEA) with highly expanded mesh skin grafts were used for extensive adult burns covering more than 30% of the total body surface area. A prospective study on eight patients assessed subjective and objective findings up to a 12-month follow-up. The results of wound healing for over 1:6 mesh plus CEA, gap 1:6 mesh plus CEA, and 1:3 mesh were compared at 3, 6, and 12 months using extensibility, viscoelasticity, color, and transepidermal water loss by a generalized estimating equation (GEE) or generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). No significant differences were observed among the paired treatments at any time point. At 6 and 12 months, over 1:6 mesh plus CEA achieved significantly better expert evaluation scores by the Vancouver and Manchester Scar Scales (p < 0.01). Extended skin grafting plus CEA minimizes donor resources and the quality of scars is equal or similar to that with conventional low extended mesh slit-thickness skin grafting such as 1:3 mesh. A longitudinal analysis of scars may further clarify the molecular changes of scar formation and pathogenesis.

Silver Sulfadiazine-Impregnated Hydrocolloid Dressing Is Beneficial in Split-Thickness Skin-Graft Donor Wound Healing in a Small Randomized Controlled Study.

Donor-site wound healing was tested with a silver sulfadiazine (SSD)-impregnated hydrocolloid dressing and hydrocolloid dressing applied manually by a physician on site. A total of 14 patients, 5 woman and 9 men (23-89 years old, average = 61.6 ± 18.70 years), were enrolled in this prospective controlled study. The degree of bleeding was significantly less with the SSD-impregnated than with the hydrocolloid dressing (P < .01). In the moisture meter analysis, the values of the effective contact coefficient and corneal thickness were significantly smaller with the SSD-impregnated dressing (P < .05). In the color analysis, the clarity was significantly lower with the hydrocolloid dressing after 3 months than that of intact neighboring skin (P < .01). Regarding red-green color, SSD-impregnated and hydrocolloid values were significantly greater than the intact skin value immediately after and at 3 months, and the hydrocolloid value was significantly greater than intact at 6 months (P < .01 immediately; P < .01 at 3 months and intact at 6 months) in redness. Regarding yellow-blue color, the hydrocolloid value was significantly lower than the intact skin value at 3 months (P < .05 and intact) in yellow. The extensibility was significantly lower with the hydrocolloid dressing than in intact skin immediately (P < .01), and viscoelasticity was significantly lower with the hydrocolloid dressing than in intact skin immediately and after 3 and 6 months (P < .01 immediately and at 6 months and P < .05 at 3 months). The SSD-impregnated hydrocolloid dressing led to superior wound healing, decreased the degree of bleeding, and demonstrated better corneal barrier function, clarity, color matching, and viscoelasticity in split-thickness donors.