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Glycerolized Nile tilapia skin (NTS) showed promising results when used for burn treatment in phases II and III randomized controlled trials. This pilot study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of lyophilized NTS (LNTS) as a temporary skin substitute for superficial partial-thickness burns by comparing it with silver-impregnated sodium carboxymethylcellulose dressing. This was a randomized, prospective, open-label, and controlled pilot study conducted in Fortaleza, Brazil, from April 2019 to December 2019. The 24 participants had ≥18 and ≤70 years of age and superficial partial-thickness burns affecting up to 10% of TBSA. Primary outcomes were the number of dressings performed and pain intensity, assessed via the Visual Analogue Scale and the Electronic von Frey. Secondary outcomes were the level of pain-related anxiety, assessed via the Burns Specific Pain Anxiety Scale, and analgesic consumption. In the test group, the number of dressings and the patient-reported pain after dressing-related procedures were lower. Analgesic intake, pain-related anxiety, and both patient-reported and objectively measured pain before dressing-related procedures were similar for the treatment groups. No adverse effects were detected. LNTS shares the same characteristics of an "'ideal'" wound dressing demonstrated by glycerolized NTS in previous studies. Also, it demonstrated noninferiority for burn management when compared with silver-impregnated sodium carboxymethylcellulose dressing. The safety and efficacy of LNTS demonstrated in this pilot study may allow the development of larger phases II and III RCTs in a near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of amniotic membrane transplantation for ocular surface reconstruction. Methods: Prospective study including 23 eyes of 21 patients who underwent amniotic membrane transplantation at Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná (HC-UFPR) and at Cirurgia e Diagnose em Oftalmologia do Paraná (CDOP) clinic, located in Curitiba, PR, Brazil, from may 2015 to july 2019. The amniotic membrane was collected from elective and term cesarean delivery, and conserved in preservation medium and glycerol 1:1, stored at -80° Celsius. The membrane was fixed on the ocular surface with 10-0 nylon, 8-0 vicryl, biological glue or a combination of these materials. Results: The ocular surface reconstruction was successful in 22 eyes (95.6%). Failure was observed only in 1 case (bullous keratopathy) in which the condition was maintained postoperatively. Patients' age ranged from 11-82 years, with a mean age of 37.4 years. There was a higher incidence in males (66.6%). A difference was perceived in the distribution of the affected eye (which was greater in the right eye - 65.2%). As for the previous ophthalmic surgery history, 12 of the 23 eyes had a positive history (52.2%). It was observed that all patients who had preoperative visual acuity assessed showed improvement or maintenance of corrected visual acuity. In the postoperative period, complications associated with the underlying disease were observed, although not particularly related to the amniotic membrane transplantation. There were not any cases of postoperative infection. Conclusions: There was an improvement in the general state of the ocular surface in almost all of the cases in which the transplant was performed. Therefore, the amniotic membrane can be considered a good alternative for reconstructing the ocular surface, as a single or supporting treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin substitutes are considered a useful alternative for occlusive dressings in the treatment of superficial burns as they reduce the frequency of dressing replacement. This phase II randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin as an occlusive xenograft dressing for the treatment of burn wounds in humans. In order to assess the use of tilapia skin, the following variables were evaluated: number of days for wound healing, the number of times the occlusive dressing was changed, use of anesthetics or analgesics, pain assessment using the Visual Analogue Scale, and evaluation of burn improvement on the day of dressing removal. In total, 62 participants completed the study. It was found that in participants treated with tilapia skin, complete reepithelialization occurred in significantly fewer days; reported pain intensity was lower (study arms B and C), the amount of anesthetics/analgesics required was lower (study arms B and C), and the necessity of dressing changes was significantly reduced in comparison with volunteers treated with silver sulfadiazine. In our study, the tilapia skin xenograft showed good efficacy as an occlusive biological dressing for burn wound treatment in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitalization is just a first step in treating patients with burn injury. This study aims to describe hospitalization patterns for major burn injury (MajBI) and medium burn injury (MedBI) in a real-world setting of public hospitals in Brazil, from 2016 to 2018. [Extracted from the article]

Avulsion of the nail plate is the most accomplished surgical procedure among the nail apparatus surgeries. Since it is not possible to use the removed nail to cover the nail bed, some materials have been suggested, however, they are generally not available for use and often at a high cost. To evaluate the use of Bacterial Cellulose (BC) dressing as a biological nail (Bio-Nail) after partial or total avulsion of the nail plate. Twenty-six candidates for nail avulsion, were randomized into two groups: Control, using Vaseline with gauze (11 patients) and Experimental group, BC group, using the Bio-Nail (15 patients). The patients were followed up during the 180-day period. The distribution of the patients in the groups was homogeneous for both sociodemographic and clinical data. The occurrence of infection (1 case in the control group) was not statistically relevant. The BC group had lower pain intensity (p = 0.011) with earlier temporal resolution when compared to the control group (p = 0.003). The BC group presented earlier reepithelization (p = 0.022) and better quantitative (p = 0.021) and qualitative conditions (p = 0.011) for the exudate. Regarding satisfaction, all the patients were satisfied. Good preservation of the nail plate area was observed in the BC group at the end of the 180-day period (p = 0.024). Average time of BC dressing permanence was 16.4 ± 7.1 days. BC showed to be appropriate as a dressing after partial or total avulsion of the nail plate. BC is a Bio-Nail promising for nail bed healing.

Despite a considerable decrease in its incidence worldwide, burns remain the fourth most common type of trauma. The majority of burns are small, with 75% of injuries treated on an outpatient basis. Tilapia skin, as a biological material, has been suggested as an option for the management of burn wounds. After good results were obtained with the use of a glycerolised version of tilapia skin in burned children and adults, it was hypothesised that similar outcomes could be achieved with the use of a lyophilised version of tilapia skin. We report the case of a 33-year-old female patient with scalds to the upper abdomen, and both breasts, arms and forearms. Involvement of 10% of total body surface area with superficial partial thickness burns was calculated. The good adherence of tilapia skin to the wound bed, a 10-day period for complete re-epithelialisation of the wounds and the absence of side effects suggested that the lyophilised version of tilapia skin is effective for burn treatment. Compared with glycerolisation, lyophilisation is thought to permit extended storage of sterile tissue and decreased costs related to distribution and transport, but further studies are needed to confirm this.

This is a retrospective study analysing 12,423 patients treated at our institution from 1 July 1988 to 30 June 1990. Burn incidence and mode of treatment were classified according to age and sex, as well as causative agent, place of the accident, length of treatment and outcome. 96.6 per cent of the patients were surgically treated, about 41 per cent of the patients were under 14 years of age. The most frequent cause of injury was related to meal preparation, with more than two-thirds of the accidents occurring at home. Only large or complicated burns (1094-8.8 per cent) were admitted, with 49 deaths occurring during this period. We conclude that children and younger adults are at greater risk of being burned and preventative measures should be oriented towards the prevention of such accidents.