Due to the complexity involved in the healing process of full thickness burns, the literature looks for alternatives to optimize tissue reconstruction. The objective of this study was to explore the action of photobiomodulation therapy associated with MSCs in the healing process of third degree burns. A total of 96 male Wistar rats were used, distributed in four groups with 24 animals each: Control Group, Laser Group, Cell Therapy Group, and Laser Group and Cell Therapy. The burn was performed with aluminum plate (150 C). We performed analysis of wound contraction, histology, immunohistochemistry, birefringence analysis, and immunoenzymatic assay to evaluate tissue quality. Our results demonstrate that the association of the techniques is able to accelerate the repair process, modulating the inflammatory process, presenting a cutaneous tissue with better quality. Thus, we conclude that the use of photobiomodulation therapy associated with cell therapy is a promising treatment in the repair of total thickness burns.
Background
This study evaluates an active search strategy for leprosy diagnosis based on responses to a Leprosy Suspicion Questionnaire (LSQ), and analyzing the clinical, immunoepidemiological and follow-up aspects for individuals living in a prison population.
Methods
A cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire posing 14 questions about leprosy symptoms and signs that was distributed to 1,400 prisoners. This was followed by dermatoneurological examination, anti-PGL-I serology and RLEP-PCR. Those without leprosy were placed in the Non-leprosy Group (NLG, n = 1,216) and those diagnosed with clinical symptoms of leprosy were placed in the Leprosy Group (LG, n = 34).
Findings
In total, 896 LSQ were returned (64%), and 187 (20.9%) of the responses were deemed as positive for signs/symptoms, answering 2.7 questions on average. Clinically, 1,250 (89.3%) of the prisoners were evaluated resulting in the diagnosis of 34 new cases (LG), based on well-accepted clinical signs and symptoms, a new case detection rate of 2.7% within this population, while the NLG were comprised of 1,216 individuals. The confinement time medians were 39 months in the LG while it was 36 months in the NLG (p>0.05). The 31 leprosy cases who responded to the questionnaire (LSQ+) had an average of 1.5 responses. The symptoms “anesthetized skin area” and “pain in nerves” were most commonly mentioned in the LG while “tingling, numbness in the hands/feet”, “sensation of pricks and needles”, “pain in nerves” and “spots on the skin” responses were found in more than 30% of questionnaires in the NLG. Clinically, 88.2% had dysesthetic macular skin lesions and 97.1% presented some peripheral nerve impairment, 71.9% with some degree of disability. All cases were multibacillary, confirming a late diagnosis. Anti-PGL-I results in the LG were higher than in the NLG (p<0.0001), while the RLEP-PCR was positive in 11.8% of the patients.
Interpretation
Our findings within the penitentiary demonstrated a hidden prevalence of leprosy, although the individuals diagnosed were likely infected while living in their former communities and not as a result of exposure in the prison. The LSQ proved to be an important screening tool to help identify leprosy cases in prisons.
Biomanufacturing is a relatively new research domain focusing on the use of additive manufacturing technologies, biomaterials, cells, and biomolecular signals to produce tissue constructs for tissue engineering. For bone regeneration, researchers are focusing on the use of polymeric and polymer/ceramic scaffolds seeded with osteoblasts or mesenchymal stem cells. However, high-performance scaffolds in terms of mechanical, cell stimulation, and biological performance are still required. This article investigates the use of an extrusion additive manufacturing system to produce poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) and PCL/graphene nanosheet scaffolds for bone applications. Scaffolds with regular and reproducible architecture and uniform dispersion of graphene were produced and coated with P1-latex protein extracted from the Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree. Results show that the obtained scaffolds cultivated with human adipose-derived stem cells present no toxicity effects. The presence of graphene nanosheet and P1-latex protein in the scaffolds increased cell proliferation compared with PCL scaffolds. Moreover, the presence of P1-latex protein promotes earlier osteogenic differentiation, suggesting that PCL/graphene/P1-latex protein scaffolds are suitable for bone regeneration applications.
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