Current advances in basic stem cell research and tissue engineering augur well for the development of improved cultured skin tissue substitutes: a class of products that is still fraught with limitations for clinical use. Although the ability to grow autologous keratinocytes in-vitro from a small skin biopsy into sheets of stratified epithelium (within 3 to 4 weeks) helped alleviate the problem of insufficient donor site for extensive burn, many burn units still have to grapple with insufficient skin allografts which are used as intermediate wound coverage after burn excision. Alternatives offered by tissue-engineered skin dermal replacements to meet emergency demand have been used fairly successfully. Despite the availability of these commercial products, they all suffer from the same problems of extremely high cost, sub-normal skin microstructure and inconsistent engraftment, especially in full thickness burns. Clinical practice for severe burn treatment has since evolved to incorporate these tissue-engineered skin substitutes, usually as an adjunct to speed up epithelization for wound closure and/or to improve quality of life by improving the functional and cosmetic results long-term. This review seeks to bring the reader through the beginnings of skin tissue engineering, the utilization of some of the key products developed for the treatment of severe burns and the hope of harnessing stem cells to improve on current practice.

a b s t r a c tThe novel coronavirus, SARS-CO V2 responsible for COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly escalating across the globe. Burn centers gearing for the pandemic must strike a balance between contributing to the pandemic response and preserving ongoing burn care in a safe and ethical fashion. The authors of the present communication represent seven burn centers from China, Singapore, Japan, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US).Each center is located at a different point along the pandemic curve and serves different patient populations within their healthcare systems. We review our experience with the virus to date, our strategic approach to burn center function under these circumstances, and lessons learned. The purpose of this communication is to share experiences that will assist with continued preparations to help burn centers advocate for optimum burn care and overcome challenges as this pandemic continues.

A quick, objective, non-invasive means of identifying high-risk septic patients in the emergency department (ED) can improve hospital outcomes through early, appropriate management. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis has been correlated with mortality in critically ill patients. We aimed to develop a Singapore ED sepsis (SEDS) predictive model to assess the risk of 30-day in-hospital mortality in septic patients presenting to the ED. We used demographics, vital signs, and HRV parameters in model building and compared it with the modified early warning score (MEWS), national early warning score (NEWS), and quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) score.Adult patients clinically suspected to have sepsis in the ED and who met the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria were included. Routine triage electrocardiogram segments were used to obtain HRV variables. The primary endpoint was 30-day in-hospital mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to derive the SEDS model. MEWS, NEWS, and qSOFA (initial and worst measurements) scores were computed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate their predictive performances.Of the 214 patients included in this study, 40 (18.7%) met the primary endpoint. The SEDS model comprises of 5 components (age, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, mean RR interval, and detrended fluctuation analysis α2) and performed with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72–0.86), compared with 0.65 (95% CI: 0.56–0.74), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61–0.79), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.62–0.79), 0.56 (95% CI: 0.46–0.66) by qSOFA (initial), qSOFA (worst), NEWS, and MEWS, respectively.HRV analysis is a useful component in mortality risk prediction for septic patients presenting to the ED.

Bacterial colonization of acute and chronic wounds is often associated with delayed wound healing and prolonged hospitalization. The rise of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the poor biocompatibility of topical antimicrobials warrant safe and effective antimicrobials. Antimicrobial agents that target microbial membranes without interfering with the mammalian cell proliferation and migration hold great promise in the treatment of traumatic wounds. This article reports the utility of superhydrophilic electrospun gelatin nanofiber dressings (NFDs) containing a broad-spectrum antimicrobial polymer, ε-polylysine (εPL), crosslinked by polydopamine (pDA) for treating second-degree burns. In a porcine model of partial thickness burns, NFDs promoted wound closure and reduced hypertrophic scarring compared to untreated burns. Analysis of NFDs in contact with the burns indicated that the dressings trap early colonizers and elicit bactericidal activity, thus creating a sterile wound bed for fibroblasts migration and re-epithelialization. In support of these observations, in porcine models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus colonized partial thickness burns, NFDs decreased bacterial bioburden and promoted wound closure and re-epithelialization. NFDs displayed superior clinical outcome than standard-of-care silver dressings. The excellent biocompatibility and antimicrobial efficacy of the newly developed dressings in pre-clinical models demonstrate its potential for clinical use to manage infected wounds without compromising tissue regeneration.

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Burn injuries result in the release of proinflammatory mediators causing both local and systemic inflammation. Multiple organ dysfunctions secondary to systemic inflammation after severe burn contribute to adverse outcome, with the lungs being the first organ to fail. In this study, we evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of Parecoxib, a parenteral COX-2 inhibitor, in a delayed fluid resuscitation burned rat model. Anaesthetized Sprague Dawley rats were inflicted with 45% total body surface area full-thickness scald burns and subsequently subjected to delayed resuscitation with Hartmann's solution. Parecoxib (0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/kg) was delivered intramuscularly 20 min after injury followed by 12 h interval and the rats were sacrificed at 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h. Burn rats developed elevated blood cytokines, transaminase, creatinine, and increased lung MPO levels. Animals treated with 1 mg/kg Parecoxib showed significantly reduced plasma level of CINC-1, IL-6, PGEM, and lung MPO. Treatment of 1 mg/kg Parecoxib is shown to mitigate systemic and lung inflammation without significantly affecting other organs. At present, no specific therapeutic agent is available to attenuate the systemic inflammatory response secondary to burn injury. The results suggest that Parecoxib may have the potential to be used both as an analgesic and ameliorate the effects of lung injury following burn.