Volume 18 - Issue 1 - January, 2006
Editorial Message
- 1/1/2006
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January, 2006
Dear Readers,
In this month’s Evidence Corner, Dr. Laura Bolton reviews 2 very interesting studies of psychosocial stress and its effects on wound healing. The articles, “Hostile marital interactions, proinflammatory cytokine production, and wound healing” and “Social facilitation of wound healing,” appeared in Archives of General Psychiatry and Psychoneuroendocrinology, respectively. The 2 studies, one in humans and the other in hamsters, revealed stress effects on the biochemistry of the heali
January 2006
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US Marketing Rights for Iodosorb™ and Iodoflex™ to Transfer in April
Smith & Nephew Inc. (Largo, Fla) announces that effective April 1, 2006, US marketing rights for the Iodosorb™ and Iodoflex™ brands will transfer from Healthpoint (Fort Worth, Tex) to Smith & Nephew Wound Management.
Smith & Nephew currently owns and markets Iodosorb and Iodoflex outside of the United States. For the past 10 years, Healthpoint has had exclusive marketing rights in the United States. With this transfer, Smith & Nephew will consolidate excl
January 2006
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Cytomedix Announces Favorable Results from Diabetic Foot Ulcer Clinical Trial
Cytomedix Inc. (Rockville, Md) announces that the audit of its clinical investigational sites and trial results for diabetic foot ulcers is complete. The company began this audit with the assistance of an independent consultant, a former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) branch chief responsible for bioresearch monitoring.
During the audit, it was discovered that some investigational centers had enrolled patients who did not meet the inclusion criteria or were not given treatment according to the
Evidence Corner
- 1/1/2006
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Dear Readers: Wound healing is delayed in response to chronic1 and acute2 psychological stressors. This month’s column reviews 2 recent articles that clarify the effects of psychosocial stress on wound healing. The first study shows delayed healing and depressed inflammatory cytokine production in individuals experiencing hostile marital interactions. It reminds us that our actions may affect others with broader impact than we expect. The second clarifies the biochemical mechanism(s) by which social interaction can ameliorate th
Economic Study of Collagen-Glycosaminoglycan Biodegradable Matrix for Chronic Wounds
- 1/1/2006
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Collagen-glycosaminoglycan biodegradable matrix (Integra™ Bilayer Matrix Wound Dressing, Integra LifeSciences, Plainsboro, NJ) is a bovine collagen/shark cartilage matrix with a silicone backing that allows the patient to generate a “neo-dermis.” Soon after the success of collagen-glycosaminoglycan biodegradable matrix in treating burn wounds was established, centers familiar with its potential for decreasing scar at donor sites began using it to treat chronic wounds of many different types with good success.1–3 Many reported wonderful outcomes,1&ndas
Sex Hormones and Wound Healing
- 1/1/2006
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In recent years, the increasing size of the geriatric population and the consequently bigger burden of nonhealing or difficult-to-heal wounds associated with this age group has heightened interest in finding novel treatment modalities for wound healing. Sex hormones play a key role in numerous physiologic processes and functions and could potentially impact wound healing in the elderly.1
Estrogens
Estrogens are steroidal hormones predominantly responsible for secondary sexual characteristics in women. They are mainly produced by the ovaries and exist in several form
Cutaneous Fungal Bipolaris Infection
- 1/1/2006
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Presentation
A healthy 55-year-old man suffered a superficial skin abrasion to the left medial ankle while working at a sewage treatment plant. The abrasion progressed to a shallow ulcer with surrounding erythema over the next 4 to 5 days. A worsening course over the following 3 weeks prompted referral to the authors’ facility for further evaluation. Initial examination revealed an exquisitely tender, shallow ulcer, measuring approximately 8 cm x 5 cm with a necrotic base and extensive surrounding erythema (Figure 1).
Diagnosis
Culture results from a wound
Malignant Melanoma Masquerading as a Decubitus Heel Ulceration
- 1/1/2006
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Malignant melanoma is currently the seventh most common form of cancer in the United States. Considered to be the most serious form of skin cancer, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma continues to escalate annually. More than 55,000 new cases were identified in 2004, responsible for the death of nearly 8,000 individuals.1
Although cutaneous melanoma may appear anywhere on the body, up to one-third of all lesions occur in the lower extremity. The foot is the second most common overall area for presentation.2,3
Cutaneous melanoma typically arises from melan





