Dear Readers:

This month’s issue of Wounds developed by Section Editor, Dr. Gerit Mulder, is the first on the topic Genomic, Cellular, and Recombinant Technologies. In his message, Dr. Mulder reviews some of the major historical advancements in wound treatment since the concept of moist wound healing pioneered by George Winter in 1962. That work brought a greater focus on cellular activity in wound healing and has ultimately led to the advent of interactive and active products that are in use today and many others in the development cycle. The papers of this section cover some of these ne

Part 1 of 2

Introduction

In the 1980s, the emergence of tissue engineered skin substitutes and cultured skin cells (“cell-based wound therapy”) for use as experimental wound healing therapies was motivated primarily by the critical need for early coverage of extensive burn injuries in patients with insufficient sources of autologous skin for grafting. Since then, skin substitutes have been widely used to address the prevalent problem of chronic wounds associated with non-burn etiologies. The treatment of such hard-to-heal, chronic, open wounds has assumed increasing importance

Disclosure: This study was supported by Cook Biotech Incorporated.

Introduction

Wound healing is a complex process of tissue restoration[1,2] that can either lead to fibrotic tissue replacement (scarring) with limited functional restoration or to the restoration of natural tissue with normal structure and function. An accepted goal of modern wound care includes facilitating the healing response toward the restoration of functional tissues. This goal is accomplished by providing a conducive environment for wound healing through the means of maintaining wound hydration,[3] offering

Disclosure: This work was supported in part by a NIH research grant 1R43AR46154.

Introduction

The natural process of wound healing proceeds through an orderly sequence of events mediated by specific growth factors. In chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous stasis ulcers, this process is impaired. This is in part due to a deficiency in endogenous growth factors, which have the primary role of stimulating cell migration, proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition. Significant effort has been put into development of growth factor proteins as woun

Department Editor: Tania Phillips, MD, FRCPC

Overall Learning Objective: The physician or podiatrist participant will develop a rational approach to the evaluation and treatment of a variety of uncommon wounds and will have an increased awareness of the differential diagnosis of cutaneous wounds and the systemic diseases associated with these wounds.

Submissions: To submit a case for consideration in Diagnostic Dilemmas, e-mail or write to: Executive Editor, WOUNDS, 83 General Warren Blvd., Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, eklumpp@hmpcommunications.com

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