Alginate is a natural rich anionic polysaccharide (APS), commonly available as calcium alginate (CAPS). It can maintain a physiologically moist microenvironment, which minimises bacterial infection and facilitates wound healing at a wound site. Patients with burn injuries suffer from pain and an inflammatory response. In this study, we evaluated the CAPS dressing and traditional dressing containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) for wound healing and scar tissue formation in a burn model of rat and swine. In our pilot study of a burn rat model to evaluate inflammatory response and wound healing, we found that the monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were up-regulated in the CAPS treatment group. Next, the burn swine models tested positive for MCP-1 in a Gram-positive bacterial infection, and there was overproduction of TGF-β during the burn wound healing process. Rats were monitored daily for 1 week for cytokine assay and sacrificed on day 28 post-burn injury. The swine were monitored over 6 weeks. We further examined the pain and related factors and inflammatory cytokine expression in a rodent burns model monitored everyday for 7 days post-burn. Our results revealed that the efficacy of the dressing containing CAPS for wound repair post-burn was better than the CMC dressing with respect to natural wound healing and scar formation. The polysaccharide-enriched dressing exerted an antimicrobial effect on burn wounds, regulated the inflammatory response and stimulated anti-inflammatory cytokine release. However, one pain assessment method showed no significant difference in the reduction in levels of adenosine triphosphate in serum of rats after wound dressing in either the CAPS or CMC group. In conclusion, a polysaccharide-enriched dressing outperformed a traditional dressing in reducing wound size, minimising hypertrophic scar formation, regulating cytokines and maximising antimicrobial effects.

Aneurysm of the left atrial appendage is extremely rare, and afflicted patients most commonly present with atrial tachyarrhythmia or thromboembolism. For these patients, resection of the aneurysm is the recommended and preferred therapy. We present the case of a 57-year-old woman who was found incidentally to have a large aneurysm of the left atrial appendage presenting as atrial fibrillation. After surgical intervention with resection of the aneurysm and a Cox maze III procedure, the patient recovered and was discharged in sinus rhythm.

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Background and Objectives. Lymph node status is the most important prognostic factor in cutaneous melanoma patients. Recent studies showed that indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence lymphography helps locating sentinel nodes better. Sometimes, flap reconstruction is needed after wide excision of tumor. Indocyanine green fluorescence also simplifies the intraoperative design of flaps. This study investigates the use of ICG fluorescence in patients with cutaneous melanoma during operation. Methods. We performed a single-center, retrospective study of subjects with cutaneous melanoma using ICG lymphograhy and/or angiography during wide excision of tumor between 2015 and 2019. Patients received a dermal injection of ICG and patent blue (PB) dye. The positive node was excised. Indocyanine green angiography was utilized to visualize better skin paddle during flap reconstruction if needed. Results. A total of 37 sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were removed in 12 patients. Indocyanine green successful localization was found in 10 of the 12 patients (83%). Three patients were found with 6 metastatic nodes on final pathology. 100% of these 6 nodes were identified by ICG, while 83% (5/6) were positive PB. Three of the 12 patients received flap reconstruction after operation, and no major complications occurred. Conclusions. ICG dye lymphangiography is a good alternative for locating SLNs in patients with melanoma. It could also visualize well perfusion skin paddle during reconstruction. We reported a reproducible and simple method to utilize ICG fluorescence in cutaneous melanoma patients.