Nitrogen determinations, performed upon the mycelia of Trichophyton rubrum, indicated that both the total nitrogen to mycelial weight ratio and the protein nitrogen to mycelial weight ratio decreased as the age of the mycelia increased. An increase in nitrogen concentration in the medium produced an increase in the total nitrogen to mycelia weight ratio, but did not necessarily increase the protein nitrogen to mycelial weight ratio. The optimal nitrogen source concentration which produced the highest protein nitrogen to mycelium ratio was found to be considerably less than that recommended in most standard Sabouraud medium formulations. Antisera to antigen preparations, grown on low concentrations of Multipeptone, produced more lines in the gel diffusion reaction than did antisera to antigens grown on standard concentrations of Multipeptone. Antisera to antigenic preparations from 2-week-old mycelia exhibited better and sometimes more lines than those of antigens prepared from 1- or 3-week-old mycelia, regardless of the nitrogen concentration in the medium. Dialysis and storage of the antigen produced no change in the quality of the precipitin lines, even though both processes involved considerable loss of Lowry protein. Immunofluorescence studies showed that young mycelia were more antigenic than the old mycelia, since a substantial degree of cell wall fluorescence was exhibited by the young mycelia, especially at the hyphal tips. Older mycelia lacked this fluorescence. An extracellular antigen was also found to be associated with the young mycelia, but cytoplasmic fluorescence was not observed.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A matched-pair, randomized study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Acticoat silver-coated dressing for the treatment of burn wounds.

A new silver-coating technology was developed to prevent wound adhesion, limit nosocomial infection, control bacterial growth, and facilitate burn wound care through a silver-coated dressing material. For the purposes of this article, Acticoat (Westaim Biomedical Inc, Fort Saskatchawan, Alberta, Canada) silver-coated dressing was used. After in vitro and in vivo studies, a randomized, prospective clinical study was performed to assess the efficacy and ease of use of Acticoat dressing as compared with the efficacy and ease of our institution's standard burn wound care. Thirty burn patients with symmetric wounds were randomized to be treated with either 0.5% silver nitrate solution or Acticoat silver-coated dressing. The dressing was evaluated on the basis of overall patient comfort, ease of use for the wound care provider, and level of antimicrobial effectiveness. Wound pain was rated by the patient using a visual analog scale during dressing removal, application, and 2 hours after application. Ease of use was rated by the nurse providing wound care. Antimicrobial effectiveness was evaluated by quantitative burn wound biopsies performed before and at the end of treatment. Patients found dressing removal less painful with Acticoat than with silver nitrate, but they found the pain to be comparable during application and 2 hours after application. According to the nurses, there was no statistically significant difference in the ease of use. The frequency of burn wound sepsis (> 10(5) organisms per gram of tissue) was less in Acticoat-treated wounds than in those treated with silver nitrate (5 vs 16). Secondary bacteremias arising from infected burn wounds were also less frequent with Acticoat than with silver nitrate-treated wounds (1 vs 5). Acticoat dressing offers a new form of dressing for the burn wound, but it requires further investigation with greater numbers of patients in a larger number of centers and in different phases of burn wound care.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pre-emptive epidural analgesia may prevent phantom limb pain.

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Amputation, Surgical↗