Burns (1985) 11,301-302 Printedin Great Britain 301

Abstracts CLINICAL STUDIES of 6-keto prostaglandin F,,, were unchanged and re-

mained at control levels. Increased production of Burn-induced protein catabolism thromboxane B, without a concomitant increase in

The extent and mechanisms of muscle protein catabol- 6-keto prostaglandin F,,, in burned patient plasma

ism were studied in I1 patients with burns covering supports the suggestion that raised thromboxane A2

31-82 per cent of the body surface area and in 10 production contributes to the systemic responses both

elective surgical patients who were resuscitated with during the acute phase after burning injury and during

carbohvdrate-free solutions for the first 3 davs after episodes of sepsis. Prostacyclin appears not to be involved. burning or surgery. On day 3 the burned patients

excreted a mean of 17. I g N and the control patients a mean of 12.0 g N. The ketone body response on day 3 for the burned patients was a mean of 385 umol per litre compared with a mean of 727 ymol per litre for the controls. The mean 3-methyl histidine excretion was 9.83 umol per kg in the burned patients on day 3 after injury compared with 3.6 lcmol per kg for the control patients. The insulin levels in the burned patients were three times higher than in the control patients on day 3. The interrelationships between these results are discussed.

Grecos G. P., Abbott W. C., Schiller W. R. et al. (1984) The effect of major thermal injury and carbohy- drate free intake on serum triglycerides, insulin and 3-methyl histidine excretion. Ann. Surg. 200, 632.

Stimulation of the rate of wound healing A live yeast cell derivative was used in a study of the rate of wound healing in nine patients with 26 human skin graft donor sites. A double-blind, randomized, single-center, in-patient study using split skin thickness donor sites showed a statistically significant earlier angiogenesis and epithelialization occurring in donor sites treated with the yeast extract compared with the donor sites in the same patients treated simultaneously with only an ointment base.

Kaplan J. Z. (1984) Acceleration of wound healing by a live yeast cell derivative. Arch. Surg. 119, 1005.

Herndon D. N., Abston S. and Stein M. D. (1984) Increased thromboxane B? levels in the plasma of burned and septic burned patients. Surg. Gynecol. Ohsrer. 159. 210.

lnterleukin production and burn size The production of interleukin I and 2 (ILl, IL2) by mononuclear cells from 23 burned patients was com- pared with that produced by cells from 23 normal individuals. Significantly less IL2 was produced when the burned area exceeded 30 per cent of the body surface area compared with the findings in less exten- sive injuries. The duration of the diminished produc- tion was directly related to the extent of the injury. Episodes of systemic sepsis further reduced the rate of production of IL2. Eight patients with greater than SO per cent suppression of lymphocyte response to phyto- haemagglutinin produced less IL2 than patients with less than 50 per cent suppression.

Production of IL1 was significantly elevated com- pared with controls early after injury, but was subse- quently within the normal range regardless of burn size. The principal source of IL2 (helper T lymphocytes) was also reduced after injury; although this did not always correlate with IL2 production, which remained de- pressed after recovery of the number of helper T cells.

Wood J. J., Roderick M. L., O’Mahony J. B. et al. (1984) Inadequate interleukin 2 production: a fun- damental immunological deficiency in patients with major burns. Ann. Surg. 200, 311.

Thromboxane B2 levels in plasma Plasma taken from patients with a wide range of ages ANIMAL STUDIES and with burns covering between 24 and 95 per cent of the body surface area contained elevated levels of Early feeding and metabolism thromboxane Ba throughout the course of the burn and with particularly elevated levels during the first 3 days

Guinea-pigs with 30 per cent body surface area burns

after injury and during septic episodes. At the times at were given either I75 kcal/kg/day beginning 2 hours

which these thromboxane B1 levels were high the levels after injury or the same input starting 3 days after injury or an input of 200 kcal/kg/day again starting on