Wound healing effect of methanolic leaf extract of Napoleona vogelii(Family:Lecythidaceae) in rats

Objective:To investigate the wound healing properly of Napoleona vogelii leaf extract in folkloric medicine.Methods:Roth sexes of adult albino rats(n=25) were used in this study and another group(n=30) were subjected to acute toxicity test(LD_(50)) of the plant extract.For the LD_(50),three randomized groups of 5 rats were first treated with 10,100,1 000 mg/kg body weight(bw),orally.This w as followed by a second treatment of 1500,3000,and 5 000 mg/kg bw of the leaf extract with continual monitoring of the animals for mortality or non-mortality.Incision wounds(1.3cm) were created on the skin of five groups of 5 rals using surgical blade under anesthesia.The first group was topically treated with petroleum jelly alone,group 2 was topically applied 400 mg/mL w/v of the reference drug,Neobaein,while group 3-5 were topically treated with 5-50 mg/mL w/v of the plant extract,respectively.Results:The percentage yield of the extract was 49.80%w/w dry matter.The phytochemical analysis revealed several bioactive constituents including glycosides,tannins,alkaloids,perpenoids.saponins,steroids,proteins,and carbohydrates.The LD_(50) was beyond our experimental limit and was not determined.Increased concentrations(5,20,and 50mg/mL w/v) of the extract had significant(ANOVA,P0.05) healing effect on the incision wounds giving rise to 125%-140% while treatmentawith Neobacin resulted in 150% healing effect on the third treatment regimen compared to the control(100%).Conclusions:These data indicate that Napoleona vogelii leaf extract contains potent bioactive compounds containing wound healing activity,substantiating its use as a wound healer in folkloric medicine.     

"Shotgunning" in a population of patients with severe mental illness and comorbid substance use disorders

"Shotgunning" refers to the practice of one individual forcibly exhaling smoke into the mouth of another, and may increase the risk of transmission of respiratory pathogens. The extent of shotgunning among individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use is unknown. We included questions about shotgunning in an interview of 236 participants of a study testing a model to prevent and treat HIV and hepatitis. Shotgunning was common (61% [145/236]) and correlated with increased substance use severity and several high-risk behaviors. Only 8% (11/145) understood that shotgunning could transmit disease. Further research and patient education on shotgunning is warranted.     

Endoscopic access to fascia lata for use in static facial reanimation—a cadaveric and clinical study

Background

Current methods of autogenous fascia lata harvest for the static surgical treatment of longstanding facial paralysis often result in a high level of donor site morbidity and unsightly visual scarring on the patient’s lateral thigh due to the open technique traditionally used. With endoscopic access already being widely used in other areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, it was hypothesised that it would be feasible to retrieve sufficient amounts of fascia lata endoscopically to achieve satisfactory static facial reanimation.

Methods

In the first instance, we used an 85-year-old female cadaver selected from the regular stock at the University of Glasgow to establish if retrieval of fascia lata endoscopically was feasible. Through two small incisions on the lateral aspect of the thigh (proximally and distally), we successfully retrieved a strip of fascia lata measuring 9?×?2.5 cm. Due to the ease of access, one of the authors then performed endoscopic retrieval of the fascia lata for five patients requiring static facial reanimation.

Results

It was shown that in all cases it was feasible to retrieve sufficient amounts of fascia lata to perform static facial reanimation with a similar operating time compared to the open technique which is currently used. In addition, there were no complications related to donor site morbidity.

Conclusions

We have shown that endoscopic access to the fascia lata for use in static facial reanimation is perfectly feasible, with no complications, minimal scarring and no significant increase in operating time compared to the traditional open technique currently used. Level of Evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.