Acne Scars

Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2009 May-Jun; 75(3): 362-6Masi EC, Rocha SL, Mocellin M, Faria JLUltrasound harmonic scalpel has been recently introduced in otorhinolaryngological procedures. AIM: to assess macro and microscopic evolution of the healing process of wounds created in the jugal mucosa of rats by the use of ultrasound scalpel. METHOD: we used 30 Wistar rats in which we made mucosal incisions on the right jugal mucosa with the ultrasound harmonic scalpel (USHS) and on the left side with the cold blade scalpel (CBS). Macroscopic and microscopic evaluations were carried out on the third, seventh and fourteenth days of postoperative. For the microscopic evaluation we used HE to asses the inflammatory process and the Sirius Red approach for collagens type I and III. Anti-CD 3 antibodies and anti-factor VIII assessed the concentration of T-lymphocytes and neovessels. RESULTS: the USHS caused greater cell damage with reepitelization delay. Microscopy showed more intense inflammatory reactions and a loss in collagen build up, delay in scar maturation and a greater vessel neoformation. CONCLUSION: USHS brings about a greater lesion in the incision area; delayed regeneration; promotes greater inflammatory process and angiogenic activity; delays in fibroplasia and scar tissue maturation on the rats' jugal mucosa when compared to cold blade scalpel.

Sci Total Environ. 2009 Aug 1; McCarty JL, Korontzi S, Justice CO, Loboda TBurning crop residue before and/or after harvest is a common farming practice however; there is no baseline estimate for cropland burned area in the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). We present the results of a study, using five years of remotely sensed satellite data to map the location and areal extent of crop residue burning in the CONUS. Our burned area approach combines 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) data, with 1 km MODIS active fire counts calibrated using coincident high resolution satellite data to generate area estimates. Our results show that cropland burning is an extensive and recurring annual event in several states in the CONUS. On average, 1,239,000 ha of croplands burn annually, which is equivalent to 43% of the annual average area of wildland fires in the U.S., as reported by the United States Forest Service for the same period. Several states experience high levels (>30,000 ha yr(-1)) of crop residue burning, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. Validation with high resolution burn scar imagery and GPS data collected during targeted field campaigns showed a moderate to high-level accuracy for our burned area estimates, ranging from 78 to 90%. Our approach provides a more consistent methodology for quantifying cropland burned area at regional scales than the previously available U.S. national and state-level statistics on crop residue burning.