title: Complementary Effects of Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy and Pulsed Radiofrequency Energy on Cutaneous Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Negative-pressure wound therapy and pulsed radiofrequency energy are two clinical modalities used to treat soft-tissue wounds. They are purported to affect healing differently. The aim of this experimental study was to contrast the two modalities at a mechanistic level and to investigate whether their combined therapy could achieve additive and complementary effects on wound healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full-thickness dorsal cutaneous wounds of diabetic, db/db, mice were treated with either negative-pressure wound therapy, pulsed radiofrequency energy, or combined therapies. Macroscopic healing kinetics were examined. Epidermal regeneration (proliferation rate and length of reepithelialization) and neovascularization (blood vessel density) were investigated. Messenger RNA levels indicative of angiogenic (basic fibroblast growth factor), profibrotic (transforming growth factor-β), epidermal proliferative (keratinocyte growth factor), and extracellular matrix remodeling (collagen 1) processes were measured in wound tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three treatment groups displayed faster wound healing. The negative-pressure wound therapy/pulsed radiofrequency energy combined therapy led to significantly faster healing than either the negative-pressure wound therapy or pulsed radiofrequency energy therapy alone. Epidermal regeneration and neovascularization were enhanced in all three groups. The two negative-pressure wound therapy groups (alone and combined with pulsed radiofrequency energy) demonstrated more significant increases in expression of all assayed growth factors than the pulsed radiofrequency energy group. Furthermore, the combined therapy exhibited a more profound elevation in collagen 1 expression than either of the two therapies alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combining the negative-pressure wound therapy and pulsed radiofrequency energy modalities can achieve additive benefits in cutaneous healing, and the two therapies can be easily used together to complement each other in clinical wound treatments.
authors.affiliation: Burlington, Mass.; Taoyuan, Taiwan; and Guangzhou and Shanghai, People's Republic of China.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University; the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Burlington, Mass.; Taoyuan, Taiwan; and Guangzhou and Shanghai, People's Republic of China.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University; the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
authors.forename: Huang-Kai
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Burlington, Mass.; Taoyuan, Taiwan; and Guangzhou and Shanghai, People's Republic of China.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University; the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
authors.forename: Ziqing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Burlington, Mass.; Taoyuan, Taiwan; and Guangzhou and Shanghai, People's Republic of China.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University; the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
authors.forename: Zhaohua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Burlington, Mass.; Taoyuan, Taiwan; and Guangzhou and Shanghai, People's Republic of China.|From the Department of Plastic Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center; the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University; the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University; and the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital.
authors.forename: Lifei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D061208:Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment; D011897:Random Allocation; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*