Easy and Safe Method for Facial Nerve Identification in Parotid Surgery

Background A safe and easy anatomical landmark is proposed to identify the facial nerve in parotid surgery. The facial nerve forms the center point between the base of the styloid process and the origin of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle. Objective To evaluate the consistency, accuracy, and safety of the landmark in identifying the facial nerve. Methods The study was designed in three steps: a cadaver study, a radiologic study, and a prospective clinical study. Anatomy was initially studied in two cadavers. Then the images of 200 temporal styloid regions were studied for consistency of the presence of the styloid base. In the second part of the radiologic study, the distance between the styloid base and the origin of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle was studied in 50 parotid regions. The clinical study involved 25 patients who underwent parotidectomy. Results The styloid base was present in all the images studied. The mean distance between the styloid base and the origin of the posterior belly of the digastric was found to be 0.72 cm (range: 0.45–0.99 cm). The facial nerve could be identified consistently and safely in all patients. Conclusion This trident landmark provided safe, accurate, and easy identification of the facial nerve using two fixed bony landmarks.     

Significance of circumsporozoite-specific antibody in the natural transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium malariae in an aboriginal (Orang Asli) population of central peninsula Malaysia

Two hundred and seventy-five Orang Asli volunteers living in nine villages in the Pos Legap Valley of Perak State, peninsular Malaysia, participated in a prospective study designed to characterize the epidemiological, parasitological, and entomological characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, and P. malariae malaria transmission. Prevalence rates for the three plasmodial species at initiation of the study ranged from 56% in the 0-4-year-old age group to 0% in individuals over the age of 40. Entomological surveys were conducted, enabling us to determine mosquito salivary gland-positive rates and entomological inoculation rates of 1.2 infectious mosquito bites per person per month for P. falciparum, 2.4 for P. vivax, and 0.3 for P. malariae. Cumulative incidence rates over the 16 weeks of the study, following radical cure of all volunteers, were 22.5% for P. falciparum, 12.7% for P. vivax, and 1.5% for P. malariae. The median baseline antibody titer against the immunodominant repetitive B cell epitope of P. falciparum or P. vivax circumsporozoite protein was significantly higher for volunteers who did not become parasitemic. Volunteers were selected for further study if they had evidence of being challenged with P. falciparum sporozoites during the study, based on a two-fold or greater increase in antibody titer against the immunodominant repetitive B cell epitope of the circumsporozoite protein. Resistance to infection was seen in six of 10 individuals who had high (greater than 25 OD units) baseline ELISA titers, compared with only three of 24 individuals who had low baseline ELISA titers (chi 2 P less than 0.02). A similar analysis for P. vivax did not show a significant correlation.     

Reconstructive indications of simultaneous double free flaps in the head and neck: A case series and literature review

Extensive and complex defects of the head and neck involving multiple anatomical and functional subunits are a reconstructive challenge. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the reconstructive indications of the use of simultaneous double free flaps in head and neck oncological surgery. This is a retrospective review of 21 consecutive cases of head and neck malignancies treated surgically with resection and reconstruction with simultaneous use of double free flaps. Nineteen of 21 patients had T4 primary tumor stage. Eleven patients had prior history of radiotherapy or chemo‐radiotherapy. Forty‐two free flaps were used in these patients. The predominant combination was that of free fibula osteo‐cutaneous flap with free anterolateral thigh (ALT) fascio‐cutaneous flap. The indications of the simultaneous use of double free flaps can be broadly classified as: (a) large oro‐mandibular bone and soft tissue defects (n = 13), (b) large oro‐mandibular soft tissue defects (n = 4), (c) complex skull‐base defects (n = 2), and (d) dynamic total tongue reconstruction (n = 2). Flap survival rate was 95%. Median follow‐up period was 11 months. Twelve patients were alive and free of disease at the end of the follow‐up. Eighteen of 19 patients with oro‐mandibular and glossectomy defects were able to resume an oral diet within two months while one patient remained gastrostomy dependant till his death due to disease not related to cancer. This patient had a combination of free fibula flap with free ALT flap, for an extensive oro‐mandibular defect. The associated large defect involving the tongue accounted for the swallowing difficulty. Simultaneous use of double free flap aided the reconstruction in certain large complex defects after head and neck oncologic resections. Such combination permits better complex multiaxial subunit reconstruction. An algorithm for choice of flap combination for the appropriate indications is proposed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery, 2012.     

Vascularised composite allotransplants: Transplant of upper extremities and face

Transplantation of solid organs and bone marrow has become a highly acceptable and often the only available clinical solution in many situations. It has been practiced across the globe for quite a long time since the first kidney transplant in 1954. Transplantation of tissues other than these, which was termed composite tissue allotransplantation and currently as vascularised composite allotransplantation (VCA) is gaining acceptance as a solution for complex reconstructive problems. This involves the transfer of multiple types of tissue such as bone, muscle, nerve, skin and blood vessels. The advantage of these over the conventional reconstructive methods is its ability to give aesthetically and functionally superior equal composite substitute to the missing or deformed part. The composite tissues transplanted commonly include the upper extremities, face and abdominal wall. Among these, hand transplants were the first to be done and have been carried out more than any other VCA. This article reviews the current scenario of VCA especially of the hand and face, in the light of experience of the two bilateral hand transplants done recently in India.KEY WORDS: Face transplant, hand transplant, vascularised composite allotransplantation     

Deaths of children during an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease in sarawak, malaysia: clinical and pathological characteristics of the disease. For the Outbreak Study Group.

From April through June 1997, 29 previously healthy children aged <6 years (median, 1.5 years) in Sarawak, Malaysia, died of rapidly progressive cardiorespiratory failure during an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused primarily by enterovirus 71 (EV71). The case children were hospitalized after a short illness (median duration, 2 days) that usually included fever (in 100% of case children), oral ulcers (66%), and extremity rashes (62%). The illness rapidly progressed to include seizures (28%), flaccid limb weakness (17%), or cardiopulmonary symptoms (of 24 children, 17 had chest radiographs showing pulmonary edema, and 24 had echocardiograms showing left ventricular dysfunction), resulting in cardiopulmonary arrest soon after hospitalization (median time, 9 h). Cardiac tissue from 10 patients showed normal myocardium, but central nervous system tissue from 5 patients showed inflammatory changes. Brain-stem specimens from 2 patients were available, and both specimens showed extensive neuronal degeneration, inflammation, and necrosis, suggesting that a central nervous system infection was responsible for the disease, with the cardiopulmonary dysfunction being neurogenic in origin. EV71 and possibly an adenovirus, other enteroviruses, or unknown cofactors are likely responsible for this rapidly fatal disease.     

Synthesis, antimalarial and antibacterial activities of 3-amino acid- and aryl amine-substituted 2-methyl-3H-quinalzolin-4-ones

A new series of 2-methyl-3H-quinazolinones substituted at the third position with amino acids (2–5) and aryl amine (6, 7) was designed, synthesized, and analyzed by infrared, NMR, and mass spectral analysis. Further, the compounds were screened for their in vivo antimalarial activity using the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii (N-67) with the Swiss mice model. The compounds were also tested for their antibacterial activity.     

Occurrence of coliform bacteria other than Escherichia coli in foods.

An evaluation of the BGLB (44 degrees C) confirmation test for the enumeration of E. coli as an index of sanitary quality of some foods was made. Out of 70 samples tested, 43 (61.4%) samples contained E. coli. A total of 347 BGLB gas positive cultures obtained were subjected to the IMViC procedure. It was found that 42.7% of these BGLB gas positives were E. coli and 57.3% were ten other coliform bacteria giving the following IMViC patterns: 31.4% --++, 6.3% -+-+, 4.3% each of +-++ and -+++, 3.2% ++-+, 2.9% ++++, 2% ---+, 1.4% +++-, 1.2% --+- and 0.3% -++-. Some of the possible reasons for obtaining low recovery of E. coli in foods by the BGLB test have been discussed. The various fields to be investigated for the improvement of the test procedure and thus the elimination of false positives have been suggested.