Horizontal advancement flap for lateral dorsal nasal defects

BACKGROUND: Repairing dorsal nasal defects is a frequent challenge for dermatologic surgeons, mainly due to the high frequency of basal cell carcinomas on this site. Obvious scars, mismatched skin and distortion of the nasal contour are the surgical hazards that must be avoided in these cases. AIM: Our aim was to perform surgery involving a simple flap in order to repair medium to large defects on the dorsal side of the nose. METHODS: The dorsal horizontal advancement flap was studied in 12 patients, in order to evaluate the benefits and limits of this surgical procedure. RESULTS: The resulting scars on most of our patients were well-camouflaged among their natural skin lines, and there was neither distortion of the alar contour nor the nostril. CONCLUSIONS: This flap is easy to perform and, in selected cases, provides an outstanding alternative to second-intention healing, full-thickness skin grafts, transposition, rotation and pedicle flaps.     

眩晕的神经放射学特征

眩晕患者的诊断过程始于对病史以及随后的全身体格检查和神经系统检查的准确评价。这步骤通常能够识别确切的病因，或者至少可鉴别周围性眩晕和中枢性眩晕。神经放射学检查必须作为选择性诊断手段加以考虑，包括CT、MRI、MR血管造影（MRA）以及血管造影术。对于周围性眩晕、良性阵发性位置性眩晕、迷路炎、Meniere病、外淋巴瘘、局部外伤、中毒性迷路炎、急性中耳炎和慢性中耳渗液等疾病的诊断而言，影像学技术的作用是有争议的。CT和MR可用来排除其他病理学原因和证实诊断。分辨率和增加和能够增强迷路内液的特殊MRI序列的应用，使我们能够对迷路的结构和病理学变化进行更详细地分析。T1和T2对比序列检查都是必需的。当怀疑中耳类以及在外伤后眩晕随访时，需要进行高分辨率CT检查。中枢性眩晕的病因很多，包括椎基底循环血管病变、多发性硬化、偏头痛相关性眩晕、小脑和脑干肿瘤以及中枢神经系统感染，其中脑缺血和多发性硬化最为常见。在这些情况下，影像学检查应该是强制性的。CT能够诊断大多数小脑出血以及小脑和脑干的急性缺血，增强的MRI已经证实是检测后颅窝病病变最为敏感的工具。弥散加权MRI能够比常规MRI更早地显示急性缺血性改变。MRA能提供类似血管造影片的颅内血管图像。有证据表明，有时可避免进行侵入性的血管造影术。MRA的分辨率不如传统的血管造影术，还可能受到活动和其他伪影的影响。选择性的后循环血管造影通常对治疗决策有提示作用。     

Randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of TachoComb H patches in controlling PTFE suture-hole bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: Suture-hole bleeding is a considerable problem in vascular procedures using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts. This study aimed to study the efficacy of TachoComb H patches in controlling suture-hole bleeding. DESIGN: Prospective randomised controlled trial. Materials and methods. Patients undergoing femoral anastomosis and femoral or carotid patch angioplasty with PTFE grafts were prospectively randomised to TachoComb H patches or standard compression with surgical swabs. RESULTS: Twenty four patients were randomised (12 patients in each treatment group). The median time to haemostasis was 300 (range 180-600)s in patients treated with TachoComb H and 660 (range 180-1200)s in the control group. The log rank test of equality over treatments based on the 22 patients with assessment of time to haemostasis showed statistical significance (p=0.0134). There were no serious complications associated with use of TachoComb H patches. CONCLUSION: TachoComb H patches were found to be safe and effective for the control of suture-hole bleeding in patients undergoing vascular reconstruction with PTFE grafts.     

S-nitrosoglutathione-containing hydrogel accelerates rat cutaneous wound repair

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in wound repair and S-nitrosothiols like S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) are well known NO donors. METHODS: Animals were separated in two groups and submitted to excisional wounds on the dorsal surface at the first day. GSNO (100 microm)-containing hydrogels were topically applied on the wound bed in the GSNO group, daily, during the first 4 days. Control group was topically treated with hydrogel without GSNO for the same period. Wound contraction and re-epithelialization were measured. Animals were sacrificed 21 days after wounding. Samples of lesion and normal tissue were formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded for histological analysis. RESULTS: Wound contraction, measured 14 and 21 days after wounding, was greater in the GSNO group than in the control group (P<0.05 for both). The re-epithelialized wound area, measured 14 days after wounding, was higher in the GSNO group than in the control group (P<0.05). A higher amount of inflammatory cells was observed in superficial and deep areas of the granulation tissue of the control group compared to the GSNO group. Twenty-one days after wounding, thin red-yellow collagen fibers arranged perpendicularly to the surface were found in the granulation tissue of the control group, whereas in the GSNO-treated group collagen fibers were thicker and arranged parallel to the surface. Increased number of mast cells was observed in the GSNO group compared with that in the control group. Vascularization and myofibroblast distribution were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Topical application of GSNO-containing hydrogel during the early phases of rat cutaneous wound repair accelerates wound closure and re-epithelialization and affects granulation tissue organization.     

Use of intravenous immunoglobulins as an adjunct in the conservative management of chylothorax

Two children who developed chylothorax after surgery for congenital heart disease are presented. The conservative management of chylothorax is reviewed and the use of immunoglobulins in the treatment of sepsis is discussed. One patient survived.     

Early and late paternal contribution to cell division of embryos in a time-lapse imaging incubation system

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of male age, semen quality and days of ejaculatory abstinence on embryo morphokinetics. A total of 1,220 zygotes obtained from 139 couples in a private in vitro fertilisation centre were analysed. The timing of specific events from the point of insemination, such as timings to pronuclei appearance and fading, to two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight cells and to blastulation were recorded. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of paternal factors on embryo morphokinetic events. Paternal age was positively correlated with delayed cell cleavage and blastulation, and negatively associated with implantation rate, and clinical pregnancy and live–birth chances. The ejaculatory abstinence was inversely correlated with the implantation rate. Inverse relationships were observed between semen parameters (sperm count, progressive sperm motility, total motile sperm count and morphology) and the timing of specific events during embryo development. Sperm morphology was also positively associated with implantation rate and pregnancy and live–birth chances. Increased paternal age and ejaculatory abstinence, and poor semen quality correlate with delayed cell cleavage and blastulation and negatively impact intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes.     

Effects of mycophenolate sodium on mucociliary clearance using a bronchial section and anastomosis rodent model

OBJECTIVE:

To study the effects of mycophenolate sodium on mucociliary clearance.

INTRODUCTION:

Mycophenolate is one of the most commonly used immunosuppressive drugs in lung transplantation. Although its pharmacokinetic properties are well defined, its side effects on mucociliary clearance have not yet been studied.

METHODS:

Sixty rats were subjected to left bronchial section and anastomosis. The right bronchus was used as a control. After surgery, the rats were assigned to two groups based on whether they received saline solution (n = 30) or mycophenolate sodium (n = 30). After 7, 15, or 30 days of treatment, 10 animals from each group were sacrificed, and in vitro mucus transportability, in situ mucociliary transport velocity and ciliary beat frequency were measured.

RESULTS:

The analysis of mucus transportability revealed that neither mycophenolate nor bronchial section altered any transportability related property for up to 30 days of treatment after surgery (p>0.05). With regard to ciliary beat frequency, the operated left bronchi from the mycophenolate group showed a significant decrease on post-surgical day 30 (p = 0.003). In addition, we found a significant reduction in the in situ mucociliary transport velocity in the mycophenolate-treated group (p = 0.0001).

DISCUSSION:

These data add important information regarding mucociliary clearance dysfunction following mycophenolate therapy and suggest that mycophenolate might contribute to the high incidence of respiratory tract infections in lung transplant patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the combined action of mycophenolate with other immunosuppressive drugs and to establish methods to protect and recover mucociliary clearance, an important airway defense mechanism.