Comparing Postoperative Taping vs Customized 3D Splints for Managing Nasal Edema after Rhinoplasty.

Background: Significant swelling after rhinoplasty can temporarily obscure results and lead to distress for patients and surgeons. We recently developed three dimensional (3D)-printed nasal splints that aim to protect the nose and limit edema by applying gentle compression. This prospective, randomized study compares postoperative nasal edema in patients being treated with traditional taping versus 3D-printed splints.

Current Trends in Ideal Nasal Aesthetics Show Younger Patients Have a Preference Toward Longer Augmented Noses.

Background: Aesthetic norms fluctuate over time and often result in generational differences in preferred ideal nasal aesthetics. While some traditional concepts of the ideal nasal aesthetic have been suggested in our literature, there has been no study to date that has identified contemporary preferences across different age groups.

Objectives: To understand the general population's current perception of ideal nasal profiles.

Autologous Breast Reconstruction in a Patient With End-Stage Renal Disease and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have historically been deterred from free flap breast reconstruction due to perceived complication risks. Numerous studies examining patients with ESRD have cited free flap complications, including increased incidences of infection and wound breakdown, with some surgeons suggesting ESRD is an independent risk factor for flap failure. Due to perceived risks, autologous breast reconstruction has not been extensively explored as an option in patients with ESRD on hemodialysis with comorbid connective tissue/autoimmune disorders, such as SLE.

Safely Shaping the Breast After Implant Removal and Total Intact Capsulectomy Using the Mammary Imbrication Lift and Fixation Technique.

Background: Implant-based breast augmentation is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures performed worldwide. As the number of patients who have breast implants continues to rise, so does the number of those who request breast implant removal without replacement. There is little in the current scientific literature describing total intact capsulectomy and simultaneous mastopexy procedures.

An Association Between Comorbidities and Postsurgical Complications in Adults Who Underwent Esophagectomy.

Background Esophagectomy is the surgical excision of part or all of the esophagus and is associated with both common and serious complications. Various comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, smoking, and congestive heart failure (CHF), have been detected in individuals who have undergone esophagectomy. This study investigates the association of baseline characteristics and comorbidities with postoperative complications.

An Oncoplastic Approach to Primary Pediatric Pterygomaxillary Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcomas arising within the pterygomaxillary/infratemporal fossa region are rare among the pediatric population. Survival rates are most influenced by tumor resection with negative margins, which can be dependent on surgical accessibility of the tumor site. The pterygomaxillary/infratemporal fossa location poses several challenges to safe and adequate tumor resection, including proximity of the facial nerve and great vessels and scarring associated with traditional transfacial approaches.

Virtual Surgical Planning and Three-Dimensional Printing in Rhinoplasty.

Recent developments in three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology offer a more comprehensive means of assessing facial features. 3D printing allows for the transition of planning from simply a preoperative tool to an intraoperative device with the use of tools such as 3D-printed cutting guides, marking guides, or positioning guides. With the advent of 3D printing technology, 3D surface images can now be used to generate new medical models, devices, or tools to assist with rhinoplasty during preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases.

Tissue plasminogen activator with prolonged dwell time effectively evacuates pleural effusions.

Objectives: Fibrinolytic therapy can be effective for management of complex pleural effusions. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA, 10 mg) and deoxyribonuclease (DNAse) every 12 h with a dwell time of one hour is a common strategy based on published data. We used a simpler protocol of tPA (4 mg) without DNAse but with a longer dwell time of 12 h, repeated daily.

Factors associated with unplanned readmissions and costs following resection of brain metastases in the United States.

The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the risk of unplanned readmission following resection of brain metastasis and to identify key risk factors to allow for early intervention strategies in high-risk patients. We analyzed data from the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) from 2010-2014, and included patients who underwent craniotomy for brain metastasis, identified using ICD-9-CM diagnosis (198.3) and procedure (01.

Microfluidic device using a gold pillar array and integrated electrodes for on-chip endothelial cell immobilization, direct RBC contact, and amperometric detection of nitric oxide.

We describe a microfluidic device that can be used to detect interactions between red blood cells (RBCs) and endothelial cells using a gold pillar array (created by electrodeposition) and an integrated detection electrode. Endothelial cells can release nitric oxide (NO) via stimulation by RBC-derived ATP. These studies incorporate on-chip endothelial cell immobilization, direct RBC contact, and detection of NO in a single microfluidic device.

Use of 3D Printing and Modular Microfluidics to Integrate Cell Culture, Injections and Electrochemical Analysis.

Fabrication of microchip-based devices using 3-D printing technology offers a unique platform to create separate modules that can be put together when desired for analysis. A 3-D printed module approach offers various advantages such as file sharing and the ability to easily replace, customize, and modify the individual modules. Here, we describe the use of a modular approach to electrochemically detect the ATP-mediated release of nitric oxide (NO) from endothelial cells.

Three-dimensional plant architecture and sunlit-shaded patterns: a stochastic model of light dynamics in canopies.

Background And Aims: Diurnal changes in solar position and intensity combined with the structural complexity of plant architecture result in highly variable and dynamic light patterns within the plant canopy. This affects productivity through the complex ways that photosynthesis responds to changes in light intensity. Current methods to characterize light dynamics, such as ray-tracing, are able to produce data with excellent spatio-temporal resolution but are computationally intensive and the resulting data are complex and high-dimensional.

Ascorbate-mediated regulation of growth, photoprotection, and photoinhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The requirements for ascorbate for growth and photosynthesis were assessed under low (LL; 250 µmol m-2 s-1) or high (HL; 1600 µmol m-2 s-1) irradiance in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and two ascorbate synthesis mutants (vtc2-1 and vtc2-4) that have 30% wild-type ascorbate levels. The low ascorbate mutants had the same numbers of leaves but lower rosette area and biomass than the wild type under LL. Wild-type plants experiencing HL had higher leaf ascorbate, anthocyanin, and xanthophyll pigments than under LL.

The causes of altered chlorophyll fluorescence quenching induction in the Arabidopsis mutant lacking all minor antenna complexes.

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence is the process by which excess light energy is harmlessly dissipated within the photosynthetic membrane. The fastest component of NPQ, known as energy-dependent quenching (qE), occurs within minutes, but the site and mechanism of qE remain of great debate. Here, the chlorophyll fluorescence of Arabidopsis thaliana wild type (WT) plants was compared to mutants lacking all minor antenna complexes (NoM).

Insert-based microfluidics for 3D cell culture with analysis.

We present an insert-based approach to fabricate scalable and multiplexable microfluidic devices for 3D cell culture and integration with downstream detection modules. Laser-cut inserts with a layer of electrospun fibers are used as a scaffold for 3D cell culture, with the inserts being easily assembled in a 3D-printed fluidic device for flow-based studies. With this approach, the number and types of cells (on the inserts) in one fluidic device can be customized.

Suboptimal Acclimation of Photosynthesis to Light in Wheat Canopies.

Photosynthetic acclimation (photoacclimation) is the process whereby leaves alter their morphology and/or biochemistry to optimize photosynthetic efficiency and productivity according to long-term changes in the light environment. The three-dimensional architecture of plant canopies imposes complex light dynamics, but the drivers for photoacclimation in such fluctuating environments are poorly understood. A technique for high-resolution three-dimensional reconstruction was combined with ray tracing to simulate a daily time course of radiation profiles for architecturally contrasting field-grown wheat () canopies.

Dynamic interplay between photodamage and photoprotection in photosystem II.

Photoinhibition is the light-induced reduction in photosynthetic efficiency and is usually associated with damage to the D1 photosystem II (PSII) reaction centre protein. This damage must either be repaired, through the PSII repair cycle, or prevented in the first place by nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). Both NPQ and D1 repair contribute to light tolerance because they ensure the long-term maintenance of the highest quantum yield of PSII.

Deep machine learning provides state-of-the-art performance in image-based plant phenotyping.

In plant phenotyping, it has become important to be able to measure many features on large image sets in order to aid genetic discovery. The size of the datasets, now often captured robotically, often precludes manual inspection, hence the motivation for finding a fully automated approach. Deep learning is an emerging field that promises unparalleled results on many data analysis problems.

Microchip-based 3D-Cell Culture Using Polymer Nanofibers Generated by Solution Blow Spinning.

Polymer nano/micro fibers have found many applications including 3D cell culture and the creation of wound dressings. The fibers can be produced by a variety of techniques that include electrospinning, the primary disadvantage of which include the requirement for a high voltage supply (which may cause issues such as polymer denaturation) and lack of portability. More recently, solution blow spinning, where a high velocity sheath gas is used instead of high voltage, has been used to generate polymer fibers.

3D-printed Microfluidic Devices: Fabrication, Advantages and Limitations-a Mini Review.

A mini-review with 79 references. In this review, the most recent trends in 3D-printed microfluidic devices are discussed. In addition, a focus is given to the fabrication aspects of these devices, with the supplemental information containing detailed instructions for designing a variety of structures including: a microfluidic channel, threads to accommodate commercial fluidic fittings, a flow splitter; a well plate, a mold for PDMS channel casting; and how to combine multiple designs into a single device.

Simultaneous analysis of vascular norepinephrine and ATP release using an integrated microfluidic system.

Background: Sympathetic nerves are known to release three neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, ATP, and neuropeptide Y that play a role in controlling vascular tone. This paper focuses on the co-release of norepinephrine and ATP from the mesenteric arterial sympathetic nerves of the rat.

New Method: In this paper, a quantification technique is described that allows simultaneous detection of norepinephrine and ATP in a near-real-time fashion from the isolated perfused mesenteric arterial bed of the rat.