Delayed Postconditioning with External Volume Expansion Improves Survival of Adipose Tissue Grafts in a Murine Model.

Background: External volume expansion improves the survival of adipose tissue grafts by preoperatively conditioning ("preconditioning") tissues that will receive the graft. External volume expansion's mechanisms of action (induction of angiogenesis and of adipogenesis) could improve graft survival also when applied postoperatively ("postconditioning").

Methods: Fifty-six 8-week-old athymic (nu/nu) mice received dorsal subcutaneous grafts of human lipoaspirate (0.

Plastic Surgery Complications from Medical Tourism Treated in a U.S. Academic Medical Center.

Background: Medical tourism is a growing, multi-billion dollar industry fueled by improvements in the global transportation infrastructure. The authors studied patients living in the United States who travel to other countries for plastic surgical procedures and returned to have their complications treated in the authors' center.

Methods: A retrospective patient evaluation was performed.

The Role of Dermal Matrices in Treating Inflammatory and Diabetic Wounds.

Background: Dermal matrices are used to improve healing in both acute and chronic wounds including diabetic and lower extremity wounds, burns, trauma, and surgical reconstruction. The use of dermal matrices for the closure of inflammatory ulcerations is less frequent but growing. Currently available products include decellularized dermis and semisynthetic matrices.

Global Patterns of QALY and DALY Use in Surgical Cost-Utility Analyses: A Systematic Review.

Background: Surgical interventions are being increasingly recognized as cost-effective global priorities, the utility of which are frequently measured using either quality-adjusted (QALY) or disability-adjusted (DALY) life years. The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify surgical cost-effectiveness studies that utilized a formulation of the QALY or DALY as a summary measure, (2) report on global patterns of QALY and DALY use in surgery and the income characteristics of the countries and/or regions involved, and (3) assess for possible associations between national/regional-income levels and the relative prominence of either measure.

Study Design: PRISMA-guided systematic review of surgical cost-effectiveness studies indexed in PubMed or EMBASE prior to December 15, 2014, that used the DALY and/or QALY as a summary measure.