Effect of High- and Low-Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Angiogenesis and Myofibroblast Proliferation in Acute Excisional Wounds in Rat Skin.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of high- (HF) and low-frequency (LF) transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on angiogenesis and myofibroblast proliferation in acute excisional wounds in rat skin.

Design: This was an experimental controlled and randomized study.

Participants: An excisional wound was made on the back of 90 adult male EPM1-Wistar rats using an 8-mm punch.

Effects of Lidocaine, Bupivacaine, and Ropivacaine on Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and Substance P Levels in the Incised Rat Skin.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of 2% lidocaine, 0.5% bupivacaine, and 0.75% ropivacaine on the release of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in skin wounds.

The 975 nm Diode Laser in the Photothermal Treatment of the Aging and Sagging Face and Neck.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a 975 nm diode laser for skin tightening.

Background Data: The photothermal effect of laser irradiation on the hypodermis causes retraction of superficial and deep skin layers by the heating of fibrous septa. New devices have been developed for repairing deformities in the cervicofacial region associated with aging and skin laxity.

Does dexamethasone act in neuropeptides SP and CGRP in neurogenic inflammation of the skin? An experimental study.

Purpose: To investigate the neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) after subcutaneous injection of dexamethasone prior to skin incision in rats.

Methods: Twenty seven Wistar-EPM-1 rats were randomly divided into three groups. The sham group (SG) of rats was injected with 0.

Photographs for anthropometric measurements of the breast region. Are there limitations?

Purpose: To determine the limitations of the photographs used to obtain the anthropometric measurements of the breast region.

Methods: Five women, between the ages of 18 to 60 years, were evaluated. Photographs of the frontal and left and right profile views of their breasts were taken.

A research design for the quantification of the neuropeptides substance p and calcitonin gene-related Peptide in rat skin using Western blot analysis.

Objective: To describe and standardize a protocol that overcomes the technical limitations of Western blot (WB) analysis in the quantification of the neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) following nociceptive stimuli in rat skin.

Design: Male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus) weighing 250 to 350 g were used in this study. Elements of WB analysis were adapted by using specific manipulation of samples, repeated cycles of freezing and thawing, more thorough maceration, and a more potent homogenizer; increasing lytic reagents; promoting greater inhibition of protease activity; and using polyvinylidene fluoride membranes as transfer means for skin-specific protein.

Laser lipolysis: skin tightening in lipoplasty using a diode laser.

Background: New devices have been developed for surgical repair of deformities caused by localized fat deposits associated with skin laxity. The use of these devices requires the adoption of safety parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate skin tightening by laser lipolysis, using a dual-wavelength diode laser.

Does ear keloid formation depend on the type of earrings or piercing jewellery?

The ear is one of the most common sites of keloid formation, usually associated with the wearing of earrings. However, although this is a small perforating lesion that is equal on both sides, keloids are bigger and more prevalent on the posterior surface. In this study, 141 keloids were evaluated, most of which were located on the posterior surface of the earlobe and caused by the piercing of the ear.

New approach to the understanding of keloid: psychoneuroimmune-endocrine aspects.

The skin is a dynamic and complex organ that relies on the interrelation among different cell types, macromolecules, and signaling pathways. Further, the skin has interactions with its own appendages and other organs such as the sebaceous glands and hair follicles, the kidney, and adrenal glands; systems such as the central nervous system; and axes such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. These continuous connections give the skin its versatility, and when an injury is caused, some triggers start a cascade of events designed to restore its integrity.

Image analysis software versus direct anthropometry for breast measurements.

Purpose: To compare breast measurements performed using the software packages ImageTool(r), AutoCAD(r) and Adobe Photoshop(r) with direct anthropometric measurements.

Methods: Points were marked on the breasts and arms of 40 volunteer women aged between 18 and 60 years. When connecting the points, seven linear segments and one angular measurement on each half of the body, and one medial segment common to both body halves were defined.

Cost-utility of reduction mammaplasty assessed for the Brazilian public health system.

Background: Economic evaluation is important for making decisions about resource allocation. Few cost-utility or cost-effectiveness studies on breast hypertrophy have been reported in the medical literature.

Objectives: The authors sought to determine the cost-utility of reduction mammaplasty in the Brazilian national health care system.

Perioperative corticosteroids for preventing complications following facial plastic surgery.

Background: Early recovery is an important factor for people undergoing facial plastic surgery. However, the normal inflammatory processes that are a consequence of surgery commonly cause oedema (swelling) and ecchymosis (bruising), which are undesirable complications. Severe oedema and ecchymosis delay full recovery, and may make patients dissatisfied with procedures.

Health economics and health preference concepts to orthopedics practitioners.

The aim of this study was to describe concepts of health economics in order to update and provide the orthopedic practitioner decision making parameters based on preferences. Four basic types of studies of economical evaluation were presented (cost minimization analysis, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility), as well as the origin, the concept, advantages and disadvantages of using QALY and utility. It was discussed the importance of costs and of SF-6D, an instrument able to get through the utility data from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Effects of subcutaneous carbon dioxide on calcitonin gene related peptide and substance P secretion in rat skin.

Purpose: To investigate the subcutaneous injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) on neuropeptides Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) and Substance P (SP) secretion in rat skin.

Methods: Fifty-six Wistar-EPM rats were distributed in two groups: one for CGRP analysis, the other for SP analysis. Each group was subdivided into four subgroups: control (Cont), control with needle (ContNd), CO2 injection (CO2Inj) and atmospheric air injection (AirInj) - with seven animals each.

Anthropometry of the breast region: how to measure?

Background: Breast region measurements are important for research, but they may also become significant in the legal field as a quantitative tool for preoperative and postoperative evaluation. Direct anthropometric measurements can be taken in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to compare direct breast anthropometric measurements taken with a tape measure and a compass.

Mast cell curve-response in partial Achilles tendon rupture after 830 nm phototherapy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify mast cells at different time intervals after partial Achilles tendon rupture in rats treated with low-level laser therapy (LLLT).

Background Data: There is a high incidence of lesions and ruptures in the Achilles tendon that can take weeks and even months to heal completely. As the mast cells help in the healing repair phase, and LLLT has favorable effects on this tissue repair process, study of this modality on the quantity of mastocytes in the ruptured tendon is relevant.

Electricity and colloidal stability: how charge distribution in the tissue can affects wound healing.

The role of endogenous electric fields in wound healing is still not fully understood. Electric fields are of fundamental importance in various biological processes, ranging from embryonic development to disease progression, as described by many investigators in the last century. This hypothesis brings together some relevant literature on the importance of electric fields in physiology and pathology, the theory of biologically closed electric circuits, skin battery (a phenomenon that occurs after skin injury and seems to be involved in tissue repair), the relationship between electric charge and interstitial exclusion, and how skin tissues can be regarded as colloidal systems.

Low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode effects in the secretion of neuropeptides SP and CGRP in rat skin.

The phototherapy effects in the skin are related to biomodulation, usually to accelerate wound healing. However, there is no direct proof of the interrelation between the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and light-emitting diode (LED) in neuropeptide secretion, these substances being prematurely involved in the neurogenic inflammation phase of wound healing. This study therefore focused on investigating LLLT and LED in Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) secretion in healthy rat skin.

Experimental model of cutaneous radiation injury in rabbits.

Purpose: To describe an experimental model of cutaneous radiation injury in rabbits.

Methods: On this study eight six-month-old New Zealand male rabbits, with an average weight of 2.5 kg were used.

Tap Water has No Influence on Microbial Colonization of Skin Wounds in Rats.

Unlabelled:  The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of tap water on microbial colonization of skin wounds in rats.

Methods: A cir- cular wound 2.4 cm in diameter was created on the back of 40 Wistar rats, which were randomly assigned to the control (n = 20) or study (n = 20) group.

Computerized photogrammetry used to calculate the brow position index.

Background: The orbital region is of vital importance to facial expression. Brow ptosis, besides having an impact on facial harmony, is a sign of aging. Various surgical techniques have been developed to increase the efficacy of brow-lift surgery.

What is better in TRAM flap survival: LLLT single or multi-irradiation?

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used with the aim of improving vascular perfusion of the skin and musculocutaneous flaps. This study evaluated the effect of LLLT on transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap (TRAM) viability, vascular angiogenesis, and VEGF release. Eighty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups with 12 rats in each group.

Psychological stress as a risk factor for postoperative keloid recurrence.

Objective: To investigate psychological stress on the prognosis of the postoperative recurrence of keloids.

Methods: Patients with keloids (n=25), candidates for surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy, had their psychological stress evaluated on the day before the surgical procedure. The parameters evaluated were pain and itching (Visual Numerical Scale), quality of life (Questionnaire QualiFibro/Cirurgia Plástica-UNIFESP), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depression and anxiety (Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale), salivary cortisol and minimum and maximum galvanic skin responses (GSR) at rest and under stress (i.

Cadaver as an experimental a model for the study of midline incisional hernia.

Purpose: To describe a cadaver model and to compare different techniques to correct midline incisional hernia using the tension at the musculoaponeurotic layer as a parameter.

Methods: Twenty-four male cadavers were used to characterize the model. The tensile force applied to the anterior layers of the rectus abdominis muscle was measured after the linea alba was resected to create an abdominal wall defect.