Craniofacial Measurements: A History of Scientific Racism, Rethinking Anthropometric Norms.

Craniofacial measurements have been used in attempt to create racial categories. This article discusses the history of this practice and the potential implications this has for patients.

Biomaterials patterned with discontinuous microwalls for vascular smooth muscle cell culture: biodegradable small diameter vascular grafts and stable cell culture substrates.

The medial layer of small diameter blood vessels contains circumferentially aligned vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC) that possess contractile phenotype. In tissue-engineered constructs, these cellular characteristics are usually achieved by seeding planar scaffolds with vSMC, rolling the cell-laden scaffold into a tubular structure, and maturing the construct in a pulsatile bioreactor, a lengthy process that can take up to two months. During the maturation phase, the cells circumferentially orient, their contractile protein expression increases, and they obtain a contractile phenotype.

Mycobacterium abscessus Hand Infections in Immunocompetent Fish Handlers: Case Report.

Mycobacterium abscessus hand infections are rare and usually occur in immunocompromised patients or after injection with contaminated injectables. This article describes 2 cases of M abscessus infection of the hand in otherwise healthy fish handlers. Mycobacterium abscessus can cause severe chronic tenosynovitis even in immunocompetent patients and should be suspected alongside the more common M marinum as a cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial hand infections in patients with aquatic and fish exposure.

Forty-one cervicofacial vascular anomalies and their surgical treatment--retrospection and review.

Introduction: Haemangiomas in children usually involute spontaneously and surgical treatment is exceptional. Vascular malformations do not regress spontaneously and resection may become necessary. We present a series of surgically treated face and neck vascular anomalies during a 9-year period, assessing the epidemiology, presenting signs and symptoms, diagnostic modalities, indications for surgery, treatment methods and clinical outcome post-treatment.

Vacuum-assisted closure of a large palmar defect after debriding a midpalmar tuberculous abscess.

A rare case of tuberculous deep palmar abscess of the hand was treated with radical excisional debridement, resulting in a large palmar skin and soft tissue defect that was successfully closed with a vacuum dressing followed by split skin grafting. Vacuum dressings are useful adjuncts to treat large soft tissue defects in patients who are unsuitable for complex reconstruction. The moist wound environment prevents desiccation of exposed vital structures and decreases pain, allowing early mobilisation in the hand.

Extracranial non-vestibular head and neck schwannomas: a ten-year experience.

Introduction: We present a series of head and neck extracranial non-vestibular schwannomas treated during a ten-year period, assessing epidemiology, presenting signs and symptoms, location, nerve of origin, diagnostic modalities, treatment and clinical outcome.

Materials And Methods: Clinical records of all patients with head and neck schwannomas treated at our department from April 1995 to July 2005 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: There was female predominance (67%).