Flow-Through Flaps as a Robust Method for Advanced Free Flap Reconstruction in the Head and Neck: A Multi-Institutional Experience.

Background: Flow-through flaps (FTFs) are an advanced technique in which a free flap is anastomosed to the pedicle of another free flap to reconstruct extensive head and neck defects when recipient vessels are scarce.

Methods: A multi-institutional cohort of FTFs used for head and neck reconstruction were reviewed. For comparison, FTF outcomes were compared to free flaps that required vein grafts (VG) to reach distant recipient vessels.

Benchmarking and performance evaluation of a novel deformable image registration software for radiotherapy CT images.

Purpose: We evaluated and benchmarked a novel deformable image registration (DIR) software functionality (DirOne, Cosylab d.d., Ljubljana, Slovenia) by comparing it to two commercial systems, MIM and VelocityAI, following AAPM task group 132 (TG-132) guidelines.

Effect of cosolvents on the phase separation of polyelectrolyte complexes.

Evidence is shown that cosolvent mixtures control the coacervation of mixtures of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Binary and ternary solvent mixtures lead to non-monotonic solubility as a function of the average dielectric constants of the solvent mixtures. These data are rationalized by considering both electrostatic-driven phase separation and solvophobic-driven phase separation using group contribution effects on solubility parameters.

Predicting compatibilized polymer blend toughness.

Polymer blends can yield superior materials by merging the unique properties of their components. However, these mixtures often phase separate, leading to brittleness. While compatibilizers can toughen these blends, their vast design space makes optimization difficult.

Adjuvant Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Recurrent Respiratory Papilloma Patients Older than 45.

Objectives: The primary objective was to examine the intersurgical interval (ISI) of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) in patients older than 45 years before and after a Gardasil vaccination series.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients >45 years of age diagnosed with RRP from 2012 to 2022. Patients were excluded if they did not receive at least two doses of the Gardasil vaccine series or if they underwent two or fewer surgeries during the study period.

Identifying microscopic factors that influence ductility in disordered solids.

There are empirical strategies for tuning the degree of strain localization in disordered solids, but they are system-specific and no theoretical framework explains their effectiveness or limitations. Here, we study three model disordered solids: a simulated atomic glass, an experimental granular packing, and a simulated polymer glass. We tune each system using a different strategy to exhibit two different degrees of strain localization.

Neisseria meningitidis on Sinonasal Culture for Sinusitis: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Neisseria meningitidis is carried asymptomatically in the nasopharynx and is most known for causing septicemia and meningitis; however, the pathogenesis and incidence rates of N. meningitidis sinusitis are not well described. This case series describes four patients from a tertiary medical center who presented with culture-positive N.

Structure-dilute solution property relationships of comb-like macromolecules in a good solvent.

The structural characterization of branched polymers still poses experimental challenges despite their technological potential. This lack of clarity is egregious in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), a common industrial plastic. Here, we design a coarse-grain, implicit solvent molecular dynamics model for LLDPE in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, a canonical good solvent, that replicates all-atom simulations and experiments.

Multi-Institutional Study of Patient-Reported Outcomes of Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion.

Objective: To explore patient-reported outcome measures of pediatric paradoxical vocal fold motion through a multi-institutional study of geographically diverse United States medical facilities to assess long-term management and outcomes.

Methods: Eligible participants >8 years of age diagnosed with PVFM over a 10-year period from 7 tertiary pediatric hospitals were invited to complete a survey addressing study objectives.

Results: 65 participants completed the survey, of whom 80% were female, 75% reported a 3.

Efficacy of an Integrated Hands-On Thyroid Ultrasound Session for Medical Student Education.

As ultrasound has gained popularity with improving technology and ease-of-use, a push has been made to integrate ultrasound into the medical school curriculum. Many institutions are reporting one- to four-year integrated ultrasound curricula to augment anatomy and pathophysiology teaching. Our goal was to integrate a thyroid ultrasound scanning session into the endocrinology block of our institution's medical school curriculum to enhance medical student understanding of thyroid anatomy and pathophysiology.

Reduced Asthma Medication Use after Treatment of Pediatric Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion Disorder.

Objectives/hypotheses: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion Disorder (PVFMD) leads to decreased asthma medication use. Our secondary objective was to determine dyspnea outcomes following diagnosis and treatment for PVFMD.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Dynamic phase transitions in freestanding polymer thin films.

After more than two decades of study, many fundamental questions remain unanswered about the dynamics of glass-forming materials confined to thin films. Experiments and simulations indicate that free interfaces enhance dynamics over length scales larger than molecular sizes, and this effect strengthens at lower temperatures. The nature of the influence of interfaces, however, remains a point of significant debate.

Strain localization and failure of disordered particle rafts with tunable ductility during tensile deformation.

Quasi-static tensile experiments were performed for a model disordered solid consisting of a two-dimensional raft of polydisperse floating granular particles with capillary attractions. The ductility is tuned by controlling the capillary interaction range, which varies with the particle size. During the tensile tests, after an initial period of elastic deformation, strain localization occurs and leads to the formation of a shear band at which the pillar later fails.

Effect of polymer-nanoparticle interaction on strain localization in polymer nanopillars.

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs), a class of composites consisting of typically inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a polymer matrix, have become an emerging class of materials due to their significant potential to combine the functionality of NPs with the toughness of polymers. However, many applications are limited by their mechanical properties, and a fundamental understanding of NPs' effect on the nonlinear mechanical properties is lacking. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the influence of NPs on the tendency of a polymer nanopillar to form a shear band.

Designing a Low-Cost Thyroid Ultrasound Phantom for Medical Student Education.

Using ultrasound for the diagnostic workup of thyroid lesions is a widely accepted technique. An inexpensive phantom model of thyroid lesions would be an invaluable tool for engaging medical students in learning the diagnostic algorithm for thyroid lesions and how to perform fine needle aspiration (FNA). The aim of this study was to devise an inexpensive and reproducible training phantom model for thyroid lesion detection, image interpretation and in vitro FNA using ultrasound guidance.

Immunological tolerance of low-risk HPV in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is characterized by benign exophytic lesions of the respiratory tract caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), in particular low-risk HPV6 and HPV11. Aggressiveness varies greatly among patients. Surgical excision is the current standard of care for RRP, with adjuvant therapy used when surgery cannot control disease recurrence.

Identifying structural signatures of shear banding in model polymer nanopillars.

Amorphous solids are critical in the design and production of nanoscale devices, but under strong confinement these materials exhibit changes in their mechanical properties which are not well understood. Phenomenological models explain these properties by postulating an underlying defect structure in these materials but do not detail the microscopic properties of these defects. Using machine learning methods, we identify mesoscale defects that lead to shear banding in model polymer nanopillars well below the glass transition temperature as a function of pillar diameter.

Strap Muscle Type I Thyroplasty After Gore-Tex Implant Extrusion: Case Report and Literature Review.

Objectives: To discuss the presentation and management techniques of implant extrusion following type I thyroplasty and to illustrate the potential of strap muscle for augmentation following implant removal.

Methods: We report a unique case of a patient with late Gore-Tex implant extrusion after type I thyroplasty treated with removal and autologous strap muscle graft for augmentation.

Results: A 41-year-old female nearly 3.

Heterogeneous Activation, Local Structure, and Softness in Supercooled Colloidal Liquids.

We experimentally characterize heterogeneous nonexponential relaxation in bidisperse supercooled colloidal liquids utilizing a recent concept called "softness" [Phys. Rev. Lett.

Adenovirus-related epidemic keratoconjunctivitis outbreak at a hospital-affiliated ophthalmology clinic.

Adenovirus-associated epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (A-EKC) is a cause of large and prolonged outbreaks in ophthalmology clinics and can result in substantial morbidity. A-EKC outbreaks are often the result of contaminated ophthalmologic equipment, surfaces, or hands. Contaminated multidose eye drops are also a likely culprit, but few prior studies provide clear epidemiologic evidence that adenovirus transmission resulted from contamination of eye drops.

Structure-property relationships from universal signatures of plasticity in disordered solids.

When deformed beyond their elastic limits, crystalline solids flow plastically via particle rearrangements localized around structural defects. Disordered solids also flow, but without obvious structural defects. We link structure to plasticity in disordered solids via a microscopic structural quantity, "softness," designed by machine learning to be maximally predictive of rearrangements.

TriCurin, a novel formulation of curcumin, epicatechin gallate, and resveratrol, inhibits the tumorigenicity of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide with about 600,000 new cases diagnosed in the last year. The incidence of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-positive HNSCC) has rapidly increased over the past 30 years prompting the suggestion that an epidemic may be on the horizon. Therefore, there is a clinical need to develop alternate therapeutic strategies to manage the growing number of HPV-positive HNSCC patients.

Age and individual sleep characteristics affect cognitive performance in anesthesiology residents after a 24-hour shift.

Previous research has shown that both shift work and sleep deprivation have an adverse influence on various aspects of human cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to explore changes in cognitive functioning and subjective sleepiness of anesthesiology residents after a 24-hour shift. Twenty-six anesthesiology residents completed a set of psychological instruments at the beginning and at the end of the shift, as well as a questionnaire regarding information about the shift, Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and Circadian Type Questionnaire.