Systematic review of non-surgical treatments for early dupuytren's disease.

Background: Dupuytren's disease is a common fibrotic disorder of the palm characterized by the development of progressive flexion deformities in the digits, leading to significant functional impairment. Surgical excision remains the most common treatment. However, this is only indicated in patients with established contractures rather than those with early disease.

Strategies to secure surgical research funding: fellowships and grants.

Innovation and advances in surgery are entirely dependent on research. Fellowships and grants are the principal means by which surgical research projects are funded. However, these are scarce and highly competitive.

Cutaneous endometriosis: a plastic surgery perspective.

Cutaneous endometriosis is a rare skin pathology that may present to the gynaecologist, general surgeon, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon. It is often misdiagnosed due to its rarity and variable appearance. In the current literature recommendations for its management vary greatly.

Post-transcriptional regulation of alpha-smooth muscle actin determines the contractile phenotype of Dupuytren's nodular cells.

The objective was to study Dupuytren's myofibroblast cells in constrained collagen matrices in order to more closely emulate their in vivo environment and, to correlate their contractility with alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expression and determine if dermal fibroblasts regulate Dupuytren's myofibroblast phenotype. Isotonic and isometric force contraction by cells isolated from Dupuytren's nodules, palmar and non-palmar skin fibroblasts was measured in collagen matrices. The effect of co-culturing nodule cells with dermal fibroblasts on isometric contraction was examined.

Rotation in the interphalangeal thumb joint in vivo.

Purpose: To investigate rotation at the thumb interphalangeal (IP) joint in vivo to optimize the position of fusion of this joint.

Methods: Standardized photographs were taken of 176 thumbs end-on (88 asymptomatic volunteers) placed on a custom-made splint with the IP joint at 40 degrees . Three blinded investigators measured rotation at the IP joint from these photographs as the angle between a line aligning the eponychial folds and a line aligning the proximal phalanx condyles.

Myofibroblast distribution in Dupuytren's cords: correlation with digital contracture.

Purpose: Dupuytren's tissue has typically been described as being composed of myofibroblast-rich palmar nodules and relatively acellular tendon-like cords. We aimed to determine myofibroblast distribution (alpha-smooth muscle actin [alpha-SMA] positive cells) within Dupuytren's tissue and to correlate histologically defined alpha-SMA-positive nodules with digital contracture and recurrent disease.

Methods: One hundred and three digital Dupuytren's cords (72 fasciectomy, 31 dermofasciectomy) were stained with anti-alpha-SMA antibody.