Autologous Graft Thickness Affects Scar Contraction and Quality in a Porcine Excisional Wound Model.

Background: Texture, color, and durability are important characteristics to consider for skin replacement in conspicuous and/or mobile regions of the body such as the face, neck, and hands. Although autograft thickness is a known determinant of skin quality, few studies have correlated the subjective and objective characters of skin graft healing with their associated morphologic and cellular profiles. Defining these relationships may help guide development and evaluation of future skin replacement strategies.

Melanocytic nevi in pregnancy: histologic features and Ki-67 proliferation index.

Background: Changes in the clinical appearance of benign dermal nevi during pregnancy may be concerning for malignant transformation. Because the hormonal milieu of pregnancy has not proven to alter their banal behavior, histologic characterization is needed to prevent over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Methods: Dermal nevi excised from pregnant women (n = 16) were compared with nevi from location- and aged-matched control patients (n = 15).

Low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (P75 NGFR) as a marker of perineural invasion in malignant melanomas.

Background: Perineural invasion (PNI) is a well-recognized route of tumor extension in cutaneous neoplasms. Despite an established association with increased local recurrences and metastases, the mechanisms responsible for PNI have yet to be elucidated. We hypothesize that P75 NGFR, a nerve growth factor receptor, may be implicated in the pathogenesis of PNI in these tumors.

Serial transplantation of NMU-induced rat mammary tumors: a model of human breast cancer progression.

Human breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that appears to progress from an in situ tumor to invasive cancer. Little is known about the molecular events driving this progression. Although microarray technology has helped us understand the genetic heterogeneity of breast cancer, its application to studying the transition from in situ to invasive disease is limited by the inability to follow the progression of a single patient's tumor.

Gene expression profiling of NMU-induced rat mammary tumors: cross species comparison with human breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a complex genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of multiple molecular alterations. The NMU breast cancer model induced in the rat is used for the study of mammary carcinogenesis because it closely mimics human breast disease. To assess the validity of this model from a more global molecular perspective, and also to devise a general technique to compare animal profiles with human microarray studies, we have characterized 25 NMU-induced mammary tumors and 11 normal glands using a combination of immunohistochemical and microarray analyses.

Effective treatment of rumination with Nissen fundoplication.

Rumination is a syndrome characterized by the effortless regurgitation of recently ingested food. It has been linked to severe medical and psychosocial conditions including malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and complete social withdrawal. Psychotherapy, the current treatment modality for rumination, may improve symptoms but requires significant motivation and is rarely curative.