Short-term donor site morbidity: A comparison of the anterolateral thigh and radial forearm fasciocutaneous free flaps.

Background: Donor site morbidity is an important consideration in the overall decision-making algorithm for fasciocutaneous free flap reconstruction of the head and neck.

Methods: A retrospective case series was conducted of donor site complications occurring within 30 days of surgery among 226 consecutive anterolateral thigh (ALT) or radial forearm free flap (RFFF) microvascular free tissue transfers performed by multiple reconstructive surgeons between 2005 and 2010.

Results: A greater number of donor site complications occurred among patients undergoing RFFF versus ALT free flaps (40; 35.

The Nabidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Israel and the Sinai Peninsula.

A long-term taxonomic and faunistic survey of the family Nabidae from Israel and the Sinai (Egypt) was conducted based primarily on material housed in the National Collection of Insects at Tel Aviv University, Israel (TAUI). A key is provided to all species and information is given for each, species including its distribution, previous records from the study area and life history details if available. Eleven species are recorded; Nabis (Nabis) pseudoferus orientarius Remane and Nabis (Halonabis) sareptanus Dohrn are new records to the fauna of the study area.

Facial nerve neurorrhaphy and the effects of glucocorticoids in a rat model.

Objective: After nerve injury, an exaggerated neuroinflammatory process may hinder neuron regeneration and recovery. Immunomodulation using glucocorticoids may therefore improve facial nerve injury outcomes. This study aims to examine the effect of both local and systemic dexamethasone administration on facial nerve functional recovery after axotomy in a rat model.

The cleft-columellar angle: a useful variable to describe the unilateral cleft lip-associated nasal deformity.

Objective : To study a method for quantification of the severity of either the unilateral cleft lip deformity or the associated cleft nasal deformity. A standard method would be useful for defining surgical outcomes. Design : Using a developed rating questionnaire and patient photographs, 26 nonexpert volunteers rated 14 children with untreated unilateral cleft lip according to the severity of their overall deformity, as well as the individual lip and nose deformities.

Comprehensive analysis of the anterolateral thigh flap vascular anatomy.

Objective: The anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap has become a frequently used free flap for head and neck reconstruction. Widespread use has been based on literature of ALT flap thickness performed primarily in Asian populations. To our knowledge, to date there has not been a comprehensive analysis of the anthropomorphic parameters of this flap in the Western population, in which it is often much thicker, thereby potentially limiting its utility.

Hospital certification for optimizing cardiovascular disease and stroke quality of care and outcomes.

Cardiovascular disease and stroke remain leading causes of mortality, disability, and rising healthcare expenditures in the United States. Although a number of organizations provide hospital accreditation, recognition, and certification programs, existing programs do not address cardiovascular disease and stroke care in a comprehensive way. Current evidence suggests mixed findings for correlation between accreditation, recognition, and certification programs and hospitals' actual quality of care and outcomes.

Facial paralysis rehabilitation: state of the art.

Purpose Of Review: Surgical management of facial paralysis continues to undergo evolution. Advances made in management reflect the challenging nature of facial paralysis and the drive to ever improve outcomes.

Recent Findings: Recent advances have been made in neuronal transfers using the masseteric nerve, minimally invasive static procedures, and dynamic transfer of the temporalis tendon.

A toy model that predicts the qualitative role of bar bend in a push jerk.

In this work, we describe a simple coarse-grained model of a barbell that can be used to determine the qualitative role of bar bend during a jerk. In simulations of this model, we observed a narrow time window during which the lifter can leverage the elasticity of the bar in order to lift the weight to a maximal height. This time window shifted to later times as the weight was increased.

Image-guided titanium implantation for craniofacial prosthetics.

Osseointegration implants have revolutionized craniofacial prosthetic reconstruction. Implant placement relies on adequate thickness and quality of bone to permit osseointegration. Positioning the implant is critical in craniofacial reconstruction because surface contours of the prosthesis must be preserved while housing attachment components securely and discretely.

Management of the brow in facial paralysis.

Management of the brow remains a challenging, important, and gratifying area in the care of facial paralysis patients. Aged facial paralysis patients generally require surgical management of brow ptosis. Young facial paralysis patients occasionally require surgical management of brow ptosis.

A phase II trial of weekly 1-hour paclitaxel as second-line therapy for endometrial and cervical cancer.

Background: The efficacy of weekly paclitaxel has not been well characterized in either cervical or endometrial cancer.

Methods: Eligible women had disseminated endometrial or squamous cell cancer of the cervix, one prior chemotherapy regimen, measurable disease, and a Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) performance status of 0-2. At entry, all laboratory results were within normal limits.

Nutrient supplementation post ambulation in persons with incomplete spinal cord injuries: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled case series.

Objective: To examine effects of protein-carbohydrate intake on ambulation performance in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Double-blinded treatment with washout and placebo crossover.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Projections from auditory cortex to cochlear nucleus: A comparative analysis of rat and mouse.

Mammalian hearing is a complex special sense that involves detection, localization, and identification of the auditory stimulus. The cerebral cortex may subserve higher auditory processes by providing direct modulatory cortical projections to the auditory brainstem. To support the hypothesis that corticofugal projections are a conserved feature in the mammalian brain, this article reviews features of the rat corticofugal pathway and presents new data supporting the presence of similar projections in the mouse.

An animal model for cochlear implants.

Objective: To test the feasibility of using the deaf white cat model of early-onset deafness. We studied the neuronal effects of prosthetic intervention with a clinical, "off-the-shelf" multichannel cochlear implant.

Methods: We placed cochlear implants in 5 deaf white kittens at age 12 and 24 weeks.

Normal phase LC-MS determination of retinoic acid degradation products.

The degradation products formed when 13-cis retinoic acid (13-cis RA) and all-trans RA were exposed to fluorescent light and air were investigated. These retinoids are known to undergo Z-E isomerization (due to the existence of four unsaturated double bonds) and oxidation when exposed to light and air. Analysis by LC was carried out on a 25 cm x 4.

Dermal microdialysis sampling in vivo.

Microdialysis sampling of the dermis in vivo was accomplished using a linear microdialysis probe. In contrast to previous studies using a commercial cannula-style microdialysis probe, the linear probe had no effect on the flux of drug through the skin in vitro. The extent of tissue damage in vivo due to probe implantation was evaluated by histological examination and microdialysis delivery studies.

Separation of 13-cis and all-trans retinoic acid and their photodegradation products using capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEC).

Two retinoic acid isomers; 13-cis retinoic acid and all-trans retinoic acid and their photodegradation products were resolved with capillary electrophoresis (CE) (UV detector, 345 nm) using three different mobile phases: method 1--an acetonitrile modified borate buffer (pH 8.5); method 2--borate buffer (pH 8.5) modified with acetonitrile and alpha-cyclodextrin; and method 3--borate buffer (pH 8.

Determination of the kinetics of degradation of 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid in solution.

The degradations of 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid in an organic solvent were determined with an HPLC assay. The degradation curves at 70, 50 and 37 degrees C all showed autocatalytic characteristics for both isomers. For this kind of complex reaction, the usual method cannot be used to estimate the shelf-lives and half-lives at room temperature.

Microdialysis sampling for the investigation of dermal drug transport.

Microdialysis perfusion in vivo has the potential to be a powerful sampling technique in dermal and transdermal drug delivery studies. Characterization of a commercially available microdialysis probe in vitro considering relevant physiological parameters is a vital first step in the evaluation of microdialysis as a dermal sampling technique. In previous microdialysis studies, analyte concentration and neutrality have been implicated in altering microdialysis recovery.

Solid-state stability studies of 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid using microcalorimetry and HPLC analysis.

The solid-state stabilities of 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid in the presence and absence of oxygen were investigated. The samples were first evaluated using microcalorimetry. The rate laws of different samples under different conditions were deduced from the shapes of the heat flow curves, and the activation energies of the reactions were determined from Arrhenius plots.