Treatment of a Large Nail-Bed Pyogenic Granuloma with Topical Timolol.

Nail pyogenic granulomas are common benign vascular lesions often occurring after trauma. A variety of treatment modalities exist, including topical therapies and surgical excision, although both have their pros and cons. In this communication, we describe the case of a 7-year-old boy with repeated toe trauma, who developed a large nail bed pyogenic granuloma after undergoing surgical debridement and nail bed repair.

Novel Use of an Internal Distractor for Metacarpal Lengthening.

Background: In patients who have had proximal digit amputation, metacarpal distraction osteogenesis is an option to improve digital length and function. One drawback is that traditional external distraction devices are large and cumbersome; the option of a low-profile internal device is therefore appealing. Internal distractors are commonly used in craniofacial reconstruction, but use in the hand has not been reported.

Extending the Reach of Craniofacial Free Flaps Using the Descending Branch of the Lateral Circumflex Femoral Vessels.

Summary: Craniofacial free tissue transfer is sometimes complicated by insufficient pedicle length and/or paucity of recipient vessels. A saphenous vein graft can be used to reach the high-flow, large-caliber vessels of the neck, but because of the vein's taper and thick wall, there is often a mismatch. Following the principle of like-for-like, the authors prefer the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral vessels to achieve a more anatomical pedicle extension for free tissue transfer in complex craniofacial reconstruction.

Interdisciplinary Management of Minimally Displaced Orbital Roof Fractures: Delayed Pulsatile Exophthalmos and Orbital Encephalocele.

Traumatic orbital roof fractures are rare and are managed nonoperatively in most cases. They are typically associated with severe mechanisms of injury and may be associated with significant neurologic or ophthalmologic compromise including traumatic brain injury and vision loss. Rarely, traumatic encephalocele or pulsatile exophthalmos may be present at the time of injury or develop in delayed fashion, necessitating close observation of these patients.

Multipotent adult progenitor cells sustain function of ischemic limbs in mice.

Despite progress in cardiovascular research, a cure for peripheral vascular disease has not been found. We compared the vascularization and tissue regeneration potential of murine and human undifferentiated multipotent adult progenitor cells (mMAPC-U and hMAPC-U), murine MAPC-derived vascular progenitors (mMAPC-VP), and unselected murine BM cells (mBMCs) in mice with moderate limb ischemia, reminiscent of intermittent claudication in human patients. mMAPC-U durably restored blood flow and muscle function and stimulated muscle regeneration, by direct and trophic contribution to vascular and skeletal muscle growth.

Hematopoietic reconstitution by multipotent adult progenitor cells: precursors to long-term hematopoietic stem cells.

For decades, in vitro expansion of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been an elusive goal. Here, we demonstrate that multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), isolated from green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transgenic mice and expanded in vitro for >40-80 population doublings, are capable of multilineage hematopoietic engraftment of immunodeficient mice. Among MAPC-derived GFP+CD45.

A novel in-vitro system for the simultaneous exposure of bladder smooth muscle cells to mechanical strain and sustained hydrostatic pressure.

The novel hydrostrain system was designed in an effort to establish and maintain conditions that simulate the in-vivo mechanical environment of the bladder. In this laboratory system, ovine bladder smooth muscle cells on flexible, 10-cm-dia silastic membranes were exposed simultaneously to hydrostatic pressure (40 cm H2O, a pressure level currently associated with bladder pathologies) and mechanical strains (up to 25 percent) under standard cell culture conditions for 7 h. Under these conditions, Heparin Binding-Epidermal Growth Factor and Collagen Type III mRNA expression were significantly increased (p<0.