Establishing Convergent Validity of the Face-Q Aesthetics Module Scales.

Background: FACE-Q Aesthetics scales assess patient-important outcomes following both surgical/nonsurgical facial cosmetic interventions. Convergent validity is the degree to which the scores of one measurement relate to another measuring a similar construct.

Objectives: This study aims to establish the convergent validity of 11 FACE-Q Aesthetics appearance scales using the MERZ Aesthetics scales.

Quality of plastic surgery Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) studies: A systematic review.

Background: In effort to improve post-operative outcomes, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have gained popularity. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the reporting and methodological quality of plastic surgery ERAS studies.

Methods: All plastic surgery ERAS implementation studies, published between January 1, 2020, to November 20, 2023, were included.

Understanding Stakeholder Priorities in Dupuytren Disease: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Currently, there is no recommended standard set of outcomes to report in Dupuytren disease treatment studies, nor are there guidelines on how the outcomes themselves should be reported. This study aimed to elicit the most salient issues for patients living with and undergoing treatment for Dupuytren disease, as well as for the hand surgeons, occupational therapists, and physical therapists caring for these patients.

Methods: A qualitative, interpretive description study employing one-on-one semi-structured interviews was conducted.

Progression of Pilot Trials to Completed Randomized Controlled Trials in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Well-designed pilot trials are essential in determining feasibility prior to initiating definitive randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and their implementation into clinical practice. The primary outcome of this study was to identify the number of pilot or feasibility studies in Plastic Surgery that progressed to a definitive RCT. Secondary outcomes included a) number of pilot studies expressing feasibility statements and outcomes and b) reporting quality.

Do children match described probabilities? The sampling hypothesis applied to repeated risky choice.

One way in which children can learn about probabilities of different outcomes before making a decision is from description, for instance, by observing graphical representations of frequency distributions. But how do repeated risky choices develop in early childhood when outcome probabilities are learned from description? Integrating previous findings from children's sampling processes in causal learning and adults' repeated choice behavior, we investigated repeated choices from 201 children aged 3 to 7 years and 100 adults in a child-friendly risky choice task. We expected young children to probability match and predicted that the perceived dependency between choices would shape the underlying choice process.

A foldon-free prefusion F trimer vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus to reduce off-target immune responses.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe respiratory disease in infants and older people. Current RSV subunit vaccines are based on a fusion protein that is stabilized in the prefusion conformation and linked to a heterologous foldon trimerization domain to obtain a prefusion F (preF) trimer. Here we show that current RSV vaccines induce undesirable anti-foldon antibodies in non-human primates, mice and humans.

Millions Saved in Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction at a High-Volume Center: A Cost Analysis.

Within a resource-limited healthcare system, an emphasis on financial accountability is imperative. Over the past decade at our institution, there have been many operational changes employed to improve patient care during oncologic head and neck resections with free flap (HNFF) reconstruction. The objective of this study is to assess whether these changes are associated with cost savings.

Perioperative Management of Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients Undergoing Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Practical Tool Based on Current Guidelines.

Given the aging population, plastic surgeons are increasingly faced with the challenge of balancing procedural bleeding risk with thromboembolic risk in patients receiving antithrombotic therapies undergoing elective procedures. Guideline recommendations remain unclear in this population, which contributes to heterogeneity in clinical practices. We present a practical approach that summarizes guideline recommendations to facilitate the perioperative management of patients requiring surgery who are already on antithrombotic agents.

Measuring the Impact of Surgical and Non-surgical Facial Cosmetic Interventions Using FACE-Q Aesthetic Module Scales: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The FACE-Q Aesthetic module measures patient-important outcomes following surgical and non-surgical facial cosmetic procedures. The primary aim of this systematic review was to summarize the pre- to post-intervention mean differences of facial aesthetic interventions that evaluate outcomes using the FACE-Q Face Overall, Psychological, and Social scales. Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched on December 20, 2022 with the assistance of a health-research librarian (CRD42023404238).

The Impact of Surgical Wait Time and Hospital Stay on the Incidence of Burn Wound Infection and Related Complications at a Single Tertiary Hospital Centre: A 10-Year Experience.

Admitted patients with burn injuries require prompt treatment and shorter hospital stays to avoid hospital-acquired infections and associated complications. This study aimed to determine the impact of time to the first surgery, and total length of hospital stay on the incidence of BWI and associated complications in adult patients with moderate burn injuries at a single tertiary hospital burn center. A retrospective chart review identified burn patients admitted to the Burn Unit between January 2011 and January 2021.

Assessing muscle function and oxidative profile in criollo horses participating in long loop rodeo before and after exercise.

Criollo breed is quite popular in Brazil, mainly in the Southern Region, and the long loop rodeo is one of the main sports modality adapted to this breed. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the muscle and oxidative functions caused by exercises practiced in this sports modality. Data such as exercising frequency, covered distance, mean duration time and number of runs, and blood samples at the following times: before the tournament, on the final day of the event, and 18-24 h after the end of the tournament were collected.

Herbarium specimens reveal a cryptic invasion of polyploid Centaurea stoebe in Europe.

Numerous plant species are expanding their native ranges due to anthropogenic environmental change. Because cytotypes of polyploid complexes often show similar morphologies, there may be unnoticed range expansions (i.e.

Ethical Considerations Regarding Financial Incentives in Plastic Surgery-Related Health Research.

To recruit enough patients to achieve adequate statistical power in clinical research, investigators often rely on financial incentives. The use of these incentives, however, remains controversial as they may cause patients to overlook risks associated with research participation. This concern is amplified in the context of plastic surgery where aesthetic procedures are often more desirable and are not typically covered by public or private insurance plans.

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Clinical Effectiveness of Collagenase Injection (Xiaflex) and Palmar Fasciectomy in the Management of Dupuytren's Contracture.

Limited palmar fasciectomy (LPF) and collagenase injection (CI) are the most common procedures to manage symptoms of Dupuytren's Disease. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to directly compare patient outcomes 12 months following CI and LPF. Twenty-two patients with Dupuytren's Disease were randomized to either LPF or CI.

Reporting of patient-reported outcomes amongst randomized clinical trials in plastic surgery: a systematic review using CONSORT-PRO.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are key to investigating patient perspectives in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Standardization of PRO reporting is critical for trial generalizability and the application of findings to clinical practice. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the reporting quality of RCTs published in the top plastic surgery journals according to the consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT)-PRO extension.

Biomarker-Based Analysis of Pain in Patients with Tick-Borne Infections before and after Antibiotic Treatment.

Tick-borne illnesses (TBIs), especially those caused by Borrelia, are increasingly prevalent worldwide. These diseases progress through stages of initial localization, early spread, and late dissemination. The final stage often leads to post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or chronic Lyme disease (CLD), characterized by persistent and non-specific multisystem symptoms affecting multiple systems, lasting over six months after antibiotic therapy.

Margin status of basal cell carcinoma: What can be done better?

Purpose: Guidelines on clinical margins for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) excisions were recently published, yet the ambiguity regarding the margin continues for surgeons and pathologists. The purpose of this study was to determine the incomplete excision rate of BCC, determine the factors associated with incomplete excision, and evaluate the completeness of reporting between surgeon and pathologist.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted on pathology reports from single excisions of BCC specimens between January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020.

The value of perforator flap reconstruction in painful soft tissue calcifications.

Soft tissue calcifications frequently cause debilitating pain and functional impairments, considerably affecting patients' quality of life. As they are rare entities, evidence remains sparse, especially regarding treatment effectiveness and recurrence rates. While both pharmacological and surgical treatments may alleviate symptoms, complete resection is currently believed to prevent long-term recurrence of deposits.

Use of Minimal Important Difference for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Background: The minimal important difference (MID) is vital to consider when interpreting the clinical importance of observed changes from surgical interventions assessed by patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). There is no gold-standard for how to calculate MIDs, and uptake in plastic surgery literature is currently unknown, leading to methodological and interpretation issues.

Methods: Medline and Embase were searched to identify all plastic surgery randomized controlled trials (RCTs) employing PROMs as outcomes, and MID estimation studies for PROMs used by RCTs.

Establishing test-retest reliability and the smallest detectable change of FACE-Q Aesthetic Module scales.

Background: The test-retest (TRT) reliability of FACE-Q Aesthetic scales is yet to be assessed. The aim of this study was to establish the TRT reliability of 17 FACE-Q Aesthetic scales and determine the smallest detectable change (SDC) that can be identified using these scales.

Methods: Data were collected from an online international sample platform (Prolific).

Among-population variation in drought responses is consistent across life stages but not between native and non-native ranges.

Understanding how widespread species adapt to variation in abiotic conditions across their ranges is fundamental to ecology. Insight may come from studying how among-population variation (APV) in the common garden corresponds with the environmental conditions of source populations. However, there are no such studies comparing native vs non-native populations across multiple life stages.