Testing or Trusting? Urine Cotinine Levels in Plastic Surgery.

Background: Preoperative laboratory examinations are a common practice throughout all surgical disciplines. Smoking prior to and shortly after elective aesthetic surgery is generally discouraged, but abstinence is rarely examined. Nicotine's major metabolite is cotinine, which is distributed in various body fluids, including blood, saliva, and urine.

The Infero-Central Mound Reduction Mammoplasty: A Single Surgeon, 20-year Experience.

Background: Reduction mammoplasty (RM) remains one of the most common plastic surgeries worldwide. Many different techniques have been described in the literature, each with its advantages and limitations. Nipple-areolar complex necrosis remains a daunting complication, regardless of the chosen surgical approach.

A single surgeon's experience with Motiva Ergonomix round SilkSurface silicone implants in breast reconstruction over a 5-year period.

Background: Numerous breast implants are used for breast reconstruction. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Recent data regarding the link between BIA-ALCL and implant texture caused a significant paradigm shift toward the use of smooth round implants.

Pre-infection 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and association with severity of COVID-19 illness.

Objective: Studies have demonstrated a potential correlation between low vitamin D status and both an increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and poorer clinical outcomes. This retrospective study examines if, and to what degree, a relationship exists between pre-infection serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and disease severity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2.

Participants: The records of individuals admitted between April 7th, 2020 and February 4th, 2021 to the Galilee Medical Center (GMC) in Nahariya, Israel, with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) were searched for historical 25(OH)D levels measured 14 to 730 days prior to the positive PCR test.

Safety of body contouring surgery in an aging patient population.

The fastest-growing age group undergoing cosmetic procedures are those over age 60, i.e. the aging patient group.

COVID-19 classification of X-ray images using deep neural networks.

Objectives: In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, chest X-ray (CXR) imaging is playing an important role in diagnosis and monitoring of patients with COVID-19. We propose a deep learning model for detection of COVID-19 from CXRs, as well as a tool for retrieving similar patients according to the model's results on their CXRs. For training and evaluating our model, we collected CXRs from inpatients hospitalized in four different hospitals.

Complications of Post-Burn Tissue Expansion Reconstruction: 9 Years Experience with 42 Pediatric and 26 Adult Patients.

Background: Burn scar reconstruction is extremely challenging, even for the most proficient reconstructive surgeon. Within the arsenal of tools at the plastic surgeon's disposal, tissue expansion provides an efficient modality for reconstruction despite the reported complication rates.

Objectives: To critically review our experience with tissue expansion for burn scar reconstruction, comparing particularly the adult and pediatric populations.

Expanded bi-pedicled "sleeve" flap for reconstruction of the upper extremity after large circumferential nevus excision in children.

Background: Large congenital melanocytic nevi entail significant medical and cosmetic ramifications for patients and families. Reconstruction is a challenging endeavor, especially when the lesion is present on the limbs. The literature describes various methods by which a plastic surgeon can address reconstruction; yet, to date, there has been no series describing a method that provides consistent results with low complication rates.

Management of Inguinal Involvement of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies by Cytoreduction and HIPEC with Inguinal Perfusion.

Background: Achieving complete cytoreduction of peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM) can be challenging. In most cases, delivery of heated intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is straightforward. However, using the closed technique in some cases may be technically challenging; for example, in patients requiring abdominal closure using a large synthetic mesh.

The true incidence of gastric GIST-a study based on morbidly obese patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare neoplasm of the alimentary tract. Previous reports described an incidence of 1 per 100,000. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) provides pathological specimens of the majority of the stomach.