Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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The current standard of care for the prevention and treatment of scarring after burn injury is pressure garment therapy. Although this therapy has been used clinically for many years, controversy remains regarding its efficacy. The authors evaluated the efficacy of pressure garment therapy in a female red Duroc pig burn model in which wound depth could be tightly controlled. ⋯ Pressure garment therapy was effective at reducing scar contraction and improving biomechanics compared with control scars. These results confirm the efficacy of pressure garments and highlight the need to further investigate the role of pressure magnitude and the time of therapy application to enhance efficacy for optimal biomechanics and patient mobility.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Sep 2015
Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor Decreases Collagen Synthesis of Keloid Fibroblasts and Attenuates the Extracellular Matrix on the Keloid Spheroid Model.
The 90-kDa heat-shock protein (heat-shock protein 90) is an abundant cytosolic chaperone, and inhibition of heat-shock protein 90 by 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) compromises transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-mediated transcriptional responses by enhancing TGF-β receptor I and II degradation, thus preventing Smad2/3 activation. In this study, the authors evaluated whether heat-shock protein 90 regulates TGF-β signaling in the pathogenesis and treatment of keloids. ⋯ These results suggest that the antifibrotic action of heat-shock protein 90 inhibitors such as 17-AAG may have therapeutic effects on keloids.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Sep 2015
Are Quantitative Measures of Academic Productivity Correlated with Academic Rank in Plastic Surgery? A National Study.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between quantitative measures of academic productivity and academic rank among full-time academic plastic surgeons. ⋯ Academic rank in plastic surgery is strongly correlated with several quantitative metrics of research productivity. Although academic promotion is the result of success in multiple different areas, bibliometric measures may be useful adjuncts for assessment of research productivity.
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Aug 2015
ReviewA Systematic Review of Topical Vasodilators for the Treatment of Intraoperative Vasospasm in Reconstructive Microsurgery.
Intraoperative vasospasm during reconstructive microsurgery is common, often unpredictable, and potentially devastating with regard to flap survival. Current methods of pharmacologic management vary, and may be shifting as a result of changes in the availability of individual medications. This review aims to provide a concise examination of the published literature regarding use, efficacy, and adverse effects of the agents described for local management of vascular spasm during microsurgery. ⋯ Available literature regarding use of topical vasodilating agents for intraoperative management of vasospasm during microsurgery is limited and largely based on animal models, which may not reliably generalize to the reconstructive patient population. Well-controlled translational study in clinically applicable and reproducible models is needed to guide evidence-based clinical management of this important phenomenon.
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Face lifting is one of the most common operative procedures for facial aging and perhaps the procedure most synonymous with plastic surgery in the minds of the lay public, but no verifiable documentation of patient satisfaction exists in the literature. This study is the first to examine face-lift outcomes and patient satisfaction using a validated questionnaire. ⋯ Patients who responded in this study were extremely satisfied with their decision to undergo face lifting and the outcomes and quality of life following the procedure.