1,720,973 research outputs found
The Nasolabial Flap in Nose Reconstruction: Tips and Tricks Towards Expanded Usage and Optimized Cosmesis
No full textBackground: The nose is the most critical aesthetic element of the face and even the smallest loss of substance can create a deformity of concern. The forehead flap has been the workhorse for nasal reconstruction for centuries but requires multiple surgical steps and leads to prominent donor-site scarring. The nasolabial flap allows a single-step reconstruction with a donor-site scar concealed in the nasolabial crease but is conventionally designated for small defects involving the ala. Methods: The authors analysed all surgical records of patients undergone nasal reconstruction by nasolabial flap between May 2005 and December 2021 by the Plastic Surgery Unit of a major regional hospital in Lombardy. Defects were classified according to Burget's subunit principle and the 3-component approach. Reconstruction features and finesses were reported and analysed. Results: In the 16-year period under analysis, 378 patients with nasal defects of various aetiologies received nose reconstruction by nasolabial flap. All nasal subunits were involved; 20 patients had multisubunit defects. In all the cases the reconstruction with nasolabial flap, alone or combined with other solutions, was intended to be one-stage. Conclusions: The authors present several tips and tricks about preoperative planning and design, choice of the pedicle, flap harvesting and sculpting with preservation/restoration of grooves and convexities, conjoining multiple flaps, downsizing extensive defects by a rhinoplasty-like framework reduction. With a careful planning and refined technique, the range of application of the nasolabial flap can include defects involving any nasal subunit and larger and/or multisubunit defects
Perioperative steroids administration in pediatric cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
No full textOBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the effects of prophylactic perioperative corticosteroid administration, compared with placebo, on postoperative mortality and clinical outcomes (renal dysfunction, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU length of stay) in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. DATA SOURCES:: MEDLINE and Cochrane Library were screened through August 2013 for randomized controlled trials in which perioperative steroid treatment was adopted. STUDY SELECTION:: Included were randomized controlled trials conducted on pediatric population that reported clinical outcomes about mortality and morbidity. DATA EXTRACTION:: Eighty citations (PubMed, 48 citations; Cochrane, 32 citations) were identified, of which 14 articles were analyzed in depth and six articles fulfilled eligibility criteria and reported mortality data (232 patients), two studies reported ICU length of stay and mechanical ventilation duration (60 patients), and two studies reported renal dysfunction (49 patients). DATA SYNTHESIS:: A nonsignificant trend of reduced mortality was observed in steroid-treated patients (11 [4.7%] vs 4 [1.7%] patients; odds ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.14-1.15; p = 0.089). Steroids had no effects on mechanical ventilation time (117.4 ± 95.9 hr vs 137.3 ± 102.4 hr; p = 0.43) and ICU length of stay (9.6 ± 4.6 d vs 9.9 ± 5.9 d; p = 0.8). Perioperative steroid administration reduced the prevalence of renal dysfunction (13 [54.2%] vs 2 [8%] patients; odds ratio, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.38; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION:: Despite a demonstrated attenuation of cardiopulmonary bypass-induced inflammatory response by steroid administration, a systematic review of randomized controlled trials performed so far reveals that steroid administration has potential clinical advantages (lower mortality and significant reduction of renal function deterioration). A larger prospective randomized study is needed to verify clearly the effects of steroid prophylaxis in pediatric patients. Copyright © 2014 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Risk factors for incomplete excision of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: A single-center study performed on 1082 excisions in Northern Italy
No full textCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, which makes up for 25% of keratinocyte carcinomas, is the second most frequent skin cancer worldwide. Surgical excision via a clinical and microscopic complete resection is the treatment of choice. Incomplete excisions carry the risk of local recurrence, deep subclinical progression, and metastasis. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with the incomplete excision of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This series included 837 patients who underwent surgical treatment for 1082 primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in the Plastic Surgery Department of the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Northern Italy between 2012 and 2021. Patient-, procedure-, and tumor characteristics were collected and analyzed. Incomplete excision rate was 11.8% (n=128). The Pearson chi-squared test and univariable logistic regression showed tumor diameter [cm] (p<0.001), tumor thickness [mm] (p<0.001), tumor location (ear p=0.006, peri-orbital, p=0.029), differentiation grade (G3=0.005), infiltration level (hypodermis, p<0.001; muscle, p=0.013; bone/ cartilage p<0.001), presence of perineural invasion (p=0.041), ulceration (p=0.010), no prior diagnostic biopsy (p=0.041), and additional samples taken (p<0.001) with additional samples not free of tumor cells (p<0.001) to be significant risk factors/ predictors for incomplete excision. Risk factors should be considered in the management of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This study documented several key contributions and confirmations regarding the risk factors associated with incomplete excision in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma by comprehensively analyzing of one of the largest cohort studies in the field
A retrospective comparative analysis of Latissimus Dorsi (LD) flap versus Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator (TDAP) flap in total breast reconstruction with implants: a pilot study
No full textIntroduction In breast surgery, an autologous flap combined with implant may reduce the risk or repair the soft-tissue defects in several cases. Traditionally, the preferred flap is the myocutaneous latissimus dorsi (LD) flap. In the perforator flap era, the evolution of LD flap is the thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) flap. The aim of this study is the comparison between LD flap and TDAP flap with implants in terms of early complications and shoulder function. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study in accordance with the STROBE guidelines. Between January 1 2015 and January 1 2020, 27 women underwent a unilateral total breast reconstruction with LD or TDAP flap combined with an implant at our institution. 15 women were operated with LD flap and 12 with TDAP flap. The most frequent indications for intervention were results of mastectomy and radiation-induced contracture. We evaluated several data in terms of clinical and demographical characteristics, operative and perioperative factors, and follow-up variables. We assessed shoulder function through the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH). Results The rate of complications was significantly lower in the TDAP group compared with the LD group (16.7% vs 60.0%, p = 0.047. Table 3). Although the small sample size limited further detailed statistical analyses, we particularly noticed no cases of donor site seroma in the TDAP group, as compared with four in the LD group. Patients in the TDAP group had an ∼11-point lower mean DASH score compared with the LD group (9.8 vs 20.5). This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.049). Conclusions TDAP flap seems to be a reliable technique for soft-tissue coverage in total breast reconstruction with implants. In comparison with the traditional LD flap, it could be a more favorable option in terms of less complications and better quality of life
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