Single-stage full-depth scalp reconstruction with Matriderm®: a clinical case report and a brief literature review.

Reconstructing scalp defects after basal cell carcinoma removal in elderly patients is challenging. This case report emphasizes Matriderm® as a successful alternative, addressing limitations of traditional methods. The application of Matriderm® in resource-limited scenarios adds insights to surgical literature, and its' usage addresses challenges in patients, contributing to surgical knowledge.

A case history of the science and management collaboration in understanding hypoxia events in Long Bay, South Carolina, USA.

Communication of knowledge between the scientific and management communities is a difficult process complicated by the distinctive nature of professional career goals of scientists and decision-makers. This article provides a case history highlighting a collaboration between the science and management communities that resulted from a response to a 2004 hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen, event in Long Bay, off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A working group of scientists and decision-makers was established at the time of the event and has continued to interact to develop a firm understanding of the drivers responsible for hypoxia formation in Long Bay. Several factors were found to be important to ensure that these collaborative efforts were productive: (1) genuine interest in collaboratively working across disciplines to examine a problem; (2) commitment by agency leadership, decision-makers, and researchers to create successful communication mechanisms; (3) respect for each others' perspectives and an understanding how science and management are performed and that they are not mutually exclusive; (4) networking among researchers and decision-makers to ensure appropriate team members are involved in the process; (5) use of decision-maker input in the formulation of research and monitoring projects; and (6) commitment of resources for facilitation to ensure that researchers and decision-makers are communicating effectively.

Cross-correlation quantification of dyssynchrony: a new method for quantifying the synchrony of contraction and relaxation in the heart.

BACKGROUND: Quantification of left ventricular dyssynchrony using Doppler tissue imaging may improve selection of patients who will benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy. Most methods used to quantify dyssynchrony use a time-to-peak analysis, which is quantitatively simplistic and requires manual identification of systole and selection of peak velocities. METHODS: We developed and tested a new, highly automatable dyssynchrony parameter, cross-correlation delay (XCD), that does not require identification of systole or manual selection of peak systolic velocities. XCD uses all velocity data points from 3 consecutive beats (approximately 420 points). We tested XCD on 11 members of a positive control group (responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy with a >or=15% reduction in left ventricular end-systolic volume) and 12 members of a negative control group (normal 12-lead electrocardiogram and 2-dimensional echocardiogram findings). We compared XCD to septal-to-lateral delay in time-to-peak (SLD), maximum difference in the basal 2- or 4-chamber times to peak (MaxDiff), and SD of the 12 basal and midwall times-to-peak (Ts-SD). RESULTS: XCD and Ts-SD were significantly different between the positive and negative control groups (both P