Effects of lncRNA gm4419 on rats with hypertensive cerebral atherosclerosis through NF-κB pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) Gm4419 on rats with hypertensive cerebral atherosclerosis through the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy male rats were selected and randomly divided into control group, model group (hypertensive cerebral atherosclerosis model), and lncRNA group (hypertensive cerebral atherosclerosis model + lncRNA injection). Neurological deficit scoring criteria, flow cytometry, Western blotting, and staining method were adopted to measure the differences in the neurological function score, NF-κB activity, and chemerin level of rats in the three groups. RESULTS: The neurological scores revealed that the neurological function of rats was not damaged in control group, while it was severely damaged in model group. However, the neurological function of rats was more severely damaged in lncRNA group than that in control group and model group, while the neurological function deficits were slighter in model group. In terms of NF-κB expression activity in mononuclear cells, the serum activity of NF-κB in control group appeared the lowest among the three groups and was significantly higher in lncRNA group than in model group. The serum chemerin level was evidently increased in model group compared with control group, while it was significantly decreased in lncRNA group compared with model group and control group. Moreover, the levels of NF-κB and chemerin were most evidently influenced in lncRNA group. CONCLUSIONS: Activating the NF-κB signal, lncRNA Gm4419 promotes the expression of chemerin signal, accelerates the apoptosis of nerve cells, and motivates the deterioration of hypertensive cerebral arteriosclerosis.

Local retro-orbicularis oculus fat (ROOF) resection in upper blepharoplasty: A retrospective evaluation study of 65 bilateral upper blepharoplasties.

BACKGROUND: Puffy upper eyelids are normal in Asians, and full-incision blepharoplasty is commonly performed to remove some orbital fat to ameliorate the problem, but not all patients would exhibit obvious improvement. Local retro-orbicularis oculus fat (ROOF) is a layer of fibrofatty soft tissue that lies much deep into the orbicularis oculi in the upper eyelid, which is an important factor in the formation of puffy upper eyelids. This study was carried out to evaluate the clinical application (including the evaluation of photographs for the thickness of upper eyelid) of upper blepharoplasty combined with ROOF resection for correcting puffy upper eyelids. METHOD: A total of 65 patients (5 males, 60 females) with puffy upper eyelids recruited from October 2015 to October 2016 were included in the study. Full-incision blepharoplasty combined with partial ROOF resection was performed on all patients. The thickness of soft tissue in the upper eyelid was measured by ultrasound biomicroscopy preoperatively and at 12 months postoperatively. RESULT: All patients underwent surgery successfully, and 62 patients (124 eyes) were followed up for 12-15 months (mean 13.8 ±â€¯2.7 months). Before the surgery, the thickness of the ROOF was 0.35 ± 0.12 mm on the left and 0.42 ± 0.08 mm on the right. Twelve months postsurgery, the thickness of the ROOF was 0.18 ± 0.03 mm on the left and 0.20 ± 0.02 mm on the right. During the follow-up period, all patients were satisfied with the esthetic effect, and no severe postoperative complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Puffy upper eyelids can be corrected effectively by local ROOF resection in esthetic blepharoplasty.

Individualized small-incision orbicularis-levator fixation blepharoplasty for unilateral single-eyelid Asians.

Unilateral double-eyelid blepharoplasty is often required by people with unilateral single eyelid. The full incisional method may cause permanent skin scar formation, and the buried suture method may lead to early eyelid fold loosening, which could not reduce the soft tissue thickness of eyelid. A total of 85 patients (8 males and 77 females) with unilateral single eyelids were studied between January 2015 and January 2016, with a mean age of 25.57 ± 6.5 years. Small-incision orbicularis-levator fixation blepharoplasty was performed on all patients on the single eyelid side. During surgery, the orbicularis oculi (OO) muscle and the orbital fat (OF) were selectively removed through the small skin incisions. The thicknesses of upper eyelid were measured preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. The position and tension of the eyelid creases, eyelids symmetry, and satisfaction status were also evaluated. Eighty patients (10 left eyes and 70 right eyes) were followed up for 19 ± 3.4 months. Before surgery, the average thickness of OO muscle is 0.895 ± 0.199 mm (left) and 0.970 ± 0.185 mm (right) (P = 0.0127), the thickness of OF is 0.717 ± 0.154 mm (left) and 0.867 ± 0.143 mm (right) (P = 0.0187). Six months postsurgery, the average thickness of OO muscle is 0.894 ± 0.199 mm (left) and 0.907 ± 0.188 mm (right) (P = 0.293), the thickness of OF is 0.703 ± 0.143 mm (left) and 0.747 ± 0.0957 mm (right) (P = 0.534). In conclusion, small-incision orbicularis-levator fixation blepharoplasty can produce a desired aesthetic effect for unilateral single-eyelid patients as its personalized designing, symmetrical eyelid thickness, and slight skin scar formation.