Assessment of the contralateral facial artery pedicle nasolabial island flap for buccal defect repair.

The facial artery pedicle nasolabial island flap (FAPNIF) is widely used for oral and maxillofacial reconstruction. However, its use in reconstruction after malignant tumour resection is limited by the possibility of ipsilateral cervical lymph node metastasis along the facial artery. Through fine dissection, it was found that the contralateral FAPNIF can be used to repair the defect after buccal carcinoma resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the contralateral FAPNIF for buccal defect repair. From 2013 to 2016, 30 patients underwent the repair of a buccal defect with a contralateral FAPNIF after tumour resection. Clinical outcomes and complications were recorded and quality of life was evaluated preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative. The flaps survived in all 30 cases. Mean mouth opening was 2.50±0.14cm at 1 month, 3.22±0.25cm at 6 months, and 3.35±0.23cm at 12 months postoperative. With regard to patient quality of life, adverse effects included impaired aesthetics, pain, and difficulty eating; these usually subsided within 1year after surgery. The contralateral FAPNIF is easily harvested and is a safe and effective option for the repair of medium-sized buccal defects after the resection of carcinoma.

Greater serum carotenoid concentration associated with higher bone mineral density in Chinese adults.

UNLABELLED: This cross-sectional study has been performed to investigate the relationship between serum carotenoids and bone mineral density (BMD) in Chinese population. We found that women with higher serum ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, or α-carotene exhibited higher BMD at various bone sites. Similar association was observed between α-carotene and BMD in men. INTRODUCTION: Carotenoids may positively regulate bone metabolism through their antioxidant properties; however, few studies have examined the relation between serum carotenoids and bone health. We aimed to determine the associations between the serum concentration of several carotenoid subclasses and BMD in a Chinese population. METHODS: This study was a community-based cross-sectional study. We measured 1898 women and 933 men aged 59.6 years who completed serum ß-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin + lutein, lycopene, and α-carotene concentration analyses and BMD assessments. Serum individual carotenoids were assessed by the methods of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was applied to determine BMD at whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femur neck, and trochanter. ANCOVA was used to examine the correlations between categorized individual carotenoids and BMD at measured sites. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential covariates, a monotonic dose-response positive correlation between circulating levels of ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and α-carotene and BMD at various skeletal sites was observed in women. Women in the top (vs. bottom) quartiles of serum ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, or α-carotene exhibited 1.8-2.3, 1.5-2.0, or 1.3-2.7 % higher BMD at the bone sites with significant results (P-trend <0.05), respectively. For men, the corresponding values were 2.6-4.0 % for α-carotene at the whole body and hip regions (P-trend <0.001-0.023). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that serum carotenoids have a favorable association with bone health in the study population, especially in women.