Fibula Musculo-Osteocutaneous Flap with Full Thickness of Flexor Hallucis Longus Muscle.

BACKGROUND: Fibula flap has been a gold standard method for reconstruction of the mandible. It has been used for reconstruction of maxilla as well as long bones, effectively. Fibula flap in selected cases has been used as a pedicled flap. The flexor hallucis longus muscle has been used to obliterate the dead space during the reconstruction. With a wide range of indications, the use of flexor hallucis muscle has studied for the reconstruction. METHODS: In a retrospective case record analysis study, 38 subjects were enrolled, included 32 patients with reconstruction of mandible, 1 patient with reconstruction of maxilla, 4 patients with 3 free flaps and 1 pedicled flap with reconstruction of the tibia. RESULTS: The success rate was 89%, with 4 flap failures. The muscle was used for reconstruction of the tongue, floor of the mouth, antrum, and to cover the fibula graft. CONCLUSION: Flexor hallucis longus muscle harvested with the flap could decrease the operative time, ease the harvest, and fill the dead space during reconstruction.

Efficacy of Surgical Excision and Adjuvant High-dose Rate Brachytherapy in Treatment of Keloid: Our Experience.

BACKGROUND: Keloids are dermal tumors that are due to increased production of collagen caused by abnormal and prolonged wound healing. The incidence of recurrence is extremely high if only conservative measures are used. This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy surgery and high dose rate brachytherapy as an adjuvant therapy for treatment of keloids. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 patients with clinically diagnosed 71 keloids were treated with excision of keloid and post-operative high-dose rate brachytherapy were studied. Complete excision of the keloid till the healthy skin margin was excised. The wound were closed in 2 layers. Subcutaneous tissue closed using absorbable suture, over which a 6F flexible polyethylene tube was placed. High dose rate cobalt-60 brachytherapy was administered. Total of 15 Gy in divided dose, 5 Gy in 3 fractions were administered. RESULTS: 50 patients with 71 keloids were studied. Out of the 50 patients, 12 were male (24%) and 38 were females (76%). Age of the patients ranged between 14 and 71 years. Recurrence rate was 2% with 2 keloids recurring at 5 months interval. 4 patients scored the results as unacceptable, remaining 45 patients rated their results as excellent during their follow up at 10 days, 3 months and 6 months. CONCLUSION: Treatment of keloids in the plastic surgeon's practice even today is still challenging. Many therapies have been described, but recurrence rate is high with mono-therapy. Combination therapy especially surgical excision with postoperative radiotherapy is best in preventing recurrence.

A sense of life: computational and experimental investigations with models of biochemical and evolutionary processes.

We collaborate in a research program aimed at creating a rigorous framework, experimental infrastructure, and computational environment for understanding, experimenting with, manipulating, and modifying a diverse set of fundamental biological processes at multiple scales and spatio-temporal modes. The novelty of our research is based on an approach that (i) requires coevolution of experimental science and theoretical techniques and (ii) exploits a certain universality in biology guided by a parsimonious model of evolutionary mechanisms operating at the genomic level and manifesting at the proteomic, transcriptomic, phylogenic, and other higher levels. Our current program in "systems biology" endeavors to marry large-scale biological experiments with the tools to ponder and reason about large, complex, and subtle natural systems. To achieve this ambitious goal, ideas and concepts are combined from many different fields: biological experimentation, applied mathematical modeling, computational reasoning schemes, and large-scale numerical and symbolic simulations. From a biological viewpoint, the basic issues are many: (i) understanding common and shared structural motifs among biological processes; (ii) modeling biological noise due to interactions among a small number of key molecules or loss of synchrony; (iii) explaining the robustness of these systems in spite of such noise; and (iv) cataloging multistatic behavior and adaptation exhibited by many biological processes.