Clinical Application of a Resembling Rectangular Flap on Lateral Lip in Unilateral Cheiloplasty: A Modified Millard's Technique.

PURPOSE: This clinical study aimed to design and utilize a modified rotation-advancement technique (MRAT) with a resembling rectangular flap on the lateral lip for primary unilateral cheiloplasty and evaluated its postoperative outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with a unilateral cleft lip who had undergone initial cheiloplasty with MRAT. The postoperative outcomes were assessed for nasolabial symmetry by photogrammetry. Repeated measures of ANOVA and two independent samples t tests were applied for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Twenty patients with unilateral cleft lip met the inclusion criteria. Postoperatively, the patients had well-shaped nasal sill and centered nasal columella. In addition to, the bilateral symmetrical ratios noticeably improved ( P <0.001). Simultaneously, the postoperative outcomes were independent of the cleft type and height differences of the two peaks ( P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral cheiloplasty using the present MRAT can better preserve the nasolabial structure and symmetry. The postoperative scar is concealed and simulates a normal philtral ridge.

The Role of Glia Underlying Acupuncture Analgesia in Animal Pain Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: As a traditional Chinese therapy, acupuncture is proposed worldwide as a treatment for pain and other health problems, but findings on acupuncture analgesia have been inconsistent because of its variable modalities of therapeutic intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the existing animal studies for evidence on acupuncture and its effect on glia in association with a reduction in pain conditions. METHODS: Literature searches were performed in four English- and Chinese-language databases (Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and CNKI) on October 8, 2021. Included studies reported the pain outcome (e.g., paw withdrawal latency, paw withdrawal threshold) and glia outcome (e.g., glial marker GFPA, Iba1, and OX42) in pain-induced animals during acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: Fifty-two preclinical studies were included in the meta-analysis. A single acupuncture treatment in rodents had an analgesic effect, which was more effective in inflammatory pain than in neuropathic pain in the early phase of treatment. The analgesic efficacy became more curative after repeated acupuncture. Furthermore, acupuncture treatment could effectively inhibit the activity of astrocytes and microglia in both inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain in a time-course pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture treatment improves analgesic effect in rodent pain conditions under the possible mechanism of glial inhibition. Therefore, these results provide an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture analgesia and neuroinflammation in animal models to research further neurobiological mechanisms and to inform the design of future clinical trials. STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020196011).

The Effectiveness of Preoperative Correction Techniques in Improving Nasal Deformity in Children With Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: Unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCCLP) is associated with apparent nasal deformities before the cheilorrhaphy. The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative correction techniques are effective in the treatment of nasal deformities in infant with unilateral UCCLP used by the systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM) until January 31, 2019, to identify studies that compared the effectiveness of preoperative correction techniques in the treatment of nasal deformities in infant with UCCLP. Two authors individually extracted the data and performed the quality assessments. The height of nasal columella, the width of the affected side nasal ala and the inclination of the nasal columella were evaluated. RESULTS: Seven articles were incorporated into the systematic review, and 5 (274 participants) in the meta-analysis according to the inclusion criteria. The preoperative correction could increase the height of nasal columella in children with UCCLP [SMD: 2.64 mm; 95% confidence intervals (CI); (1.35 mm, 3.94 mm); P < 0.0001]. Moreover, the preoperative correction resulted in reduced width of the affected side nasal ala [SMD: -5.14 mm; 95% CI; (-8.96 mm, -1.31 mm); P = 0.008]; However, the evidence was insufficient to determine a significant effect on the inclination of the nasal columella [SMD: -3.48 degrees; 95% CI; (-7.56 degrees, 0.59 degrees); P = 0.09]. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative correction for children with UCCLP can increase the height of nasal columella, reduce the width of the affected side nasal ala, improve the nasal symmetry, and reduce nasal deformity, however, no significant effect could be observed for the inclination of the nasal columella.