Food-seeking behavior is triggered by skin ultraviolet exposure in males.

Sexual dimorphisms are responsible for profound metabolic differences in health and behavior. Whether males and females react differently to environmental cues, such as solar ultraviolet (UV) exposure, is unknown. Here we show that solar exposure induces food-seeking behavior, food intake, and food-seeking behavior and food intake in men, but not in women, through epidemiological evidence of approximately 3,000 individuals throughout the year. In mice, UVB exposure leads to increased food-seeking behavior, food intake and weight gain, with a sexual dimorphism towards males. In both mice and human males, increased appetite is correlated with elevated levels of circulating ghrelin. Specifically, UVB irradiation leads to p53 transcriptional activation of ghrelin in skin adipocytes, while a conditional p53-knockout in mice abolishes UVB-induced ghrelin expression and food-seeking behavior. In females, estrogen interferes with the p53-chromatin interaction on the ghrelin promoter, thus blocking ghrelin and food-seeking behavior in response to UVB exposure. These results identify the skin as a major mediator of energy homeostasis and may lead to therapeutic opportunities for sex-based treatments of endocrine-related diseases.

Does Abdominoplasty Intensify the Metabolic Effect of Bariatric Surgery?

BACKGROUND: The effect of weight reduction following bariatric surgery is already well known. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of abdominoplasty on metabolic markers indicative of weight loss. METHODS: The authors prospectively enrolled consecutive obese patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. They were candidates for post-bariatric surgery abdominoplasty. The authors measured metabolic markers one day prior to surgery, 24 hours after, and 3 months following surgery. They recorded medical and demographic parameters. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were recruited for participation in the study. Mean age was 47 years and 88% of the patients were female. Bariatric surgery achieved a mean decline in body mass index of 13.8 kg/m2. All patients underwent abdominoplasty. Leptin and insulin levels were slightly increased at 3 months postoperative. No significant changes were observed in glucose, hemoglobin, or triglycerides throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy followed by abdominoplasty, no significant changes were noted in a patient's metabolic profiles. The results suggest that abdominoplasty has no effect on the metabolic markers tested in contrast to other reports; however, the cosmetic, behavioral, and psychological advantages of abdominoplasty are well established.

Safety of Premedication with Oral Midazolam before Rhinoplasty as Indicated by Intraoperative Levels of Blood Oxygen Saturation.

BACKGROUND: The use of oral midazolam as premedication to induce anxiolysis before surgical procedures under local anesthesia is widely accepted in plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty performed under local anesthesia is known to generate high levels of perioperative anxiety, thus the use of appropriate premedication is important. Oral midazolam has been shown to be safe in various procedures. However, the safety of oral midazolam before rhinoplasty has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety of premedication with oral midazolam prior to rhinoplasty by analyzing the intraoperative blood oxygen saturation levels as predictors of adverse respiratory events. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia records of 62 patients who underwent rhinoplasty under local anesthesia and received premedication with oral midazolam for anxiolysis between March 2017 and December 2017. The median age of the patients was 25.4 years, and they were all classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists class 1. The patients received 10 mg midazolam hydrochloride orally 1 hour prior to the procedure. Oxygen blood saturation was monitored using a pulse oximeter and recorded every 15 minutes. RESULTS: All the patients maintained blood oxygen saturation levels above 95% (median peripheral capillary oxygen saturation 99%) on room air, and they did not require supplemental intraoperative oxygen. There were no transient hypoxemic events during and following the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed the safety of oral midazolam premedication to reduce perioperative anxiety when performing rhinoplasty under local anesthesia.

Interdomal Suture through a Nondelivery Endonasal Approach: A New Technique.

BACKGROUND: The use of interdomal sutures for tip refinement is common in open rhinoplasty and in endonasal rhinoplasty using a delivery technique, but there is paucity of reports in the literature regarding the use of interdomal suturing techniques when the nondelivery endonasal approach is chosen. OBJECTIVE: The authors describe a technique designed to refine the nasal tip with an interdomal suture placed through a nondelivery endonasal approach. METHODS: In this study, the authors retrospectively review the cases of 45 patients who underwent endonasal rhinoplasty with the authors' interdomal suturing technique between the years 2011 and 2013. The average age of the patients was 25.3 years. Intercrural sutures (PDS 4.0 straight needle, Cincinnati, Ohio) were placed as mattress-like suture in the tip region, with the knot buried between both alar cartilages. The suture is tightened progressively according to the tip definition and narrowing sought. RESULTS: The patients were followed for 12 months. All of the patients demonstrated a significant reduction in lobule and tip widths. This series had only 1 complication of tip asymmetry that was revised 1 year after the initial operation. There were no cases of infection, allergic reaction, or extrusion of the suture. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of a large volume of patients, our study confirms that this technique is indeed an attractive and highly predictable option for achieving adequate tip refinement and definition when using a nondelivery endonasal rhinoplasty.

Validated Assessment Scales for Décolleté Wrinkling and Pigmentation.

BACKGROUND: Décolleté aging includes skin dyspigmentation, laxity, and visible wrinkling. The development of globally accepted scales for the assessment of décolleté aging is essential for aesthetic research and patient evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To develop a set of grading scales for the objective assessment of décolleté aging criteria and establish the reliability and validity of these scales. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To describe age-related changes to the décolleté, 3 photonumeric grading scales were created and validated: décolleté wrinkles-at rest, décolleté wrinkles-dynamic, and décolleté pigmentation-at rest. Thirteen aesthetic experts rated photographs of the décolleté of 50 women at rest and at dynamic "hand-to-elbow" positions in 2 validation sessions. Responses were analyzed to assess interrater and intrarater reliability. RESULTS: Interrater and intrarater reliability were both "almost perfect" (≥0.81, intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted kappa) for décolleté wrinkles-dynamic, summary score for décolleté, and estimated age. Reliability was "substantial" (0.61-0.80) for all other décolleté assessments. There was high correlation between all décolleté scales, estimated age, and estimated aesthetic treatment effort. CONCLUSION: Consistent outcomes between raters and by individual raters at different time points confirm the reliability of the décolleté grading scales, indicating that they will be a valuable tool for use in clinical research and practice.

Effects of Helicobacter Pylori Colonization/Infection on the Metabolic Profile of Obese Persons Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery for Weight Reduction.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection of the gastric mucosa may be involved in the development of insulin resistance (IR). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between HP status in stomach biopsies and weight reduction in patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of medical charts, all patients who underwent LSG for weight reduction and had at least 1 year of follow-up were included. HP status was ascertained by two to four biopsies of the removed stomach. RESULTS: The study group comprised 70 patients; their mean age was 45.9 ± 11.9 years and 31.9% were males. Fourteen patients (20%) tested positive for HP colonization in gastric mucosa. HP status was not associated with age or smoking status. No difference was noted in the rate of diabetes mellitus (DM) or hypertension, but patients with HP had lower rates of hyperlipidemia (0 vs. 29 patients, 52%, P < 0.001). Patients lost an average of 10.5 kg/m2 after 12 months of follow-up, and no difference was noted between HP-positive and HP-negative patients. The rate of DM control was also similar between HP-positive and HP-negative patients at baseline (33.3 vs. 29.4, P = NS) and at 12 months of follow-up (70% vs. 50%, P = NS). CONCLUSIONS: HP status was not associated with changes in metabolic profiles and co-morbidity status, or in the efficacy of LSG.

Ki67 as a biologic marker of basal cell carcinoma: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy in humans. Several factors have been associated with the biological behavior of these tumors, including histopathologic type, depth of tumor invasion, perineural invasion, and the expression of several biological markers including Ki67, a proliferative marker. Previous studies assessing the relationship between the proliferative fraction, as expressed by Ki67, and the histological variants of BCC as well as its association with the tendency to recur, failed to illustrate significant statistical correlation. OBJECTIVES: To examine the proliferative index, as expressed by Ki67, in various subtypes of basal cell carcinoma, and to assess its relationship to various histological and clinical variables. METHODS: In this retrospective study 51 lesions of BCC were examined. In each case, the following data were gathered: demographic (age and gender), anatomic location, size of the lesion, and clinical follow-up. Each case was stained immunohistochemically with anti-Ki67 antigen (MIB-1), and the proliferative index was determined. Histological analysis was performed for the following data: presence of an ulcer, intensity of inflammatory infiltrate, histologic subtype, mitotic count, and the presence of perineural invasion. RESULTS: Basal cell carcinoma exhibited a wide variation of proliferative indices, ranging from 1% to 61%. A significant statistical correlation was observed between the proliferative index and the mitotic activity, tumor ulceration and brisk tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The wide variation in the degree of proliferation (from almost no activity to highly proliferative tumors) suggests that basal cell carcinoma exhibits a wide spectrum of biological characteristics. Ulcerated lesions were characterized by high proliferative index. No true correlation was demonstrated between the proliferative index and the aggressive histological subtypes, implying that other factors were more biologically significant. The degree of proliferation also showed significant statistical correlation with the degree of tumor infiltration by lymphocytes. The significance of this proliferation-associated increased immunogenicity needs to be further studied.

Clinical and genetic findings in eight Israeli patients with transthyretin-associated familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Transthyretin (TTR)-associated familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disease with neurological and extra-neurological manifestations. It is caused by various mutations in the TTR gene leading to the formation of insoluble amyloid. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and genetic findings in patients with TTR-associated FAP in Israel. METHODS: We evaluated eight patients clinically and genetically during the years 2006 to 2011. RESULTS: At onset, all the patients exhibited sensory loss of the lower and upper limbs, five patients experienced muscle pain, and one patient had lower limb weakness. Five patients had autonomic nervous system manifestations, and four demonstrated evidence of amyloid cardiomyopathy. Nerve conduction studies showed sensorimotoraxonal neuropathy in all patients. Sural nerve biopsies were obtained in five patients; only three biopsies revealed amyloid deposit. In four patients of Yemenite descent, genetic analysis of the TTR gene demonstrated ser77tyr mutation. One patient of Tunisian descent and one Ashkenazi patient harbored the val30met mutation. One patient of Iranian descent showed val32ala mutation, and another Ashkenazi patient showed phe33leu mutation. CONCLUSIONS: TTR-associated FAP is a progressive and fatal disease that exists in the Israeli population and is unproportionally common among Yemenite Jews. This disease may be under-diagnosed and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with rapidly progressive neuropathy, especially with autonomic involvement or extra-neural features. The absence of amyloid in nerve biopsy should not rule out the diagnosis.

Clinical, electrophysiologic and pathologic findings in 10 patients with myotonic dystrophy 2.

BACKGROUND: Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is an autosomal dominant, multisystem disorder caused by a CCTG tetranucleotide repeat expansion located in intron 1 of the zinc finger protein 9 gene (ZNF9 gene) on chromosome 3q 21.3. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical, electrophysiologic and pathologic findings in patients with myotonic dystrophy 2. METHODS: We evaluated 10 patients genetically, clinically and electrophysiologically during the years 2007 to 2008. RESULTS: All patients were of Jewish European ancestry. Among affected individuals, eight patients had symptoms of proximal muscle weakness, two had muscle pain, and two exhibited myotonia. On physical examination six patients had severe weakness of hip flexor muscles. Seven individuals underwent cataract surgery, and cardiac involvement was seen in one case. On the initial electromyographic (EMG) examination five patients demonstrated myotonic discharges; repeated studies showed these discharges in nine cases. Six muscle biopsies showed non-specific pathological changes. Seven patients had an affected first-degree relative with either a diagnosed or an undiagnosed muscular disorder consistent with an autosomal dominant trait. CONCLUSIONS: DM2 may often present with proximal muscle weakness without myotonia. EMG may initially fail to show myotonic discharges, but these discharges may eventually show in most cases on repeated EMG. Thus, DM2 may be underdiagnosed and should be included in the differential diagnosis of adult patients of Jewish European ancestry presenting with proximal lower limb weakness.