Effectiveness of 5-Fluorouracil and Hypertonic Glucose in the Prevention of Post-mastectomy Seroma in an Experimental Animal Model.

INTRODUCTION: Seroma is a frequent complication that can affect the final result of reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries. METHODOLOGY: This study evaluated the effectiveness of 5-Fluorouracil and 75% hypertonic glucose in preventing seroma in a mastectomy rat model, as well as cellular and vascular events in adjacent tissues. A left mastectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed in 60 Wistar-Albino female rats. Animals randomly allocated to the control group (Group I; n = 20) were sutured right after mastectomy. The intervention groups received 1.0 mL of 75% hypertonic glucose (Group II; n = 20) or 1.0 mL of 5-Fluorouracil (Group III; n = 20) at the surgical site before suturing. The assessment of the presence of seroma was performed in all animals at 24, 48, and 72 h and on the 7th and 12th postoperative day. After the 12th day, a tissue sample was taken from the surgical site and sent for histological analysis. The occurrence of seroma was assessed using GEE. A significance level of 5% was adopted. RESULTS: Differences in seroma formation over time were observed for both Control Group I (p=0.041) and Intervention Group II (p<0.001). In Intervention Group III, there was no difference in the percentage and volume of seroma across the assessment points (p=0.627). When both the Control and Intervention Group II were compared to Intervention Group III, we found a reduction in seroma formation in the last group. The reduction in the inflammatory process was more regular to Intervention Group III. CONCLUSION: In this animal model, 5-Fluorouracil was more effective in preventing seroma formation than 75% Hypertonic Glucose. No Level Assigned This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Identification of biomarkers in diabetic nails by Raman spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: The growth of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a serious public health issue which is more prevalent in developing countries. The main problems related to DM are the gradual changes in the structural and functional integrity of tissues caused by hyperglycemia, which calls for early diagnosis and periodic monitoring exams. Recent studies suggest that the quality of the nail plate has great potential to assess the secondary complications of DM. Hence, this study aimed to determine the biochemical characteristics of the nails of individuals with DM2 by Raman confocal spectroscopy (CRS). METHODS: We collected fragments from the distal region of the fingernails of 30 healthy volunteers and 30 volunteers with DM2. The samples were analyzed by CRS (Xplora - Horiba) coupled to a 785 nm laser. RESULTS: Alterations in different biochemical components, such as proteins, lipids, amino acids, and final agents of advanced glycation, and alterations in the disulfide bridges, which are important in stabilizing keratin in nails were identified. CONCLUSION: The spectral signatures and new DM2 markers in nails were identified. Therefore, the possibility of acquiring biochemical information by evaluating the nails of diabetics, a simple and easily acquired material associated with the CRS technique, may allow health complications to be detected quickly.