Clinical Application of Stromal Vascular Fraction Gel in Temple Augmentation Using Deep Injection and Shallow Pave Filling.

BACKGROUND: Temporal hollowing is an early sign of aging, and many techniques comprising the injection of fillers into the temporal fossa to correct this hollowing have been described. OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety of a new technique in which stromal vascular fraction gel is used for temporal hollowing. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with temporal hollowing were corrected with the aforementioned gel using deep injection and shallow pave filling at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, China, between January 2017 and April 2021. This gel was injected into the double plane via a needle and cannula by the same cutaneous access points to prevent severe vascular injury. Improvement was evaluated by self-assessment, the Hollowness Severity Rating Scale (grade range, 0-3; lower grades represent minimal hollowness), and a satisfaction survey. RESULTS: Self-assessment questionnaire (6 questions) results were satisfactory; 44 temples (67%) demonstrated more than 2 grades of magnitude of clinical improvement. Thirty-one patients (94%) were satisfied with their outcomes; the complaint ratio was low. CONCLUSION: The high satisfaction rate of patients treated using the stromal vascular fraction gel by deep injection and shallow pave filling suggests that this technique is simple, effective, and safe. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: 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 .

Modeling of the transport, hygroscopic growth, and deposition of multi-component droplets in a simplified airway with realistic thermal boundary conditions.

Accurate predictions of the droplet transport, evolution, and deposition in human airways are critical for the quantitative analysis of the health risks due to the exposure to the airborne pollutant or virus transmission. The droplet/particle-vapor interaction, i.e., the evaporation or condensation of the multi-component droplet/particle, is one of the key mechanisms that need to be precisely modeled. Using a validated computational model, the transport, evaporation, hygroscopic growth, and deposition of multi-component droplets were simulated in a simplified airway geometry. A mucus-tissue layer is explicitly modeled in the airway geometry to describe mucus evaporation and heat transfer. Pulmonary flow and aerosol dynamics patterns associated with different inhalation flow rates are visualized and compared. Investigated variables include temperature distributions, relative humidity (RH) distributions, deposition efficiencies, droplet/particle distributions, and droplet growth ratio distributions. Numerical results indicate that the droplet/particle-vapor interaction and the heat and mass transfer of the mucus-tissue layer must be considered in the computational lung aerosol dynamics study, since they can significantly influence the precise predictions of the aerosol transport and deposition. Furthermore, the modeling framework in this study is ready to be expanded to predict transport dynamics of cough/sneeze droplets starting from their generation and transmission in the indoor environment to the deposition in the human respiratory system.

Colorimetric detection of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus using unmodified gold nanoparticles as colorimetric probes.

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV)causes a severe mosaic symptom of watermelon and cucumber, and can be transmitted via infected cucumber seeds, leaves and soil. It remains a challenge to detect this virus to prevent its introduction and infection and spread in fields. For this purpose, a simple and sensitive label-free colorimetric detection method for CGMMV has been developed with unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as colorimetric probes. The method is based on the finding that the presence of RT-PCR target products of CGMMV and species-specific probes results in color change of AuNPs from red to blue after NaCl induction. Normally, species-specific probes attach to the surface of AuNPs and thereby increasing their resistance to NaCl-induced aggregation. The concentration of sodium, probes in the reaction system and evaluation of specificity and sensitivity of a novel assay, visual detection of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus using unmodified AuNPs has been carried out with simple preparation of samples in our study. Through this assay, as low as 30pg/µL of CGMMV RNA was thus detected visually, by the naked eye, without the need for any sophisticated, expensive instrumentation and biochemical reagents. The specificity was 100% and exhibited good reproducibility in our assays. The results note that this assay is highly species-specific, simple, low-cost, and visual for easy detection of CGMMV in plant tissues. Therefore, visual assay is a potentially useful tool for middle or small-scales corporations and entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau to detect CGMMV in cucumber seeds or plant tissues.

Tear trough deformity: different types of anatomy and treatment options.

AIM: To explore the efficacy of tear trough deformity treatment with the use of hyaluronic acid gel or autologous fat for soft tissue augmentation and fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with the tear trough were divided into three groups. Class I has tear trough without bulging orbital fat or excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class II is associated with mild to moderate orbital fat bulging, without excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class III is associated with severe orbital fat bulging and excess of the lower eyelid skin. Class I or II was treated using hyaluronic acid gel or autologous fat injections. Class III was treated with fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release. The patients with a deep nasojugal groove of class III were treated with injecting autologous fat into the tear trough during fat repositioning lower blepharoplasty as a way of supplementing the volume added by the repositioned fat. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients with tear trough deformity were confirmed from photographs taken before and after surgery. There were some complications, but all had complete resolution. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with mild to moderate peri-orbital volume loss without severe orbital fat bulging may be good candidates for hyaluronic acid filler or fat grafting alone. However, patients with more pronounced deformities, severe orbital fat bulging and excess of the lower eyelid skin are often better served by fat repositioning via arcus marginalis release and fat grafting.

Solvolysis kinetics of three components of biomass using polyhydric alcohols as solvents.

The solvolysis behavior and reaction kinetics of the three components of biomass (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) liquefied in polyhydric alcohols (PEG 400 or glycerol) were investigated in this paper. Three stages were observed during the solvolysis process and the main degradation stage could be further divided into two zones. The influences of solvents on the liquefaction process of three main components were compared. Based on Starink and Malek methods, kinetic parameters and mechanism functions were obtained. The derived average activation energy of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were 108.73, 95.66 and 94.13kJmol-1 in PEG 400, while the values were 102.16, 77.43 and 89.10kJmol-1 in glycerol, respectively. Higher efficiency was observed when using glycerol as solvent, which could be ascribed to the higher polarity value of glycerol. The conversion curves calculated with obtained mechanism models and kinetic parameters were in good agreement with the experimental data.

Determination of Surgical Strategies for Burn-Induced Conjunctivalized Corneas Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in optimizing surgical treatment strategies for conjunctivalized corneas secondary to ocular burns. METHODS: This noncomparative observational study included 25 patients with stable ocular burns and conjunctivalized corneas. OCT was performed on each eye. The thickness of corneal opacity or pseudopterygium and the underlying healthy stroma were measured. Individual surgical strategies were performed based on clinical examination and OCT images. RESULTS: Three types of conjunctivalized corneas were evaluated, including conjunctival pannus (4 of 25), pseudopterygium (10 of 25), and a white fibrovascular membrane (11 of 25). All 25 patients received a procedure of allograft limbal stem cell transplantation. In addition, with information provided in OCT images, 8 patients had combined lamellar keratoplasties; 3 patients had deep anterior lamellar keratoplasties, and 2 patients received penetrating keratoplasties. The remaining 12 patients received limbal stem cell transplantation alone. All fibrovascular tissues were successfully removed from the cornea in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: OCT is a valuable method in the evaluation of conjunctivalized corneas. This is helpful in determining the surgical treatments for individual patients, allowing for less corneal graft rejection and making good use of corneal donors.

Comparison of Fourier-Domain and Time-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in the Measurement of Thinnest Corneal Thickness in Keratoconus.

Objective. To compare fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) and time-domain OCT (TD-OCT) in the determination of thinnest corneal thickness (TCT). Methods. This study included 55 keratoconus patients and 50 healthy volunteers. The RTVue-OCT (FD-OCT) and Visante-OCT (TD-OCT) were used for the measurement of the TCT. Three consecutive scans were performed. The comparison and agreement between the two modalities were analyzed by paired t-test, the Pearson correlation, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots. intraobserver repeatability was analyzed by the intraobserver within-subject standard deviation (S (w)), coefficient of variation (CV(w)), and ICC. Results. The TCT value of normal corneas was higher by RTVue-OCT (530.4 ± 19.7 µm) than Visante-OCT (521.5 ± 18.3 µm) (p < 0.001). For keratoconus eyes, the TCT was 425.0 ± 58.2 µm and 424.4 ± 55.7 µm (difference being 0.6 ± 10.2 µm, p = 0.604). Strong correlation (r = 0.938∼0.985) (ICC = 0.915-0.984) was observed between the two OCTs, and each OCT exhibited excellent repeatability in determining the TCT in all subjects (ICC = 0.984-0.994). Conclusions. The values of TCT obtained from RTVue-OCT and Visante-OCT were highly correlated; however, the two values were different. Both OCT instruments exhibited good intraobserver reliability. The existence of systematic differences suggested that the two instruments cannot be used interchangeably.

[Preparation and evaluation of a new xenogenic implant material].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare a new xenogenic material using patented biochemical techniques for tissue disposal and investigate its possibility to be used as implant materials. METHODS: The xenogenic implant materials were prepared by treatment of fresh porcine tendon with epoxy cross-linking fixation, antigen minimization procedures, mechanical enhancement by protein molecule modification and surface treatments. Histological and scanning electron microscopic observations were conducted, and physicochemical property assessment was carried out to determine the mechanical properties, protein contents, polyepoxy compound residual and stability of the material. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the material was tested in NCTC L929 cells, and the optical density of the cells at 24, 48, and 72 h of the treatments was determined to calculate the relative growth rate (RGR). RESULTS: Histological observation suggested that the xenogenic implant material consisted primarily of collagen without cell fragments. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated homogeneous alignment of the collagen fibers in the material. The tensile strength of the material was 11-16 MPa, and the breaking elongation rate was 52%-67%; the protein contents was 94% with polyepoxy compound residual less than 5 microg/ml. The material maintained stable pH value in PBS. The L929 cells incubated with the biomaterials grew well with a relative growth rate over 89%. CONCLUSION: The new biomaterial has good physicochemical properties and good biocompatibility, and may served as a promising implant material.