Early Fractional Ablative Laser for Skin Cancer Excision Scars: A Randomized Split-Scar Study.

BACKGROUND: Fractional ablative laser resurfacing has been shown to improve the final cosmetic appearance of surgical scars, but optimal timing is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare surgical scars treated with fractional carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) laser performed on Day 0 and Day 14. METHODS: Prospective, randomized, split-scar, physician-blinded study of 30 surgical scars on the limbs. Scars halves received fractional CO 2 laser on either Day 0 or Day 14. Scar assessment at 6 months evaluated patient preference, physician modified Manchester Scar Scale (MMSS) score, and quantitative scar analysis on histology (fractal dimension [F D ] and lacunarity [L] analysis). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in patient assessment (54% preferred Day 0 side, 46% preferred Day 14 side, p = .58) or physician assessment (mean MMSS 8.4 for Day 0 vs 8.7 for Day 14, p = .28). Fractal dimensions were similar for both interventions (mean 1.778 for Day 0 vs 1.781 for Day 14, p = .80). Lacunarity was similar for both interventions (mean 0.368 for Day 0 vs 0.345 for Day 14, p = .44). LIMITATIONS: Single-center study with wounds limited to limbs of skin Phototype I-II subjects; 4 of whom were lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative CO 2 laser is noninferior to Day 14 laser resurfacing for surgical scar treatment.

Noninvasive vaginal rejuvenation.

Vaginal rejuvenation procedures are designed to improve the aesthetic appearance and/or function of the female genitalia. The popularity of these techniques continues to increase as more patients seek to reverse the effects of aging, childbearing, and/or hormonal changes. Newer strategies focus on laser and radiofrequency (RF) devices, which have provided noninvasive options for treatment. In this article, we review the safety and efficacy data behind these modalities.

Porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus: a unique case treated with CO2 laser.

Porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus (PEODDN) is a rare eccrine hamartoma, with treatment generally being unsatisfactory. The unique features of PEODDN presented include bilateral and facial lesions, and extensive body involvement. Management with CO2 laser was successful, and follow-up will be necessary to monitor for recurrent lesions.

Association Between Surgeon-Specific Features and Number of Stages, Flaps, and Grafts in Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Retrospective Observational Study of 59 Early-, Mid-, and Advanced-Career Mohs Surgeons.

BACKGROUND: There is limited data available to correlate Mohs surgeons' behavior and years of experience. Moreover, the recent standardization of Mohs surgery training programs may allow for the prediction of future trends in Mohs micrographic surgery surgery based on the current behavior of recently trained Mohs surgeons. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the relationship between surgeon-specific characteristics and the number of Mohs micrographic surgery total cases, stages per case, number of grafts, and number of flaps performed by each surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Procedure data of 59 early-career, mid-career, and advanced-career Mohs surgeons were obtained from the website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were identified in the number of stages per case between the 3 groups. Two-proportion testing between advanced-career surgeons and early-career surgeons indicated a statistically significant difference in the number of surgeons performing flaps or grafts (p < .05). Similarly, a statistically significant difference was noticed between mid-career surgeons and early-career surgeons (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The result of this study showed that more years of experience was significantly associated with reported utilization of flaps or grafts in practice. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed between years in practice and number of stages per case.

National rates and risk factors for stent failure after successful insertion in patients with obstructed, infected upper tract stones.

INTRODUCTION: We report the incidence of stent failure, defined as the need for salvage percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) placement following the placement of a ureteral stent, in patients with infection of an obstructed urinary tract secondary to urolithiasis. We also sought to identify risk factors associated with ureteral stent failure. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we used time trend analysis to examine the incidence of ureteral stent failure for infected urolithiasis, as well as the estimated annual percent change (EAPC) from 1998 to 2010. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds of stent failure based on patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 164 546 stents were placed during the study period. Of these, 97.8% resulted in successful decompression. The rates of successful stent decompression and stent failure increased over time (EAPC 14.05%, p < 0.001; EAPC 11.61%, p < 0.001). Middle-aged males with renal stones and acute kidney failure had higher odds of stent failure (p < 0.05). Salvage percutaneous nephrostomies were performed most frequently in urban teaching institutions (odds ratio [OR] 1.98, p = 0.001; OR 1.83, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ureteral stent decompression for an infected obstructed urinary tract secondary to urolithiasis is almost always effective. For a small proportion of patients, stent failure will occur and will require the placement of a nephrostomy tube. Stent failure is associated with male gender, stone location, and renal failure. Salvage percutaneous nephrostomies for these patients occur most frequently in urban teaching hospitals. Of note, this study was limited by the presumption that coding for a PCN after stent placement indicated stent failure, which could not be verified because of the inherent limitations of the dataset.

Bone mineral density and response to treatment in men younger than 50 years with testosterone deficiency and sexual dysfunction or infertility.

PURPOSE: Testosterone deficiency is a known risk factor for osteopenia and osteoporosis in older men. Less is known about the impact of testosterone deficiency on bone mineral density in younger men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts at an andrology/infertility clinic and identified 399 men younger than 50 years who underwent baseline dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and had total testosterone less than 350 ng/dl or free testosterone less than 1.5 ng/dl. Additional analysis was done in a subgroup of 75 men (18.8%) in whom dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was repeated after treatment at a mean ± SD of 30.4 ± 16.2 months. The determination of osteoporosis or osteopenia was based on T-scores (osteopenia less than -1.0 and osteoporosis less than -2.5) of the lumbar spine and left hip. RESULTS: Of all 399 men 141 (35.3%) had bone mineral density consistent with osteopenia at the lumbar spine (137) and/or the total hip (19). In 11 men (2.75%) bone mineral density was consistent with osteoporosis at the lumbar spine. On multivariate analysis higher body mass index was independently associated with increased bone mineral density at the spine (p <0.0001) as well as the hip (p <0.001). Testosterone treatment in 43 men increased spine bone mineral density (p <0.001). Significant decreases in spine bone mineral density developed in 21 men treated with clomiphene citrate or anastrazole (p = 0.003). No significant change was noted in hip bone mineral density for any treatment. CONCLUSIONS: More than a third of men younger than 50 years with testosterone deficiency and infertility or sexual dysfunction had decreased bone mineral density. Testosterone treatment increased bone mineral density while estrogen modulators such as clomiphene citrate or aromatase inhibitors decreased bone mineral density. These results suggest that dual energy x-ray absorptiometry may be warranted in young men with testosterone deficiency.

Possible hypoglycemic action of SX-fraction targeting insulin signal transduction pathway.

BACKGROUND: SX-fraction (SXF) is a bioactive glycoprotein with hypoglycemic activity that has been demonstrated in our pilot clinical study. However, how it would actually work in diabetic patients remains unclear. To explore such a mechanism, the effects of SXF on the insulin signal transduction pathway were investigated using skeletal muscle L6 cells in vitro. METHODS: L6 cells were first differentiated to myotubes expressing several biochemical parameters that were examined in this study. Myotubes were exposed to a high concentration (35 mM) of glucose (Glc) alone or in combination with SXF or insulin for 24 hours. Possible effects of these agents on activities of insulin receptor (IR), IR substrate 1 (IRS-1), and Akt, which are key elements involved in the signal pathway, were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Any changes in Glc uptake were also determined. RESULTS: High Glc indeed led to inactivation of IR, IRS-1, and subsequent Akt in myotubes, indicating an interruption of the signal pathway. However, such inactivation was reversed or reactivated by SXF, presumably aiding the occurrence of successive signaling events. Measurement of Glc uptake to assess the outcome of this signaling cascade showed that high Glc decreased Glc uptake (interfering with the signal pathway), but SXF was capable of overcoming such a suppressive effect, resulting in the increased Glc uptake. Insulin was used as a positive control in this study and all results were nearly compatible to those obtained from SXF. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that SXF may specifically target the insulin signal pathway, and, in particular, the IR and IRS-1 therein that trigger the subsequent signaling events. As a result, SXF could activate such an impaired signal pathway through high Glc or under a hyperglycemic milieu, thereby ultimately facilitating Glc uptake. This may then account for possible hypoglycemic action of SXF.