Upper lid blepharoplasty: a current perspective.

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed in the United States. Understanding how brow position contributes to the upper eyelid appearance is essential. Consistent and desirable surgical outcomes are best achieved with a detailed knowledge of periorbital anatomy. The surgeon must understand patients' expectations and ensure that surgical goals are realistic. The potential complications and their management are discussed. The goal of upper eyelid blepharoplasty is to create a sculpted upper lid with a visible pretarsal strip and subtle fullness along the lateral upper lid-brow complex. The trend toward volume preservation is discussed.

Effects of corticosteroids on functional recovery and neuron survival after facial nerve injury in mice.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of corticosteroid administration on functional recovery and cell survival in the facial motor nucleus (FMN) following crush injury in adult and juvenile mice and to evaluate the relationship between functional recovery and facial motoneuron survival. METHODS: A prospective blinded analysis of functional recovery and cell survival in the FMN after crush injury in juvenile and adult mice was carried out. All mice underwent a unilateral facial nerve crush injury and received 7 doses of daily injections. Adults received normal saline or low-dose or high-dose corticosteroid treatment. Juveniles received either normal saline or low-dose corticosteroid treatment. Whisker function was monitored to assess functional recovery. Stereologic analysis was performed to determine neuron and glial survival in the FMN following recovery. RESULTS: Following facial nerve injury, all adult mice recovered fully, while juvenile mice recovered slower and incompletely. This corresponded to a significantly greater neuron loss in the FMN of juveniles compared with adults. Corticosteroid treatment slowed functional recovery in adult mice. This corresponded with significantly greater neuron loss in the FMN in corticosteroid-treated mice. In juvenile mice, corticosteroid treatment showed a trend, which was significant at several time points, toward a more robust functional recovery compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Corticosteroid treatment slows functional recovery and impairs neuron survival following facial nerve crush injury in adult mice. The degree of motor neuron survival corresponds with functional status. In juvenile mice, crush injury results in overall poor functional recovery and profound cell loss in the FMN. With low-dose corticosteroid treatment, there is a significantly enhanced functional recovery after injury in these mice (P < .05).

An introduction to stem cell biology.

The field of stem cell biology has undergone tremendous expansion over the past two decades. Scientific investigation has continued to expand our understanding of these complex cells at a rapidly increasing rate. This understanding has produced a vast array of potential clinical applications. This article will serve as an overview of the current state of stem cell research as it applies to scientific and medical applications. Included in the discussion is a review of the many different types of stem cells, including but not limited to adult, embryonic, and perinatal stem cells. Also, this article describes somatic cell nuclear transfer, an exciting technology that allows the production of totipotent stem cells from fully differentiated cells, thereby eliminating the use of embryonic sources. This discussion should serve as a review of the field of stem cell biology and provide a foundation for the reader to better understand the interface of stem cell technology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Protection against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity by adeno-associated virus-mediated delivery of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein is not dependent on caspase inhibition.

HYPOTHESIS: Gene therapy with an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector encoding the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) in an animal model of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity can elucidate apoptotic pathways in the inner ear. BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is limited clinically by ototoxicity associated with apoptosis in the inner ear. The relevant intracellular apoptotic pathways, however, are unknown. XIAP is an antiapoptotic protein that both inhibits caspases and reciprocally regulates the proapoptotic Smac/Omi proteins. AAV-mediated delivery of various XIAP mutants could distinguish between these antiapoptotic pathways in the ear and further the development of specific reagents for gene therapy- mediated prevention of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. METHODS: We administered unilaterally through the round-window AAV-harboring genes encoding wild-type dXIAP, yellow fluorescent protein, or either of two dXIAP point mutants-one deficient in caspase inhibition (dXIAP-d) and the other additionally deficient in the binding of Smac/Omi (dXIAP-t). All rats received a 3-day systemic course of cisplatin. Functional hearing loss was measured by shifts in auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds after cisplatin treatment, and hair-cell loss was assessed by whole-mount phalloidin staining of cochlear turns. RESULTS: Uninjected ears universally displayed high-frequency-specific hair-cell loss and ABR threshold shifts upon cisplatin treatment. Although yellow fluorescent protein had no effect, ears injected with dXIAP exhibited 68% less ABR threshold shift at 32 kHz and 50% less basal-turn outer-hair-cell loss compared with contralateral untreated ears. This protection was maintained in ears injected with dXIAP-d but was abolished in those expressing dXIAP-t, which is incapable of blocking Smac/Omi. CONCLUSION: Hair-cell apoptosis induced by cisplatin involves the Smac/Omi pathway. Thus, gene therapy with either wild-type dXIAP or Smac/Omi-selective dXIAP-d may be effective to protect against cisplatin-mediated ototoxicity.