Evaluation of ocular involvement in patients with Hansen's disease.

Hansen's disease (HD) belongs to the group of neglected diseases and can cause physical deformities and disabilities, in addition to leading to social discrimination. Ocular involvement in HD is estimated at 70-75% worldwide. About 10-50% suffer from severe ocular symptoms and loss of vision occurs in approximately 5% of cases. Ocular changes may persist or worsen even after patients are considered cured and it is necessary to better understand these conditions in order to determine the need for additional public policies. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of ocular involvement in patients with HD at two specialist referral centers for treatment of the disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted with ophthalmological evaluations of patients with HD from June 2017 to June 2018. Diagnostic ocular findings, corrected visual acuity, and refractive error were described. Findings were correlated with patients' clinical and epidemiological variables. A total of 86 patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 50.1 years, predominantly males (59.3%), and with multibacillary HD (92%). The prevalence of ophthalmologic changes was 100% and the most common were dysfunction of the Meibomian glands (89.5%) and dry eye syndrome (81.4%). Cataracts were observed in 22 patients (25.6%), but best corrected visual acuity was normal or near normal in 84 patients (97.7%) and there were no cases of bilateral blindness. Patients with some degree of physical disability had more ophthalmological alterations, involving both the ocular adnexa (p = 0.03) and the ocular globe (p = 0.04). Ocular involvement is common in patients with Hansen's disease, reinforcing the importance of ophthalmologic examination in the evaluation and follow-up of these patients.

Cross-sectional study of the microbiological safety profile of reusing hyaluronic acid fillers.

INTRODUCTION: Facial filling with hyaluronic acid (HA) is a dermatological procedure that has been emerging today. There are not many references regarding safety of reusing the remaining product for later touch-up in the same patient. OBJECTIVE: To determine the microbiological safety of reusing hyaluronic acid that is remnant from syringes used for facial filling, stored at room temperature or cooled in a refrigerator at 4°C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In culture medium, small aliquots of leftovers from 31 hyaluronic acid fillers, previously used for facial filling, were inoculated. The fillers were stored in their original syringes at room temperature or cooled in a standard refrigerator at 4°C for a period ranging from 1 week to 12 months after initial use. LIMITATIONS: The small number of samples limits extrapolation of the results obtained. RESULTS: After 42 days of inoculation in culture medium, none of the samples showed any aerobic or anaerobic bacterial or fungal growth. CONCLUSION: Hyaluronic acid fillers did not show any fungal or bacterial contamination after being opened and stored at room temperature in nonaseptic conditions. The possibility of reusing the remaining portion of the material in the syringe can be safe and economically viable.

Retalho de interpolação para fechamento de defeito cirúrgico na cauda da hélice da orelha / Interpolation flap for closing a surgical defect in the cauda helicis

A ressecção oncológica auricular pode criar defeitos parciais da pele e/ou da cartilagem que tornam difícil e desafiadora a reconstrução desse local. Várias técnicas têm sido descritas, porém poucos casos de cirurgias para defeitos na cauda da hélice têm sido relatados. Os autores descrevem um retalho de interpolação nessa localização anatômica para correção de defeito secundário à excisão de carcinoma basocelular.

Oncologic ear resection can create partial skin and / or cartilage defects that make reconstruction of this site difficult and challenging. Several techniques have been described, however few cases of surgery for defects in the cauda helicis have been reported. The authors describe an interpolation flap in this anatomical location for the correction of a defect secondary to the excision of a basal cell carcinoma.