Blood Supply of the Temporal Flap Pedicled With Orbicularis Oculi Muscle: Anatomy and Its Clinical Implications.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury or tumor resection can lead to eyelid defects, nasal defects, and cheek defects. The temporal flap pedicled with orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) can be used to repair these defects. This cadaver-based anatomic study aimed to evaluate the blood supply of this flap and investigate its clinical implications. METHODS: Twenty hemifaces from 10 cadavers were used in this study. The number of arteries supplying OOM of the flap, the diameter of the artery entering OOM, and the maximum width of OOM were recorded. All data were presented as mean±SD values and analyzed using Student t -test. A P value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of these 10 specimens, 7 were males and 3 were females. The average age was 67.7 years (range, 53-78 y). The number of arteries supplying OOM was 8.5±1.4 in the male and 7.8±1.2 in the female. The diameter of the zygomatico-orbital artery was detected as 0.53±0.06 mm in the male and 0.40±0.11 mm in the female. The maximum width of OOM was detected as 2.5±0.1 cm in the male and 2.2±0.1 cm in the female. Males had significantly larger average values than females in the diameter of zygomatico-orbital artery and maximum width of OOM ( P =0.012, P <0.001, respectively). However, the number of arteries supplying OOM did not differ significantly between sex ( P =0.322). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the blood supply of the temporal flap pedicled with OOM is abundant and reliable. The findings provide surgeons with valuable anatomic knowledge for repairing facial defects with this flap.

Emerging Role of Dermal White Adipose Tissue in Modulating Hair Follicle Development During Aging.

Hair follicle stem cells are extensively reprogrammed by the aging process, manifesting as diminished self-renewal and delayed responsiveness to activating cues, orchestrated by both intrinsic microenvironmental and extrinsic macroenvironmental regulators. Dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) is one of the peripheral tissues directly adjacent to hair follicles (HFs) and acts as a critical macroenvironmental niche of HF. dWAT directly contributes to HF aging by paracrine signal secretion. However, the altered interrelationship between dWAT and HF with aging has not been thoroughly understood. Here, through microdissection, we separated dWAT from the skin of aged mice (18 months) and young mice (2 months) in telogen and depilation-induced anagen for transcriptome comparing. Notably, compared with young dWAT, aberrant inflammatory regulators were recapitulated in aging dWAT in telogen, including substantial overexpressed inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and prostaglandin members. Nonetheless, with anagen initiation, inflammation programs were mostly abolished in aging dWAT, and instead of which, impaired collagen biosynthesis, angiogenesis, and melanin synthesis were identified. Furthermore, we confirmed the inhibitory effect on hair growth of CXCL1, one of the most significantly upregulated inflammation cytokines in aging dWAT. Besides this, we also identified the under-expressed genes related to Wnt signaling fibroblast growth factor family members and increased BMP signaling in aging dWAT, further unraveling the emerging role of dWAT in aging HFs malfunction. Finally, we proved that relieving inflammation of aging dWAT by injecting high-level veratric acid stimulated HF regenerative behavior in aged mice. Concomitantly, significantly decreased TNF-a, CCL2, IL-5, CSF2, and increased IL10 in dWAT was identified. Overall, the results elaborated on the complex physiological cycling changes of dWAT during aging, providing a basis for the potential regulatory effect of dWAT on aging HFs.

[Preservation with high-pressure carbon monoxide better protects ex vivo rabbit heart function than conventional cardioplegic solution preservation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of high-pressure carbon monoxide for preservation of ex vivo rabbit heart graft in comparison with the conventional HTK cardioplegic solution preservation. METHODS: Heart grafts isolated from 85 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into Naive group (n=5), HTK group (n=40) and CO group (n=40). The grafts underwent no preservation procedures in Naive group, preserved at 4 degrees celsius; in HTK cardioplegic solution in HTK group, and preserved at 4 degrees celsius; in a high-pressure tank (PO2: PCO=3200 hPa: 800 hPa) in CO group with Krebs-Henseleit solution perfusion but without cardioplegic solution. After preservation for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, and 24 h, 5 grafts from the two preservation groups were perfused for 30 min with a modified Langendorff apparatus and examined for left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular diastolic pressure (LVDP), arrhythmia score (AS), myocardial ultrestructure, and cardiac enzyme profiles. RESULTS: After preservation for 6 to 24 h, the cardiac enzyme profiles and systolic and diastolic functions were significantly better in CO group than in HTK group, but these differences were not obvious between the two groups after graft preservation for 2 to 4 h. Significant changes in the myocardial ultrastructures occurred in the isolated hearts after a 24-h preservation in both CO and HTK groups, but the myocardial damages were milder in CO group. CONCLUSION: Preservation using high-pressure carbon monoxide can better protect isolated rabbit heart graft than the conventional HTK preservation approach especially for prolonged graft preservation.