A multicenter, randomized, open-label comparative study of prabotulinumtoxinA with two different dosages and diverse proportional injection styles for the reduction of gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy in Asian women.

A botulinum toxin (BTX) injection can be a simple and safe alternative to calf reduction surgery or liposuction without interrupting daily life. However, its optimum dosage and clinical response are not yet well known. A total of 40 patients with bilateral gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy were enrolled in this study. All volunteers were randomly categorized into four groups and then administered different amounts of BTX (160 U and 200 U) on the medial and lateral aspects of their calves. All subjects showed clinical improvement with a reduction in the gastrocnemius muscle size after BTX injection. However, our results showed that the decrease in leg circumference was not dose dependent. No side effects of the injections, such as weakness of the legs, deformity, or abnormal sensation, were observed. There were also no cases of swelling, edema, hematoma, or infection. BTX at both dosages can be safely and effectively applied for calf muscle contouring without disturbing gait during walking or running.

Multidetector Computed Tomography (CT) Analysis of 168 Cases in Diabetic Patients with Total Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion: Is It Safe to Use an Anterolateral Thigh Flap without CT Angiography in Diabetic Patients?

BACKGROUND: The superficial femoral artery (SFA) is the most common site of lower extremity atherosclerosis, and collateral vessels from the deep femoral artery (DFA) play an important compensatory role between the iliofemoral segment and the popliteal artery. We examined SFA occlusion and collateral vessel developments in patients with diabetes mellitus using computed tomography (CT) angiography. We also compared the collateral systems from the DFA and the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (dbLCFA) in the case of SFA occlusion. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1,316 sets of CT angiographic data collected from 673 patients with diabetes between 2008 and 2010. The degree of stenosis in each segment of the proximal and distal SFA and the number and size of collateral vessels originating from the DFA and dbLCFA were measured using established scoring systems. In cases where the SFA was occluded, the numbers of collateral vessels originating from the DFA and the dbLCFA vessel were compared. RESULTS: The mean occlusion rate of the SFA was 15.6%. We noted that collateral vessels from DFA and dbLCFA were the main circulatory route in cases of occlusions of the SFA. More collateral vessels developed from the DFA than from the dbLCFA. Overall, 0.6% of the patients had only collateral systems from the dbLCFA. CONCLUSION: When planning to use anterolateral thigh free flaps in diabetic patients with suspected SFA total occlusion, thorough investigations of the peripheral vessels are essential.

Cumulative Experience in Lymphovenous Anastomosis for Lymphedema Treatment: The Learning Curve Effect on the Overall Outcome.

BACKGROUND: The lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) has become one of the treatment options for lymphedema. However, it is regarded as a difficult surgery that many young microsurgeons are reluctant to try. This report investigates the learning curve in regard to symptom improvement. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis performed in 33 consecutive lymphedema patients (38 extremities) who underwent only LVAs from August 2010 to February 2016. Surgical outcomes in regard to surgeon's experience were evaluated. The surgeons experience was divided into three groups: early group with less than 2 years, moderate with 2 to 4 years, and mature group with more than 4 years of experience. RESULTS: A total of 31 limbs (8/8 in upper extremity and 23/30 in lower extremity) showed improvement. When we compare volume change and recurrence of cellulitis with regard to surgeon's experience, there were no statistically significant differences. However, the mean time per LVA was significantly decreased as the experience increased over time (p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: LVA is an effective treatment option to reduce the volume in the affected limb and to improve symptoms involved. Regardless of the number and experience of the surgeons, cellulitis improves significantly after LVA. The experience of the surgeon does not significantly impact the positive outcome while proficiency increases with experience.

Overexpression of CD99 Increases the Migration and Invasiveness of Human Malignant Glioma Cells.

The malignant glioma is the most common primary human brain tumor, and its migration and invasiveness away from the primary tumor mass are considered a leading cause of tumor recurrence and treatment failure. Recently, gene expression profiling revealed that the transmembrane glycoprotein CD99 is more highly expressed in malignant glioma than in normal brain. Although its function is not completely understood, CD99 is implicated in cell adhesion and migration in a variety of different cell types. CD99 has wild-type and splice variant isoforms. Previous studies have shown that wild-type CD99 may be an oncosuppressor in some tumors, distinct from the role of the splice variant isoform. In this study, our data reveal that only wild-type CD99 is expressed in human glioma cells and tissues. Using a tissue microarray, we validated that gliomas demonstrate higher expression of CD99 compared with nonneoplastic brain. To assess the role of CD99 in glioma migration and invasion, we inhibited CD99 expression by siRNA and demonstrated decreased glioma migration and invasion. In contrast, when CD99 was overexpressed in glioma cells, we observed enhancement of cell migration and invasiveness. An orthotopic brain tumor model demonstrates that CD99 overexpression significantly increases invasiveness and decreases survival rate. Interestingly, Rac activity was decreased and Rho activity was increased in CD99 overexpressing glioma cells, and the proportion of amoeboid cells to mesenchymal cells was significantly increased. Taken together, our findings suggest that CD99 may play an important role in the migration and invasion of human gliomas independent of Akt, ERK, or JNK signaling pathways. Moreover, CD99 might be involved in amoeboid-mesenchymal transition in glioma migration. CD99 may be an important future target to inhibit migration and invasion, especially in CD99-expressing gliomas.