The Protective Effects of Epigallocatechin Gallate Against Distant Organ Damage After Severe Skin Burns--Experimental Study Using a Rat Model of Thermal Trauma.

BACKGROUND: Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol, has potent antioxidant properties. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to examine the possible preventative effects of EGCG against internal organ injury due to large-surface skin burns in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study design involved three groups of rats: a sham group and two groups with 25-30% full-thickness burns: (a) the sham group without burns or treatment (n=18); (b) the control burn group (burns+sterile saline, n=18); and (c) the burn treatment group (burns+treatment with EGCG, n=18). EGCG was administered intraperitoneally immediately after the thermal injury, and daily in 100 µmol/kg doses. Kidney and lung tissue samples were taken to determine the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) after the first, third and seventh post-burn days. RESULTS: In the EGCG-treated burn group, SOD and GPX activity were significantly higher than in the burn control group. Additionally, MDA and TNF-α levels were significantly lower in the EGCG-treated burn group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, it might be anticipated that EGCG treatment may be beneficial in burn injury cases.

Saddle-nose deformity repair with microplate-adapted costal cartilage.

UNLABELLED: Nasal deformities affecting the bone and lower two-thirds of the nose due to the loss of septal height and tip support are defined as "saddle-nose" deformity. Reconstruction of a saddle-nose deformity essentially necessitates structural grafting. This article presents an alternative approach for correction of saddle-nose deformity using a microplate and costal cartilage. The results are compared with those of the previously applied costal cartilage repair methods. Between 2004 and 2013, 16 patients were treated with costal cartilage autografts. Of these 16 patients, 7 were treated with a microplate and costal cartilage autograft combination, 4 were treated with a costal cartilage autograft and Kirschner (K)-wire, and 5 were treated with onlay costal cartilage grafts. The mean follow-up periods were 16 months for group treated with microplate-adapted autologous costal cartilage, 12 months for the group treated with K-wire and autologous costal cartilage, and 16 months for the group treated with onlay costal cartilage. The patients treated with K-wire inserted cartilages and the patients treated onlay dorsal costal cartilages encountered complications such as extrusion of the wire and warping, respectively. The seven patients treated with microplate and dorsal onlay costal cartilage graft did not experience any infection, warping, or extrusion complication. The warping tendency of the costal cartilage autograft can be efficiently prevented without a prominent complication risk by using microplate-adapted costal cartilage grafts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Trichilemmal cyst of the third fingertip: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Trichilemmal cysts (TCs) are common skin lesions that occur in hairy areas. A TC involving a fingertip has not been previously described in the literature. We herein report a case of a TC occupying a fingertip region. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old woman presented with a 1.5 × 1.5 cm nodular lesion on the third fingertip. The lesion was completely excised, and histopathological examination revealed a TC. CONCLUSION: TCs may involve atypical locations, such as fingertips, where there are no hair follicles. After surgical excision, a careful histopathological examination should be performed to differentiate TCs from proliferating pilar tumors.

Effect of epigallocatechin gallate on ischemia-reperfusion injury: an experimental study in a rat epigastric island flap.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol derived from green tea, is known to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of EGCG against ischemia reperfusion injury in the epigastric artery island flap model in rats. The experiment was designed with two groups (control n=40, experiment n=40) of rats with epigastric artery island flaps. Each main group was randomly divided into five sub-groups to apply ischemia at different time intervals (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours). Thirty minutes prior to reperfusion, 100 µmol/kg of EGCG was injected intraperitoneally, and this injection was repeated after 12 hours and continued as a daily injection. Similarly, 2 ml of sterile saline was administered to the rats in the control groups. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels, together with neutrophil counts, were measured in the tissues taken from the distal portions of the flaps 24 hours after reperfusion. Additionally, flap necrosis was examined on the seventh day after reperfusion. Superoxide dismutase levels were significantly lower in all control groups, and Malondialdehyde and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha levels were significantly higher in all control groups. Glutathione peroxidase levels were found to be significantly lower in the control groups after 0, 3, 9 and 12 hours of ischemia. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups undergoing 0, 3, 9 or 12 hours of ischemia with regard to the neutrophil count. Partial flap necrosis occurred in the 9-hour ischemia groups, and significantly lower rates of necrosis were observed in the experimental groups compared to the control groups. The findings of our study showed that EGCG has a protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury in skin flaps in the epigastric island flap model.

Repair of pretibial atonic wound with long cross-leg flap.

Soft-tissue defects of the pretibial region constitute a major reconstructive challenge because of the insufficiency of the local tissues. In such cases, a long cross-leg flap may be an alternative option. This study presents a case with an atonic wound in the pretibial region caused by a previous traffic accident, which had received cross-leg flap repair following the excision.

Results of transmasseteric anteroparotid approach for mandibular condylar fractures.

Management of condylar fractures has been the subject of much disagreement and debate. There is no general consensus for definitive treatment. Although there is a growing tendency for open reduction and internal fixation technique, risks and morbidity of the surgical procedure are still a point of concern for maxillofacial surgeons. To reduce potential complications and improve surgical exposure, the transmasseteric anteroparotid approach was introduced. Since 2008, we have operated on 6 patients (7 fractures) using this approach. The technique is easy to learn, provides adequate surgical exposure for open reduction internal fixation, and has few complication rates.