Excimer laser technology in percutaneous coronary interventions: Cardiovascular laser society's position paper.

Excimer Laser Coronary Atherectomy (ELCA) is a well-established therapy that emerged for the treatment of peripheral vascular atherosclerosis in the late 1980s, at a time when catheters and materials were rudimentary and associated with the most serious complications. Refinements in catheter technology and the introduction of improved laser techniques have led to their effective use for the treatment of a wide spectrum of complex coronary lesions, such as thrombotic lesions, severe calcific lesions, non-crossable or non-expandable lesions, chronic occlusions, and stent under-expansion. The gradual introduction of high-energy strategies combined with the contrast infusion technique has enabled us to treat an increasing number of complex cases with a low rate of periprocedural complications. Currently, the use of the ELCA has also been demonstrated to be effective in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially in the context of large thrombotic lesions.

Reverse Flow Shunt Restricted Arterialized Venous Free Flap.

Several technical modifications have been described to avoid complications of venous flaps. The authors describe a technical variation of the venous flap to reduce the risk of venous congestion and the likelihood of shunting, thus increasing venous flap reliability.

Nanofat 2.0: experimental evidence for a fat grafting rich in mesenchymal stem cells.

Different strategies have been developed in the last decade to obtain fat grafts as rich as possible of mesenchymal stem cells, so exploiting their regenerative potential. Recently, a new kind of fat grafting, called "nanofat", has been obtained after several steps of fat emulsification and filtration. The final liquid suspension, virtually devoid of mature adipocytes, would improve tissue repair because of the presence of adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). However, since it is probable that many ASCs may be lost in the numerous phases of this procedure, we describe here a novel version of fat grafting, which we call "nanofat 2.0", likely richer in ASCs, obtained avoiding the final phases of the nanofat protocol. The viability, the density and proliferation rate of ASCs in nanofat 2.0 sample were compared with samples of nanofat and simple lipoaspirate. Although the density of ASCs was initially higher in lipoaspirate sample, the higher proliferation rate of cells in nanofat 2.0 virtually filled the gap within 8 days. By contrast, the density of ASCs in nanofat sample was the poorest at any time. Results show that nanofat 2.0 emulsion is considerably rich in stem cells, featuring a marked proliferation capability.

Lubricin in synovial fluid of mild and severe temporomandibular joint internal derangements.

BACKGROUND: To understand the molecular basis of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies, we aimed to investigate the lubricin levels in the TMJ synovial fluid (SF) of patients with mild to severe internal derangements (IDs). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total, 34 joints were the study group. Only patients, with a Wilkes stage of III, IV and V were included, in this sample. Control group consisted of SF from eight joints, from patients undergoing to orthognatic surgery. Concentrations of lubricin in the SF from both samples were measured using ELISA system. RESULTS: The mean lubricin concentration was 7.029 ± 0.21 µg/mL in stage III patients; 5.64 ± 0.10 µg/mL in stage IV patients, and 4.78 ± 0.11 µg/mL in stage V patients. The lubricin levels from stage IV and stage V patients differed significantly (P ≤ 0.001) from those of control subjects. Lubricin levels were inversely correlated with age and to VAS score. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this cross-sectional study highlight the relationship between disease severity and the levels of lubricin in TMJ SF. Our findings suggest that novel biotherapeutic approaches, including the administration of recombinant lubricin in the joint cavity, for the treatment of TMJ diseases can be developed.

Soft-tissue defects of the Achilles tendon region: Management and reconstructive ladder. Review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Defects of the Achilles tendon region represent a challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Several options are available but there is still no reconstructive ladder for this specific and tricky area. An up-to-date reconstructive ladder according to local and general conditions is proposed based on our multicentre experience and an extensive review of the English literature on PubMed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An extensive review of the English literature was performed on PubMed using the following key-words: "Achilles region", "heel", "soft-tissue reconstruction", "flaps", "grafts" and "dermal substitutes". RESULTS: A total of 69 complete papers were selected, covering the last thirty years' literature. Although most of the studies were based on limited case-series, local and general conditions were always reported. A comprehensive reconstructive ladder of all the available reconstructive techniques for the Achilles region has been created based on our personal multicentre experience and the results of the literature review. CONCLUSIONS: The reconstructive ladder is a concept that is still a mainstay in plastic surgery and guides decisions in the repair strategy for soft tissue defects. The optimal solution, according to the experience of the surgeon and the wishes of the patient, is the one that implies less sacrifice of the donor site. Perforator flaps should be the first-line option for small-to-moderate defects; the distally-based sural flap is the most reported for moderate-to-large defects of the Achilles region, and free flaps should be reserved mainly for complex and wide reconstructions.

A NOVEL MODEL TO EVALUATE THE LEARNING CURVE IN MICROSURGERY: SERIAL ANASTOMOSIS OF THE RAT FEMORAL ARTERY.

The rat's femoral artery is definitely the most frequently used model in microsurgical training for its easy dissection. Our model, consisting in the creation of several anastomoses in a row, helps the novice surgeon to assess his microsurgical level and to improve his capacity. Indeed, this leads to an amplification of the trainee surgeon's mistakes, which add up to each other as the anastomoses are performed. We propose a simple method to evaluate the surgeon microsurgical skills during the training.

DELAY PROCEDURE IN THE PERFORASOME ERA: A CASE IN A DIEAP FLAP.

The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEAp) flap is becoming a widely used method of autologous breast reconstruction. Despite the huge use of the DIEAp flap in reconstructive field, an evidenced based approach in perforator selection has not yet been developed. Unfortunately there is no clear evidence about the relation between the number and dimension of the perforator vessel and the prediction of flap survival in a living model. An old technique like the vascular delay could be extremely useful as a lifeboat procedure when the vascularization of the flap after the dissection is inadequate.

Toll-like receptor 4 expression in the epithelium of inflammatory periapical lesions. An immunohistochemical study.

Toll-like receptors (TLR) are essential for the innate immune response against invading pathogens and have been described in immunocompetent cells of areas affected by periapical disease. Besides initiating the inflammatory response, they also directly regulate epithelial cell proliferation and survival in a variety of settings. This study evaluates the in situ expression of TLR4 in periapical granulomas (PG) and radicular cysts, focusing on the epithelial compartment. Twenty-one periapical cysts (PC) and 10 PG were analyzed; 7 dentigerous non-inflamed follicular cyst (DC) served as control. TLR4 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. TLR4 immunoreaction products were detected in the epithelium of all specimens, with a higher percentage of immunostained cells in PG. Although TLR4 overexpression was detected in both PG and PC, there were differences that seemed to be related to the nature of the lesion, since in PG all epithelial cells of strands, islands and trabeculae were strongly immunoreactive for TLR4, whereas in PC only some areas of the basal and suprabasal epithelial layers were immunostained. This staining pattern is consistent with the action of TLR4: in PG it could promote formation of epithelial cell rests of Malassez and in epithelial strands and islands the enhancement of cell survival, proliferation and migration, whereas in PC TLR4 could protect the lining epithelium from extensive apoptosis. These findings go some way towards answering the intriguing question of why many epithelial strands or islands in PG and the lining epithelium of apical cysts regress after non-surgical endodontic therapy, and suggest that TLR4 plays a key role in the pathobiology of the inflammatory process related to periapical disease.

Differential expression of TLR3 and TLR4 in keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT): A comparative immunohistochemical study in primary, recurrent, and nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS)--associated lesions.

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an essential role in the activation of innate immunity and they can promote cancer cell survival and tumor progression. It has been claimed that TLRs can somehow predict the clinical behavior in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCCs). AIM: To elucidate the molecular basis underlying keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KOCTs) aggressive behavior and recurrence we carried out this immunohistochemical study on TLR3 and TLR4 expression in sporadic primary KCOTs (sp-KCOTs), sporadic recurrent KCOTs (sp-KCOTs), and NBCCS-associated KCOTs (NBCCS-KCOTs). METHOD: 40 cases of KOCTs removed from 23 men and 17 women were the sample. Paraffin-embedded blocks were processed for immunohistochemistry. Sections were incubated with TLR3 and TLR4 antibodies and immunoreactivity evaluated on a semi-quantitative score. RESULTS: Both TLR3 and TLR4 were expressed in KCOTs epithelium, although with a different extent. TLR3 was not expressed in sp-KCOTs and sr-KCOTs, but it showed a faint staining in NBCCS-KCOTs. On the other hand, both cytoplasmic and nuclear staining for TLR4 was detected in all the 3 types of lesions; however being significantly more expressed in sr-KCOT and NBCCS-KCOTs (p < 0.0001). Our results, demonstrated an association between TLR4, but not TLR3 expression to recurrence behavior of KCOTs. In fact, TLR4 was up-regulated in sr-KCOTs and NBCCS-KCOTs but not in sp-KCOTs. CONCLUSIONS: According these findings it seems conceivable to assume that the up-regulation of TLR4 in some KCOTs can be correlated somehow to their tendency recurrence.

Giant cell tumor of tendon sheath: study of 64 cases and review of literature.

The giant cell tumor of tendon sheath (GCTTS) is the most common benign neoplasm in the hand after the ganglion cyst. Several hypotheses were formulated about the etiological factors of these tumors, but still there is not a common opinion on etiology, prognostic factors and recurrence rate. This article presents a review of literature of the last 15 years about GCTTS to assess the demographic, clinical and histological profile. We compared the information obtained from literature with our experience of 64 cases between 2000 and 2012. Our study showed similar results to those reported in literature, except for the recurrence rate: only 3 cases (4.7%) of 64 patients reported recurrence (versus about 15% on average in literature). Among the various possible factors that predispose to recurrence, it is necessary that the surgeon ensures complete excision of the tumor and removal of any residual satellite nodules. Although the marginal excision is the treatment of choice, it is often difficult to perform due to for the location and the strict adherence of the tumor to the tendon or neurovascular bundles. We used in all cases a magnifying loupe to help a careful research of satellite lesions and to respect surrounding structures.

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinoma of the cheek. Case report.

Primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin (MCS) is a rare neoplasia described for the first time by Lennox et al. in 1952 and formally reviewed by Mendoza and Helwing in 1971. It is an uncommon subtype of sweat gland tumor. MCS affects men (58,8%) more than women (41,2%). It tends to occur in more elderly individuals (average 62,6 years, range 8-87 years), although the disease has been reported in a patient as young as 8 years old. In the english Literature are described 100 case of MCS. MCS has a varied clinical onset, tipically presenting as an asymptomatic, slow-growning, painless, papular or nodular, subcutaneous or cutaneous, ranging from 5 mm to 120 mm. The lesion is frequently single and isolated red, pink, gray, blue or purple coulored. Telangiectasia may or not be present. The surface may be smooth, ulcerated or crusted. Local recurrence occurs frequently (29,4%) after conventional excision, but the rate of distant metastasis is low (9,6%). In fact this tumour is tipically avascular, a factor that help to explain its low rate of metastasis. In September 2007, a 69 year old white man was referred to our observation for the evaluation of a painless, superficial nodular mass in left cheek that had slowly grown over 1 year to 2x1,4 cm current measures. The lesion was excised. Microscopic examination revealed a mucinous cutaneous carcinoma of the skin. Investigations for a primary visceral malignancy, including CT total body and colonoscopy, were negative.

[Morpho-functional iterative surgery in a patient with von Recklinghausen disease]. / Chirurgia reiterativa morfofunzionale in paziente con malattia di von Recklinghausen. Case report.

Neurofibromatosis 1 is an autosomal dominant disease with an estimated incidence 1:2500 to 1:3000 live newborns. The disease presents with multiple cutaneous and non cutaneous lesions. NF1 occurs with equal frequency in males and females and has been identified in all ethnic group. The morbidity and the mortality caused by NF1 are the result of complications that may involve any of the body systems. This disease has been linked with mutations of the NF1 gene which encodes tumor suppressor neurofibromin. At least half of patients with NF1 will have only cutaneous involvement that is not considered to be a major medical problem, even though it can be a source of psychologic burden as a result of cosmetic disfigurement. The cardinal features of the disorder are cafè-au-lait spots, axillary freckling, cutaneous neurofibromas and Lisch nodules, but there are a lot of wide variety of complications affecting almost every system of the body, including the eyes (optic glioma), the nervous system (intracranial tumors), the skeleton (short stature, scoliosis), the endocrine and cardiovascular system (hypertension). Manifestations of NF1 vary at different times in an individual's life. Substantial variability exists among affected members of a single family. This variability confounds clinical management and the severity of the disease cannot be predicted. We present a case in young woman 24 years-old treated by reiterative plastic surgery.

[Spinocellular carcinoma of the upper lip in a child with Xeroderma pigmentosum]. / Carcinoma spinocellulare del labbro superiore in soggetto in età pediatrica affetto da Xeroderma Pigmentosum.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by marked sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation that leads to the development of multiple skin malignancies. We report a 4 years-old girl with Xeroderma Pigmentosum who, admitted to our cares, presented a squamous cell carcinoma of the upper lip. The rarity of the squamous cell carcinoma together to the very young age of the patient lead us to report our experience.

Reverse posterior interosseous flap based on an exteriorized pedicle to cover digital skin defects.

The posterior interosseous arterial flap is limited by its short vascular pedicle and proximal axis of rotation to the coverage of defects on the dorsal aspect of the hand and the first web space. The authors present the results of three cases in which these limits were surpassed by extending the wrist and exteriorizing the vascular pedicle, thus causing it to bowstring across the angle created by the extended wrist. When flap inset is complete the vascular pedicle is excised under local anaesthesia. This technique is an amalgamation of an island flap and a traditional pedicle flap and, as such, it is a two-stage procedure.

Penetration of ceftibuten into middle ear fluid.

The penetration of ceftibuten, an extended-spectrum oral cephalosporin, into middle ear fluid (MEF) was evaluated in pediatric patients during a course of daily oral doses of 9 mg/kg of body weight for 10 days. Plasma and MEF collected at 2, 4, 6, or 12 h after at least 3 days of dosing were analyzed for ceftibuten by a high-pressure liquid chromatography method, and the data were used to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters. Plasma and MEF had almost identical maximum concentrations (Cmax) of ceftibuten (14 micrograms/ml). These Cmax values in MEF during acute otitis media were well in excess of the MIC for 90% of the isolates of each of four major pathogens in this disease. The time to Cmax was longer in MEF (4 h) than in plasma (2 h). Excellent penetration (71%) of ceftibuten into MEF was observed on the basis of the area under the curve ratio (MEF/plasma). These data clearly indicate that ceftibuten penetrated well into the MEF to yield clinically effective concentrations.

Multinational multicenter controlled trial comparing ceftibuten with cefaclor for the treatment of acute otitis media. Members of the Ceftibuten Otitis Media International Study Group.

A randomized, controlled, single blind clinical trial was conducted in children with acute otitis media to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 10-day course of therapy with ceftibuten 9 mg/kg taken as a single daily dose, up to a maximum daily dose of 400 mg, compared with cefaclor 40 mg/kg/day in three divided doses, up to a maximum of 1 g/day. Patients were evaluated any time from 1 to 3 days after completion of therapy (posttreatment follow-up). A total of 154 patients (106 ceftibuten, 48 cefaclor) were evaluable for efficacy. Clinical success as determined by resolution (cure) or improvement of signs and symptoms of infection were seen in 89 and 88% of patients treated with ceftibuten and cefaclor, respectively, at the posttreatment follow-up visit. At the extended follow-up visit (any time from 2 to 4 weeks after completion of therapy), clinical success was sustained in 88 and 82% of the ceftibuten-treated and cefaclor-treated patients, respectively. A total of 391 patients (264 ceftibuten, 127 cefaclor) were included in the safety analysis. Treatment-related adverse experiences occurred in 8% of ceftibuten-treated patients and 14% of cefaclor-treated patients. All were mild or moderate and the majority were gastrointestinal. There were no deaths or serious adverse events. The results of this study suggest that ceftibuten is an effective and well-tolerated alternative to other antibiotic therapies for the treatment of children with acute otitis media.

Multicenter controlled trial comparing ceftibuten with amoxicillin/clavulanate in the empiric treatment of acute otitis media. Members of the Ceftibuten Otitis Media United States Study Group.

The efficacy and safety of ceftibuten (9 mg/kg daily for 10 days) were compared with those of amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin 40 mg/kg/day given every 8 hours for 10 days) in the empiric treatment of acute otitis media in children. This was a multicenter, investigator-blinded study with 1:1 randomization. Overall clinical response and signs and symptoms of otitis were collected prospectively pretreatment, 3 to 5 days during treatment, 1 to 3 days post-treatment and at 2- to 4-week follow-up. In addition to spontaneous reports of other adverse events, gastrointestinal adverse events were prospectively elicited at each visit. Two hundred ninety-six patients (146 ceftibuten and 150 amoxicillin/clavulanate) were treated with at least 1 dose of study medication. Compliance with dosing was assessable with weight of drug consumed in 127 patients in each treatment group. Five percent (6 of 127) of ceftibuten patients and 11% (14 of 127) of amoxicillin/clavulanate patients received < 80% of prescribed drug (P = 0.10) and were therefore not valid. Two hundred twenty-two patients (121 ceftibuten and 101 amoxicillin/clavulanate) received a minimum of 80% of prescribed medication and were compliant with the protocol. Ceftibuten and amoxicillin/clavulanate groups were comparable both for demographic variables and for baseline signs and symptoms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of ceftibuten and cefaclor in the treatment of pneumonia and bronchiectasis.

In a multicentre, international study of 187 adult patients with bacterial pneumonia or bronchiectasis, the safety and efficacy of a regimen of 200 mg ceftibuten administered twice-daily was compared with cefaclor given in a dosage of 500 mg three times a day. Of the 94 evaluable patients, 66 received ceftibuten and 28 received cefaclor. The overall bacteriological response was similar in the two treatment groups with elimination of the original pathogen in 91% and 89% of the patients receiving ceftibuten and cefaclor, respectively. The overall clinical response mirrored the bacteriological results with a successful clinical outcome in 92% of ceftibuten-treated patients compared with 93% in patients receiving cefaclor. Adverse experiences were, in general, few and mild, being reported in 8% and 17% of patients receiving ceftibuten and cefaclor, respectively.

The efficacy and safety of once-daily ceftibuten compared with co-amoxiclav in the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis.

The efficacy and safety of a once-daily oral regimen of 400 mg ceftibuten was compared with oral co-amoxiclav 500 mg three times daily in a multicentre, single-blind study. In patients with a bacteriologically confirmed infection, a successful clinical outcome was reported in 25 of 25 patients treated with ceftibuten and 10 of 10 patients treated with co-amoxiclav. In a further group of 88 patients, most of whom had been excluded from the primary efficacy evaluation because no pathogen was isolated pretreatment, overall successful clinical outcomes of 87% and 88% were reported for ceftibuten and co-amoxiclav, respectively. The duration of treatment and the time to resolution of the signs and symptoms of sinusitis were not significantly different in the two treatment groups. The incidence of adverse events was higher in the co-amoxiclav-treated patients (31% versus 15% in the ceftibuten group) as was the incidence of severe events (10% for co-amoxiclav-treated patients versus < 1% in the ceftibuten group). In summary, once-daily ceftibuten can be considered a safe and effective treatment for acute bacterial sinusitis.