Restoration of glans penis defect by a bipedicled foreskin flap.

Plastic surgeons reconstruct hard and soft tissues in many parts of the human body. Penile reconstruction is unique in that the target tissue has to be soft but intermittently rigid. There are many ways to treat penile defects. The ideal reconstruction must take into considerations sensation, cosmesis, and erectile functions. There is limited literature available on the management of penile glans defect. In this report, we present the reconstruction of penile glans defect, after surgical excision of Bowen disease, using a bipedicled foreskin flap of bucket handle type. It is easy to perform and highly effective, and importantly, both cosmetic and functional outcomes at 1-year follow-up were quite satisfactory.

Clinical and pathologic risk factors of tumor recurrence in patients with node-negative early breast cancer after mastectomy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with node-negative breast cancer (NNBC) usually have a good prognosis, but tumor recurrence still compromises survival. In this study, we sought to identify clinical and pathologic factors that predict recurrence. METHODS: A total of 716 patients who were proved with pT1-2N0M0 breast cancer between 2005 and 2009 were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: Forty-seven of the 716 patients developed tumor recurrence during the 47.0 months of median follow-up. The significant risk factors of recurrence were lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.60, 95% CI. 2.32-9.10) and Nottingham grade 3 (HR = 4.99, 95% CI. 1.06-23.48); adjuvant radiotherapy (HR = 0.35, 95% CI. 0.14-0.92) prevented tumor recurrence. Furthermore, we investigate the therapeutic impact of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy on patients with LVI and Nottingham grade 3. The adverse effect of LVI and grade 3 can be abrogated by adjuvant radiotherapy in recurrence-free survival (RFS) (LVI((+)) radiotherapy((+)) , no recurrence; grade 3((+)) radiotherapy((+)) , HR = 0.82, 95% CI. 0.18-3.70). However, adjuvant chemotherapy did not. CONCLUSIONS: LVI and Nottingham grade 3 were the independent risk factors predicting tumor recurrence for patients with NNBC. Adjuvant radiotherapy might be considered in NNBC patients with these unfavorable factors to improve the RFS.

Adipose-derived stem cells: isolation, characterization, and differentiation potential.

In mammals, the two main types of adipose tissues, white and brown adipose tissues, exert different physiological functions. White adipose tissue (WAT) is for storing energy, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) is for energy consumption. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are abundant in WAT and BAT, have multipotent characteristics, and are easily extracted. ADSCs can be differentiated into several cell lineages, including adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes (cartilage cells), myocytes, and neuronal cells. Therefore, ADSC could be considered as a strategy for future regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Distinctive genital folliculosebaceous cystic hamartomas in a patient with fibrous dysplasia.

Folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma is a benign tumor composed of follicular, sebaceous, and mesenchymal components. Usually, it appears in adulthood as a dome or a pedunculated nodule on the face, especially the nose. Extracephalic lesions are sporadically reported, such as on the upper back, forearm, ear, labia majora, and the nipple. Herein, we report a patient with left maxillary fibrous dysplasia who experienced bilateral labia majora disfigurement after her puberty. She experienced physical distress because of tenderness due to the tangled, stretched hamartomas and psychological distress because of failure to have sexual contacts. The exophytic dark skin-colored fusing polypoid labia majora deformities were excised, and the folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma was impressed by the pathology. We used an advancing flap for labiaplasty, and the outcome was aesthetically satisfactory. There is no recurrence in the 6-month follow-up period. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma on the bilateral labia majora in a patient with fibrous dysplasia. This extraordinary presentation is much different from others owing to its unusual appearance and a larger size.

Treating chronic lower limb lymphedema with the Charles procedure in a renal allograft recipient.

We report our experience in applying the Charles procedure to a female renal allograft recipient for her left lower leg lymphedema. This is a rare comorbidity in limb lymphedema victims, and the use of the Charles procedure has not been reported in such an immunocompromised patient. After surgery, infection was well controlled, and there was minimal scar in the affected limb.