The Value of Drawing Practice in Plastic Surgery Training.

ABSTRACT: No specialty has such close relationship with art as plastic surgery among medicine. Both are intensely creative processes that combine technology with utmost dexterity and now are undervalued in the medical education. Art is a reservoir that provides a surgeon with creativity and improved dexterity. It is beneficial for the surgeons to practice drawing, for it can bring passion and inspiration, enhance observation and imagination, improve dexterity and accuracy, and help keep a good relation with patients. In some way, plastic surgery is art and plastic surgeon is artist.

Nirmatrelvir and ritonavir combination against COVID-19 caused by omicron BA.2.2 in the elderly: A single-center large observational study.

BACKGROUND: Since coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) swept the world, a variety of novel therapeutic and prevention strategies have been developed, among which nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is highly recommended. We intended to assess the effectiveness and safety of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in the elderly mild-to-moderate COVID-19 population caused by the omicron BA.2.2 variant in real-world settings. METHODS: An observational study was conducted retrospectively to review the outcomes of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients admitted between April 26 and June 30, 2022. Patients' baseline characteristics were collected and assessed. Participants in the intervention group were administered nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in addition to standard care, whereas those in the control group only received standard care. The primary outcome was the duration between the initial positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and the subsequent conversion to a negative result. RESULTS: The analysis included 324 patients who were administered nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and an equal number of control patients. The patient characteristics in both groups were evenly matched. The average duration from the initial positive RT-PCR to negative conversion was similar in both groups (16.2 ± 5.0 vs. 16.1 ± 6.3 days, p = .83). Control patients exhibited slower conversion in comparison to patients who received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment within 10 days of symptom onset. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that administering nirmatrelvir-ritonavir within 10 days of symptom onset could potentially reduce the time it takes for SARS-CoV-2-infected patients to negative RT-PCR results, thereby expanding the current usage guidelines for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.

Aesthetic and functional results from nailfold recession following fingertip amputations.

PURPOSE: To analyze the aesthetic and functional results of a technique for nail salvage by recessing the nailfold to increase the exposed nail matrix after fingertip amputation. METHODS: Thirty cases of fingertip amputation with distal partial nail bed defects underwent nailfold recession and pulp reconstruction. We increased nail bed exposure by recessing a rectangle flap of eponychium and reconstructed the pulp with different local flaps depending on the injury geometry. A 0.3- to 0.4-cm-wide rectangular strip of eponychium was de-epithelialized. The eponychial flap was separated from the nail matrix and slid proximally to expose more nail matrix, thereby effectively lengthening the exposed nail bed. RESULTS: The flaps survived in all patients. The exposed nail beds were lengthened 0.3 to 0.4 cm and enlarged 38% to 100%. The fingertips had smooth and natural nail plates with inconspicuous scars on both the eponychium and pulp and no deformities. The sensation and mobility of injured and uninjured contralateral fingers did not differ statistically. All patients were satisfied with the appearance and function of the reconstructed fingertips. CONCLUSIONS: Nailfold recession combined with different local flaps provided for the aesthetic and functional restoration of the fingertip after amputation with partial nail bed defect.