BACKGROUND This study aimed to assess the effects of the topical application of tamoxifen on wound healing of burned skin in Wistar rats by evaluating 3 healing characteristics: fibrotic tissue thickness (FTT), scar surface area (SSA), and angiogenesis in the healed scar tissue. METHODS Eighteen male Wistar rats were used in this study. A third-degree burn wound was made on the shaved animals...

BACKGROUND Breast augmentation is an elective surgery used to increase the size of the breast in females. This study was undertaken to determine the breast augmentation in Pakistani females. METHODS From 2006 to 2011, 43 female patients who underwent breast augmentation via infra-mammary, periareolar, trans-umbilical and fat transfer were enrolled. For augmentation, saline-filled or gel-fill...

Primary sternal osteomyelitis is a rare disease. Common infectious organisms causing primary sternal osteomyelitis include Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Actinomyces species are common saprophytes of the oral cavity, but there have been few reports in the literature of primary sternal osteomyelitis caused by Actinomyces species. We describe a case of primary sternal osteomyel...

BACKGROUND Deep sternal wound complications are uncommon after cardiac surgery. They comprise sternal dehiscence, deep sternal wound infections and mediastinitis, which will be treated as varying expressions of a singular pathology for reasons explained in the text. METHODOLOGY AND REVIEW This article reviews the definition, prevalence, risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, microbiology and ma...

Reconstructing the nose, especially the alar-facial groove, is difficult because of its 3-dimensional structural characteristics. We report the case of a 33-year-old man with a history of crush injury to the nose 15 years previously. We performed reconstruction because of scar contracture formation in the left alar-facial groove (Fig. 1). This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Revie...

INTRODUCTION Desmoid tumors are benign neoplasms composed of fibrous tissue arising from musculoaponeurotic structures throughout the body. These are rare lesions accounting for only 0.03% of all tumors. Alternate names for this tumor include grade I fibrosarcoma and aggressive fibromatosis. The majority of these neoplasms present in the abdomen, with only 12% to 15% presenting in the head and ...

The nose is the central part of the face, and constitutes the most prominent projection in facial geometry. This report presents five cases that sustained a chemical burn injury with associated facial mutilation resulting from contact with strong acids. The chemical burn affected the nasal architecture after inflicting a burn injury to the face. Applying bone deriving from a split skull procedu...

Sternal wound infection is a life-threatening complication after cardiac surgery associated with high morbidity and mortality. Past treatment options have included closed suction and continuous irrigation. Current paradigms in the management of sternal wound infection include surgical debridement, vacuum-assisted closure therapy, flap coverage, and sternal plating. We provide a general overview...

BACKGROUND Deep sternal wound infections are a rare but serious complication after median sternotomy. We evaluated the incidence of deep sternal wound infection associated with two techniques for sternal closure. METHODS In this retrospective case series, we recorded the method of sternal closure in consecutive patients undergoing a variety of cardiothoracic surgical procedures. Sternal closu...

Isolated intact quiescent myocytes from the adult rat were used as a model system for investigating the determinants of contracture induced by metabolic deprivation. The model simulated the pattern of contracture and ATP decline seen in the intact heart during ischemia. Three new insights into the contracture process were gained: (1) in the quiescent cell system, the rate of onset of contractur...