Search Results (8)

Background: Colon cancer is known as one of the most prevalent malignancies in the world. This well-known pathology requires accurate lymph node dissection to achieve effective staging and improved treatment outcomes. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging has been used as a new technique for enhancing lymph node visualization during surgical intervention. The high rates of local recurrence in colon cancer patients require innovative methods to improve lymphatic mapping and lymph node dissection. This review evaluates the clinical utility and efficacy of ICG imaging in enhancing lymph node accuracy in colon cancer surgery. Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted in October 2024 (last day of consulting the database was 16 November) across Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed to identify studies published from 2020 onwards focusing on the use of indocyanine green in colon cancer surgeries. The search terms used were “indocyanine green”, “ICG”, “fluorescent imaging”, “near-infrared imaging”, “colon cancer”, “colorectal cancer”, “colon carcinoma”,” colon neoplasms”, “surgery”, “surgical procedure”, “surgical resection”, surgical precision”. The search followed PRISMA guidelines. The records underwent a two-phase independent screening process conducted by the authors, first based on the title and abstract, followed by full record evaluation. Articles were excluded following certain exclusion criteria: non-human studies; restricted access publications; other publication type than article (review, meta-analysis, questionnaire-based study, case report, etc.), studies focusing on other diseases or studies that focused on the surgical treatment of metastasis from colon cancer; foreign language (non-English); no data of interest for the current review; studies that focused on rectal cancer and that grouped rectal and colon cancer. Data extraction involved both quantitative and qualitative data, such as detection rates, sensitivity, specificity, and other surgical outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I, J Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist, and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, depending on study type. The study was not preregistered in PROSPERO. However, to ensure methodological rigor and transparency, it was retrospectively registered in Open Science Framework (OSF). Results: From the 3300 records initially identified, 9 studies were included in this review. Detection rates varied from 55% to 100%, with the highest rate reported in robot-assisted surgeries. The studies showed an improved lymph node detection and lymphatic flow accuracy using ICG fluorescence. Discussion: ICG fluorescence demonstrated substantial benefits, improving staging accuracy and potentially reducing recurrence rates by guiding the lymphadenectomy. The variability observed in detection rates is largely attributed to differences in ICG administration, cancer stage, and surgical approaches. Conclusions: ICG-guided surgery for colon cancer represents a promising advancement, enhancing lymph node detection and staging accuracy. Large-scale randomized trials are essential to establish standardized protocols and validate the efficacy in improving surgical outcomes. Full article

The Bee Cosmetic Surgery Scale (BCSS) is a novel clinical tool designed to assess the psychopathological, psychosocial, and decision-making factors involved in accepting cosmetic procedures. This prospective, multicenter study aimed to propose and validate the BCSS, which considers aesthetic aspects, personal pathological history, and psychopathological implications leading to the acceptance of invasive or non-invasive aesthetic interventions. The study included 281 participants aged 18–66 years, divided into three groups: non-invasive cosmetic surgery (NICS), invasive and non-invasive cosmetic surgery (INICS), and individuals who had not undergone cosmetic surgery (NCS). Participants were randomly selected from patients visiting plastic surgery services and various medical services in Oradea, Romania, between October 2022 and March 2024. The BCSS comprises 20 items with Likert-type responses, ranging from one to five. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to measure perceived social support. The BCSS aims to elucidate the patient’s desire for aesthetic procedures, whether it stems from an impulsive act, warrants a longer decision-making period, or necessitates addressing psychological or psychiatric conditions before scheduling the procedure. The scale enables cosmetic surgeons to assess whether the patient has been adequately informed and understands the risks and complications associated with the cosmetic surgical procedure. Full article

Background/Aim: Rapid onset of facial ptosis can impact physical appearance and compromise the outcomes of facelift procedures. The level of vitamin D has a potential correlation with collagen formation and its deficiency with inflammatory processes that affect the breakdown of hyaluronic acid. This study aims to investigate the potential relationship between accentuated facial ptosis in women and low levels of vitamin D. Furthermore, it aims to explore preventive measures or strategies to slow down facial ptosis and enhance the longevity of facelift results. Materials and Methods: The study was focused on monitoring the vitamin D levels in women and men with advanced facial ptosis and comparing them with a control group. Results: Notably, a direct association between gender and serum vitamin D levels was observed, indicating less sustainable outcomes in women. Conclusions: Women face additional challenges in the aging process due to hormonal shifts after menopause or premenopausal, which are associated with osteoporosis and lower vitamin D levels. Full article

Facelifting is increasingly popular among the population. It exceeded the limits of post-traumatic facia-reconstruction. Both the demand and the methods available are getting increasingly diverse. The minimally invasive technique revolutionized the facelift, although it took some time to completely comprehend the mechanics. The roles of vitamin D in numerous physiological processes in which it is involved have mostly been elucidated in the last decade. Our hypothesis is based on one of these roles, that is, vitamin D intervenes in changing the type of collagen by changing its location; therefore, collagen will have a supporting role for the subcutaneous tissue. A group of 156 patients with different facelifting methods was followed: 93 minimally invasive (NC), 49 classical surgery (C) and 14 with the combined technique (NC + C). The change in the subcutaneous tissue was monitored by an elastograph. The level of vitamin D was monitored in order to assess the immediate and long-term effects of vitamin D on the progression of subcutaneous fibrosis. It was proven that an optimal level of vitamin D has a beneficial effect in maintaining the volume of subcutaneous tissue in patients from the NC and NC + C groups, the best results being in the NC + C group. An increase in the subcutaneous volume was recorded, which leads to a decrease in elasticity (statistical significance p < 0.05) and the lowering of the subcutaneous tissue, and an increased amount of lowering corresponds to a lowering of vitamin D levels. Full article

Angiolipomas are rare, benign tumors resulting from the proliferation of adipose tissue and blood vessels, most frequently encountered subcutaneously at the upper limbs and trunk level. Due to their rarity, few cases of intraosseous angiolipomas are presented in the literature. The paper reports a 50-year-old female case with intracranial hypertension syndrome, frontal and parietal headache, nausea, and vomiting symptoms increasing in intensity. A CT exam revealed two hypodense expansive intraosseous formations/lesions. The first one was located in the projection of the frontal bone and the second one was placed on the left parietal bone. After further investigations, a two-stage procedure was considered. A frontal craniotomy with excision of the intraosseous tumor was performed in the first stage. In the second stage, a left parietal craniotomy was done with excision of the intraosseous tumor combined with a cranioplasty procedure. The patient had a favorable postoperative evolution with no symptoms or neurological deficits. This is among the few reported cases of intraosseous angiolipoma located at the cranium level and the first case report of two intraosseous angiolipomas situated on the same site. The medical recommendation was a complete surgical excision of the lesion followed by cranioplasty. Full article

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is involved in numerous pathologies, including endocrine pathology. The purpose of this review consists of presenting the role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology of certain endocrine disorders, autoimmune thyroid disorders (Hashimoto’s disease and Grave’s disease), diabetes mellitus, and obesity, and whether its supplementation can influence the outcome of these diseases. Materials and Methods: Review articles and original articles from the literature were consulted that corresponded with the thematic. Results: Vitamin D deficiency is frequently encountered in endocrine disorders and supplementation restores the normal values. In Hashimoto’s disease, vitamin D deficiency appears to be correlated with a higher titer of anti-TPO antibodies and with thyroid volume, and supplementation was associated with reduction of antibodies in some studies. In other studies, supplementation appeared to reduce TSH levels. In Grave’s disease, there was a significant correlation regarding vitamin D levels and thyroid volume respective to the degree of exophthalmos. In diabetes mellitus type 2 patients, supplementation led to some improvement of the HOMA-IR index and HbA1c, whereas obesity data from literature do not report significant beneficial findings. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in endocrine disorders and its supplementation appears to have numerous beneficial effects. Full article

The Hawley retainer (HR) and the vacuum-formed retainer (VFR) are the most common removable retainers in orthodontic treatments. The aim of this retrospective study was to comparatively analyze the behavior of two types of removable retainers—HRs and VFRs—in terms of retainer damage, loss, and the rate of installation of mild or severe relapse that required recourse to certain therapeutic interventions. The study was performed on 618 orthodontic patients aged 11–17 years, average age 13.98 ± 1.51, out of which 57% were patients having VFRs and the remaining 43% having HRs in the upper arch. We performed an analysis of the two groups of patients—HRs group and VFRs group—at 6 months (T1) and at 12 months (T2) after the application of the retainer. The results showed that 6% of all the retainers were damaged, mostly at T2 (54.1%). Seven percent of all the retainers were lost, mostly at T1 (58.1%). Of all the patients, 9.1% presented mild relapse, mostly at T1 (58.9%), while 2.6% presented severe relapse. The VFRs were significantly more frequently associated with the occurrence of damage than the HRs (p < 0.001). Severe relapse was more frequently associated with the HRs rather than with VFRs (p < 0.05). Full article

A novel strategy to improve the success of soft and hard tissue integration of titanium implants is the use of nanoparticles coatings made from basically any type of biocompatible substance, which can advantageously enhance the properties of the material, as compared to its similar bulk material. So, most of the physical methods approaches involve the compaction of nanoparticles versus micron-level particles to yield surfaces with nanoscale grain boundaries, simultaneously preserving the chemistry of the surface among different topographies. At the same time, nanoparticles have been known as one of the most effective antibacterial agents and can be used as effective growth inhibitors of various microorganisms as an alternative to antibiotics. In this paper, based on literature research, we present a comprehensive review of the mechanical, physical, and chemical methods for creating nano-structured titanium surfaces along with the main nanoparticles used for the surface modification of titanium implants, the fabrication methods, their main features, and the purpose of use. We also present two patented solutions which involve nanoparticles to be used in cranioplasty, i.e., a cranial endoprosthesis with a sliding system to repair the traumatic defects of the skull, and a cranial implant based on titanium mesh with osteointegrating structures and functional nanoparticles. The main outcomes of the patented solutions are: (a) a novel geometry of the implant that allow both flexible adaptation of the implant to the specific anatomy of the patient and the promotion of regeneration of the bone tissue; (b) porous structure and favorable geometry for the absorption of impregnated active substances and cells proliferation; (c) the new implant model fit 100% on the structure of the cranial defect without inducing mechanical stress; (d) allows all kinds of radiological examinations and rapid osteointegration, along with the patient recover in a shorter time. Full article