Considerations for breast reconstructive surgery in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic

CITATION: Al-Benna, S. & Gohritz, A. 2020. Considerations for breast reconstructive surgery in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. South African Journal of Surgery, 58(3):126-127, doi:10.17159/2078-5151/2020/v58n3a3348.The original publication is available at: http://www.scielo.org.zaENGLISH ABSTRACT: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has added a layer of complexity to surgical decision making particularly for complex reconstructive oncological surgery. In the absence of data on which to base validated strategies for breast reconstruction in the South African context, this article discusses the current trends in management and potential approaches which could be employedPublisher's versio

Axonal mapping of the motor cranial nerves

Basic behaviors, such as swallowing, speech, and emotional expressions are the result of a highly coordinated interplay between multiple muscles of the head. Control mechanisms of such highly tuned movements remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the neural components responsible for motor control of the facial, masticatory, and tongue muscles in humans using specific molecular markers (ChAT, MBP, NF, TH). Our findings showed that a higher number of motor axonal population is responsible for facial expressions and tongue movements, compared to muscles in the upper extremity. Sensory axons appear to be responsible for neural feedback from cutaneous mechanoreceptors to control the movement of facial muscles and the tongue. The newly discovered sympathetic axonal population in the facial nerve is hypothesized to be responsible for involuntary control of the muscle tone. These findings shed light on the pivotal role of high efferent input and rich somatosensory feedback in neuromuscular control of finely adjusted cranial systems