Treatment of a double-giant Rhinophyma with electrocautery and Versajet hydrosurgery system

Rhinophyma is a disfiguring condition etiologically related to rosacea and due to hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands of the nose. It leads to a progressive thickening of the skin up to the development, in some cases, of severe deformities that result in significant functional deficits and serious cosmetic damage. We report a case of giant rhinophyma consisting of 2 large masses that interfered with feeding and respiration of the patient, and we describe the surgical treatment by resection with electrosurgery and razor-thin saline jet (Versajet Hydrosurgery System). This combined approach is simple and effective for the treatment of severe cases of rhinophyma

Pseudouridine profiling reveals regulated mRNA pseudouridylation in yeast and human cells

Post-transcriptional modification of RNA nucleosides occurs in all living organisms. Pseudouridine, the most abundant modified nucleoside in non-coding RNAs, enhances the function of transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA by stabilizing the RNA structure. Messenger RNAs were not known to contain pseudouridine, but artificial pseudouridylation dramatically affects mRNA function—it changes the genetic code by facilitating non-canonical base pairing in the ribosome decoding centre. However, without evidence of naturally occurring mRNA pseudouridylation, its physiological relevance was unclear. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of pseudouridylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human RNAs using Pseudo-seq, a genome-wide, single-nucleotide-resolution method for pseudouridine identification. Pseudo-seq accurately identifies known modification sites as well as many novel sites in non-coding RNAs, and reveals hundreds of pseudouridylated sites in mRNAs. Genetic analysis allowed us to assign most of the new modification sites to one of seven conserved pseudouridine synthases, Pus1–4, 6, 7 and 9. Notably, the majority of pseudouridines in mRNA are regulated in response to environmental signals, such as nutrient deprivation in yeast and serum starvation in human cells. These results suggest a mechanism for the rapid and regulated rewiring of the genetic code through inducible mRNA modifications. Our findings reveal unanticipated roles for pseudouridylation and provide a resource for identifying the targets of pseudouridine synthases implicated in human disease.American Cancer Society (Robbie Sue Mudd Kidney Cancer Research Scholar Grant RSG-13-396-01-RMC)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (GM094303)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (GM081399)American Cancer Society. New England Division (Ellison Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship)American Cancer Society (Postdoctoral Fellowship PF-13-319-01-RMC)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Pre-doctoral Training Grant T32GM007287

Common Peptides Study of Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) constitute an essential enzyme super-family, providing fidelity of the translation process of mRNA to proteins in living cells. They are common to all kingdoms and are of utmost importance to all organisms. It is thus of great interest to understand the evolutionary relationships among them and underline signature motifs defining their common domains.We utilized the Common Peptides (CPs) framework, based on extracted deterministic motifs from all aaRSs, to study family-specific properties. We identified novel aaRS–class related signatures that may supplement the current classification methods and provide a basis for identifying functional regions specific to each aaRS class. We exploited the space spanned by the CPs in order to identify similarities between aaRS families that are not observed using sequence alignment methods, identifying different inter-aaRS associations across different kingdom of life. We explored the evolutionary history of the aaRS families and evolutionary origins of the mitochondrial aaRSs. Lastly, we showed that prevalent CPs significantly overlap known catalytic and binding sites, suggesting that they have meaningful functional roles, as well as identifying a motif shared between aaRSs and a the Biotin-[acetyl-CoA carboxylase] synthetase (birA) enzyme overlapping binding sites in both families.The study presents the multitude of ways to exploit the CP framework in order to extract meaningful patterns from the aaRS super-family. Specific CPs, discovered in this study, may play important roles in the functionality of these enzymes. We explored the evolutionary patterns in each aaRS family and tracked remote evolutionary links between these families

International lower limb collaborative (INTELLECT) study: a multicentre, international retrospective audit of lower extremity open fractures

Trauma remains a major cause of mortality and disability across the world1, with a higher burden in developing nations2. Open lower extremity injuries are devastating events from a physical3, mental health4, and socioeconomic5 standpoint. The potential sequelae, including risk of chronic infection and amputation, can lead to delayed recovery and major disability6. This international study aimed to describe global disparities, timely intervention, guideline-directed care, and economic aspects of open lower limb injuries

Creating a new microsurgical service

To keep pace with increasing demands for reconstruction, it is likely that in addition to expansion of existing units, new centres will emerge offering a microsurgery service \u2018de novo/from scratch\u2019, especially in developing countries. We describe our experience in the creation of a new microsurgery service; and identify the important factors for its successful implementation

Middle-retroauricular Island Flap: A New Axial Flap for Reconstruction of Non-helical Ear Defects

Background: Surgical treatment of ear carcinomas needs the selection of the appropriate reconstructive techniques, which depends on the location and the dimensions of the defect after excision of the cancer and the quality of blood supply to the peri-lesional skin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and reliability of a new axial island retroauricular flap (middle-retroauricular island flap M-RIF) for coverage of non-helical ear defects with direct donor site closure. Methods: All patients, from January 2013 to January 2020, with skin tumors of the non-helix region and undergoing a combined skin-cartilage excision with M-RIF local flap reconstruction under local anesthesia, were enrolled in the study. Results: 18 patients (14 men and 4 women) underwent auricle skin-cartilage excision and M-RIF flap reconstruction. The mean age was 65 years (range, 60-85); the type of primary lesions were 12 BCC and 6 SCC. One flap wound dehiscence and one donor site infection and partial necrosis of the posterior auricular skin occurred; no other complications were recorded. Conclusions: The M-RIF flap is a valid surgical option when dealing with non-helical defects of the anterior pinna. It allows the reconstruction of the defect of the entire anterior surface of the auricle apart from the helix and the lobe and primary donor site closure