Levator alae nasi muscle V-Y island flap for nasal tip reconstruction

Nasal tip reconstruction can be very challenging. It requires close attention to skin texture, colour and thickness matching, with the respect of the nasal aesthetic units and symmetry. Flaps are usually preferred to skin grafts where possible. Based on different donor areas, various flaps have been described for reconstruction of this region. Here we present a new V-Y myocutaneous island flap based on the levator alae nasi muscle (LAN muscle) blood supply. This flap may represent an alternative to the nasalis myocutaneous sliding V-Y flap previously described by Rybka. As its pivot point it is located more cranially than the nasalis flap, and it can advance more medially than the Rybka flap, with the possibility of covering larger defects of the nasal tip area, up to 1.8 cm in diameter. Over the past 5 years, 24 patients received nasal tip reconstruction with this flap following the resection of basal cell carcinomas. Good tip projection was maintained, and the aesthetic outcome was satisfactory, with well healed scars. We recommend this technique as an alternative to other flaps for nasal tip defects, especially if paramedian

Static balance and dynamic balance related to rotational movement in ballet dance students

This document is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport on 1 December 2017, available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2016.11868929.The aim of this study was to assess static and dynamic balance related to rotational movements en pointe and en demi pointe in ballet dance students. The study group consisted of 13 people – students of one of the ballet schools in Poland: 9 dancers from the junior class (14 years old) and 4 dancers form the senior class (18 years old). For the purpose of statistical analysis, the group was divided into 4 subgroups. Each person took part in a static balance test which included a 30s trial with eyes opened and 30s trial with eyes closed. The examination of dynamic balance related to rotational movements was also performed to compare movements en pointe vs. movements en demi pointe. Analyses were performed using the Kistler 9286BA platforms, which are the module of BTS Smart DX 7000. Data processing was performed with the use of BTS Sway and Statistica 10. Accepted level of significance was α = 0.05. Increase in the following center of pressure parameters was observed in the examination with eyes closed: maximal radius, longitudinal range, equivalent area and velocity. Participants from the senior class did not show these differences. There were no differences found between movements en demi pointe in comparison with movements en pointe. Static balance deteriorated with eyes closed in the entire examined group. Participants from the senior class showed more stable parameters of static balance. There were no differences in dynamic balance when the base of support was decreased.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

RGDS peptide induces caspase 8 and caspase 9 activation in human endothelial cells

AbstractPeptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif inhibit cell adhesion and exhibit a variety of other biologic effects including anticoagulant and antimetastatic activities. The aim of the present study was to examine the anchorage-independent effects of an RGD-containing peptide, Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS), on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Assays were performed on HUVECs seeded onto collagen IV; under these experimental conditions RGDS did not exert antiadhesive effects but significantly reduced FGF-2-dependent chemotaxis after 4 hours of treatment and reduced proliferation after 24 hours of treatment. Experiments carried out with caspase-specific inhibitors indicated that the observed antichemotactic effects required caspase 8 and caspase 9 activation. RGDS activated both caspase 8 and caspase 9 after 4 hours of treatment and caspase 3 after 24 hours of treatment, and markedly enhanced HUVEC apoptosis by transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL)/Hoechst staining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Finally, confocal microscopy showed that RGDS localizes in the cytoplasm of live HUVECs within 4 hours and in vitro experiments showed that RGDS directly interacts with recombinant caspases 8 and 9 in a specific way. In summary, these results indicate that RGDS directly binds and activates caspases 8 and 9, inhibits chemotaxis, and induces apoptosis of HUVECs with a mechanism independent from its antiadhesive effect

Photorealistic True-Dimensional Visualization of Remote Panoramic Views for VR Headsets

© 2023 IEEE. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Virtual Reality headsets have evolved to include unprecedented display quality. Meantime, they have become light-weight, wireless and low-cost, which has opened to new applications and a much wider audience. Photo-based omnidirectional imaging has also developed, becoming directly exploitable for VR, with their combination proven suitable for: remote visits and realistic scene reconstruction, operator’s training and control panels, surveillance and e-tourism. There is however a limited amount of scientific work assessing VR experience and user’s performance in photo-based environment representations. This paper focuses on assessing the effect of photographic realism in VR when observing real places through a VR headset, for two different pixel-densities of the display, environment types and familiarity levels. Our comparison relies on the observation of static three-dimensional and omnidirectional photorealistic views of environments. The aim is to gain an insight about how photographic texture can affect perceived realness, sense of presence and provoked emotions, as well as perception of image-lighting and actual space dimension (true-dimension). Two user studies are conducted based on subjective rating and measurements given by users to a number of display and human factors. The display pixel-density affected the perceived image-lighting and prevailed over better lighting specs. The environment illumination and distance to objects generally played a stronger role than display. The environment affected the perceived image-lighting, spatial presence, depth impression and specific emotions. Distances to a set of objects were generally accurately estimated. Place familiarity enhanced perceived realism and presence. They confirmed some previous studies, but also introduced new elements.Peer reviewe

Proposal for a Method of Constructing Inclusive Urban Green Infrastructure

Population ageing and growing awareness of the need for physical activity is one of the most important topics in Europe nowadays. But it should be noted that there is still no interdisciplinary and integrated approach to urban environment planning concerning physical activity of elderly people which would take into account special needs and possibilities of this particular group. Elderly people represent one of the groups which are threatened with social exclusion for different reasons. This article presents a proposal for a method of constructing a spatial system consisting of natural and anthropogenic elements of urban environment which can be interpreted as Inclusive Urban Green Infrastructure, enabling active and healthy ways of recreation, including the needs of elderly persons. It is based on the existing elements of the environment, but to create a well-functioning system in urban space it is necessary to introduce additional elements, both natural and man-created. The method refers to the spatial definition of areas for active recreation which meet the adopted, specific for elderly people, pro-health and functional requirements. Creation of such a system in cities would contribute to inclusion of this group into social life, thus boosting social coherence and integration across generations, and would also bring beneficial health results. Such infrastructure would also be of considerable importance for sustainable urban growth and improvement of the quality of urban space. The paper is based on source materials from the fields of science investigating health in connection with physiology of the process of ageing, influence of physical activity on this process, impact of negative features of the environment on the health of elderly people as well as urban space planning and development. The proposed methodology of constructing Inclusive Urban Green Infrastructure is presented on the example of Łódź, using data from the Geographic Information System (Topographic Objects Database) and population database for cities

Intuitive Robot Teleoperation through Multi-Sensor Informed Mixed Reality Visual Aids

© 2021 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Mobile robotic systems have evolved to include sensors capable of truthfully describing robot status and operating environment as accurately and reliably as never before. This possibility is challenged by effective sensor data exploitation, because of the cognitive load an operator is exposed to, due to the large amount of data and time-dependency constraints. This paper addresses this challenge in remote-vehicle teleoperation by proposing an intuitive way to present sensor data to users by means of using mixed reality and visual aids within the user interface. We propose a method for organizing information presentation and a set of visual aids to facilitate visual communication of data in teleoperation control panels. The resulting sensor-information presentation appears coherent and intuitive, making it easier for an operator to catch and comprehend information meaning. This increases situational awareness and speeds up decision-making. Our method is implemented on a real mobile robotic system operating outdoor equipped with on-board internal and external sensors, GPS, and a reconstructed 3D graphical model provided by an assistant drone. Experimentation verified feasibility while intuitive and comprehensive visual communication was confirmed through a qualitative assessment, which encourages further developments.Peer reviewe

Potential for a Circular Autopoietic Economy on Canavese Territory

The aim of this gigamap is to describe and summarize a student work carried out during the semester course Open Systems Design at Politecnico Torino. The map is one of the outputs from an analysis of the Canavese, Piedmont region and subsequently an in-depth study of the relationships and “flows” with certain “currencies” between some selected economic and public actors. Canavese is a historical-geographical area located in the province of Turin, Italy; it’s full of great natural and geological spots, with a strong enogastronomic identity, historical re-enactments, a well-known manufacture sector like the ceramic of Castellamonte, as well as the leading high-tech branch like Arduino. Through the approach deriving from systemic design, it was possible to identify some strategies for the creation of new networks aimed at transforming the economy and production processes from linear to circular approach. Five types of “circular flows” were assessed and “designed into” the current linear system, thus proposing an improved economy based on circularity: flows of matter (energy/CO2, water, materials), economic flows, and social flows. The Gigamap will be presented to stakeholders in a public hearing and supposedly be used to illustrate and incubate a circular economy that is more resilient and more regenerative. Reading the map The reading should start at the top left, where the abstract is located, next, there is an outline that shows the connections between the five topics investigated. Subsequently, there is a timeline with some fundamental events in the history of the Canavese. In the center there is the circularity map with the main cities, focusing on new opportunities of circular flows between the 15 analysed economic actors. At the bottom, some general data and on the right a brief description of the role and territorial qualities of the companies. Lastly, there is a summary of the emerging properties

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P < 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P < 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation