The landscape of current trends and procedures in plastic surgery practices across the D-A-CH region:An in-depth analysis of 511 websites

Background: Recent data shows a 139.9% global increase in aesthetic procedures since 2011, with a notable 190.5% rise in Germany. This study analyzes the current landscape of plastic surgery in German-speaking European countries, focusing on the range of procedures offered in plastic surgery practices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We aimed to provide an overview of the current trends and procedures of plastic surgery in the practice setting in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Methods: The information sampled from the websites of n = 511 plastic surgery practices (314 German, 113 Austrian, 84 Swiss) were analyzed with regards to general information, as well as procedures offered on the websites. A set of different procedures, belonging to each pillar of plastic surgery (i.e., Aesthetic, Reconstructive, Hand, Burn surgery) as well as non-surgical aesthetic procedures was analyzed. Results: Aesthetic surgical procedures were offered most often with 98.8% (506) of all websites analyzed, followed by Hand surgery at 29.7% (152), Reconstructive surgery at 27.8% (142) and Burn surgery at 5.7% (29). Reconstructive and Hand surgery were statistically significantly most commonly offered on Austrian plastic surgery websites, with p = 0.011 and p &lt; 0.001, respectively. Among aesthetic surgical procedures, statistically significant regional differences were found for head and neck, body and breast procedures most commonly offered on Swiss plastic surgery with p = 0.041, p = 0.010 and p = 0.003, respectively, while the procedures of the intimate region were most commonly offered on German websites with p = 0.007.Conclusions: Plastic surgery websites in German-speaking European countries predominantly advertise aesthetic surgical procedures, with other domains of plastic surgery such as reconstructive, hand, and burn surgery being less prominent, suggesting an underrepresentation. Regional differences between the countries investigated are evident, underscoring the need for a more balanced approach in plastic surgery care in the practice setting.</p

Truth Lies in the Depths: Novel Insights into Facial Aesthetic Measurements from a U.S. Survey Panel.

BACKGROUND Aesthetic facial bone surgery and facial implantology expand the boundaries of conventional facial surgery that focus on facial soft tissue. This study aimed to reveal novel aesthetic facial measurements to provide tailored treatment concepts and advance patient care. METHODS A total of n=101 study participants (46 females and 55 males) were presented with 120 patient portraits (frontal images in natural head posture; 60 females and 60 males) and asked to assess the facial attractiveness (scale 0-10; "How attractive do you find the person in the image?") and the model capability score (MCS; scale 0-10; "How likely do you think the person in the image could pursue a modelling career?"). For each frontal photograph, defined facial measurements and ratios were taken to analyse their relationship with the perception of facial attractiveness and MCS. RESULTS The overall attractiveness rating was 4.3 ± 1.1, while the mean MCS was 3.4 ± 1.1. In young males, there was a significant correlation between attractiveness and the zygoma-mandible angle (ZMA)2 (r= - 0.553; p= 0.011). In young and middle-aged females, MCS was significantly correlated with facial width (FW)1-FW2 ratio (r= 0.475; p= 0.034). For all male individuals, a ZMA1 value of 171.79 degrees (Y= 0.313; p= 0.024) was the most robust cut-off to determine facial attractiveness. The majority of human evaluators (n=62; 51.7%) considered facial implants a potential treatment to improve the patient's facial attractiveness. CONCLUSION This study introduced novel metrics of facial attractiveness, focusing on the facial skeleton. Our findings emphasized the significance of zygomatic measurements and mandibular projections for facial aesthetics, with FI representing a promising surgical approach to optimize facial aesthetics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266

Immune modulation in transplant medicine: a comprehensive review of cell therapy applications and future directions.

Balancing the immune response after solid organ transplantation (SOT) and vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) remains an ongoing clinical challenge. While immunosuppressants can effectively reduce acute rejection rates following transplant surgery, some patients still experience recurrent acute rejection episodes, which in turn may progress to chronic rejection. Furthermore, these immunosuppressive regimens are associated with an increased risk of malignancies and metabolic disorders. Despite significant advancements in the field, these IS related side effects persist as clinical hurdles, emphasizing the need for innovative therapeutic strategies to improve transplant survival and longevity. Cellular therapy, a novel therapeutic approach, has emerged as a potential pathway to promote immune tolerance while minimizing systemic side-effects of standard IS regiments. Various cell types, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), regulatory myeloid cells (RMCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), offer unique immunomodulatory properties that may help achieve improved outcomes in transplant patients. This review aims to elucidate the role of cellular therapies, particularly MSCs, T cells, Tregs, RMCs, macrophages, and dendritic cells in SOT and VCA. We explore the immunological features of each cell type, their capacity for immune regulation, and the prospective advantages and obstacles linked to their application in transplant patients. An in-depth outline of the current state of the technology may help SOT and VCA providers refine their perioperative treatment strategies while laying the foundation for further trials that investigate cellular therapeutics in transplantation surgery

Immune modulation in transplant medicine: a comprehensive review of cell therapy applications and future directions

Balancing the immune response after solid organ transplantation (SOT) and vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) remains an ongoing clinical challenge. While immunosuppressants can effectively reduce acute rejection rates following transplant surgery, some patients still experience recurrent acute rejection episodes, which in turn may progress to chronic rejection. Furthermore, these immunosuppressive regimens are associated with an increased risk of malignancies and metabolic disorders. Despite significant advancements in the field, these IS related side effects persist as clinical hurdles, emphasizing the need for innovative therapeutic strategies to improve transplant survival and longevity. Cellular therapy, a novel therapeutic approach, has emerged as a potential pathway to promote immune tolerance while minimizing systemic side-effects of standard IS regiments. Various cell types, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), regulatory myeloid cells (RMCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), offer unique immunomodulatory properties that may help achieve improved outcomes in transplant patients. This review aims to elucidate the role of cellular therapies, particularly MSCs, T cells, Tregs, RMCs, macrophages, and dendritic cells in SOT and VCA. We explore the immunological features of each cell type, their capacity for immune regulation, and the prospective advantages and obstacles linked to their application in transplant patients. An in-depth outline of the current state of the technology may help SOT and VCA providers refine their perioperative treatment strategies while laying the foundation for further trials that investigate cellular therapeutics in transplantation surgery