Effect of Microfocused Ultrasound on Facial Rejuvenation: Clinical and Histological Evaluation

Introduction: Micro focused ultrasound (MFU) is formed by mechanical waves emitted in a focused manner, concentrating thermal energy on a certain point or region, promoting a clinical improvement in wrinkles. Objective: evaluate the effects of micro focused ultrasound on facial rejuvenation. Methodology: This is an experimental study. The sample consisted of 30 volunteers, who were evaluated before treatment, 45 and 90 days after its beginning. A single application of the MFU was performed across the facial region. The parameters used were: 10 MHz cartridge with depth of 1.5 mm, 7 MHz with depth of 3 mm, and 4 MHz with focal depth of 4.5 mm;doses ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 J, according to the sensitivity of the volunteers treated, and the application time was of approximately 90 minutes. Clinical photographic analysis and facial symmetry analysis using Dolphin Imaging software were performed, and validated questionnaires. Two volunteers were submitted to blepharoplasty surgery, and one to rhytidoplasty surgery 45 days after the application of the MFU. Samples of the treated skin were taken after the surgical procedures and submitted to histological and immunohistochemical analyses. The volunteers answered a questionnaire to assess adverse reactions and satisfaction. Results: We observed a visible clinical improvement on the images by photography, and an improvement of facial symmetry in the measurements of the paralateronasal projection (p = 0.007), left lateral mandibular (p = 0.01), and right lateral mandibular (p = 0.008). The histological analysis showed an increase in the amount of fibroblasts (p = 0.02), blood vessels (p = 0.0062) and inflammatory cells (p = 0.0036), in addition to the production of type 1 collagen. In the immunohistochemical analysis, we observed the presence of the macrophage marker IHQ: CD68, indicating phagocytosis of adipose tissue and the presence of fibrosis. In the analysis of adverse reactions, only transient hyperemia was observed with the presence of pain during application. Additionally, the volunteers expressed high level of satisfaction (93%) with the treatment Conclusion: The MFU promoted the production of collagen, reorganization of the dermis and, clinically, a reduction of sagging and wrinkles, with increased facial symmetry.

Preliminary Report on Phenom^®Femoral Component in Total Hip Replacement: The Correlation between Outcome Scores in a Cross-Seccional Study

Background: The main purpose of the present study was to assess the short term performance of a cementless femoral stem in total hip replacement. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study of a 48-patient cohort with Phenom? femoral stems implanted between June 1, 2014 and September 1, 2018, to determine clinical performance, stability, and radiographic osseointegration. Patients were followed-up from 13 to 76 months (mean: 44.5 months) and assessed using the Harris Hip Score-HHS, the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score-HOOS and radiographs. Results: All stems were radiologically stable. Mean Harris Hip Score was 89.8 and the HOOS was 80.4. No statistical differences were observed among patients with different diagnoses. Conclusions: The short-term results revealed satisfactory clinical outcomes and radiological signs of implant stability in all cases. Using two functional scores was useful in detecting biases and a low to moderate agreement was found between the scores.

Comparative Study of Collagen Stimulation Using Semi-Ablative and Non-Ablative Radiofrequency

Objective: Comparison between semi-ablative and non-ablative radiofrequency for collagen stimulation. Method: Three volunteers with scheduled surgical procedures of abdominoplasty were selected. After the evaluation, the abdominal area was divided into three quadrants, with the right region receiving monopolar non-ablative radiofrequency (RF) application. In contrast, the left region received fractionated radiofrequency (FRF) application, using three different needle sizes (0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 mm), and the intermediate area was kept as a control. After 24 hours, surgery was performed, and the skin flaps were collected for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: An increase in total collagen and type I collagen was observed in the treated groups. There was also an increase in the expression of COX-2, CD68 positive cells (macrophages), and lymphocyte markers (CD3, CD20, and NK-CD57). Furthermore, it was seen that only the use of 3.0-mm needles kept the channels open in the superficial tissue after 24 hours. There were no significant differences between the modalities. Conclusion: Non-ablative and sub-ablative radiofrequency have positive and effective results for flaccidity, demonstrating the success in collagen production. Furthermore, this study is the first to present channel opening and permanence time, which are important to optimize the action of drug delivery.

坏疽性脓皮病作为胃腺癌的首发临床表现

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a neutrophilic dermatosis of unknown etiology characterized by typical skin ulcers. It may be related to systemic disorders but its association with solid tumors is very unusual. In this setting, we describe a patient in whom PG was the first and isolated manifestation of advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.

Effects of Hydrolysed Collagen Associated or Not with Physical Agents on Tissue and Muscle Flaccidity—Firmez Method: Case Study

The combination of therapies may be the promising future for the treatment of esthetic alterations more efficiently and in less time, in order to obtain an excellent result. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of hydrolysed collagen associated with radiofrequency and electrostimulation in the treatment of flaccidity in the abdominal and gluteal regions. The sample consisted of 6 women, evaluated through evaluation protocols, questionnaires, dynamometry, ultrasound exams, and histological analysis. The volunteers were distributed into three subgroups: hydrolysed collagen group (G-1), radiofrequency + hydrolysed collagen group (G-2) and radiofrequency + hydrolysed collagen + electrostimulation group (G-3). The ultrasound analysis of the abdominal muscles showed an increase in muscle thickness in all groups, but not significant (p > 0.05). The histological analysis showed an evident increase in type I collagen in groups G-2 and G-3, with proliferating cells (Ki67+). The results of dynamometry showed significant values in different times (p < 0.05). There was a significant result in the infraumbilical perimetry analysis, when compared between the groups with 30 days (p = 0.03) and with 60 days (p = 0.04). All participants rated the treatment positively. The use of combined therapies has shown superior results for the treatment of abdominal and gluteal flaccidity when compared with its isolated use, being the combination of therapies important in the treatment of flaccidity.

Multi-target prediction of wheat flour quality parameters with near infrared spectroscopy

Near Infrared(NIR)spectroscopy is an analytical technology widely used for the nondestructive characterisation of organic samples,considering both qualitative and quantitative attributes.In the present study,the combination of Multi-target(MT)prediction approaches and Machine Learning algorithms has been evaluated as an effective strategy to improve prediction performances of NIR data from wheat flour samples.Three different Multi-target approaches have been tested:Multi-target Regressor Stacking(MTRS),Ensemble of Regressor Chains(ERC)and Deep Structure for Tracking Asynchronous Regressor Stack(DSTARS).Each one of these techniques has been tested with different regression methods:Support Vector Machine(SVM),Random Forest(RF)and Linear Regression(LR),on a dataset composed of NIR spectra of bread wheat flours for the prediction of qualityrelated parameters.By combining all MT techniques and predictors,we obtained an improvement up to 7%in predictive performance,compared with the corresponding Single-target(ST)approaches.The results support the potential advantage of MT techniques over ST techniques for analysing NIR spectra.