Overlying Skin (overlying + skin)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Cryolipolysis for Noninvasive Fat Cell Destruction: Initial Results from a Pig Model

DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 10 2009
BRIAN ZELICKSON MD
BACKGROUND Liposuction is one of the most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the United States, but its cost and downtime has led to the development of noninvasive approaches for adipose tissue reduction. OBJECTIVE To determine whether noninvasive controlled and selective destruction of fat cells (Cryolipolysis) can selectively damage subcutaneous fat without causing damage to the overlying skin or rise in lipid levels. METHODS Three Yucatan pigs underwent Cryolipolysis at 22 sites: 20 at cooling intensity factor (CIF) index 24.5 (,43.8 mW/cm2), one at CIF 24.9 (,44.7 mW/cm2), and one at CIF 25.4 (,45.6 mW/cm2). Treated areas were evaluated using photography, ultrasound, and gross and microscopic pathology. Lipids were at various times points. One additional pig underwent Cryolipolysis at various days before euthanasia. RESULTS The treatments resulted in a significant reduction in the superficial fat layer without damage to the overlying skin. An inflammatory response triggered by cold-induced apoptosis of adipocytes preceded the reduction in the fat layer. Evaluation of lipids over a 3-month period following treatment demonstrated that cholesterol and triglyceride values remained normal. CONCLUSIONS Cryolipolysis is worthy of further study because it has been shown to significantly decrease subcutaneous fat and change body contour without causing damage to the overlying skin and surrounding structures or deleterious changes in blood lipids. [source]


Papillary thyroid carcinoma with metastasis to the frontal skull

DIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Dian Feng M.D., Ph.D.
Abstract Papillary thyroid carcinoma with metastasis to the frontal skull is extremely rare. We report a case of unsuspected papillary thyroid carcinoma with frontal skull metastasis. The patient was a 62-year-old African American woman with presentation of a 4-cm firm, painless, immobile, ill-defined mass at the right forehead. Ultrasound and computer tonography detected a hypervascular and osteolytic tumor involving the skull and overlying skin. Fine-needle aspiration was performed followed by surgical biopsy. Cytologic examination revealed the presence of hypercellular and bloody material. The neoplasm showed glandular features and was composed of clusters of round to oval cells with pinkish squamoid cytoplasm, oval nuclei and inconspicuous nucleoli on smears and sections of cell block. With immunocytochemical stain, the neoplastic cells were positive for pancytokeratin and vimentin and focally positive for EMA, while they were negative for S100, HMB45, Melan-A, CD34, GFAP, CD10, LCA, RCC and CD138. The diagnosis was a metastatic carcinoma. Clinical follow up with surgical biopsy was recommended. Surgical biopsy demonstrated histological and cytological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma including prominent papillae, nuclear overlapping, grooves, and intranuclear pseudoinclusions. Thus, a diagnosis of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma was rendered. Though skull metastasis of thyroid carcinoma is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a skull mass lesion is encountered. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The salvage of aneurysmal fistulae utilizing a modified buttonhole cannulation technique and multiple cannulators

HEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006
Rosa M. MARTICORENA
Abstract We describe the St Michael's Hospital (SMH) modified buttonhole (BH) cannulation technique as a method that offers a solution for fistulae with aneurysmal dilatation due to repetitive cannulation in a restricted area. This is a prospective cohort study of 14 chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients with problematic fistulae (marked aneurysmal formation and thinning of the overlying skin, bleeding during treatment, and prolonged hemostasis post-HD) because of repetitive, localized cannulation. Each patient was followed for 12 months. The protocol was as follows: creation of tunnel tracks by 1 to 3 experienced cannulators per patient, using sharp needles. After the tunnel tracks were established and cannulation was easily achieved with dull needles, additional cannulators were incorporated with the guidance of a mentor. Bleeding from cannulation sites during dialysis ceased within 2 weeks and skin damage resolved within 6 months in all patients. Hemostasis time postdialysis decreased from 24 to 15 min. Cannulation pain scores decreased significantly. Access flows and dynamic venous pressure measurements remained unchanged. No interventions were required to maintain access patency. In 2 cases, the aneurysms became much less evident. Complications included one episode of septic arthritis and one contact dermatitis. A third patient developed acute bacterial endocarditis 9 months following completion of her follow-up. The SMH modified BH cannulation technique can salvage problematic fistulae, prevent further damage, and induce healing of the skin in the areas of repetitive cannulation. This technique can be successfully achieved by multiple cannulators in a busy full-care HD unit. [source]


Linear-agminated juvenile xanthogranulomas

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2008
Despoina Kiorpelidou MD
An 8-month-old girl presented with an asymptomatic skin lesion on the right popliteal fossa, which had been present for approximately 6 months. The child had a past medical history of a urinary tract infection at the age of 1 month and had been on daily cotrimoxazole since. There was no history of trauma to the site. Examination revealed a solitary, well-demarcated, plaque-like lesion on the right popliteal fossa, with multiple agminated papules in an almost linear distribution (Fig. 1a). The lesion did not follow Blaschko's lines, but was vertical to them. The plaque was slightly indurated, measuring approximately 4 × 1.5 cm, fixed to the overlying skin but movable over the deeper tissue. The papules were yellowish in color and firm to palpation, showing a positive Darier's sign (Fig. 1b,c). There was no regional adenopathy and no other skin lesions were observed. The physical examination and laboratory investigations were otherwise unremarkable. There was no hepatosplenomegaly, and an ocular examination and chest X-ray were normal. Figure 1. Juvenile xanthogranuloma: agminated nodulopapular lesions on the right popliteal fossa (a) showing positive Darier's sign (b and c; arrows) ,A biopsy from the lesion (Fig. 2a) revealed a dermal infiltrate of histiocytes, some of which were foamy, and admixed Touton-type giant cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and mast cells. By immunohistochemistry, the predominant cell population was CD68 (KP-1, MIB-1, and PG-M1, all pursued from Dako) positive, but S-100 protein and CD1a negative (Fig. 2b,e). By Giemsa stain, scattered mast cells (< 5% of the total cell number) were detectable within the lesion. The morphology and immunohistochemistry of the lesion were diagnostic for juvenile xanthogranuloma. Eight months later, the lesion was still present but slightly elongated, proportional to the child's growth, and hyperpigmented. Figure 2. Juvenile xanthogranuloma: histomorphology of skin lesion showing a cell-rich histiocytic dermal infiltrate (a) with immunohistochemical characteristics (b,e) of non-Langerhans dendritic cells (a, hematoxylin and eosin; b, anti-S-100 protein; c, anti-CD-1a; d, e, anti-CD68 monocytic markers MIB-1 and KP-1, respectively; a,e, initial magnification ×40) [source]


Vascular alterations in the rabbit patellar tendon after surgical incision

JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2001
M. R. DOSCHAK
Open incision of the patellar tendon (PT) is thought to promote acute vascular responses which ultimately result in an enhanced degree of tendon repair. Such a clinical procedure is commonly applied to patients with refractory tendinitis. The objective of this study was to quantify the vascular adaptations (both anatomical and physiological) to longitudinal incision of the PT, and the resultant effects on tendon organisation. Fifty-four New Zealand White rabbits were separated into 3 experimental groups and 2 control groups. Experimental groups underwent surgical incision of the right PT, and were assessed 3 d, 10 d and 42 d following injury; normal unoperated controls were evaluated at time zero, and sham-operated controls were evaluated at 3 d to control for the effects of incising the overlying skin. Quantitative measures of PT blood supply (blood flow, microvascular volume) and geometric properties of PT substance were obtained for each PT. Histomorphology was assessed to evaluate vascular remodelling and matrix organisation in the healing PT. Longitudinal open incision surgery of the PT led to rapid increases in both blood flow and vascular volume. The incision of overlying tissues alone (sham-operated) contributed to this measurable increase, and accounted for 36% and 42% of the elevated blood flow and vascular volume respectively at the 3 d interval. In the incised PT, blood flow significantly increased by 3 d compared with both time zero and sham-operated controls, and remained significantly elevated at the 10 d interval. Similarly, vascular volume of the incised PT increased at 3 d compared both with time zero and sham-operated controls. At the 10 d interval, the increase in vascular volume was greatest in the central PT substance. By 42 d both blood flow and vascular volume of the incised tendon had diminished, with only blood flow remaining significantly different from controls. In the contralateral limb, a significant neurogenically mediated vasodilation was measured in the contralateral PTs at both early time intervals, but was not seen by the later 42 d interval. With respect to PT geometric properties in the experimental animals, a larger PT results as the tendon matrix and blood vessels remodel. PT cross-sectional area increased rapidly by 3 d to 1·3 times control values, and remained significantly elevated at 42 d postinjury. Morphological assessments demonstrated the disruption of matrix organisation by vascular and soft tissue components associated with the longitudinal incisions. Substantial changes in matrix organisation persisted at 42 d after surgery. These findings suggest that open longitudinal incision of the PT increases the vascular supply to deep tendon early after injury. These changes probably arise through both vasomotor and angiogenic activity in the tissue. Since PT blood flow and vascular volume return towards control levels after 6 wk but structural features remain disorganised, we propose that vascular remodelling is more rapid and complete than matrix remodelling after surgical incision of the PT. [source]


Sebaceous Carcinoma of the Eyelid: Analogy to Extramammary Paget's Disease

JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2005
J.B. Lee
We present a 69-year-old woman with a sebaceous carcinoma of the left upper eyelid, which originated from the Meibomian gland of the tarsal plate. The intraepidermal extension involved not only the conjunctival epithelium but also the overlying skin with subsequent extension into the dermis. The discussion will include diagnostic, both clinical and microscopic, considerations along with comparison to mammary Paget's disease. Just as mammary Paget's disease, which originates from the glands in the dermis eventuating in the seeding of the overlying epidermis, so too does sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid. Accordingly, just as mammary Paget's disease is often misdiagnosed as an inflammatory condition, so too is sebaceous carcinoma. [source]


Lymphoscintigraphic and intraoperative detection of the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer patients: The nuclear medicine perspective

JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2004
Giuliano Mariani MD
Abstract The concept of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer surgery relates to the fact that the tumor drains in a logical way via the lymphatic system, from the first to upper levels. Therefore, (1) the first lymph node met (the sentinel node) will most likely be the first one affected by metastasis, and (2) a negative sentinel node makes it highly unlikely that other nodes are affected. Sentinel lymph node biopsy would represent a significant advantage as a mini-invasive procedure, considering that, after operation, about 70% of patients are found to be free from metastatic disease, yet axillary node dissection can lead to significant morbidity. Although the pattern of lymphatic drainage from a breast cancer can be very variable, the mammary gland and the overlying skin can be considered as a biologic unit in which lymphatics tend to follow the vasculature. Considering that tumor lymphatics are disorganized and relatively ineffective, subdermal, and peritumoral injection of small aliquots of radiotracer is preferred to intratumoral administration. 99mTc-labeled colloids with most of the particles in the 100,200 nm size range would be ideal for radioguided sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer. Lymphoscintigraphy is an essential part of radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy, as images are used to direct the surgeon to the site of the node. The sentinel lymph node should have a significantly higher count than background. After removal of the sentinel node, the axilla must be re-examined to ensure all radioactive sites are identified and removed for analysis. The success rate of radioguidance in localizing the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer surgery is about 94,97% in Institutions where a high number of procedures are performed, approaching 99% when combined with the vital blue dye technique. At present, there is no definite evidence that a negative sentinel lymph node biopsy is invariably correlated with a negative axillary status, except perhaps for T1a-b breast cancers, with size ,1 cm. Randomized clinical trials should elucidate the impact of avoiding axillary node dissection in patients with a negative sentinel lymph node on the long-term clinical outcome of patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2004;85:112,122. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Ultrasound guidance and monitoring of laser-based fat removal

LASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 10 2008
Jignesh Shah MS
Abstract Background and Objectives We report on a study to investigate feasibility of utilizing ultrasound imaging to guide laser removal of subcutaneous fat. Ultrasound imaging can be used to identify the tissue composition and to monitor the temperature increase in response to laser irradiation. Study Design/Materials and Methods Laser heating was performed on ex vivo porcine subcutaneous fat through the overlying skin using a continuous wave laser operating at 1,210 nm optical wavelength. Ultrasound images were recorded using a 10 MHz linear array-based ultrasound imaging system. Results Ultrasound imaging was utilized to differentiate between water-based and lipid-based regions within the porcine tissue and to identify the dermis-fat junction. Temperature maps during the laser exposure in the skin and fatty tissue layers were computed. Conclusions Results of our study demonstrate the potential of using ultrasound imaging to guide laser fat removal. Lasers Surg. Med. 40:680,687, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Anatomic basis of perforator flaps of medial vastus muscle

MICROSURGERY, Issue 1 2008
Heping Zheng Ph.D.
The purpose of this study was to elucidate anatomical features of perforating branch flaps based on the muscular branches of the medial vastus muscle and to seek a new, applicable technique that could be used in repairing soft tissue defects around human knees. In this study, the origin, the course, the branches, the distribution, and the distal anastomosis of the muscular branch of the medial vastus muscle were observed in 30 sides of adult cadaveric lower limb specimens with the adductor tubercle, the patella midpoint, and the inguinal ligament midpoint as the observation markers. The specimens had been perfused arterially with red gelatin before they were supplied. It was observed that the femoral artery gave constant muscular branches into the medial vastus muscle at the tip of the femoral triangle. The artery entered the muscle via the hilum and ran laterally downwards along the muscular bundle until it reached the lateral patella to anastomose with the arterial circle around the bone. Along its course, it also gave 1,3 (1/77%) musculocutaneous perforating branches (0.5,0.9 mm in diameter). It then extended vertically through the medial vastus muscle into the deep fascia and ran superficially to the overlying skin of the muscle. A flap based on the perforating branch of the medial vastus muscle could be harvested at a size of about 8.5 cm × 15.0 cm and might be transferred retrograde to repair the soft tissue defect around the knee. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2008. [source]


Low-grade periductal stromal sarcoma of the breast with myxoid features: Immunohistochemistry

PATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 8 2009
Davor Tomas
A 52-year-old woman was admitted with a painful right breast tumor measuring more than 20 cm in largest diameter, which ulcerated the overlying skin. The lesion had appeared 4 years previously but the patient hesitated to seek medical care due to ,fear of cancer'. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of spindle cells that formed cuffs around multiple open tubules and ducts set in an abundant, myxoid stroma. The spindle cells had significant atypia with nuclear pleomorphism, occasional cytoplasmic vacuolation and moderate mitotic activity. The ducts and lobules surrounded by the proliferating tumor cells had minimal distortion, with a pericanalicular growth pattern devoid of the phyllodes pattern. The tumor had a multinodular growth pattern with coalesced and individual tumor nodules, the latter being found mostly at the periphery of the lesion. On immunohistochemistry the tumor cells were positive for smooth muscle actin, CD34, and vimentin, and focally positive for CD10. A diagnosis of low-grade periductal stromal sarcoma (PDSS) with myxoid features was established. PDSS is a distinct low-grade breast sarcoma, the appropriate diagnosis of which requires extensive tumor sampling and additional broad immunohistochemistry. PDSS should not be confused with other spindle cell breast tumors because they require different treatment. [source]


Effects of deep and superficial experimentally induced acute pain on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in human subjects

THE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
A. R. Burton
Human studies conducted more than half a century ago have suggested that superficial pain induces excitatory effects on the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in increases in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), whereas deep pain is believed to cause vasodepression. To date, no studies have addressed whether deep or superficial pain produces such differential effects on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Using microneurography we recorded spontaneous MSNA from the common peroneal nerve in 13 awake subjects. Continuous blood pressure was recorded by radial arterial tonometry. Deep pain was induced by intramuscular injection of 0.5 ml hypertonic saline (5%) into the tibialis anterior muscle, superficial pain by subcutaneous injection of 0.2 ml hypertonic saline into the overlying skin. Muscle pain, with a mean rating of 4.9 ± 0.8 (s.e.m.) on a 0,10 visual analog scale (VAS) and lasting on average 358 ± 32 s, caused significant increases in MSNA (43.9 ± 10.0%), BP (5.4 ± 1.1%) and HR (7.0 ± 2.0%) , not the expected decreases. Skin pain, rated at 4.9 ± 0.6 and lasting 464 ± 54 s, also caused significant increases in MSNA (38.2 ± 12.8%), BP (5.1 ± 2.1%) and HR (5.6 ± 2.0%). The high-frequency (HF) to low-frequency (LF) ratio of heart rate variability (HRV) increased from 1.54 ± 0.25 to 2.90 ± 0.45 for muscle pain and 2.80 ± 0.52 for skin pain. Despite the different qualities of deep (dull and diffuse) and superficial (burning and well-localized) pain, we conclude that pain originating in muscle and skin does not exert a differential effect on muscle sympathetic nerve activity, both causing an increase in MSNA and an increase in the LF : HF ratio of HRV. Whether this holds true for longer lasting experimental pain remains to be seen. [source]


The effects of experimental muscle and skin pain on the static stretch sensitivity of human muscle spindles in relaxed leg muscles

THE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 11 2008
Ingvars Birznieks
Animal studies have shown that noxious inputs onto ,-motoneurons can cause an increase in the activity of muscle spindles, and it has been proposed that this causes a fusimotor-driven increase in muscle stiffness that is believed to underlie many chronic pain syndromes. To test whether experimental pain also acts on the fusimotor system in humans, unitary recordings were made from 19 spindle afferents (12 Ia, 7 II) located in the ankle and toe extensors or peronei muscles of awake human subjects. Muscle pain was induced by bolus intramuscular injection of 0.5 ml 5% hypertonic saline into tibialis anterior (TA); skin pain was induced by 0.2 ml injection into the overlying skin. Changes in fusimotor drive to the muscle spindles were inferred from changes in the mean discharge frequency and discharge variability of spindle endings in relaxed muscle. During muscle pain no afferents increased their discharge activity: seven afferents (5 Ia, 2 II) showed a decrease and six (4 Ia, 2 II) afferents were not affected. During skin pain of 13 afferents discharge rate increased in one (Ia) and decreased in two (1 Ia, 1 II). On average, the overall discharge rate decreased during muscle pain by 6.1% (P < 0.05; Wilcoxon), but remained essentially the same during skin pain. There was no detectable correlation between subjective pain level and the small change in discharge rate of muscle spindles. Irrespective of the type of pain, discharge variability parameters were not influenced (P > 0.05; Wilcoxon). We conclude that, contrary to the ,vicious cycle' hypothesis, acute activation of muscle or skin nociceptors does not cause a reflex increase in fusimotor drive in humans. Rather, our results are more aligned with the pain adaptation model, based on clinical studies predicting pain-induced reductions of agonist muscle activity. [source]


Extranodal NK,/,T-cell lymphoma, nasal type: New staging system and treatment strategies

CANCER SCIENCE, Issue 12 2009
Tae Min Kim
Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NTCL) is characterized by clinical heterogeneity based on clinical prognostic factors and survival outcome. NTCL subsets are classified as upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) NTCL or non-UAT NTCL; non-UAT has pathologic similarity to UAT-NTCL but is a clinically distinct subtype. Due to the clinical heterogeneity of NTCL, optimal treatment modalities and prognostic factors have been difficult to determine. Ann Arbor staging for lymphomas and the International Prognostic Index (IPI) have been used to predict prognosis for UAT-NTCL; however, local tumor invasiveness (bony invasion or perforation or invasion of the overlying skin) is the most significant factor for poor outcomes in localized UAT-NTCL. Thus, a new staging system is proposed: limited disease (stage I/II UAT-NTCL without local tumor invasiveness) and extensive disease (stage I/II with local invasiveness or stage III/IV disease of UAT NTCL, and non-UAT NTCL) based on treatment outcomes. NTCL is resistant to anthracycline-based chemotherapy, whereas non-anthracycline combination chemotherapy (such as ifosfamide, methotrexate, etoposide, and prednisolone) has an activity against NTCL as either a front-line or as a second-line treatment. The effectiveness of radiotherapy is evident in limited disease, but questionable in extensive disease. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 2242,2248) [source]