The Discrepancy Between White Blood Cell and C-reactive Protein Levels in Group A Streptococcal Necrotizing Soft-tissue Infections.

Background: Group A streptococcal necrotizing soft tissue infection (GAS-NSTI) is a severe condition that can be complicated by streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Management necessitates multidisciplinary care, including emergency medicine, surgery, plastic surgery, and infectious diseases. Early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention are essential for GAS-NSTI, as effective prevention strategies have not been established.

Sepsis 6 Years After Breast Augmentation With Aquafilling: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Aquafilling is a hydrophilic gel composed of 98% physiological saline and 2% polyacrylamide gel, introduced in Japan in 2015 for breast augmentation. Despite its initial popularity, it has been associated with severe complications, including delayed infections, abscess formation, material migration, and fibrosis. In 2019, the Japanese Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery banned its use for breast augmentation due to safety concerns.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Neural Radiance Field for Noninvasive Volumetric Assessment.

Assessing swelling is crucial for the surgical treatment of lower limb lymphedema and is often conducted using 2-dimensional (2D) imaging, which is available in most outpatient settings. Advanced methods, such as taping and computed tomography (CT), are limited by time and equipment constraints. The neural radiance field (NeRF) uses deep learning to reconstruct 3-dimensional (3D) scenes from 2D images, overcoming the challenges, particularly reflections and refractions, associated with photogrammetry.

Surface Charge Transfer Enhanced Cobalt-Phthalocyanine Crystals for Efficient CO-to-CO Electroreduction with Large Current Density Exceeding 1000 mA cm.

Phthalocyanines (Pcs) have garnered significant attention as promising catalysts for electrochemical CO reduction (ECR); however, traditional methods for preparing carbon-supported Pcs are often complex and time-consuming, limiting their industrial applicability. Herein, a rapid spray-growth method is introduced that directly deposits CoPc crystals onto carbon paper (CP) in just 15 min. The resulting CoPc/CP electrode maintains > 90% CO selectivity across a broad ECR window (-0.

The First National Survey of Endoscopic Plastic Surgery by the Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2020-2021.

Objectives: No detailed country-specific cross-sectional studies have been reported on endoscopic plastic surgery. For the first time, the Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery conducted a nationwide survey to ascertain the status of endoscopic procedures in plastic surgery in Japan. This article discusses the current situation based on this survey findings.

Emergency Lateral Canthotomy Followed by Orbital Septum Release for Traumatic Retrobulbar Hemorrhage: 2 Case Reports.

Retrobulbar hemorrhage can increase intraorbital pressure, thereby elevating intraocular pressure (IOP), inducing ischemia, and/or threatening the optic nerve. Emergent decompression is needed to preserve visual function. Multiple decompression methods that are favored by different clinical departments have been reported.

Multidetector-row Computed Tomography Analysis of the Radial Midpalmar Flap: A Retrospective Anatomical Study.

Background: Soft tissue defects on the palm side of the thumb can be effectively covered by using the radial midpalmar (RMP) flap, which is usually harvested as a pedicled flap. However, previous anatomical studies on this flap are limited. We analyzed multidetector-row computed tomography angiograms of the radial midpalm of hands to more precisely characterize the 3-dimensional anatomical structure of the perforators in living patients.

Dynamic Control of Weight-Update Linearity in Magneto-Ionic Synapses.

Multifunctional hardware technologies for neuromorphic computing are essential for replicating the complexity of biological neural systems, thereby improving the performance of artificial synapses and neurons. Integrating ionic and spintronic technologies offers new degrees of freedom to modulate synaptic potentiation and depression, introducing novel magnetic functionalities alongside the established ionic analogue behavior. We demonstrate that magneto-ionic devices can perform as synaptic elements with dynamically tunable depression linearity controlled by an external magnetic field, a functionality reminiscent of neuromodulation in biological systems.

Reconstruction Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with a Cotton Filler for Fixation of Male Genital Skin Grafts in Cases of Fournier's Gangrene.

The reliable engraftment of skin grafts into areas with complex shapes can be challenging. Here, we report a case of successful fixation of a genital skin graft using negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with RENASYS Cotton Filler. A 44-year-old male with no relevant medical history underwent split-thickness skin grafting for a genital skin defect caused by Fournier's gangrene.

Electrically induced insulator-to-metal transition in InP-based ion-gated transistor.

With the growing awareness of energy savings and consumption for a sustainable ecosystem, the concept of iontronics, that is, controlling electronic devices with ions, has become critically important. Composite devices made of ions and solid materials have been investigated for diverse applications, ranging from energy storage to power generation, memory, biomimetics, and neuromorphic devices. In these studies, three terminal transistor configurations with liquid electrolytes have often been utilized because of their simple device structures and relatively easy fabrication processes.

Management of Scar Contractures of the Hand-Our Therapeutic Strategy and Challenges.

The essence of treating scar contractures lies in covering the skin deficit after releasing the contractures, typically using flaps or skin grafts. However, the specific characteristics of scar contractures, such as their location, shape, and size, vary among patients, which makes surgical planning challenging. To achieve excellent outcomes in the treatment of scar contractures, we have developed a dimensional classification system for these contractures.

Reconciling scaling of the optical conductivity of cuprate superconductors with Planckian resistivity and specific heat.

Materials tuned to a quantum critical point display universal scaling properties as a function of temperature T and frequency ω. A long-standing puzzle regarding cuprate superconductors has been the observed power-law dependence of optical conductivity with an exponent smaller than one, in contrast to T-linear dependence of the resistivity and ω-linear dependence of the optical scattering rate. Here, we present and analyze resistivity and optical conductivity of LaSrCuO with x = 0.

Recent Advanced Applications of Ionic Liquid for Future Iontronics.

Recently, electronic devices that make use of a state called the electric double layers (EDL) of ion have opened up a wide range of research opportunities, from novel physical phenomena in solid-state materials to next-generation low-power consumption devices. They are considered to be the future iontronics devices. EDLs behave as nanogap capacitors, resulting the high density of charge carriers is induced at semiconductor/electrolyte by applying only a few volts of the bias voltage.

InternalBrace for Intercarpal Ligament Reconstruction.

Intercarpal ligament injuries such as scapholunate and lunotriquetral tears are common causes of wrist pain. There is no shortage of surgical techniques to address these injuries, nor is there a lack of literature exploring this topic. However, research progress has not led to a consensus regarding the optimal management of subacute and chronic injuries without articular wear.

A Scoring System That Predicts Difficult Lipoma Resection: Logistic Regression and Tenfold Cross-Validation Analysis.

Introduction: Most lipomas are readily dissected and removed. However, some cases can pose surgical difficulties. This retrospective study sought to identify clinical and radiological risk factors that predict difficult lipoma resection and can be used in a clinically useful scoring system that predicts difficulty preoperatively.

Multidetector-Row Computed Tomographic Analysis of the Superficial Palmar Branch of Radial Artery Perforator Flaps.

Background: Soft-tissue defects in the hand and digits can be effectively covered by using the free superficial palmar branch of the radial artery (SPBRA) flap, which is harvested from the radial volar wrist. Because previous anatomical studies on this flap are limited, multidetector-row computed tomographic angiography of the upper limbs was conducted to characterize the three-dimensional anatomical structure of the SPBRA and its perforators in living patients.

Methods: This retrospective anatomical study was conducted from 2014 to 2019.

Older Patients and Patients with Severe Arteriosclerosis Are Less Likely to Develop Keloids and Hypertrophic Scars after Thoracic Midline Incision: A Survey-Based Analysis of 328 Cases.

Background: Surgery is a well-known trigger of keloid and hypertrophic scarring. Sternotomy scars are subject to high skin tension, which is known to promote pathologic scarring. This suggests that sternotomies in adults are associated with high pathologic scarring rates, which aligns with the authors' anecdotal experience.

Incidence of and risk factors for self-load-related and medical device-related pressure injuries in critically ill patients: A prospective observational cohort study.

There are two types of pressure injuries: self-load-related pressure injuries (PIs) and medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs), but the differences in risk factors between PIs and MDRPIs have not yet been clarified. If risk factors for PIs and MDRPIs differ, preventive interventions should take this into account. This is a prospective cohort study aimed to determine the cumulative incidence of PIs and MDRPIs in critically ill patients and to identify corresponding risk factors.

Electrical mapping of thermoelectric power factor in WO thin film.

With growing environmental awareness and considerable research investment in energy saving, the concept of energy harvesting has become a central topic in the field of materials science. The thermoelectric energy conversion, which is a classic physical phenomenon, has emerged as an indispensable thermal management technology. In addition to conventional experimental investigations of thermoelectric materials, seeking promising materials or structures using computer-based approaches such as machine learning has been considered to accelerate research in recent years.

- and -arylation of pyridin-2-ones with diaryliodonium salts: base-dependent orthogonal selectivity under metal-free conditions.

Metal-free - and -arylation reactions of pyridin-2-ones as ambident nucleophiles have been achieved with diaryliodonium salts on the basis of base-dependent chemoselectivity. In the presence of ,-diethylaniline in fluorobenzene, pyridin-2-ones were very selectively converted to -arylated products in high yields. On the other hand, the -arylation reactions smoothly proceeded with the use of quinoline in chlorobenzene, leading to high yields and selectivities.

Oxidation-induced thermopower inversion in nanocrystalline SnSe thin film.

Given the growing demand for environmentally friendly energy sources, thermoelectric energy conversion has attracted increased interest as a promising CO-free technology. SnSe single crystals have attracted attention as a next generation thermoelectric material due to outstanding thermoelectric properties arising from ultralow thermal conductivity. For practical applications, on the other hand, polycrystalline SnSe should be also focused because the production cost and the flexibility for applications are important factors, which requires the systematic investigation of the stability of thermoelectric performance under a pseudo operating environment.

Imaging in Propeller Flap Surgery.

Since propeller flaps are elevated as island flaps and most often nourished by a single perforator nearby the defect, it is challenging to change the flap design intraoperatively when a reliable perforator cannot be found where expected to exist. Thus, accurate preoperative mapping of perforators is essential in the safe planning of propeller flaps. Various methods have been reported so far: (1) handheld acoustic Doppler sonography (ADS), (2) color duplex sonography (CDS), (3) perforator computed tomographic angiography (P-CTA), and (4) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).

Our Definition of Propeller Flaps and Their Classification.

The term was introduced for the first time by Hyakusoku to define an island flap, based on a subcutaneous pedicle hub, that was rotated 90 degrees to correct scar contractures due to burns. With the popularization of perforator flaps, the propeller movement was applied for the first time to a skin island vascularized only by an isolated perforator, and the terms and were used together. Thereafter, the surgical technique of propeller flaps evolved and new applications developed.