5-Fluorouracil Management of Oculofacial Scars: A Systematic Literature Review

Burn-Induced Cicatricial Eyelid Retraction: A Challenging Case and Review of Management Principles

Thermal and chemical burns can result in cicatricial eyelid retraction, characterized by an abnormal resting position of the eyelid margin and increased palpebral fissure height. Eyelid retraction often leads to exposure keratopathy, which can cause complications ranging from mild dry eye to globe-threatening ulceration and perforation. Prompt intervention includes aggressive lubrication, moisture chambers, eyelid tarsorrhaphy, and retraction repair surgery. Discussed here is a burn patient that developed severe cicatricial eyelid retraction and ectropion, leading to severe exposure keratopathy and infectious corneal ulceration with perforation. The patient required aggressive medical intervention, as well as 2 surgeries to restore the normal eyelid anatomy to protect the globe.

A Rare Symptom of Secondary Infection After Facial Thread Lift and Its Treatment

Facial esthetics is concerned with the harmonious beauty of the face. The skin, soft tissues, and bone tissues of the face degenerate as people age. Facial thread lift is a new minimally invasive esthetic technique that uses threads embedded within different tissue layers to reposition and support lax tissues. The authors report a 35-year-old female patient who developed an infection after undergoing facial thread lift, presenting with facial flushing and swelling, fever, and poor sleep, which was tested for Nocardiopsis dassonvillei infection. The patient was later cured by thread removal, local injection of 5-fluorouracil and triamcinolone acetonide. Postthreading infections have been documented in the past, but it is significant to note that, first, this patient's postinfection symptoms were distinct because she experienced both mild local symptoms and serious systemic symptoms, and second, the authors looked into a quick and efficient treatment option.

The application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle in oral disease treatment

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) hold promise as safer and more effective medication delivery vehicles for treating oral disorders. As the drug's delivery system, MSNs adapt to effectively combine with a variety of medications to get over systemic toxicity and low solubility issues. MSNs, which operate as a common nanoplatform for the co-delivery of several compounds, increase therapy effectiveness and show promise in the fight against antibiotic resistance. MSNs offer a noninvasive and biocompatible platform for delivery that produces long-acting release by responding to minute stimuli in the cellular environmen. MSN-based drug delivery systems for the treatment of periodontitis, cancer, dentin hypersensitivity, and dental cavities have recently been developed as a result of recent unparalleled advancements. The applications of MSNs to be embellished by oral therapeutic agents in stomatology are discussed in this paper.

Effects of Biofilm Nano-Composite Drugs OMVs-MSN-5-FU on Cervical Lymph Node Metastases From Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This work was developed to the effects of biofilm composite nano-drug delivery system (OMVs-MSN-5-FU) on lymph node metastasis from oral squamous cell carcinoma. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with 5-FU (MSN-5-FU) were prepared first. Subsequently, the outer membrane vesicles (OMV) of Escherichia coli were collected to wrap MSN-5-FU, and then OMVs-MSN-5-FU was prepared. It was then immersed in artificial gastric juice and artificial intestinal juice to explore the drug release rate. Next, the effects of different concentrations of the nano-drug delivery systems on the proliferation activity of oral squamous carcinoma cell line KOSC-2 cl3-43 were analyzed. Tumor-bearing nude mice models were prepared by injecting human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells Tca8113 into BALB/c-nu nude mice. They were injected with the OMVs-MSN-5-FU nano drug carrier system, and peri-carcinoma tissue and cervical lymph node tissue were harvested to observe morphological changes by Hematoxylin - eosin (HE) staining. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that all MSN, MSN-5-FU, OMV, and OMV-MSN-5-FU were spherical and uniformly distributed, with particle sizes of about 60nm, 80nm, 90nm, and 140nm, respectively. Among them, OMV had a directional core-shell structure. The cumulative drug release rates of artificial gastric juice in 48 hours were 61.2 ± 2.3% and 26.5 ± 3.1%, respectively. The 48 hours cumulative drug release rates of artificial intestinal juice were 70.5 ± 6.3% and 32.1 ± 3.8%, respectively. The cumulative release of MSN-5-FU was always higher than OMV-MSN-5-FU. The cumulative release of MSN-5-FU was always higher than OMV-MSN-5-FU. After injection of OMVS-MSN-5-FU, the number of cancer cells was significantly reduced and cervical lymph node metastasis was significantly controlled. HE staining results showed that OMVS-MSN-5-FU injection reduced the number of stained cells. Dense lymphocytes were clearly observed in the cortex of neck lymphocytes. The OMVs-MSN-5-FU drug delivery system can slow down the drug release rate, significantly inhibit the proliferation activity of oral squamous cancer cells, and control the metastasis of cancer cells to cervical lymph nodes.

Efficacy of Early Application of 1540 nm Non-ablative Fractional Laser and Silicones to Improve Post-epicanthoplasty Scars

The combination of epicanthoplasty and blepharoplasty is a popular choice in Asians to acquire a pair of charming big eyes. However, the obvious scarring in the medial canthal area may result in unsatisfactory aesthetic outcomes. Recently, various laser treatments have been used to deal with scars had achieved detectable improvement, but only a few studies investigating the efficacy of lasers used in post-epicanthoplasty scarring were developed. A total of 70 participants who underwent Z-epicanthoplasty were enrolled in this prospective clinical trial and were randomly assigned to the groups of 1540nm non-ablative fractional laser (NAFL) combined with silicones treatment and silicones alone treatment. The NAFL-exposure in the treated group was additionally applied to the medial canthal area on day 21 postoperatively, compared with the participants in the control group who had only been treated with the daily usage of silicone sheets for 12 hours and silicone gels twice for 5 months after scab had fallen from the skin. Scar evolution was performed by patient and observer scar assessment Scales (POSAS) and visual analogue scale (VAS) for 21 days, and 6 months postoperatively. 64 participants have completed the entire follow-up process. The scar recovery was statistically detected in treated group compared with the control group at 6-month postoperatively assessed by POSAS, especially in pliability of scars. Furthermore, the VAS evaluations showed superior satisfaction in treated group. The early treatment of NAFL combined with silicones has improved scar formation in medial canthal region after epicantholplasties efficiently.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 .

LncRNA TUG1 exhibits pro-fibrosis activity in hypertrophic scar through TAK1/YAP/TAZ pathway via miR-27b-3p

Hypertrophic Scar (HS) is a complicated fibrotic disease. In addition, its pathogenesis is still to be further explored. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proved to be participated in multiple diseases, including HS. However, the role of lncRNA TUG1 in HS remains unclear. The expression level of RNA and protein in cells were detected by q-PCR and western blot, respectively. MTT assay was performed to test the cell proliferation. Cell migration was detected by transwell assay. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Dual luciferase report assay and RNA pull down were used to verify the relationship between TUG1, miR-27b-3p and TAK1.TUG1 and TAK1 were upregulated in HS, while miR-27b-3p was downregulated. Knockdown of TUG1 significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration and induced the apoptosis of HS fibroblasts (HSF). In addition, silencing of TUG1 notably inhibited the extracellular matrix (ECM) biosynthesis in HSF. Overexpression of miR-27b-3p has the same effect on HS as that of TUG1 knockdown. Meanwhile, TUG1 could sponge miR-27b-3p, and TAK1 was the direct target of miR-27b-3p. Furthermore, knockdown of TUG1 significantly suppressed the fibrosis in HS via miR-27b-3p/TAK1/YAP/TAZ axis mediation. LncRNA TUG1 promotes the fibrosis in HS via sponging miR-27b-3p and then activates TAK1/YAP/TAZ pathway, which may serve as a potential target for treatment of HS.

Laser Resurfacing for the Management of Periorbital Scarring

Laser (light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation) skin resurfacing is currently one of the most widely adopted technologies in facial rejuvenation. While most often used for aesthetic purposes, lasers also have applications in the management of scars. Since the introduction of the CO₂ laser for skin rejuvenation in the 1990s, the last three decades have seen significant growth in the number of laser devices available to the physician. More recently, promising alternatives to light-based resurfacing technologies have emerged that include radiofrequency and intense focused ultrasound. To help the physician navigate the most current laser technologies as they apply to periocular scars, this review discusses the available treatment modalities, pre-treatment assessment of periorbital scars, treatment selection, and reported outcomes and complications. The recommendations described herein are based on published literature and the authors' experience in an academic oculoplastics practice.