Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE: The National Residency Matching Program Match is a very unique process in which applicants and programs are coupled to each other based on a ranking system. Although several studies have assessed features plastic surgery programs look for in applicants, no study in the present plastic surgery literature identifies which residency characteristics are most important to plastic surgery applicants. Therefore, we sought to perform a multi-institutional assessment as to which factors plastic surgery residency applicants consider most important when applying for residency. METHODS: A validated and anonymous questionnaire containing 37 items regarding various program characteristics was e-mailed to 226 applicants to New York University, Albany, University of Michigan, and University of Southern California plastic surgery residency programs. Applicants were asked to rate each feature on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most important. The 37 variables were ranked by the sum of the responses. The median rating and interquartile range as well as the mean for each factor was then calculated. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare medians in rank order. RESULTS: A total of 137 completed questionnaires were returned, yielding a 61% response rate. The characteristics candidates considered most important were impressions during the interview, experiences during away rotations, importance placed on resident training/support/mentoring by faculty, personal experiences with residents, and the amount of time spent in general surgery. The characteristics candidates considered least important were second-look experiences, compensation/benefits, program reputation from Internet forums, accessibility of program coordinator, opportunity for laboratory research, and fellowship positions available at the program. CONCLUSIONS: Applicants value personal contact and time spent in general surgery when selecting residency programs. As the number of integrated programs continues to grow, programs will benefit from learning what factors their applicants value most.

BACKGROUND: The general public may not fully appreciate the role that plastic surgeons play in patient care. The authors sought to identify public perceptions of plastic surgery in a major US urban setting. METHODS: A short, anonymous, survey was distributed to the public in all of the major boroughs of New York City. Respondents were asked to choose the surgeon they believed were experts in 12 specific clinical issues representative of required competencies by both the Plastic Surgery Residency Review Committee and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. RESULTS: A total of 1000 surveys were collected. Respondent demographics were similar by sex (53% women) and age (6% ages<21 years, 31% ages 21-24 years, 46% ages 25-40 years, 10% ages 41-54 years, and 8% ages >/=55 years). The majority also completed high school (96%). The percent of respondents who chose plastic surgeons as experts in the following procedures included rhinoplasty (61%), mandible fracture (12%), blepharoplasty (71%), cleft lip and palate surgery (46%), thumb replantation (32%), hand/finger fracture (18%), rhytidectomy (85%), breast reconstruction (87%), breast augmentation (96%), open leg wound (15%), open wound on the face (40%), and Botox (47%). Plastic surgeons were the most commonly selected experts in only 8 of these 12 domains (67%). These included rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, rhytidectomy, Botox injections, breast augmentation, breast reconstruction, cleft lip and palate surgery, and treatment of open wound of the face. CONCLUSIONS: Unfortunately, many conditions at the core of plastic surgery remain outside the realm of plastic surgery in the opinion of the surveyed public.

BACKGROUND: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) is widely used for structural or dermal replacement purposes. Given its innate biocompatibility and its potential to vascularize, we explored the possibility of ADM to function as a small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery system. Specifically, we sought to improve ADM vascularization by siRNA-mediated inhibition of prolyl hydroxylase domain-2 (PHD2), a cytoplasmic protein that regulates hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha, and improve neovascularization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fluorescently labeled siRNA was used to rehydrate thin implantable ADM. Pharmacokinetic release of siRNA was determined. Twelve millimeter sections of ADM reconstituted with PHD2 siRNA (nonsense siRNA as control) and applied to dorsal wounds of 40 FVB mice. Grafts were sewn in, bolstered, and covered with occlusive dressings. Photographs were taken at 0, 7, and 14 d. Wounds were harvested at 7 and 14 d and analyzed (messenger RNA, protein, histology, and immunohistochemistry). RESULTS: Release kinetics was first-order with 80% release by 12 h. By day 14, PHD2-containing ADM appeared viable and adherent, whereas controls appeared nonviable and nonadherent. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated near-complete knockdown of PHD2, whereas vascular endothelial growth factor and FGF-2 were increased 2.3- and 4.7-fold. On enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, vascular endothelial growth factor was increased more than fourfold and stromal cell-derived factor doubled. Histology demonstrated improved graft incorporation in treated groups. Immunohistochemical demonstrated increased vascularity measured by CD31 staining and increased new cell proliferation by denser proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining in treated versus controls. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that ADM is an effective matrix for local delivery of siRNA. Strategies to improve the matrix and/or genetically alter the local tissue environment can be envisioned.

BACKGROUND: Although the majority of nasal alterations in rhinoplasty result from either augmentation or reduction of bone and cartilaginous substructure, modifications of influential soft-tissue provide significant contribution to the final result. The depressor septi nasi muscle is a soft-tissue structure well known to influence the final result in rhinoplasty. The objective of this study was to perform a standardized, comprehensive review of relevant data published with regard to the depressor septi nasi muscle. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the terms "depressor septi muscle" and "depressor septi nasi muscle" was performed using the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases. Articles were reviewed for relevancy and included if criteria were met. A secondary review was performed of all articles cited, to maximize diligence. RESULTS: Forty-three articles were identified in the initial search. Thirteen of the 43 were found to meet inclusion criteria. Secondary search revealed additional studies meeting inclusion criteria. Altogether, there were 175 cadaver specimens and 821 surgically treated patients for which data were available. Anatomical reports and nomenclature were found to vary. Surgical approach and muscle treatment diverged, with objective data showing no superior method. CONCLUSIONS: Although variation exists in anatomical reports regarding the depressor septi nasi muscle, the prevailing thought is that it originates from the maxilla and/or orbicularis oris muscle. More importantly, the muscle inserts on the medial crura and adjacent soft tissue. Disruption of this relationship provides the basis for surgical treatment of tip descent on animation.

BACKGROUND: Fat grafting is limited by unpredictable long-term graft retention. The authors postulate that injury to the donor-derived microvasculature during harvest and subsequent ischemia may account for this clinical variability. They examined the use of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil citrate to protect graft microvasculature and its role in revascularization and survival. METHODS: Inguinal fat of donor Tie2/LacZ mice was infiltrated with sildenafil or saline, harvested, and transplanted onto the dorsa of recipient FVB mice. Additional donor mice were perfused with intraarterial trypsin to inactivate the fat graft microvasculature before harvest and transplantation. Differences in graft revascularization, perfusion, volume of retention, and biochemical changes were assessed. RESULTS: Surviving fat grafts were characterized by exclusively donor-derived vasculature inosculating with the recipient circulation at the graft periphery. Inactivation of donor-derived microvasculature decreased early graft perfusion and led to nearly total graft loss by 8 weeks. Sildenafil attenuated vascular ischemic injury, consistent with reductions in VCAM-1 and SDF1alpha expression at 48 hours and 4-fold increases in microvasculature survival by 2 weeks over controls. Compared with controls, targeted sildenafil treatment improved early graft perfusion, doubled graft retention at 12 weeks (83 percent versus 39 percent; p < 0.05), ultimately retaining 64 percent of the original graft volume by 24 weeks (compared to 4 percent; p < 0.05) with superior histologic features. CONCLUSIONS: Fat graft vascularization is critically dependent on maintenance of the donor microvasculature. Sildenafil protects the donor microvasculature during transfer and revascularization, increasing long-term volume retention. These data demonstrate a rapidly translatable method of increasing predictability and durability of fat grafting in clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Practitioners who are not board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery are practicing cosmetic surgery. The extent of this issue across the United States has yet to be examined in detail. METHODS: A systematic search using Google was performed to evaluate the qualifications of clinicians marketing themselves as plastic surgeons. For every U.S. state, the following searches were performed: [state] plastic surgery, [state] cosmetic surgery, and [state] aesthetic surgery. The first 50 Web sites returned for each search were visited and scrutinized using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and American Board of Plastic Surgery Web sites. RESULTS: In total, 7500 Web sites were visited, yielding 2396 board-certified plastic surgeons (77.9 percent of all practitioners). There were 284 board-certified ear, nose, and throat surgeons, 61 (21.5 percent) of whom practice outside their scope; 106 board-certified general surgeons, 100 (94.3 percent) of whom practice outside their scope; 104 board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgery surgeons, 68 (65.4 percent) of whom practice outside their scope; 70 board-certified ophthalmologists/oculoplastic surgeons, 49 (70 percent) of whom practice outside their scope; and 74 board-certified dermatologists, 36 (48.6 percent) of whom practice outside their scope. There were also 16 internal medicine doctors, 13 obstetrics and gynecology physicians, six emergency medicine physicians, three pediatricians, two urologists, two anesthesiologists, and finally one phlebotomist; all of these practitioners practice outside their scope as defined by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. CONCLUSIONS: Many clinicians performing cosmetic surgery are not board-certified. This finding has important implications for patient safety.

Diabetic patients exhibit dysfunction of the normal wound healing process, leading to local ischemia by vascular occlusive disease as well as sustained increases in the proinflammatory cytokines and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Of the many sources of ROS, the enzyme xanthine oxidase (XO) has been linked to overproduction of ROS in diabetic environment and studies have demonstrated that treatment with XO inhibitors decreases XO overactivity and XO-generated ROS. This study evaluates the role of XO in the diabetic wound and the impact of specifically inhibiting its activity on wound healing. Treatment of diabetic wounds with siXDH (xanthine dehydrogenase siRNA) decreased XDH mRNA expression by 51.6%, XO activity by 35.9%, ROS levels by 78.1%, and pathologic wound burden by 31.5%, and accelerated wound healing by 7 days (23.3%). PCR analysis demonstrated that increased XO activity in wild type wound may be due to XDH to XO conversion and/or XO phosphorylation, but not to gene transcription, whereas increased XO activity in diabetic wounds may also be from gene transcription. These results suggest that XO may be responsible for large proportion of elevated oxidative stress in the diabetic wound environment and that normalizing the metabolic activity of XO using targeted delivery of siXDH may decrease overproduction of ROS and accelerate wound healing in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Although bone repair is often a relatively rapid and efficient process, many bone defects do not heal. Because an adequate blood supply is essential for new bone formation, we hypothesized that augmenting new blood vessel formation by increasing the number of circulating vasculogenic progenitor cells (PCs) with AMD3100 and enhancing their trafficking to the site of injury with recombinant human parathyroid hormone (rhPTH) will improve healing. METHODS: Critical-sized 3-mm cranial defects were trephined into the right parietal bone of C57BLKS/J 6 mice (N = 120). The mice were divided into 4 equal groups (n = 30 for each). The first group received daily subcutaneous injections of AMD3100 (5 mg/kg). The second group received daily subcutaneous injections of rhPTH (5 mg/kg). The third group received both AMD3100 and rhPTH. The fourth group received subcutaneous injections of saline. Circulating vasculogenic PC numbers, new blood vessel formation, and bony regeneration were assessed. Progenitor cell adhesion, migration, and tubule formation were assessed in the presence of rhPTH and AMD3100. RESULTS: Flow cytometry demonstrated that combination therapy significantly increased the number of circulating PCs compared with all other groups. In vitro, AMD3100-treated PCs had significantly increased adhesion migration, and tubule formation was assessed in the presence of rhPTH. Combination therapy significantly improved new blood vessel formation in those with cranial defect compared with all other groups. Finally, bony regeneration was significantly increased in the combination therapy group compared with all other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of a PC-mobilizing and traffic-enhancing agent improved bony regeneration of calvarial defects in mice.