Are routine post drain removal chest X-rays necessary after oesophagectomy?

<p class="abstract">The aging effect of the neck is characterized by loss of elasticity and contractility of the skin. This aging is manifested clinically by the projection of the platysma bands, the redundancy of the skin, the accumulation of fat in the sub-mental, sub-mandibular regions, and the loss of the cervical-mental angle. Besides of face-lifting, there are other techniques for solving the aesthetic problems of platysma bands. This report aims to present our technique of the simple management of the platysma bands. We report our experience with the correction of platysma bands. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. The incision involves the skin and subcutaneous tissue; going from the lateral to the medial edge of the platysma band without cutting the muscle. The dissection of the muscle is continued to the deep side of the bands. This dissection is meticulous to preserve the superficial facial anastomotic plexus and the branch of the transverse cervical nerve afterward the muscle is cut. The technique mainly concerns individuals between the 4th and 6th decades. Women appear to be more concerned about the aesthetic appearance of their neck than men are. This technique is a simple surgical method, and in the majority of the cases, the results are satisfactory. It can be used alone or combined with face lifting. The technique of aesthetic treatment of platysma bands is a simple, effective surgical procedure and in most cases, the results are satisfactory.</p>

Impact of High-Rise Buildings Construction Process on Adjacent Tunnels

The demand for buildings constructed along subway lines is increasing, and analysis of the impact of foundation excavation and building construction on adjacent tunnels is critical. This study investigated the variation law of tunnel deformation and surrounding earth pressure on an existing tunnel resulting from deep foundation excavation and the load of buildings. Four groups of scale model tests and corresponding numerical simulation calculations were conducted in four different modes: over unloading-loading, shallow-side unloading-loading, middle-side unloading-loading, and deep-side unloading-loading, which are according to the different relative position of the foundation pit and the tunnel. The results show that when the tunnel stretches across different areas, corresponding deformation occurs owing to the different mechanical mechanisms during excavation and loading. The results can provide evidence for the further study on the impact of adjacent construction process on the tunnels.

Delayed compression of the common peroneal nerve following rotational lateral gastrocnemius flap: case report

The authors present a case of delayed peroneal neuropathy following a lateral gastrocnemius rotational flap reconstruction. The patient presented 1.5 years after surgery with a new partial foot drop, which progressed over 3 years. At operation, a fascial band on the deep side of the gastrocnemius flap was compressing the common peroneal nerve proximal to the fibular head, correlating with preoperative imaging. Release of this fascial band and selective muscle resection led to immediate improvement in symptoms postoperatively.

Availability of Peripheral Optic Flow Influences Whether Infants Cross a Visual Cliff

This report describes a novel test of the prediction that locomotion-induced changes in an infant’s functional utilization of peripheral lamellar optic flow (PLOF) for postural stability contributes to avoidance of the deep side of a visual cliff. To test the prediction, a corridor, with either low-textured or high-textured walls, was constructed to run the length of a visual cliff. The infants, 9.5-month-olds with varying amounts of hands-and-knees crawling experience, were randomly assigned to the low-texture (n = 30) or the high-texture condition (n = 32). Consistent with predictions, the findings revealed significant interactions between crawling experience and texture condition for the probability of crossing and the latency to venture onto the deep side of the cliff. Most notably, more experienced crawlers, but not less experienced crawlers, were significantly more likely to cross the visual cliff to the parents and ventured onto the cliff faster in the high-texture condition than in the low-texture condition. The availability of PLOF thus had an effect on infants’ crossing behavior on the visual cliff. We interpret these findings as evidence for a three-step process in which locomotor-induced changes in visual proprioception play a central role in the development of wariness of heights.