Taehee Jo

Dae Hwan Park, Taehee Jo. Anti-aging (Journal of Asia Pacific Anti-Aging) 2025;3:71-4. https://doi.org/10.70966/anti-aging.25.3104

Background: Breast reconstruction post-mastectomy has increasingly emphasized the importance of sensory restoration. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative efficacy of anterior versus lateral cutaneous intercostal nerve branches in neurotization during abdominal-based autologous breast reconstruction. Methods: Through a systematic literature search and meta-analysis, we reviewed studies published between January 2003 and August 2023. Our methods involved categorizing studies based on the nerve branch used, extracting relevant data, and conducting a quality assessment. To determine the difference in the magnitude of sensory recovery, a meta-analysis was conducted to pool the effect sizes (mean differences) from individual studies. Given the potential for heterogeneity across studies, a random-effects model was employed using the DerSimonian and Laird method. Subgroup analysis was then performed to separately evaluate the effect sizes for the anterior and lateral groups. Results: We identified five studies for the anterior group and five studies for the lateral group. The anterior group included a total of 225 non-neurotized and 240 neurotized breasts, while the lateral group consisted of 62 non-neurotized and 51 neurotized breasts. The anterior group exhibited superior sensory recovery compared to the lateral group (p = 0.08 for the common effect model). The result was borderline significant, suggesting a trend towards a difference between the two groups. In terms of patient-reported outcomes, the anterior group provided data, while the lateral group lacked such data, underscoring a potential research gap. Conclusions: Results indicated a trend favoring the anterior cutaneous branch, with studies showing improved sensory outcomes and patient satisfaction. However, the choice between the two should be individualized, considering the patient’s unique needs and the surgeon’s expertise.

Taehee Jo. Anti-aging (Journal of Asia Pacific Anti-Aging) 2024;2:21-3. https://doi.org/10.70966/Anti-aging.24.0007

Background: The development of the secondary palate, an essential process for hard palate formation, involves intricate cellular processes. Here, the authors examined the expression patterns of palatal fusion-associated genes in postdevelopmental human palatal tissues. Methods: Mucosal samples collected from the anterior fused (control; n=5) and posterior unfused regions (study; n=5) of cleft palate patients were subjected to RNA sequencing. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was conducted to identify consistent changes in molecular signaling pathways using hallmark (h) gene set collections from the Molecular Signature Database v7.4. The results of RNA sequencing were validated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) assays with suppression of target genes, including lrp6, shh, Tgfβ-3 (Bioneer), and negative control siRNA in a human fibroblast cell line (hs68). Results: Transcriptome profiling of the cleft mucosa demonstrated that the fully fused anterior mucosa exhibited globally upregulated EMT, Wnt β-catenin, Hedgehog, and TGF-β signaling pathways in gene set enrichment. This strongly indicates the evolutionary conserved similarities in pathways implicated in palatogenesis, as previously shown in murine models. In EMT assays with suppression of Lrp6, Shh, and TGF-β3 in human fibroblast cell lines, suppression of Lrp6 exhibited consistent suppression effects on EMT markers. This indicates a closer association with EMT compared to the other two signals. Conclusion: Our study highlights evolutionarily conserved molecular signatures and provides insights into the importance of the EMT pathway in palatal fusion in humans. Furthermore, intraindividual comparative analysis showed the spatial regulation of gene expression within the same organism. Further research and animal models are needed to explore the complexities of EMT-related palatal fusion.

Purpose: Infected malleolar bursitis sometimes requires multiple debridements, followed by soft tissue reconstruction with a flap. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with infected lateral malleolar bursitis who were treated using peroneal artery perforator-based propeller flaps. Methods: We retrospectively included 10 patients who underwent reconstruction of the lateral malleolus with a peroneal artery perforator-based propeller flap due to infected lateral malleolar bursitis between 2014 and 2022. Results: The average follow-up time was 77.2 weeks. Six patients experienced complete healing; three developed partial flap necrosis, and one had a long-lasting seroma. All patients with complications had long-term diabetes. Conclusion: Partial flap necrosis in patients with diabetes may occur because of impaired microcirculation. A peroneal artery perforator-based propeller flap could be useful for soft tissue reconstruction in select patients without diabetes or in patients with diabetes who have infected lateral malleolar bursitis.

Background: We assessed the anthropometric measurements of bone defects in microform cleft lip. Methods: The external phenotypes of the nose and upper lip, and alveolar bone defects in microform cleft lip were measured anthropometrically using multimodal tools and clinical photographs. The height and thickness of the alveolar bone, paranasal hypoplasia, and alveolar volume were measured on CT. Results: Our study included 23 patients with unilateral microform cleft lip. The mean age of the patients was 13.84 ± 12.35 years (range: 1.25–50 years). Alveolar height (C1), thickness (C2), and paranasal hypoplasia (C3) were evaluated on 3D CT scans. The mean differences in C1, C2, and C3 between the cleft and normal sides were 5.52 ± 3.76 mm (p < 0.0001), 1.96 ± 2.8 mm (p < 0.0001), and 5.57 ± 9.72 mm (p < 0.0001), respectively. There was bony deficiency at the cleft side of the alveolar bone and paranasal area. In volumetric analysis, the means of the normal and cleft-side alveolar bone volumes were 6579 ± 2200 mm³ and 6528 ± 2255 mm³, respectively. The mean difference in alveolar bone volume between the cleft and normal sides was 51.05 ± 521 mm³ (p < 0.0001). C1 was positively correlated with lip height (F2; correlation coefficient (r) = 0.564, p = 0.0051) and dry vermilion thickness (F3; r = −0.543, p = 0.0074). The linear regression test revealed significant correlations between C1 and F2 (r² = 0.318, p = 0.0051), and F3 (r² = 0.295, p = 0.0074). However, there was no correlation between alveolar height and nasal anthropometric measurements. Conclusions: Alveolar bone deficiency was concordant with the severity of soft tissue in microform cleft lip.

Background: We analyzed an original case series of the classic ear-molding method and evaluated the efficacy and complication rate of the method compared to commercial ear-molding products by meta-analysis to draw conclusions on the efficacy of the classic method. Methods: From January 2019 to March 2022, we selected patients who underwent classic ear molding for newborn ear deformities at our institution and reviewed the patient age, treatment time, efficiency and complications. Additionally, the PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases were searched, and meta-analysis (following the PRISMA guidelines) was performed. Results: In the case study, the success rate (excellent and good outcomes) of the classic ear-molding method was 92.6%. The mean age at application and mean duration of application were 5.81 ± 6.09 days and 32.13 ± 7.90 days, respectively. In the systematic review, the classic method group showed a statistically smaller success rate (proportion of 0.79) and statistically smaller complication rate (proportion of 0.05) than the commercial product group (proportion of 0.83). Conclusions: Compared with commercial products, classic ear molding has remarkable and comparable therapeutic effects on neonatal auricular deformities. Additionally, the classic ear-molding method is more suitable for infants with auricular deformities from socioeconomically vulnerable areas. Thus, the classic ear-molding method could be a better option for congenital ear anomalies than commercial ear-molding products.