Viorel Nacu

Surgical interventions for nasal reshaping have significantly increased in popularity in recent years. An important aspect of these procedures is the use of autologous transplants, particularly cartilage derived from the nasal septum and auricular pavilion. The study aims to analyze the use of autologous septal and auricular cartilage in rhinoplasty, with the purpose of providing an updated and comprehensive database on these practices in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. The study included an exhaustive bibliographic review of 51 sources obtained from platforms such as Medlife, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The selection criteria included articles in English, Romanian, and Russian, published between 2000 and 2024, that provided relevant data on the use of autologous cartilage in rhinoplasty. The reviewed studies showed that the most commonly used type of cartilage transplant in rhinoplasty and rhino-septoplasty is autologous septal cartilage, due to its availability and favorable biological characteristics. The results indicate that autologous cartilage transplants are effective in correcting tissue deficiencies and adjusting the nasal tip. The main advantage of these transplants is that they are biocompatible, do not resorb, and do not cause adverse reactions, unlike other types of transplants, such as costal cartilage. The use of autologous transplants, particularly septal and auricular cartilage, is an effective and safe method in modern rhinoplasty. These transplants are preferred due to their favorable integration and lack of inflammatory reactions.

Introduction. The superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) is a branch that originates either from the external iliac artery (EIA), or common femoral artery (CFA). Its anatomic variability is particularly relevant in plastic surgery, general surgery, and traumatology/orthopedics. Material and methods. We retrospectively reviewed 2158 ultrasonographic images of the anterior thigh region from the Republican Medical Diagnostic Center, Functional Diagnosis Department, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Additionally, 29 bibliographic sources were reviewed and discussed. Results. The mean age of the patients was 63.4±10.68 years. In 387 cases (17.93%),SCIA originated from the CFA, while in 1771 cases (82.07%) it emerged from the EIA. SCIA originated from the CFA unilaterally in 194 cases (8.99%) on the left side and 142 cases (6.58%) on the right side, while bilateral origin from the CFA was observed in 51 cases (2.36%) Discussion. The results in literature were suggestive for a higher prevalence of SCIA origin from the CFA with only one author suggesting the origin of this branch from the EIA, which aligns with our findings. This information is valuable for clinical applications, including hernia repairs, vascular and endovascular surgical interventions, nerve blocks, and skin grafts transplantation. Conclusions. The most common origin of the SCIA was from the EIA. No significant sex differences were observed, but laterality showed notable variations. Age was analyzed as a factor.

This paper is focused on the study of the three-dimensional structures of collagen extracted from the umbilical-placental complex with the aim of use in oral-maxillofacial surgery. Collagen was ex-tracted from the umbilical-placental complex by a modified enzymatic method that involves initial purification with different surfactants to remove blood and cellular components and ensure non-im-munogenicity. The null hypothesis of the concerned works consists in the fact that the surfactants used do not act on the collagen structures. Three-dimensional collagen structures were developed by the lyophilization process and were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Young’s modulus (elasticity), thermogravimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and microscopy.

The present work is focused on presenting the challenges and the recent advances in the field of Bone Tissue Engineering. It has to mention that worldwide, the need of bone grafting materials is only exceeded by the need of blood. Some of the most relevant materials used in bone grafting will be presented considering the compositional and morphological similitude with the bone but also the specific needs associated with different pathologies.

Background: The present work describes the possibility of manufacturing biomaterials from the extracellular matrix for the treatment of the skin wounds. Biomedical collagen-based materials are clinically effective. Collagen is the most abundant and major component of the skin. Porcine collagen is almost similar to the human collagen, it is not immunogenic when used for the therapeutic purposes. Biomaterials can be obtained from the decellularized dermis, being a matrix rich in the collagen and glycoproteins. Material and methods: 3 parallel groups of biomaterials were established and the average value was calculated. To ensure the effectiveness of the decellularization process, the decellularized porcine dermis was compared with the intact sample using qualitative and quantitative criteria. Results: Histologically, the decellularized tissues revealed the presence of fewer cells. As a result, were removed approximately 80.5% of the genetic material from porcine dermal structures, demonstrated by the spectrophotometric quantification of deoxyribonucleic acid. In vitro graft degradation study in 0.01 M phosphate buffer pH 7.4 combined with collagenase, demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) loss of collagen sponge mass by 100% over one hour in the group II compared to the decellularized dermis in group I which decreased in the weight by 91.3% during 35 hours. Conclusions: Acellular biomaterials are immunologically inert, have hydrophilic and biodegradable properties, thus they can play a key role in the wound care, exerting the transfer of the bioactive molecules and drugs directly into the wound.