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Background Due to limited evidence, it is unclear whether postoperative anticoagulation therapymay lead to higher success rates formicrovascular free-flap surgery in the head and neck. This review evaluated whether postoperative anticoagulation therapy can lead to a better result in head and neck reconstruction. Methods PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were used to search for articles on the efficacy of postoperative antithrombotic therapy in free-flap transfer during head and neck reconstruction without language restrictions in February of 2017. A random-effects model was used to estimate the relative risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The measured outcomes were flap loss, thromboembolic events, and hematoma formation. Results A total of 2,048 free-flap surgery procedures in the head and neck were analyzed. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of flap loss and thromboembolic events in the anticoagulation group compared with the nonanticoagulation group (RR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.85-1.81, p = 0.26; and RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.74-1.48, p = 0.79, respectively). The risk of hematoma was twice as high in the anticoagulation group than the nonanticoagulation group, which was statistically significant (RR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.08-3.76, p = 0.03). Conclusion The findings from our meta-analysis indicate that postoperative anticoagulation therapy barely decreases the risks of flap loss and thromboembolic events in free-flap surgery in the head and neck. However, it may significantly increase the risk of hematoma formation. Considering the limitations of this meta-analysis, additional high-quality, multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The relationship between levels of salivary and serum interleukin (IL)-6 and oral lichen planus (OLP) is not understood fully. The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare levels of salivary and serum IL-6 among people with OLP and healthy control participants. Methods. The authors searched the literature for studies whose investigators had evaluated the relationships between IL-6 and OLP before treatment. The authors used meta-analysis to compare the standardized mean differences (SMD) of the levels of salivary and serum IL-6 between people who had OLP and people who did not have OLP and between patients with erosive OLP and patients with nonerosive OLP. Results. The results of separate meta-analyses, which included 5 studies each, indicated that the levels of salivary and serum IL-6 were significantly higher among patients with OLP than among healthy control participants (SMD, 2.35; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 0.50 to 4.19; P = .01; and SMD, 2.03; 95% Cl, 0.74 to 3.33; P = .002; respectively). The results of a meta-analysis of 4 studies indicated that the levels of IL-6 were not significantly different between patients with erosive OLP and patients with nonerosive OLP (SMD, 1.37; 95% Cl, -0.26 to 3.00; P = .10). There was significant heterogeneity among the studies (.P < .00001). Conclusions. Through the results of this meta-analysis, the authors found significant differences in the levels of IL-6 in saliva and serum between patients with OLP and healthy control participants. The authors found no differences in the levels of serum IL-6 between patients with erosive OLP and patients with nonerosive OLP. These results should be considered with caution because there was a high degree of heterogeneity among studies. Practical Implications. Levels of IL-6 in saliva and serum may be potential biomarkers for OLP. However, additional research is needed to confirm findings of this meta-analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the monitoring data of chemical oxygen demand (COD), permanganate index (IMn) and five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BODS) of surface water in Tongling section of Yangtze River, the linear relationship among the three indexes in the annual data analysis and the internal reasons, as well as the linear relationship and changes among the three indexes in different seasons were analyzed. The results reveal that in terms of the whole year, COD, and BODS had a significant correlation and good linear relationship. The fitting slopes of the three indexes were 3. 89 of COD/IMn, 4. 39 of COD/BODS and 1. 16 of IMn/BODs, respectively, which corresponded to the proportional relationship among the three indexes. From the perspective of seasonal changes, there was a very significant correlation between the three indexes in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, only COD and IMn had a good correlation, but they had a poor correlation with BODS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dry heat behaviors of different cattlehide collagen fiber samples with and without power ultrasound process are studied, and such instruments as Thermal Platform Microscope, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TG) are employed in the study. It is indicated that the dry heat behavior of the samples is slightly decreased because of the power ultrasound process. The reason why it is the case may be that part of the crystalline structure in the samples is destroyed by the power ultrasound process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]