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Study design: Retrospective chart review. Objective: Improper usage of safety devices in motorized vehicles can lead to serious facial injuries in the pediatric population. This study compares pediatric facial trauma patients from rural and urban counties who present to 2 high-volume Level 1 Trauma Centers to investigate factors influencing injury severity and management, and to guide preventative measures to improve patient outcomes. Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric facial trauma patients (<18 years old) was performed between January 2020 and December 2022 at 2 high-volume Level 1 Trauma Centers. Data on patient demographics, facial injuries, management, and outcomes were collected. Urban and rural county designation was defined according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Results: Of 2977 pediatric facial trauma patients evaluated, 206 sustained facial fractures from motorized vehicle accidents (MVA) −176 were from an urban-designated county (UC) and 30 from a rural-designated county (RC) at the time of injury. RC patients were significantly more likely to be transferred from outside institutions (P =.007) and to sustain injuries from an ATV accident (P =.006). Lack of safety device use in UC patients were significantly more likely to sustain injuries from low-energy trauma (P =.01), to have a higher ISS score (P =.02), and to have a longer hospital stay (P =.01). RC patients using appropriate safety devices were significantly more likely to receive specialty follow-up for their facial injuries (P =.04) and to have resolution of their facial trauma injuries within 1 year (P =.004). Conclusion: Proper safety device usage is crucial in the prevention of pediatric facial injuries in motorized vehicles. While the type of facial fractures did not differ, patients not using safety devices had more severe injuries with less specialized follow-up care and longer duration of residual symptoms. Further research should focus on improving follow-up care with a focus on rural patients to enhance long-term recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Objective: The management of pediatric facial fractures presents distinctive considerations compared to adults. This study aims to provide a unique perspective on the correlations between the mechanism of injury, types of facial fractures, and fracture interventions and management utilized in 2 North Carolina Level 1 Trauma Centers to determine the optimal management options for this patient population. Methods: An IRB-approved retrospective chart review was performed of pediatric facial trauma patients ages <18 years old between January 2020 and December 2022 at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Atrium Health Charlotte Medical Center. Data on patient demographics, mechanism of injury, facial fractures, interventions, and outcomes were collected. Results: Of 2,977 pediatric facial trauma patients, 582 patients sustained at least 1 facial fracture at the time of injury. Adolescents were significantly less likely to be transferred from outside institutions and to be admitted for further care (P = 0.002). Adolescents experienced higher levels of residual symptoms following initial discharge (P = 0.001) and were less likely to have a symptom resolution within 1 year (P < 0.0001). Neonates and infants were significantly more likely to receive conservative interventions and to sustain calvarium and skull base fractures (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: This study identifies differences in pediatric age groups related to transfers, admittance, fracture type, management, and outcomes. Our data suggests adolescent patients may experience a higher incidence of residual symptoms with lower levels of symptom resolution within 1 year. Further investigation into these differences may elicit optimized methods of fracture management in pediatric age groups and allow for effective, individualized care with improved long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Patients affected by cleft lip and palate have a characteristic nasal deformity; however, the treatment timeline varies amongst providers. There has been a shift from a more conservative approach to earlier intervention in order to allow for more normal development of the nose. Form, function, and future development all must be considered. For this reason, this investigation was undertaken to present the current literature available on the effects to all aspects of primary septoplasty in the cleft nasal deformity. Design : An initial list of 222 papers was identified, and it was determined that 16 papers fit the inclusion criteria. Studies were included in which the initial age of operation for the majority of patients was between 3 and 12 months and in which patients underwent septal repositioning at the time of cleft lip repair. These papers were all reviewed by a single author initially, and the results recorded. All results were then verified by a second author for accuracy and completeness. Results : Symmetry was found to be improved by primary septoplasty. Growth was not found to be impaired in any study; data was insufficient to indicate that growth was improved. Obstruction was improved as determined both by imaging, endoscopy, and patient survey. Finally, reoperation rates occurred at an acceptable rate not exceeding that of primary rhinoplasty without septoplasty. Conclusion : Primary septoplasty leads to better aesthetic symmetry and function of the cleft nose without impairing growth. This change is maintained into adulthood often without the need for revisionary surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of influential papers by Hoberg and Phillips measure the similarity of pairs of companies based on a textual analysis of their business descriptions and show these measures to be useful in a variety of research contexts in finance. Hoberg and Phillips derive the similarity measures from a comparison of word lists extracted from extensive business descriptions contained in US companies’ electronic 10-K filings. Unfortunately, this method is of little use in non-US settings, where lengthy English-language company self-descriptions are not available on a consistent basis. Instead, we use semantic fingerprinting to extract such similarity measures from much shorter but globally available third-party company descriptions. We show that our approach significantly predicts stock return correlations even after controlling for past correlations and for membership in the same industry. Remarkably, company similarity measures based on brief third-party company descriptions predict stock return correlations significantly better than those based on much longer company self-descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers in finance and adjacent fields have increasingly been working with textual data, a common challenge being analysing the content of a text. Traditionally, this task has been approached through labour- and computation-intensive work with lists of words. In this article we compare word list analysis with an easy-to-implement and computationally efficient alternative called semantic fingerprinting. Using the prediction of stock return correlations as an illustration, we show semantic fingerprinting to produce superior results. We argue that semantic fingerprinting significantly reduces the barrier to entry for research involving textual content analysis, and we provide guidance on implementing this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients affected by cleft lip and palate have a characteristic nasal deformity; however, the treatment timeline varies amongst providers. There has been a shift from a more conservative approach to earlier intervention in order to allow for more normal development of the nose. Form, function, and future development all must be considered. For this reason, this investigation was undertaken to present the current literature available on the effects to all aspects of primary septoplasty in the cleft nasal deformity., An initial list of 222 papers was identified, and it was determined that 16 papers fit the inclusion criteria. Studies were included in which the initial age of operation for the majority of patients was between 3 and 12 months and in which patients underwent septal repositioning at the time of cleft lip repair. These papers were all reviewed by a single author initially, and the results recorded. All results were then verified by a second author for accuracy and completeness., Symmetry was found to be improved by primary septoplasty. Growth was not found to be impaired in any study; data was insufficient to indicate that growth was improved. Obstruction was improved as determined both by imaging, endoscopy, and patient survey. Finally, reoperation rates occurred at an acceptable rate not exceeding that of primary rhinoplasty without septoplasty., Primary septoplasty leads to better aesthetic symmetry and function of the cleft nose without impairing growth. This change is maintained into adulthood often without the need for revisionary surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: Recent advances in the preservation and processing of amnion/chorion tissue have dramatically increased the bioavailability of these wound healing factors as well as the shelf life of their related tissue products, allowing for a surge in clinical use. Many studies, including basic science, clinical trials, and randomized controlled trials, have emerged examining the biologic properties of amnion/chorion membrane products and their efficacy in wound healing., Objective: A literature review was conducted regarding the safety and efficacy of amniotic membrane adjuncts., Methods: The PubMed and MEDLINE databases were queried and sorted based on clinical trials with publication dates ranging from 2013 to 2017. Only studies pertaining to human subjects were included for review., Results: Amnion/chorion membranes have been studied in the treatment of burns, diabetic foot ulcers, fistulas, ocular defects, and venous leg ulcers, among other wounds. Amnion/chorion allografts were found to be beneficial in the setting of difficult-to-heal fistulas and were effective in treating diabetic and venous ulcers when combined with standard therapy., Conclusions: Overall, clinical trials have demonstrated that patients treated with amniotic membrane products have increased rates of wound healing compared with the standard of care. Additional trials are needed to examine more amnion/chorion membrane products.

Our understanding of the role of zinc in normal human physiology is constantly expanding, yet there are major gaps in our knowledge with regard to the function of zinc in wound healing. This review aims to provide the clinician with sufficient understanding of zinc biology and an up-to-date perspective on the role of zinc in wound healing. Zinc is an essential ion that is crucial for maintenance of normal physiology, and zinc deficiency has many manifestations ranging from delayed wound healing to immune dysfunction and impairment of multiple sensory systems. While consensus has been reached regarding the detrimental effects of zinc deficiency on wound healing, there is considerable discord in the literature on the optimal methods and true benefits of zinc supplementation.