Facial Structures Research Articles

Shifts in Facial Impression Structures Across Group Boundaries

Facial impressions have long been argued to be driven by two independent dimensions of trustworthiness and dominance. However, in an intergroup context, we reasoned that these dimensions may shift predictably and become more positively related for ingroup members, yet negatively related for outgroup members, due to dominance signaling outgroup threat and/or ingroup prosociality. In two studies, we examined how the two dimensions shift across minimal group boundaries for White targets. In Study 1, core dimensions of trustworthiness and dominance became intertwined with each other differently for ingroup and outgroup targets. In Study 2, stronger stereotypic beliefs that trustworthiness ≈ dominance for ingroup than outgroup mediated the shifts in facial impression dimensions. This work advances our understanding of facial impressions and intergroup bias by showing that the facial impression dimensions are not fixed but may shift across group boundaries and that such shifts occur above and beyond simple ingroup favoritism.

TGFA gene polymorphisms are not associated with the aetiology of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in south Indian population

IntroductionTransforming Growth Factor Alpha (TGFA) plays a role in the development of the facial structures, including the lip and palate. MethodologyAbout 148 case/parent trios were genotyped for rs1058213, rs2166975, rs3771494, rs3821261 and rs426081 polymorphisms in TGFA gene. Transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) and the parent-of-origin effects (POE) statistics were implemented. FAMHAP and Haploview packages were used to test the effect of multi-SNP haplotypes and linkage disequilibrium respectively. ResultsAt individual SNP level, TDT did not reveal significant excess transmission of parental alleles to their affected child. None of the analysed markers showed significant POE. Significant LD between SNPs of rs1058213, rs2166975 and rs377149, rs3821261 were observed. Analysis multi –SNP haplotypes did not reveal significant excess transmission of haplotypes to the affected child. ConclusionAnalysis of TDT and POE of five SNPs in TGFA gene indicated that the TGFA is not associated with the aetiology of NSCL/P.

IMPLEMENTATION OF FACE RECOGNITION AND LIVENESS DETECTION SYSTEM USING TENSORFLOW.JS

Facial recognition is a popular biometric security system used to authenticate individuals based on their unique facial structure. However, this system is vulnerable to spoofing attacks where the attacker can bypass the system using fake representations of the user's face such as photos, statues or videos. Liveness detection is a method used to address this issue by verifying that the user is a real person and not a representation. This journal article focuses on the life sign method of liveness detection, which utilizes facial movements to confirm the user's existence. We implement the latest technology of artificial intelligence from TensorFlow.js using face-api.js and compare it with the GLCM algorithm. However, even with the life sign detection method, there is still a chance of bypassing the system if an attacker uses a video recording. To mitigate this, we propose the addition of an object detection system to detect the hardware used to show video recordings with ml5.js. Our face recognition and expression detection system, using the pre-trained model face-api.js, achieved an accuracy of 85% and 82.5%, respectively, and the object detection system built with ml5.js has high accuracy and is very effective for liveness detection. Our results indicate that face-api.js outperformed GLCM algorithm in detecting spoofing attempts.

Safety considerations for treating the parotid and submandibular glands with neuromodulators for facial slimming.

Neuromodulators have predominantly been used for the treatment of upper facial lines, but their use has expanded to include lower face and neck treatments. However, the injection sites for these treatments are based on skin surface landmarks, which may pose risks to nearby structures and result in undesired outcomes. To investigate the spatial relationship between the FDA-approved skin surface landmarks for neuromodulator injections in the parotid and submandibular glands and the topographical anatomy of critical facial structures such as the facial artery, facial vein, external carotid artery, and retromandibular vein. A cross-sectional retrospective analysis was conducted on contrast-enhanced cranial CT scans. The scans were analyzed for the morphology and location of the parotid and submandibular glands. Measurements were taken for gland volume, craniocaudal extent, anterior-posterior extent, and distances between the skin surface and gland capsule or nearby structures such as arteries. The study sample consisted of 53 subjects, including 7 males and 46 females, with a mean age of 36.91 years and a mean BMI of 23.28 kg/m2 . The mean volume of the parotid gland was 31.9 ± 3.0 cc in males and 28.5 ± 3.6 cc in females with p < 0.001, while the mean volume of the submandibular gland was 18.2 ± 2.0 cc in males and 14.5 ± 3.4 cc in females with p < 0.001. The mean distances between skin surface and the gland capsule were 5.98 ± 2.2 and 8.84 ± 4.0 mm for the parotid and submandibular gland, respectively. This distance increased with higher age and higher BMI values in a statistically significant manner with p < 0.001. The distances between FDA-approved skin surface landmarks and the parotid and submandibular glands varied significantly depending on gender, age, and BMI. Optimal injection depth and location for neuromodulator treatments cannot be generalized based on these landmarks alone, emphasizing the need for real-time ultrasound imaging guidance.

Recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of submandibular gland — a rare entity

BackgroundAmong benign salivary gland tumors, pleomorphic adenoma is one of the most common tumor involving submandibular gland, but it is rare to encounter recurrent pleomorphic adenoma in submandibular gland after submandibular gland excision.Case presentationWe present a case of 22-year-old female patient who presented to us with recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of submandibular gland region after 10 years of removal of submandibular gland, diagnosis was established with the help of ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology, and thereafter, patient was taken up for surgical excision under general anesthesia. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.ConclusionsThis case report highlights the importance of special caution in removal of submandibular gland along with its capsule especially in pediatric population where due to small facial structures, chances of capsular breech are high, which can result in tumor seedling and future recurrence of tumor.

Research progress of 3D printed poly (ether ether ketone) in the reconstruction of craniomaxillofacial bone defects.

The clinical challenge of bone defects in the craniomaxillofacial region, which can lead to significant physiological dysfunction and psychological distress, persists due to the complex and unique anatomy of craniomaxillofacial bones. These critical-sized defects require the use of bone grafts or substitutes for effective reconstruction. However, current biomaterials and methods have specific limitations in meeting the clinical demands for structural reinforcement, mechanical support, exceptional biological performance, and aesthetically pleasing reconstruction of the facial structure. These drawbacks have led to a growing need for novel materials and technologies. The growing development of 3D printing can offer significant advantages to address these issues, as demonstrated by the fabrication of patient-specific bioactive constructs with controlled structural design for complex bone defects in medical applications using this technology. Poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK), among a number of materials used, is gaining recognition as a feasible substitute for a customized structure that closely resembles natural bone. It has proven to be an excellent, conformable, and 3D-printable material with the potential to replace traditional autografts and titanium implants. However, its biological inertness poses certain limitations. Therefore, this review summarizes the distinctive features of craniomaxillofacial bones and current methods for bone reconstruction, and then focuses on the increasingly applied 3D printed PEEK constructs in this field and an update on the advanced modifications for improved mechanical properties, biological performance, and antibacterial capacity. Exploring the potential of 3D printed PEEK is expected to lead to more cost-effective, biocompatible, and personalized treatment of craniomaxillofacial bone defects in clinical applications.

PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN FACIAL REGION OF SKULL

PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN FACIAL REGION OF SKULL

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate: Time to Include Orofacial Ultrasound Markers Into the First-Trimester Anatomy Scan?

Orofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital malformations. The prenatal diagnosis is often made in the second trimester of pregnancy as result of ultrasound examination of the midface on coronal and axial planes. However, the diagnosis in the first trimester is elusive due to the small size of the facial structures and technical limitations present at this early gestational age. In this Commentary, we suggest the routine systematic ultrasound identification of easy-to-obtain landmarks to improve the detection of cleft lip and cleft palate in the first trimester. These include, but are not limited to, visualization of the primary palate using the coronal plane of the face looking for disruption at the base of the retronasal triangle, and visualization of the palate using the sagittal plane looking for the maxillary gap and loss of the superimposed line. Early prenatal detection of orofacial clefts would allow a more detailed search for associated chromosomal anomalies or genetic syndromes.

THE MODERN DATA ABOUT THE ANATOMY OF A DANGEROUS TRIANGLE OF THE FACE

The anatomical structures of the facial skin are susceptible to various damage and can be affected when the integrity of the skin is violated, both at home and during invasive procedures or surgical interventions. In such cases, there is a danger of rapid spread of infection, mainly through the blood flow through the valve-less vessels of the face and head, which can lead to damage to the brain, organ of vision and other structures. The so-called danger zones of the face are especially vulnerable - areas of the skin, damage to which is more likely to lead to serious consequences. To prevent the development of complications, a deep understanding of the anatomical structure of these areas of the face is necessary. The purpose of the review is to summarize modern notions about the most dangerous traumatic injuries, various surgical and cosmetic interventions of the anatomical areas in the face, their possible infection, consequences and complications. Traumatization of blood vessels and nerves in dangerous areas of the face, as well as infection of wounds in this area can cause death. The skin of dangerous anatomical areas of the face (the surface of the nasal area, lip area, nasolabial triangle and other areas) is thin and closely connected to the underlying muscles. These areas contain a large number of blood vessels that anastomose with each other, as well as lymphatic vessels and nerve plexuses. An analysis of the frequency of diseases and injuries in these areas shows that currently they are caused by other reasons than what was observed in previous decades, and are more associated with cosmetic procedures of uncontrolled injections of botulinum toxin type A and (or) hyaluronic acid preparations. These methods of rejuvenating the appearance and correcting facial structures are becoming increasingly popular and more dangerous for the anatomically determined reasons mentioned above. All of the above is relevant in the study of facial anatomy by both students and specialists.

Creating and Transferring an Innervated, Vascularized Muscle Flap Made from an Elastic, Cellularized Tissue Construct Developed In Situ.

Reanimating facial structures following paralysis and muscle loss is a surgical objective that would benefit from improved options for harvesting appropriately sized muscle flaps. The objective of this study is to apply electrohydrodynamic processing to generate a cellularized, elastic, biocomposite scaffold that could develop and mature as muscle in a prepared donor site in vivo, and then be transferred as a thin muscle flap with a vascular and neural pedicle. First, an effective extracellular matrix (ECM) gel type is selected for the biocomposite scaffold from three types of ECM combined with poly(ester urethane)urea microfibers and evaluated in rat abdominal wall defects. Next, two types of precursor cells (muscle-derived and adipose-derived) are compared in constructs placed in rat hind limb defects for muscle regeneration capacity. Finally, with a construct made from dermal ECM and muscle-derived stem cells, protoflaps are implanted in one hindlimb for development and then microsurgically transferred as a free flap to the contralateral limb where stimulated muscle function is confirmed. This construct generation and in vivo incubation procedure may allow the generation of small-scale muscle flaps appropriate for transfer to the face, offering a new strategy for facial reanimation.

Multi-Scale Feature Fusion and Structure-Preserving Network for Face Super-Resolution

Deep convolutional neural networks have demonstrated significant performance improvements in face super-resolution tasks. However, many deep learning-based approaches tend to overlook the inherent structural information and feature correlation across different scales in face images, making the accurate recovery of face structure in low-resolution cases challenging. To address this, this paper proposes a method that fuses multi-scale features while preserving the facial structure. It introduces a novel multi-scale residual block (MSRB) to reconstruct key facial parts and structures from spatial and channel dimensions, and utilizes pyramid attention (PA) to exploit non-local self-similarity, improving the details of the reconstructed face. Feature Enhancement Modules (FEM) are employed in the upscale stage to refine and enhance current features using multi-scale features from previous stages. The experimental results on CelebA, Helen and LFW datasets provide evidence that our method achieves superior quantitative metrics compared to the baseline, the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) outperforms the baseline by 0.282 dB, 0.343 dB, and 0.336 dB. Furthermore, our method demonstrates improved visual performance on two additional no-reference datasets, Widerface and Webface.

Anatomical network modules of the human central nervous-craniofacial skeleton system.

Anatomical network analysis (AnNA) is a systems biological framework based on network theory that enables anatomical structural analysis by incorporating modularity to model structural complexity. The human brain and facial structures exhibit close structural and functional relationships, suggestive of a co-evolved anatomical network. The present study aimed to analyze the human head as a modular entity that comprises the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and craniofacial skeleton. An AnNA model was built using 39 anatomical nodes from the brain, spinal cord, and craniofacial skeleton. The linkages were identified using peripheral nerve supply and direct contact between structures. The Spinglass algorithm in the igraph software was applied to construct a network and identify the modules of the central nervous system-craniofacial skeleton anatomical network. Two modules were identified. These comprised an anterior module, which included the forebrain, anterior cranial base, and upper-middle face, and a posterior module, which included the midbrain, hindbrain, mandible, and posterior cranium. These findings may reflect the genetic and signaling networks that drive the mosaic central nervous system and craniofacial development and offer important systems biology perspectives for developmental disorders of craniofacial structures.

Principled deep neural network training through linear programming

Deep learning has received much attention lately due to the impressive empirical performance achieved by training algorithms. Consequently, a need for a better theoretical understanding of these problems has become more evident and multiple works in recent years have focused on this task. In this work, using a unified framework, we show that there exists a polyhedron that simultaneously encodes, in its facial structure, all possible deep neural network training problems that can arise from a given architecture, activation functions, loss function, and sample size. Notably, the size of the polyhedral representation depends only linearly on the sample size, and a better dependency on several other network parameters is unlikely. Using this general result, we compute the size of the polyhedral encoding for commonly used neural network architectures. Our results provide a new perspective on training problems through the lens of polyhedral theory and reveal strong structure arising from these problems.

Prosthetic rehabilitation on patient with orbital defect: A customised approach

Loss of eye leads to significant psychological trauma which necessitate rehabilitation. Restoring eye defects with prostheses will uplift psychological status of such patients by re-establishing the facial structures and appearance, eventually returning them to their normal life. Even though prefabricated orbital prostheses are available, the lack of proper fitting indirectly affect comfort and aesthetics. Custom-made orbital prosthesis is still preferred due to its conformity which correspond to individual defect and the ability for shade personalization. This article elaborates the technique of fabrication of a custom-made orbital prosthesis in giving a life-like appearance to the patient.

Developmental origin of the mammalian premaxilla

The evolution of jaws has played a major role in the success of vertebrate expansion into a wide variety of ecological niches. A fundamental, yet unresolved, question in craniofacial biology is about the origin of the premaxilla, the most distal bone present in the upper jaw of all amniotes. Recent reports have suggested that the mammalian premaxilla is derived from embryonic maxillary prominences rather than the frontonasal ectomesenchyme as previously shown in studies of chicken embryos. However, whether mammalian embryonic frontonasal ectomesenchyme contributes to the premaxillary bone has not been investigated and a tool to trace the contributions of the frontonasal ectomesenchyme to facial structures in mammals is lacking. The expression of the Alx3 gene is activated highly specifically in the frontonasal ectomesenchyme, but not in the maxillary mesenchyme, from the beginning of facial morphogenesis in mice. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a novel Alx3CreERT2 knock-in mouse line that express tamoxifen-inducible Cre DNA recombinase from the Alx3 locus. Tamoxifen treatment of Alx3CreERT2/+;Rosa26mTmG/+ embryos at E7.5, E8.5, E9.5, and E10.5, each induced specific labeling of the embryonic medial nasal and lateral nasal mesenchyme but not the maxillary mesenchyme. Lineage tracing of Alx3CreERT2-labeled frontonasal mesenchyme from E9.5 to E16.5 clearly showed that the frontonasal mesenchyme cells give rise to the osteoblasts generating the premaxillary bone. Furthermore, we characterize a Dlx1-Cre BAC transgenic mouse line that expresses Cre activity in the embryonic maxillary but not the frontonasal mesenchyme and show that the Dlx1-Cre labeled embryonic maxillary mesenchyme cells contribute to the maxillary bone as well as the soft tissues lateral to both the premaxillary and maxillary bones but not to the premaxillary bone. These results clearly demonstrate the developmental origin of the premaxillary bone from embryonic frontonasal ectomesenchyme cells in mice and confirm the evolutionary homology of the premaxilla across amniotes.

Titanium plates salvage in irradiated facial areas with the lipomodeling technique

Major defects of the facial structures cause severe functional and aesthetic impairment. For composite defects with bone loss, the use of a titanium plate bridging the bony defect, associated or not to a soft tissue pedicled flap is to be considered in complex cases, or for patients with high comorbidities. The principal limit of this technique is the risk of plate exposure, especially for patients who had adjuvant radiation therapy. We present two clinical cases of patients who had a facial reconstruction using a titanium plate associated with a locoregional soft tissue flap, and who presented a near-exposed plate a few years after the first surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy. In order to prevent plate exposure, we performed several lipomodeling sessions between skin and plate. Our results are very encouraging, with no plate exposure and thickening of the soft tissues which cover the plate at 10-years follow-up. The knowledge of the possibility to use fat grafting transfer could therefore lead to a strong return to the use of titanium plates in facial reconstruction.

Hasil analisis sefalometri metode holdaway pasien ortodonti usia 19-26 tahun di rsgm – p fkg usakti

Background: Malocclusion is a discrepancy in the relationship between the jaw and tooth that deviates from normal. To fix the malocclusion problem in the oral cavity, orthodontic treatment can be used in performed. Cephalometric analysis can be used in determining the diagnosis and treatment plan. One of the analysis is the Holdaway method. Holdaway analysis is considered as a more precise method, making it easier for researchers analysis in orthodontic patients to assess facial soft tissue and facial hard tissue structures effectively because it has 11 parameters; facial angle, nose tip distance, superior labial sulcus depth, inferior labial sulcus depth, upper lip curvature, upper lip distance, chin thickness, upper lip thickness, upper lip curvature, upper lip strain, H angle and skeletal curvature. Purpose: To determine the results of cephalometric analysis in adult orthodontic patients aged 19-26 years at RSGM-P FKG Usakti with Holdaway analysis. Methods: A descriptive observational study with a cross-sectional design, and selection of cephalograms by purposive sampling in adult orthodontic patients at RSGM-P FKG Usakti in 2021-2022. Results: The average patient's facial angle was 89⁰, the average distance from the apex of the nose was 2,5mm, the mean superior labial sulcus depth was 7,82mm, the mean labial sulcus depth inferior 4,3mm, mean Li-H distance of 1,30mm, mean thickness of the chin 12,6mm, average thickness of the upper lip 12,6, mean Sn-H 5mm, mean upper lip strain of 11,70mm, mean skeletal convexity of 3,4mm, and mean angle H 16.15⁰. Conclusion: Overview of cephalometric analysis in orthodontic patients with Holdaway analysis shows that the patient has a facial profile with facial angle, H angle and convex skeletal convexity, small nasal tip distance, superior labial sulcus depth, inferior labial sulcus depth and less chin thickness ideal, upper lip curvature and less than ideal upper lip strain, and ideal Li to H distance

Development of an International SMA Bulbar Assessment for Inter-professional Administration.

Progressive weakness can affect bulbar muscles in individuals with moderate to severe forms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The paucity of standardized, valid bulbar assessments capturing clinically significant deficits in SMA impedes the ability to monitor function, facilitate intervention, or detect treatment response. To fill this void, an international multidisciplinary team gathered to develop an agreed upon consensus-derived assessment of bulbar function in SMA for inter-professional administration to enhance our ability to monitor disease progression, support clinical management, and evaluate treatment effects. Fifty-six international clinicians experienced in SMA were invited and engaged using the Delphi method over multiple rounds of web-based surveys to establish consensus. Serial virtual meetings occurred with 42 clinicians (21 speech and language therapists, 11 physical therapists, 5 neurologists, 4 occupational therapists, and 1 dentist). Seventy-two validated assessments of bulbar function were identified for potential relevance to individuals with SMA (32 accessible objective, 11 inaccessible objective, 29 patient-reported outcomes). Delphi survey rounds (n = 11, 15, 15) achieved consensus on individual items with relevance and wording discussed. Key aspects of bulbar function identified included: oral intake status, oral facial structure and motor strength, swallowing physiology, voice & speech, and fatigability. Multidisciplinary clinicians with expertise in bulbar function and SMA used Delphi methodology to reach consensus on assessments/items considered relevant for SMA across all age groups. Future steps include piloting the new scale moving towards validation/reliability. This work supports the advancement of assessing bulbar function in children and adults with SMA by a variety of professionals.

An observational pilot study on anthropometric analysis of lip–nose complex of unilateral cleft lip children and age-matched controls by three-dimensional digital photogrammetry

ABSTRACT Introduction: Lip–nose complex anthropometry is an important component of cleft lip and palate repair. There are limited studies in the Indian population which measure the anthropometry of facial structures. Various anthropometric and cephalometric techniques have been evolved and applied to measure facial features of cleft lip/palate patients. Objective: The main objective of this study was to measure the anthropometry of lip–nose complex of unilateral cleft lip children and compare it with noncleft children as age-matched controls by VECTRA three-dimensional (3D) digital photogrammetry. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted on 25 children with unilateral cleft lip (complete/incomplete) of 3 months–2 years of age as cases and 25 noncleft children as age-matched controls, admitted to our institute. Philtral height, lip length, lip height, nostril height, nostril width, nasal sill width, and columella height were measured using VECTRA 3D digital photogrammetry. Results: The mean age of cleft and noncleft patients was 7.80 ± 3.76 months and 10.60 ± 4.38 months, respectively. Philtral height, lip height, lip length, and columella height of the cleft side were found to be significantly lower than that of noncleft patients (P &lt; 0.001). The rest of the parameters, nostril height, nostril width, and nasal sill width of cleft patients were found to be significantly higher than that of noncleft patients (P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: This study provided an anthropometrical analysis of the lip–nose complex which can be a fundamental basis for presurgical consultation, surgical planning, postoperative assessment, and a predictor for treatment outcome.

Learning Motion-Robust Remote Photoplethysmography through Arbitrary Resolution Videos

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) enables non-contact heart rate (HR) estimation from facial videos which gives significant convenience compared with traditional contact-based measurements. In the real-world long-term health monitoring scenario, the distance of the participants and their head movements usually vary by time, resulting in the inaccurate rPPG measurement due to the varying face resolution and complex motion artifacts. Different from the previous rPPG models designed for a constant distance between camera and participants, in this paper, we propose two plug-and-play blocks (i.e., physiological signal feature extraction block (PFE) and temporal face alignment block (TFA)) to alleviate the degradation of changing distance and head motion. On one side, guided with representative-area information, PFE adaptively encodes the arbitrary resolution facial frames to the fixed-resolution facial structure features. On the other side, leveraging the estimated optical flow, TFA is able to counteract the rPPG signal confusion caused by the head movement thus benefit the motion-robust rPPG signal recovery. Besides, we also train the model with a cross-resolution constraint using a two-stream dual-resolution framework, which further helps PFE learn resolution-robust facial rPPG features. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets (UBFC-rPPG, COHFACE and PURE) demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method. One highlight is that with PFE and TFA, the off-the-shelf spatio-temporal rPPG models can predict more robust rPPG signals under both varying face resolution and severe head movement scenarios. The codes are available at https://github.com/LJWGIT/Arbitrary_Resolution_rPPG.