OBJECTIVETo investigate the technique and its effect of combined nasolabial flap and free auricular composite flap for full-thickness nasal alar defect.

METHODSFrom March 2010 to March 2013, 9 patients with full-thickness nasal alar defects were treated with combined nasolabial flaps and free auricular composite flaps. Composite auricular flap was used as inner lining and cartilage framework. The nasolabial flap at the same side was used as outer lining.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up for 6-18 months (average, 12 months). All the 9 composite auricular flaps survived completely. Epidermal necrosis happened at the distal end of 1 nasolabial flap. Alar rim was almost normal and symmetric nose was achieved in 6 cases. The arc and the thickness of the alar rim was not enough in 3 cases, resulting in asymmetric appearance.

CONCLUSIONSThe survival area of auricular composite flap can be enlarged with nasolabial flap. The auricular helix edge can be reserved to reconstruct nasal alar rim with smooth and natural arc. Large full-thickness nasal alar defedts can be reconstructed with combined nasolabial flaps and free auricular composite flaps.

Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rhinoplasty ; methods ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Young Adult

Objective To make a comprehensive evaluation of nano-composite of poly(L-lactide) and surface grafted hydroxyapatite(PLLA/PLLA-gHA) as a new material.Methods According to the evaluated critera of medical implanted materials biology and animal trial recommended in GB/T 16886 and IS0 10993 criterion,the new material was carried out on acute systemic toxicity test,haemolysis test,muscular implantation test and subcutaneous injection test.The extract liquid of new material was injected into mice by vena caudalis to test common station,toxic reaction of it at different time,the results were used to evaluate the acute systemic toxicity.Fresh anticoagulant cony blood was mixed with extract liquid of new material with density of 100 g?L-1 to measure each absorbance with spectrophotometer and work out the corresponding rate of haemolysis.The red punctuation and hydropsia of rabbits were observed at different time by subcuntaneous injecting extract liquid into the back of rabbits.PLLA/PLLA-gHA composite plates were implanted into the sacrospinal muscle of rabbits.Cony venous blood was extracted to detect indicatrix of hematology at diferrent time.The material and surrounded tissues were taken out from animals at the 14th,30th,60th,90th,180th,360th day to examine anatomic and pathological changes.Results Rabbits with PLLA/PLLA-gHA composite had good general condition.There was no any acute systemic toxicity in vivo.Data of AST and Scr had no significant difference between experimental group and control group.The hemolysis rate of extrac liquid was 1.22%,which was under the standard criteria(5%).No red punctuation and light hydropsia were observed at different time in the subcutaneous injection test.The inflammation cytochange of PLLA/PLLA-gHA composite group was similar with that of control group in early days,which was met with the general regularity of inflammatory outcome.The fibrosis membrane surrounding the PLLA/PLLA-gHA composite became thinner gradually with the elongation of implantation time.The fibrosis membrane grew into the material at the 360th day.The degree of the fibrosis membrane was below class Ⅰ.Conclusion The new absorbable type PLLA/PLLA-gHA composite has excellent biocompatibility and security.

Objective To investigate the application of computer-aided 3D reconstruction and rapid prototyping(RP) technique in the correction of prominent mandibular angle.Methods Computer tomography scanning and 3D reconstruction were performed on 15 square face patients with prominent mandibular angles,then their actual mandible models were made by RP techniques.Surgical programs were made according to the model,including partial mandibular angle osteotomy,outer mandible table sagittal splitting osteotomy,chin augmentation with autogenous mandibule bones,and so on.In 15 cases,mandibular angle partial cutting was performed in 5 cases,sagittal splitting osteotomy in 6 cases,and mandibular angle partial cutting combined with splitting osteotomy in 4 cases.The autogenous mandibule bones were transplanted for chin augmentation in 3 chin microsomia patients.All the cases were treated according to the position and range set by the RP model.Results All the mandibular models produced by RP techniques were real and complete,which could directly and precisely show the state of the mandible.The operations completed smoothly and accomplished with the expected outcomes designed before operation.In all cases,the width of lower face was efficiently reduced and the face was symmetrical after operation.The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 1 year in 12 patients,during which their facial appearances were in good condition and the results were satisfactory.Conclusion RP techniques is helpful in precise representation of the state of mandible,which providing ideal surgical models for accurate evaluation of prominent mandibular angle,design of surgical procedures as well as surgery instruction.It can provide good assistance to facial contour plastic surgery.

OBJECTIVETo observe the changes in Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs in brains of 3 month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice after six-month intervention with curcumin, in order to discuss the neuroprotective effect of curcumin.

METHODAPPswe/PS1dE9dtg mice were randomly divided into the model group, the Rosiglitazone group (10 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and curcumin high (400 mg x kg9-1) x d(-1)), medium (200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and low (100 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) dosage groups, with C57/BL6J mice of the same age and the same background in the normal control group. After 6 months, the immunohistochemical staining (IHC) and the Western blot method were used to observe the changes in positive cell of Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs in hippocampal CA1 area, their distribution and protein expressions.

RESULTBoth of the immunohistochemical staining and the Western blot method showed more positive cell of Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs in hippocampal CA1 area and higher protein expressions in the model group than the normal group (P < 0.01). IHC showed a lower result in the Rosiglitazone group than the model group (P < 0.05), while Western blot showed a much lower result (P < 0.01). The number of Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs positive cells and the protein expressions decreased in the curcumin high group, the medium group showed a significant decrease (P < 0.01), and the low dose group also showed reductions in the protein expressions of Aβ40 and Aβ42.

CONCLUSIONThe six-month intervention with curcumin can significantly reduce the expressions of hippocampal Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs in brains of APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice. Whether curcumin can impact Aβ cascade reaction by down-regulating expressions of Aβ40, Aβ42 and ADDLs and show the neuroprotective effect needs further studies.

Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Curcumin ; administration & dosage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Transgenic ; Neuroprotective Agents ; administration & dosage ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage

Objective To optimize the extraction process and improve the quality of Toufu irrigation.Methods Matrine assay was selected to be the indicator for the extraction efficacy.Orthogonal test was used to determine the optimal water a-mount,extraction time and extraction frequency.Results The best extraction process was to extract 90 minutes twice with the water amount 8 times of the dry herbal material by weight.Conclusion This process is feasible and repeatable.It can be used for the quality control of the preparation.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. Although the pharmacotherapies for Crohn’s disease are constantly updating, nutritional support and adjuvant therapies have recently gained more attention. Due to advancements in clinical nutrition, various clinical nutritional therapies are used to treat Crohn’s disease. Doctors treating inflammatory bowel disease can now offer several diets with more flexibility than ever. The Crohn’s disease exclusion diet is a widely used diet for patients with active Crohn’s disease. The Crohn’s disease exclusion diet requires both exclusion and inclusion. Periodic exclusion of harmful foods and inclusion of wholesome foods gradually improves a patient’s nutritional status. This article reviews the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet, including its structure, mechanisms, research findings, and clinical applications.

OBJECTIVETo construct a short hairpin (sh)RNA targeting the gene encoding the MDM2 oncoprotein in order to investigate its role in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its potential for use as a gene therapy strategy to inhibit HCC growth in vivo.

METHODSSmall interfering (si)RNAs were designed targeting the MDM2 gene (siMDM2-1 and siMDM2-2) and unrelated sequences (negative control) and cloned into the expression plasmid pGCSilencer-U6-neo-GFP. A HCC mouse model was established by subcutaneous inoculation of HepG2 cells (2 x 10(6) in 0.2 ml) into 20 nude mice. The inoculated mice were divided into four equal groups for tumor-localized injections of saline, negative control siRNA plasmid, siMDM2-1 plasmid, and siMDM2-2 plasmid. Tumor growth was observed daily (by caliper measurement) for one month, when mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The tumor mass was resected for analysis of tumor inhibition rate (% = [(average tumor weight of control group - average tumor weight of treatment group) / average tumor weight of control group x 100]) and effects on MDM2 and p53 mRNA and protein expression (by reverse transcription- PCR and western blotting, both normalized to beta-actin). Significance of between-group differences was assessed by one-way ANOVA or LSD test; pairwise comparisons were made by the Chi-squared test.

RESULTSsiMDM2-1 and siMDM2-2 suppressed the xenografted tumor growth remarkably (60.6% and 54.6% inhibition rates, respectively), significantly reduced the expression ofMDM2 gene (62.8% and 61.6%) and protein (60.7% and 59.5%), and significantly increased p53 gene (47.1% and 45.6%) and protein (45.9% and 44.3%) (all, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONshRNA-mediated silencing of the MDM2 gene effectively inhibits HCC tumorigenesis of subcutaneously xenografted HepG2 cells in nude mice, and the mechanism may involve p53.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Proliferation ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Plasmids ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Acetic Acid ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Cysts ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo assess the effect of Qingfei Quyu Decoction (QQD) in preventing radiation pneumonitis in esophageal carcinoma patients by concurrent using it with chemoradiotherapy.

METHODSA total of 120 patients with mid-late stage esophageal carcinoma were randomly assigned to the treatment group (60 cases) and the control group (60 cases). All patients received concurrent radiochemotherapy. Patients in the treatment group additionally took QQD, one dose per day for 8 successive weeks. The incidence of radiation pneunonitis was compared between the two groups. The improvement rates of short-term benefit rate, Karnofsky performance scale (KPS), and body weight (BW) improvement rate were calculated between the two groups. The 1-and 2-year overall survival rates were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe incidence of radiation pneunonitis was 8.93% (15/56) in the treatment group and 18.64% (11/59) in the control group (P < 0.05). The short-term benefit rate was 92.86% (52/56) in the treatment group and 69.49% (41/59) in the control group (P < 0.05). Besides, the KPS and BW improvement rate were higher in the treatment group [89.29% (50/56) and 83.05% (49/59) ] than in the control group [80.36% (45/56) and 66.10% (39/59)] (P < 0.05). The 1-and 2-year overall survival rate were 66.07% and 35.71% in the treatment group, higher than those of the control group (61.02% and 30.51%; P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONConcurrent using QQD with chemoradiotherapy for treating esophageal carcinoma patients could lower the incidence of radiation pneumonitis, attenuate the degree of radiation induced lung injury, improve clinical benefit rate, and elevate their QOL.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chemoradiotherapy ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Humans ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; prevention & control ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical techniques and effects of repairing skin defects of the forefoot by free perforating flap nourished by peroneal artery.

METHODSFrom June 2007 to June 2011, 11 patients with skin and soft tissue defects of the forefoot were repaired by free peroneal artery perforating flap in emergent or subemergent. There were 10 males and 1 female with an average age of 28.6 years old ranging from 23 to 46 years old. Among them, 4 cases injured for traffic accidents, 3 for crush and 4 for machine strangulation. In all cases, the defect area of forefoot tissue varied from 2.0 cm x 4.0 cm to 4.0 cm x 8.5 cm,and the adopted area varied from 2.5 cm x 4.5 cm to 4.0 cm x 9.0 cm. The operation time was from 6 to 96 h (averaged 31.8 h). The blood vessels were anastomosed end-to-end.

RESULTSAll of the transferred free flaps survived uneventfully. Nine of them were successfully followed up from 6 to 24 months. The appearance, elasticity and functions of flaps were satisfied accompanied with slight damage of donor site although seemed bloated. The smaller donor site could be intimately seamed if necessary.

CONCLUSIONThe vessels anatomy of knee with antegrade extended peroneal artery was relative constant with a moderate thickness and simple operation, is useful to repair small or middle areas of skin defects in forefoot.

Adult ; Female ; Foot Injuries ; surgery ; Forefoot, Human ; surgery ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Young Adult