Objective To investigate the expression profile and biological function of lncRNAs in urothelial cancer stem cells and explore whether they can be biomarkers for prediction of clinical characteristics for bladder cancer patients.Methods Microarray analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs in cancer stem cells and parental cancer cells.Expression profiles were validated by Coding Potential Caculator analysis,real-time polymerase chain reaction.By performing in vitro sphere formation assays,J82 cells with lentivirus-based knockdown of lncRNA-BCSC (bladder cancer stem cells) were used to confirmed its function.Samples were obtained from patients who underwent TURBT between January 2009 and December 2012.All tissues were initially confirmed by pathologists.The association of the clinicpathologic of bladder cancer and lncRNA-BCSC expression was analyzed by x2 analysis.Results 750 lncRNAs were highly expressed from microarray analysis in bladder cancer stem cells.Among these,lncRNA-BCSC was identified as potentially maintaining self-renewal of cancer stem cells.Knockdown of this transcript in J82 cells inhibited spheroid formation.lncRNA-BCSC expression were higher in 54.8％ (57/104) bladder cancer tissues.Moreover,using x2 analysis,lncRNA-BCSC expression in primary tumors was found to be a predictor for recurrence following transurethral resection in patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (P =0.009).Conclusions Our study provides strong evidence that lncRNA-BCSC are indispensable modulators of self-renewal ability of bladder cancer stem cells.Overexpression of lncRNA-BCSC may have a predictive value for early recurrence in patients suffering from nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Objective To report the treatment outcomes and repair methods for soft tissue defects at thumb using miniature flaps. Methods Six different kinds of surgical flaps were used for the repair on different thumb injuries. They were radial lateral thumb reverse island flap, dorsal ulnar thumb revers flap, first metacarpal dorsal reverse flap, first digital dorsal island flap, neurovessel pedicled V-Y advanced island flap, free nail flap first foot digital, and so on. The emergency repair using miniature flaps were studied on 132 different cases, all 137 flaps. Results The flaps survived expect 5 flaps had partial epidermis necorsis in the 137 flaps. But the 5 flaps survived too after disinfecting and changing dressing. The appearances and functions of thumbs were satisfactory for the 1 to 2 years post-operation follow-up. Conclusion It will gain better results if choosing appropriate emergency repair methods using miniature flaps on different cases.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of corneal nerves assessment on predicting corneal complications following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Methods: In this prospective single-center cohort study, 94 patients (94 eyes) received PPV, and were divided into postoperative groups with and without corneal complications. All eyes had corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density, and branch density of corneal nerve fibers assessed and calculated with Image J preoperatively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify corneal nerve fiber parameters that correlated to post-operative corneal complications. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the optimal cut-off point of the corneal fibers’ parameters for predicting corneal complications after PPV. Results: Eleven eyes (11.70%) developed corneal complications at 1 week after PPV. There was significant difference between CNFL (19.44 ± 6.88 vs. 26.84 ± 7.53, p = 0.003), corneal nerve fiber density (28.82 ± 9.91 vs. 37.10 ± 10.16, p = 0.013) and branch density of corneal nerve fibers (55.84 ± 21.08 vs. 82.04 ± 31.89, p = 0.01) in two groups, respectively. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of CNFL to predict corneal complications following PPV was <26.495 mm/mm2. Conclusions The decrease of CNFL may predict corneal complications following PPV. Regular preoperative corneal confocal microscopy test in PPV patients could be considered.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of corneal nerves assessment on predicting corneal complications following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Methods: In this prospective single-center cohort study, 94 patients (94 eyes) received PPV, and were divided into postoperative groups with and without corneal complications. All eyes had corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density, and branch density of corneal nerve fibers assessed and calculated with Image J preoperatively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify corneal nerve fiber parameters that correlated to post-operative corneal complications. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the optimal cut-off point of the corneal fibers’ parameters for predicting corneal complications after PPV. Results: Eleven eyes (11.70%) developed corneal complications at 1 week after PPV. There was significant difference between CNFL (19.44 ± 6.88 vs. 26.84 ± 7.53, p = 0.003), corneal nerve fiber density (28.82 ± 9.91 vs. 37.10 ± 10.16, p = 0.013) and branch density of corneal nerve fibers (55.84 ± 21.08 vs. 82.04 ± 31.89, p = 0.01) in two groups, respectively. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of CNFL to predict corneal complications following PPV was <26.495 mm/mm2. Conclusions The decrease of CNFL may predict corneal complications following PPV. Regular preoperative corneal confocal microscopy test in PPV patients could be considered.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of applying ultra-widefield fundus (UWF) images for macular staphyloma area (MSA) measurement and investigate the associated factors with MSA. Methods: This is a retrospective study. MSA was measured by UWF imaging. Central foveal thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, subfoveal scleral thickness were measured on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement would be evaluated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the associated factors with MSA. Results: In total, 135 eyes of 92 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 64.73 ± 10.84 years. Mean MSA on UWF image was 279.67 ± 71.70 mm2. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement was 0.965 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.946 to 0.977; p < 0.001). In the multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for subfoveal choroidal thickness, best-corrected visual acuity, central foveal thickness, and subfoveal scleral thickness, the factors independently related to MSA were axial length (β = 8.352; 95% CI, 3.306 to 13.398; p = 0.001), sex (β = -26.673; 95% CI, -51.759 to -1.586; p = 0.037), age (β = 1.184; 95% CI, 0.020 to 2.348; p = 0.046). Conclusions It is feasible to measure MSA on UWF image. Female, longer axial length, and older age may indicate larger MSA.

Bone defects caused by trauma, tumour resection, infection and congenital deformities, together with articular cartilage defects and cartilage-subchondral bone complex defects caused by trauma and degenerative diseases, remain great challenges for clinicians. Novel strategies utilising cell sheet technology to enhance bone and cartilage regeneration are being developed. The cell sheet technology has shown great clinical potential in regenerative medicine due to its effective preservation of cell-cell connections and extracellular matrix and its scaffold-free nature. This review will first introduce several widely used cell sheet preparation systems, including traditional approaches and recent improvements, as well as their advantages and shortcomings. Recent advances in utilising cell sheet technology to regenerate bone or cartilage defects and bone-cartilage complex defects will be reviewed. The key challenges and future research directions for the application of cell sheet technology in bone and cartilage regeneration will also be discussed.
Bone Regeneration ; Bone and Bones ; Cartilage, Articular ; Regeneration ; Tissue Engineering ; trends ; Tissue Scaffolds