OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effects of repair of complicated tissue defects of several body parts with composite anterolateral femoral fascia lata perforator tissue flaps (fascial flap or fascial skin flap) with the aid of micro-surgery.

METHODSFrom February 2008 to August 2012, complicated tissue defects in 12 patients were repaired with composite anterolateral femoral fascia lata perforator tissue flaps. Two of the 12 patients suffered from a defect of scalp, skull, and dura mater as a result of resection of a malignant tumor of the scalp; 3 patients showed a defect of skin and tendo calcaneus in the heel and lower leg; 2 patients showed a defect of skin and extensor tendon in the dorsum of hands; the other 5 patients suffered from defects of skin and extensor tendon in the foot and ankle combined with exposure of bone or internal buttress plate. The size of tissue flaps ranged from 12 cm ×6 cm to 19 cm ×18 cm. The donor sites were closed by immediate suturing or skin grafting.

RESULTSAll 12 tissue flaps survived. Patients were followed up for 2 to 36 months. The flaps were shown to have good appearance, texture and function. Two patients with the defect of the scalp, skull and dura mater after a resection of the malignant tumor of the scalp did not have recurrence or herniation of brain tissue. The foot-raising function in 3 patients with the defect of skin and tendo calcaneus in the heel and lower leg was recovered, and according to Arner-Lindholm criteria the result was excellent in 2 cases and good in 1 case. The extension function of fingers of 2 patients with defects of skin and extensor tendon in the dorsum of hands was good according to the evaluation criteria of Chinese Medical Association Society of Hand Surgery for tendon repair of hand. The extension function of toes of 5 patients with defects of skin and extensor tendon in the foot and ankle combined with exposure of bone or internal buttress plate was recovered and improved.

CONCLUSIONSTransplantation of composite anterolateral femoral fascia lata perforator tissue flaps with the aid of micro-surgery is an effective method in repairing the tissue defects of skull, dura mater, and the extensor tendon of hands or feet, with restoration of the extension function.

Adult ; Fascia Lata ; transplantation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perforator Flap ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the outcomes and complications of permanent brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy and hormonal therapy for local high-risk or intermediated-risk prostate cancer.Methods There were 354 men with local high-risk or intermediated-risk prostate cancer were reviewed,including 111 men with local intermediated-risk prostate cancer and 243 men with local highrisk prostate cancer.The age of the patients were 48 to 84 years old (mean age 72.4 years old).The preoperative PSA levels were in a range of 3.8 to 99.8ng/ml (mean 29.6 g/ml) and the preoperative Gleason scores were 4 to 9 (mean 6.8).The prostate volume were 13.7 to 65.0 ml (mean 30.5 ml).All the patients were treated with brachytherapy combined with hormonal therapy,including 69 patients received additional external beam radiotherapy.All patients were followed up for biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS),distant disease free survival (DDFS),overall survival (OS),cause-specific survival (CSS) rate and complications.Results Among 354 cases,174 cases underwent brachytherapy after the diagnosis of prostate cancer,and 157 cases underwent brachytherapy after maximal androgen blockade (MAB) treatmentfor 3 months,while the other 23 patients with large prostate underwent brachytherapy after MAB treatment for 6 months.All 354 cases were treated with MAB after brachytherapy.One hundred and eleven cases in intermediated-risk group were treated with MAB for 6 months and 243 cases in high-risk group were treated with MAB for 6 months to 3 years.Another 69 patients received adjuvant external radiotherapy.All cases were followed up for 9 to 128 months (mean 91 months),including 135 cases having biochemical recurrence,and 63 cases having distant metastasis.There were 81 cases died,including 24 cases died of prostate cancer.The overall bPFS,DDFS,OS and CSS were 61.9％,82.2％,77.1％ and 93.2％ respectively.There were significant difference in the survival rate between the high-risk group and the intermediated-risk group(P ＜ 0.001).The incidence of urinary retention and long term urethral stricture were 6.8％ and 1.7％,respectively.No serious complications occurred.Conclusion Permanent brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy and hormonal therapy treating local high-risk or intermediated-risk prostate cancer can be effective with few complications.

Objective To explore the effect of mechanical stimulation on polarity of macrophages. Methods RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with tensile stretch at various amplitude and time, then cell viability was assessed with cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) for determining the stimulation parameters. RAW264.7 cells were induced to M1 type, then tensile stretch at 10% amplitude and 2 Hz was applied to M1 cells. CCK-8 and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of tensile stretch on cell activity and apoptosis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the effect of tensile stretch on M1 type macrophage related gene expression. Results After stimulation for 3 hours, tensile stretch at 15% or 20% amplitude and 2 Hz significantly inhibited cell viability (P<0.05), while tensile stretch at 10% amplitude and 2 Hz did not inhibit the viability of RAW264.7 cells (P>0.05). Tensile stretch at 10% amplitude and 2 Hz neither inhibited viability nor cause apoptosis of M1 type macrophages. The expression of inflammation-related genes including interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) of M1 type macrophages was significantly down-regulated with tensile stretch at 10% amplitude and 2 Hz (P＜0.05). Conclusions Mechanical stimulation at 10% amplitude and 2 Hz can inhibit M1 type macrophages and promote the polarization from M1 to M2. Mechanical stimulation may become a method for treating inflammation-related diseases.

OBJECTIVETo investigate ideal methods to repair cervical cicatricial contracture in children.

METHODSThe expanders were implanted subcutaneously around the cervical scar and above the latissimus. After expansion was completed, the cervical cicatricial contracture was released and the wound was covered with local expanded flaps and free expanded prefabricated thoracodorsal artery perforator flap, leaving no injury to thoracodorsal nerves and latissimus. The wound at the donor site was closed directly.

RESULTSFrom July 2007 to October 2009, 10 patients were treated. All the flaps survived completely. All the wounds were repaired totally and the deformities were corrected completely. The patients were followed up for 3-30 months. When the patients grew up, the flaps enlarged simultaneously. The flaps were not bulky and had a good color match. The scar at the donor site was inconspicuous with no functional morbidity.

CONCLUSIONThe fabricated expanded thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps is an ideal method for severe cervical cicatricial contracture in children.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cicatrix ; surgery ; Contracture ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; blood supply ; Tissue Expansion ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To investigate the predictive effect of adjusted Utrecht staging criteria on efficacy of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors in patients with tuberous sclerosis-associated renal angiomyolipoma (TSC-AML).Methods:In this study, 39 adult patients with TSC-AML who attended the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December, 2014 to December, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and were divided into 4 groups based on Utrecht staging criteria: Group 1, Utrecht staging ≤ stage 5, all AMLs <5 cm( n=6); Group 2, stage 6 with at least one AML ≥5 cm and normal renal anatomy( n=14); Group 3, stage 6 with at least one AML ≥5 cm and recognizable renal anatomy( n=10); Group 4, stage with at least one AML ≥5 cm and unrecognizable renal anatomy ( n=9). The mean age of patients in the 4 groups were 27.33±7.84, 28.64±12.36, 31.10±5.88 and 29.11±7.15 ( P=0.869). No statistic difference in gender was found among the different groups ( P=0.233). The mean maximum diameters of AML in the four groups were (3.54±0.52)cm, (8.11±2.08)cm, (11.58±4.60)cm and (17.08±3.61)cm, respectively( P<0.01). The mean levels of creatinine were (80.17±16.01)μmol/L, (76.36±18.72)μmol/L, (76.10±27.61)μmol/L and (71.89±18.66)μmol/L in the four groups( P=0.900). The numbers of patients with positive urine protein were 2, 3, 8 and 2 ( P=0.023). All the patients took Everolimus 10mg orally per day for at least 3 months. Differences in maximum AML shrinkage rate, creatinine level, severity of urine protein and microscopic hematuria were compared between the groups. Results:As AML severity increased, the shrinkage rates decreased significantly in turn [Group 1: (76.06±13.16)%, Group 2: (64.92±16.33)%, Group 3: (55.30±20.49)%, Group 4: (43.73±20.61)%, P=0.009]. After treatment, creatinine levels increased in all groups[Group 1: (8.50±7.61)μmol/L, Group 2: (5.71±8.54)μmol/L, Group 3: (7.70±7.18)μmol/L, Group 4: (6.11±7.04)μmol/L], but there was no significant difference among groups (P=0.856). Moreover the increase in urine protein worsened with the degree of severity (Group 1∶3, Group 2∶4, Group 3∶6, Group 4∶9, P=0.014). Conclusions:The adjusted Utrecht staging criteria could predict the maximum AML shrinkage rate and urine protein increase in TSC-AML patients with treatment of mTOR inhibitors.

Objective: To compare clinical efficacy between laparoscopic radical proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (LPG-DTR) and laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (LTG-RY) in patients with early upper gastric cancer, and to provide a reference for the selection of surgical methods in early upper gastric cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was carried out. Clinical data of 80 patients with early upper gastric cancer who underwent LPG-DTR or LTG-RY by the same surgical team at the Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the DTR group (32 cases) and R-Y group (48 cases) according to surgical procedures and digestive tract reconstruction methods. Surgical and pathological characteristics, postoperative complications (short-term complications within 30 days after surgery and long-term complications after postoperative 30 days), survival time and nutritinal status were compared between the two groups. For nutritional status, reduction rate was used to represent the changes in total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, body mass, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 levels at postoperative 1-year and 2-year. Non-normally distributed continuous data were presented as median (interquartile range), and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. The χ(2) test or Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of data between groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the ranked data between groups. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method categorical, and compared by using the log-rank test. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in baseline data betweeen the two groups, except that patients in the R-Y group were oldere and had larger tumor. Patients of both groups successfully completed the operation without conversion to laparotomy, combined organ resection, or perioperative death. There were no significant differences in the distance from proximal resection margin to superior margin of tumor, postoperative hospital stay, time to flatus and food-taking, hospitalization cost, short- and long-term complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the R-Y group, the DTR group had shorter distal margins [(3.2±0.5) cm vs. (11.7±2.0) cm, t=-23.033, P<0.001], longer surgery time [232.5 (63.7) minutes vs. 185.0 (63.0) minutes, Z=-3.238, P=0.001], longer anastomosis time [62.5 (17.5) minutes vs. 40.0 (10.0) minutes, Z=-6.321, P<0.001], less intraoperative blood loss [(138.1±51.6) ml vs. (184.3±62.1) ml, t=-3.477, P=0.001], with significant differences (all P<0.05). The median follow-up of the whole group was 18 months, and the 2-year cancer-specific survival rate was 97.5%, with 100% in the DTR group and 95.8% in the R-Y group (P=0.373). Compared with R-Y group at postoperative 1 year, the reduction rate of weight, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 were lower in DTR group with significant differences (all P<0.05); at postoperative 2-year, the reduction rate of vitamin B12 was still lower with significant differences (P<0.001), but the reduction rates of total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, body weight and hemoglobin were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: LPG-DTR is safe and feasible in the treatment of early upper gastric cancer. The short-term postoperative nutritional status and long-term vitamin B12 levels of patients undergoing LPG-DTR are superior to those undergoing LTG-RY.
Albumins ; Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Vitamin B 12

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome