Objective:To compare the clinical effecacy of artificial dermal regeneration matrix (as "artificial dermis" hereafter) and flap transfer in the treatment of soft tissue defects around interphalangeal joint.Methods:Through postoperative follow-up at outpatient clinic, a retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 60 patients who had soft tissue defects around the interphalangeal joints and received treatment in the Department of Hand Surgery, the Sixth Hospital of Ningbo from January 2018 to January 2022. According to applied surgical procedures, patients were divided into a flap transfer group (group A, n=30) and an artificial dermis group (group B, n=30). Group A included 19 males and 11 females aged 44.83 years ± 11.56 years including 5 patients with simple soft tissue defects, and 6 with soft tissue defects and fractures, 10 with soft tissue defects with tendon and (or) ligament injuries, 3 with soft tissue defects and vessel and (or) nerve injuries, and 6 with soft tissue defects and over 2 other types of compound injuries. The defect areas ranged from 2.5 cm×1.2 cm to 5.0 cm×1.6 cm. After emergency debridement and treatment for bone and tendon injuries, the patients in group A received transfers of free flap or transfers with adjacent digit flaps or island flaps. Postoperative functional exercise started from 1-6 weeks after surgery. Patients in group B included 17 males and 13 females, aged 44.70 years ± 11.20 years and there were 6 patients with simple soft tissue defects, 6 with soft tissue defects and fractures, 9 with soft tissue defects and tendon and (or) ligament injuries, 5 with soft tissue defects and vessel and (or) nerve injuries, and 4 with soft tissue defects and over 2 other types of compound injuries. The defect area ranged from 3.1 cm ×1.3 cm to 4.5 cm × 1.8 cm. Debridement and treatment of the bone and tendon injury in group B were the same as what in group A, but the patients in group B received artificial dermis coverage other than transfer of flap. After an artificial dermis had completely vascularised, a split-thickness skin graft was performed over the neo-dermis in the second phase surgery. Postoperative functional exercise started from 1-2 weeks after artificial dermis grafting surgery. The interval time of flap transfer or split-thickness skin grafting, survival rate of flap transfer or split-thickness skin grafting, Vancouver Scar Scale(VSS), TPD and total active movement(TAM) were compared between the 2 groups. The count data were analysed by Chi-square test. All measured data were analysed by independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test. P<0.05 indicates a statistically significant difference. Results:The interval time of flap transfer in group A and artificial dermis grafting in group B were 2.93 days ± 2.48 days and 19.87 days ± 3.35 days, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups( P<0.05). All patients were entered in postoperative outpatient follow-up for 11-14 months(12.00 months ± 0.93 months). The appearance of flaps of some patients in group A was bloated with slightly limited digit movement. In group B, the digit movement was normal, without obvious scar hyperplasia in both of the recipient and donor sites. The survival rate of flap transfer or artificial dermis graft, TPD, VSS score and TAM score for group A and group B were 96.00% ± 9.32% and 98.17% ± 3.07%, respectively, 8.67 mm ± 2.01 mm and 9.50 mm ± 1.81 mm, 3.40 ± 1.07 and 3.17 ± 0.91 and 18.30 ± 1.97 and 18.93 ± 1.64, respectively. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups( P>0.05). Conclusion:In comparison with the transfer of flap, an artificial dermis is also effective and satisfactory in the treatment of soft tissue defects around the interphalangeal joint. Further large scale and multi-centre investigations are required.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the associations between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections and the methylation levels of PTEN and hTERT genes and explore their roles in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODSBlood samples from 100 children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia were centrifuged for serological detection of EBV and HCMV, and the patients were divided accordingly into EBV-infected group (n=20), HCMV-infected group (n=14), EBV and HCMV co-infected group (n=41), and non-infected group (control group, n=15). DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and modified with bisulfite ammonia sodium. The methylation levels of the promoters of PTEN and hTERT genes were detected with methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR).

RESULTSCompared with those in non-infected group and EBV- or HCMV-infected group, the methylation levels of PTEN gene in the co-infected group were significantly decreased (P<0.05) while the methylation levels of hTERT gene significantly increased (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, EBV and HCMV co-infection cause changes in the methylation levels of PTEN and hTERT. These results may be associated with epigenetic changes caused by viral infections, and further studies are needed to further verify this hypothesis.

Child ; Coinfection ; Cytomegalovirus ; isolation & purification ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; DNA Methylation ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; genetics ; virology ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Telomerase ; genetics ; metabolism