Objective To investigate the effect of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2(Nrf2) on the anti-hypoxia and anti-apoptotic ability of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs). Methods Human embryonic kidney cells(293FT) were transfected with recombinant plasmid which overexpressed Nrf2 and helper plasmid. High-titer lentivirus which overexpressed Nrf2 were obtained. MSCs were transfected with lentivirus with Nrf2 overexpression and empty lentiviral vector to establish Nrf2-MSCs which stably overexpressed Nrf2 (Nrf2 overexpression group) and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-MSCs(control group). The expression of green fluorescent in 2 groups was observed by fluorescence microscope. The expression level of Nrf2 protein in 2 groups was measured by Western Blot. The anti-hypoxia ability of 2 groups was observed by light microscope. The anti-apoptotic ability of 2 groups was measured by flow cytometry. Results Nrf2-MSCs which stably overexpressed Nrf2 were successfully established. Western Blot analysis revealed that the expression level of Nrf2 protein in the Nrf2 overexpression group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.01). After 15 h hypoxia treatment, the cell activity in the Nrf2 overexpression group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate in the Nrf2 overexpression group was (30.9±1.4)%, significantly lower than (61.3±1.3)% in the control group(P<0.05). Conclusions Nrf2-MSCs which can stably overexpress Nrf2 possess certain anti-hypoxia and anti-apoptotic ability in hypoxia environment.

BACKGROUND: Due to adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) being easy to obtain, their rapid proliferation rate, and their multidirectional differentiation capabilities, they have been widely used in the field of regenerative medicine. With the progress of decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) and adipose tissue engineering research, the role of DAT in promoting angiogenesis has gradually been emphasized. METHODS: We examined the biological characteristics and biosafety of DAT and evaluated the stem cell maintenance ability and promotion of growth factor secretion through conducting in vitro and in vivo studies. RESULTS: The tested ASCs showed high rat:es of proliferation and adhered well to DAT. The expression levels of essential genes for cell stem maintenance, including OCT4, SOX2, and Nanog were low at 2–24 h and much higher at 48 and 96 h. The Adipogenic expression level of markers for ASCs proliferation including PPARγ, C/EPBα, and LPL increased from 2 to 96 h. Co-culture of ASCs and DAT increased the secretion of local growth factors, such as VEGF, PDGF-bb, bFGF, HGF, EGF, and FDGF-bb, and secretion gradually increased from 0 to 48 h. A model of full-thickness skin defects on the back of nude mice was established, and the co-culture of ASCs and DAT showed the best in vivo treatment effect. CONCLUSION The application of DAT promotes wound healing, and DAT combined with ASCs may be a promising material in adipose tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

BACKGROUND: Due to adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) being easy to obtain, their rapid proliferation rate, and their multidirectional differentiation capabilities, they have been widely used in the field of regenerative medicine. With the progress of decellularized adipose tissue (DAT) and adipose tissue engineering research, the role of DAT in promoting angiogenesis has gradually been emphasized. METHODS: We examined the biological characteristics and biosafety of DAT and evaluated the stem cell maintenance ability and promotion of growth factor secretion through conducting in vitro and in vivo studies. RESULTS: The tested ASCs showed high rat:es of proliferation and adhered well to DAT. The expression levels of essential genes for cell stem maintenance, including OCT4, SOX2, and Nanog were low at 2–24 h and much higher at 48 and 96 h. The Adipogenic expression level of markers for ASCs proliferation including PPARγ, C/EPBα, and LPL increased from 2 to 96 h. Co-culture of ASCs and DAT increased the secretion of local growth factors, such as VEGF, PDGF-bb, bFGF, HGF, EGF, and FDGF-bb, and secretion gradually increased from 0 to 48 h. A model of full-thickness skin defects on the back of nude mice was established, and the co-culture of ASCs and DAT showed the best in vivo treatment effect. CONCLUSION The application of DAT promotes wound healing, and DAT combined with ASCs may be a promising material in adipose tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of suction blister transplantation in improving the efficacy of ReCell technique in the treatment of vitiligo.Methods:Patients were divided into three groups, namely, vitiligo patients without history of suction blister therapy, patients with ineffective suction blister therapy and patients with effective suction blister therapy. There were 30 patients in each group. All patients were treated with standard procedure of ReCell technique. The color recovery effect of leukoplakia was observed 3 and 6 months after operation, and the incidence of complications was also observed.Results:The effective rate of color recovery 3 and 6 months after operation were as follow: in patients without history of suction blister group, the effective rate of three months was 53.3%, and that of six months was 63.3%; in patients with ineffective suction blister group, the effective rate was 43.3% in three months and 50.0% in six months, and in patients with effective suction blister group, the effective rate was 76.7% in three months and 90.0% in six months. No obvious complications were observed in the three groups.Conclusions:For the treatment of stable vitiligo with ReCell technique, suction blister method is a simple and effective method for screening patients.

Objective To compare the effect of different size needle gauges to the degenerative response in rat caudal discs.Methods A total of 40 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats,level 5/6,7/8 and 9/10 interverbral discs of rat caudal spine were punctured with 18 or 21 or 25-gauge needles respectively.Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained at 1,2,4 and 6 weeks postsurgery.At each time point,ten rats from each group were sacrificed for histological analysis.Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to examine mRNA expression level.Results Significant differences were identified in the disc height index (DHI ％) and MRI grade between 18 G and normal group,MRI grade,histological score between 21 G and normal group at 2,4,and 6 weeks postsurgery.Significant differences were also identified in the histological score and mRNA expression levels between 18 G and normal group,alcian blue stain and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1 α) mRNA expression level between 21G and normal group at all time point postsurgery.Significant differences existed in DHI％,type Ⅱ collagen and aggrecan mRNA expression levels between 21 G and normal group,all type mRNA expression levels between 25 G and normal group at 4,6 weeks.There were significant differences in MRI grade and histological score between 25 G and normal group at 6 weeks.Significant differences existed in almost all parameters compared between 18 G and 25 G at all time point.There were significant differences in DHI％,MRI grade,histological score and HIF-1α mRNA expression levels between 18 G and 21 G at 4,6 weeks.There were significant differences in type Ⅱ collagen and aggrecan mRNA expression levels between 18 G and 21 G at all time point.Significant differences exist in DHI％ and HIF-1α mRNA expression level between 21 G and 25 G at 6 weeks.Compared with the 25 G group,the DHI％ and Pfirrmann scores and the pathological score of each time at 2,4 and 6 weeks after operation in 18 G group have significant difference (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The middle size needle (21G) is better to induce disc degeneration.The 2-week time point may be the better time frame to further experimental treatments.

Objective:To compare the pros and cons of harvesting ear cartilage through anterior and posterior auricular approaches during rhinoplasty.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2018, 63 patients with otochondral rhinoplasty in our hospital were enrolled in this study, 60 were female and 3 were male; the average age was 31.6 years (range, 18 to 43) . They were randomly divided into anterior auricular approach group with 32 cases (64 sides) and posterior auricular approach group with 31 cases (62 sides). Surgical duration, complications and postoperative scar of the two methods were analyzed.Results:The average time for harvesting the ear cartilage through posterior auricular approach and anterior auricular approach was (20.8±1.7) min and (12.6±1.1) min, respectively ( P<0.01). The overall complication rate was 15.6% for posterior auricular approach group and 4.8% for anterior auricular approach group. The wound healed well in both groups, and there was no significant difference in postoperative scar between the two groups during an average 13 months follow-up period. Conclusions:While both the anterior and the posterior auricular approaches present with similar inconspicuous scarring, the use of anterior auricular approach alone to harvest ear cartilage during rhinoplasty provides both the surgeons and the patients with easier access, shorter surgical duration, and fewer complications. Hence, we believe that the anterior auricular approach possesses greater advantages than the posterior auricular approach.

Objective:To explore the classification and treatment strategies of developmental breast asymmetry (DBA).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted in adult female patients with developmental breast asymmetry deformity who underwent surgery between January 2005 to June 2019 in the Plastic Surgery Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. According to different clinical manifestations, DBA was divided into three types which adopted to different surgical strategies. Postoperative complications and patient satisfaction were evaluated.Results:A total of 203 patients were included in the study; 42.36% (86 cases) were type Ⅰ, 31.03% (63 cases) were type Ⅱ and 26.60% (54 cases) were type Ⅲ. The number of follow-up patients accounted for 79.3% (161/203). The mean follow-up time was 9 months. There were one case of poor healing of the axillary incision in latissimus dorsi muscle flap, two cases of seroma, five cases of Baker grade Ⅰ capsule contracture, two cases of Baker grade Ⅱ capsule contracture and one cases of small nodules in autologous fat breast augmentation. With regard to patient satisfaction, 80.1% (129 cases) felt satisfied with the aesthetic results, 15% (24 cases) felt good, 3.7%. (6 cases) felt average and 1.2% (2 cases) felt unsatisfied.Conclusions:This study shows that the clinical manifestations of DBA are varied, and our classification method is an effective and useful tool to guide the surgical treatment. Individualized surgical design is essential for aesthetical results.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a pernicious tumor with high heterogeneity, which creates a conundrum for making a precise diagnosis and choosing an optimal treatment approach. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) with anatomical and functional sequences has evolved as a routine and significant paradigm for the detection and characterization of PCa. Moreover, using radiomics to extract quantitative data has emerged as a promising field due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and image data processing. Radiomics acquires novel imaging biomarkers by extracting imaging signatures and establishes models for precise evaluation. Radiomics models provide a reliable and noninvasive alternative to aid in precision medicine, demonstrating advantages over traditional models based on clinicopathological parameters. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of related studies of radiomics in PCa, specifically around the development and validation of radiomics models using MRI-derived image features. The current landscape of the literature, focusing mainly on PCa detection, aggressiveness, and prognosis evaluation, is reviewed and summarized. Rather than studies that exclusively focus on image biomarker identification and method optimization, models with high potential for universal clinical implementation are identified. Furthermore, we delve deeper into the critical concerns that can be addressed by different models and the obstacles that may arise in a clinical scenario. This review will encourage researchers to design models based on actual clinical needs, as well as assist urologists in gaining a better understanding of the promising results yielded by radiomics.
Male ; Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Precision Medicine ; Retrospective Studies

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the common causes of tumor-related death, and it has high morbidity and mortality rates in China. Recent studies have shown that platelets are closely associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Literature review shows that platelets not only participate in hemostasis, but also act on liver cells and tumor microenvironment, promote the formation of new blood vessels, and participate in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma as a cell mediator through immune response and other pathways. In addition, platelets and their derivatives can be used as potential therapeutic targets for hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, antiplatelet therapy is expected to become a new adjuvant strategy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, which has important clinical significance.