OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical outcome of sensory reconstruction about the functional perforator flap for repairing the complex defects on the limbs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 21 patients with limb complex defects admitted between March 2018 and January 2023. There were 12 males and 9 females, with a median age of 36 years (range, 19-62 years). The wounds were on the upper limbs (hands) in 13 cases and the lower limbs (feet) in 8 cases. Five patients with tumor/scar, and the left defects after en-bloc resection of the tumor lesion and scar were repaired immediately. The remaining 16 cases were acute/chronic wounds, undergoing the emergent debridement and vacuum sealing drainage placement, and the left defects were repaired with flaps during second-stage operation. The size of the defects ranged from 5.5 cm×4.5 cm to 17.0 cm×12.0 cm. The donor sites were located on the thoracic and back in 4 cases, the anterior lateral thigh in 6 cases, and the feet in 11 cases. All flaps were functional perforator flaps with sensory nerve. The donor sites were closed directly or repaired with skin grafting. At last follow-up, the sensation of flap and the muscle strength of recipient site were evaluated according to the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) sensory grading (S₀-S₄) and muscle strength grading (M₀-M₅) criteria. RESULTS: Twenty flaps survived completely without significant complication, and partial edge necrosis was observed in 1 flap, which healed after the debridement and skin grafting. The donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 10-18 months (mean, 12 months). At last follow-up, the flaps with satisfactory shape and soft texture were observed, and no abnormal hair growth or pigmentation occurred. The sensation of flap was evaluated as S₁ in 2 cases, S₂ in 7, S₃ in 9, and S₄ in 3. The muscle strength of recipient site was evaluated as M₂ in 4 cases, M₃ in 9, M₄ in 5, and M₅ in 3. Only linear scars were left at the donor site. CONCLUSION The functional perforator flap with sensory nerve is beneficial for early sensation reconstruction for repairing the complex defects on the limbs, and could reconstruct the functional subunit structure defect in one stage. The short-term functional follow-up results are satisfactory.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Perforator Flap/transplantation* ; Middle Aged ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Extremities/injuries* ; Cicatrix/surgery* ; Skin Transplantation/methods*

Subgingival air polishing can effectively remove plaque and soft deposits attached to the tooth surface and implant surfaces.It is an adjunctive treatment method for periodontitis and peri-implantitis,offering good cleaning efficiency with minimal damage to the root surface and implant surface.Additionally,it promotes the reattachment of fibroblasts to the root surface and osteoblast integration on the implant surface.Subgingival air polishing can improve clinical attachment levels and also shows better therapeutic effects when combined with flap surgery.It provides higher comfort for patients and lower operational difficulty for the dentist.This article aims to an-alyze and summarize in vivo and in vitro studies,reviewing the therapeutic progress of subgingival air polishing in the treatment of peri-odontitis and peri-implantitis.

Objective To investigate the value of procalcitonin-to-albumin ratio(PAR)for predicting 28-day mortality risk in elderly patients with sepsis for optimizing the diagnosis and treatment strategies.Methods The clinical data of 112 elderly patients diagnosed with sepsis in the intensive care unit were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.Patients were assigned to survivors group or deaths group based on 28-day outcomes.Clinical characteristics and the results of laboratory tests were collected,including procalcitonin(PCT),albumin,and C-reactive protein(CRP).The normally distributed data were compared between groups using t-test.Mann-Whitney U test was adopted for comparing non-normally distributed data.Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the effects of multiple variables on survival time.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of various variables in predicting mortality risk.Results Mechanical ventilation,APACHE Ⅱ scores,and length of hospital stay(all P＜0.05)were significantly different between survivors group and deaths group.Blood culture results showed that Gram-negative bacteria were predominant pathogen(75.9％),especially Escherichia coli(45.5％).Albumin level was significantly lower(P=0.026),while PCT,CRP,and PAR levels were significantly higher(P＜0.05)in the deaths group compared to those in the survivors group.Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that PAR was an independent predictor of 28-day mortality(HR=3.72,95％CI:1.98-4.42,P＜0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of PAR was 0.852 in predicting mortality,with a sensitivity of 81.25％and specificity of 87.82％.Conclusions PAR outperformed PCT or albumin alone in predicting 28-day mortality risk in elderly patient with sepsis.For every 0.1 increase in PAR,the risk of mortality increased by 272％.Early monitoring of PAR can assist clinicians in rapidly identifying high-risk patients and optimizing treatment strategies.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography(CE-EUS)with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles for injection in upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMT).Methods The subjects of this study were 82 upper gastrointestinal SMT patients from January 2021 to August 2023.All of them underwent EUS and CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents.Features of EUS images of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST),and CE-EUS images using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents were analyzed.EUS,CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents,and combination of the two were compared in upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST diagnosis based on surgical pathological findings as the golden standard.Results 82 cases of upper gastrointestinal SMT were confirmed by imaging examination and surgical results to have tumors located in the upper,middle,lower segments esophagus,cardia,fundus,body,antrum of stomach,and duodenal bulb,accounting for 7.32%,10.98%,10.98%,4.88%,29.27%,26.83%,6.10%,and 3.66%respectively.According to pathological results,there were 51 cases of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT,accounting for 62.20%and 31 cases of GIST,accounting for 37.80%.Among them,SMT in the upper gastrointestinal tract was mainly located in the esophagus and stomach,with leiomyoma being the most common.GIST was mainly located in the stomach and was more common in the fundus and body of the stomach.The proportion of benign SMT group with uniform echo,smooth surface mucosa,and regular edges was significantly higher than that of GIST group(P＜0.05).GIST group had much higher proportion in doppler rich blood flow signals and origination from the muscularis propria than benign SMT group did(P＜0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of proportion of echo properties(P＞0.05).The proportion of homogeneous enhancement in the benign SMT group was significantly higher than that in the GIST group(P＜0.05).The proportion of arterial phase hyperenhancement,venous phase diffuse enhancement,and irregular blood vessels in the GIST group was significantly higher than that in the benign SMT group(P＜0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of EUS in distinguishing GIST and benign SMT were 64.52%,74.51%,and 70.73%respectively,those of the CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 90.32%,88.24%,and 89.02%respectively,and those of EUS+CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 100.00%,90.20%,and 93.90%respectively.Conclusion EUS and CE-EUS with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents has high diagnostic value for upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST.

Objective To investigate the value of procalcitonin-to-albumin ratio(PAR)for predicting 28-day mortality risk in elderly patients with sepsis for optimizing the diagnosis and treatment strategies.Methods The clinical data of 112 elderly patients diagnosed with sepsis in the intensive care unit were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.Patients were assigned to survivors group or deaths group based on 28-day outcomes.Clinical characteristics and the results of laboratory tests were collected,including procalcitonin(PCT),albumin,and C-reactive protein(CRP).The normally distributed data were compared between groups using t-test.Mann-Whitney U test was adopted for comparing non-normally distributed data.Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the effects of multiple variables on survival time.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of various variables in predicting mortality risk.Results Mechanical ventilation,APACHE Ⅱ scores,and length of hospital stay(all P＜0.05)were significantly different between survivors group and deaths group.Blood culture results showed that Gram-negative bacteria were predominant pathogen(75.9％),especially Escherichia coli(45.5％).Albumin level was significantly lower(P=0.026),while PCT,CRP,and PAR levels were significantly higher(P＜0.05)in the deaths group compared to those in the survivors group.Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that PAR was an independent predictor of 28-day mortality(HR=3.72,95％CI:1.98-4.42,P＜0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of PAR was 0.852 in predicting mortality,with a sensitivity of 81.25％and specificity of 87.82％.Conclusions PAR outperformed PCT or albumin alone in predicting 28-day mortality risk in elderly patient with sepsis.For every 0.1 increase in PAR,the risk of mortality increased by 272％.Early monitoring of PAR can assist clinicians in rapidly identifying high-risk patients and optimizing treatment strategies.

Subgingival air polishing can effectively remove plaque and soft deposits attached to the tooth surface and implant surfaces.It is an adjunctive treatment method for periodontitis and peri-implantitis,offering good cleaning efficiency with minimal damage to the root surface and implant surface.Additionally,it promotes the reattachment of fibroblasts to the root surface and osteoblast integration on the implant surface.Subgingival air polishing can improve clinical attachment levels and also shows better therapeutic effects when combined with flap surgery.It provides higher comfort for patients and lower operational difficulty for the dentist.This article aims to an-alyze and summarize in vivo and in vitro studies,reviewing the therapeutic progress of subgingival air polishing in the treatment of peri-odontitis and peri-implantitis.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography(CE-EUS)with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles for injection in upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMT).Methods The subjects of this study were 82 upper gastrointestinal SMT patients from January 2021 to August 2023.All of them underwent EUS and CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents.Features of EUS images of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST),and CE-EUS images using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents were analyzed.EUS,CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents,and combination of the two were compared in upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST diagnosis based on surgical pathological findings as the golden standard.Results 82 cases of upper gastrointestinal SMT were confirmed by imaging examination and surgical results to have tumors located in the upper,middle,lower segments esophagus,cardia,fundus,body,antrum of stomach,and duodenal bulb,accounting for 7.32%,10.98%,10.98%,4.88%,29.27%,26.83%,6.10%,and 3.66%respectively.According to pathological results,there were 51 cases of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT,accounting for 62.20%and 31 cases of GIST,accounting for 37.80%.Among them,SMT in the upper gastrointestinal tract was mainly located in the esophagus and stomach,with leiomyoma being the most common.GIST was mainly located in the stomach and was more common in the fundus and body of the stomach.The proportion of benign SMT group with uniform echo,smooth surface mucosa,and regular edges was significantly higher than that of GIST group(P＜0.05).GIST group had much higher proportion in doppler rich blood flow signals and origination from the muscularis propria than benign SMT group did(P＜0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of proportion of echo properties(P＞0.05).The proportion of homogeneous enhancement in the benign SMT group was significantly higher than that in the GIST group(P＜0.05).The proportion of arterial phase hyperenhancement,venous phase diffuse enhancement,and irregular blood vessels in the GIST group was significantly higher than that in the benign SMT group(P＜0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of EUS in distinguishing GIST and benign SMT were 64.52%,74.51%,and 70.73%respectively,those of the CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 90.32%,88.24%,and 89.02%respectively,and those of EUS+CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 100.00%,90.20%,and 93.90%respectively.Conclusion EUS and CE-EUS with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents has high diagnostic value for upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST.

Objective To explore the effect of Rhubarb ultrasonic electrical conduction target penetration therapy on the gastrointestinal function of sepsis patients.Methods A total of 88 cases of inpatient sepsis patients diagnosed and treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from October 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the participants and the patients were divided into the treatment group and the control group by a simple random method.Both groups were given routine treatments such as anti-infection,fluid resuscitation,nutritional support,blood sugar management,and prevention of stress ulcers,while the treatment group was treated with ultrasonic conductance target penetration Rhubarb therapy at Shenque point and Zhongwan point on the basis of the control group.The main observational indexes were the number of bowel sounds in the two groups before treatment and after 3 days,and 7 days of treatment.The secondary observational indexes were gastric retention,serum C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ),the first defecation time,time to mechanical ventilation,length of stay in the intensive care unit(ICU),hospitalization cost,and 28 days readmission rate of the two groups.The gastric retention was evaluated and recorded every 4 hours before treatment and 3 days and 7 days after treatment,CRP and APACHE Ⅱ score were evaluated before treatment and 7 days after treatment,the 28-day readmission was followed up by telephone.Results A total of 44 cases in the treatment group and 43 cases in the control group completed the intervention.The difference between the bowel sounds and the amount of gastric retention of the two groups was not statistically significant before treatment,with the prolongation of time,the bowel sounds of the two groups gradually increased and the amount of gastric retention gradually decreased,and the number of bowel sounds in the treatment group increased significantly compared to the control group 3 days and 7 days after treatment[beats/minute:4.49(4.23,4.74)vs.3.07(2.80,3.33)3rd day of and 4.79(4.49,5.10)vs.3.36(3.06,3.66)on the 7th day of treatment,both P<0.01],and the amount of gastric retention was significantly reduced compared with the control group[mL:20.93(9.22,32.64)vs.53.52(41.16,65.88)for 3rd day of and 3.72(0.17,7.28)vs.31.59(24.87,38.31)on the 7th day of treatment,both P<0.01].The first defecation time was significantly shorter in the treatment group than in the control group(hours:25.67±9.99 vs.33.64±11.30,P<0.01).After 7 days treatment,the CRP,PCT,and APACHE Ⅱ score were significantly reduced in the treatment group compared to those in the control group[CRP(mg/L):45.97(35.68,56.26)vs.77.30(57.20,97.38),PCT(μg/L):0.94(0.56,1.31)vs.2.73(1.36,4.09),APACHE Ⅱ score:24.11±7.01 vs.28.06±9.25,all P<0.05],the mechanical ventilation time and ICU length of stay were significantly shortened[mechanical ventilation time(hours):107.05±70.76 vs.168.83±136.62,ICU stay time(days):7.58±3.72 vs.9.70±5.15,both P<0.05],the hospitalization cost and 28-day readmission rate were significantly reduced[hospitalization cost(yuan):80337.89±36483.72 vs.109100.24±87080.84,28-day readmission rate:9.1％(4/44)vs.27.9％(12/43),both P<0.05].Conclusion Rhubarb ultrasonic conductive target penetration therapy is a safe,simple,and effective characteristic therapy of external Chinese medicine that can provide a new basis for the protection of gastrointestinal function in patients with sepsis.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hypomethylating agents (HMA) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) .Methods:A total of 409 MDS patients from 45 hospitals in Zhejiang province who received at least four consecutive cycles of HMA monotherapy as initial therapy were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HMA. Mann-Whitney U or Chi-square tests were used to compare the differences in the clinical data. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyze the factors affecting efficacy and survival. Kaplan-Meier was used for survival analysis. Results:Patients received HMA treatment for a median of 6 cycles (range, 4-25 cycles) . The complete remission (CR) rate was 33.98% and the overall response rate (ORR) was 77.02%. Multivariate analysis revealed that complex karyotype ( P=0.02, OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.84) was an independent favorable factor for CR rate. TP53 mutation ( P=0.02, OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.77) was a predictive factor for a higher ORR. The median OS for the HMA-treated patients was 25.67 (95% CI 21.14-30.19) months. HMA response ( P=0.036, HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95) was an independent favorable prognostic factor, whereas complex karyotype ( P=0.024, HR=2.14, 95% CI 1.10-4.15) , leukemia transformation ( P<0.001, HR=2.839, 95% CI 1.64-4.92) , and TP53 mutation ( P=0.012, HR=2.19, 95% CI 1.19-4.07) were independent adverse prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in efficacy and survival between the reduced and standard doses of HMA. The CR rate and ORR of MDS patients treated with decitabine and azacitidine were not significantly different. The median OS of patients treated with decitabine was longer compared with that of patients treated with azacitidine (29.53 months vs 20.17 months, P=0.007) . The incidence of bone marrow suppression and pneumonia in the decitabine group was higher compared with that in the azacitidine group. Conclusion:Continuous and regular use of appropriate doses of hypomethylating agents may benefit MDS patients to the greatest extent if it is tolerated.

Objectives:Distolingual root of the permanent mandibular first molar(PMFM-DLR)has been frequently reported,which may complicate the treatment of periodontitis.This study aimed to assess the morphological features of PMFM-DLR and investigate the correlation between the morphological features of PMFM-DLR and periodontal status in patients with Eastern Chinese ethnic background.Materials and methods:A total of 836 cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)images with 1497 mandibular first molars were analyzed to observe the prevalence of PMFM-DLR at the patients and tooth levels in Eastern China.Among them,complete periodontal charts were available for 69 Chinese patients with 103 teeth.Correlation and regression analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between the morphological features of DLR,bone loss,and periodontal clinical parameters,including clinical attachment loss(CAL),probing pocket depth(PPD),gingival recession(GR),and furcation involvement(FI).Results:The patient-level prevalence and tooth-level prevalence of DLR in mandibular first molars were 29.4%and 26.3%,respectively.Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that bone loss at the lingual site and CAL were negatively affected by the angle of separation between distolingual and mesial roots in the transverse section,while they were significantly influenced by age and the angle of separation between distobuccal and mesial roots in the coronal section.Conclusions:The prevalence of PMFM-DLR in Eastern China was relatively high in our cohort.The morphological features of DLR were correlated with the periodontal status of mandibular first molars.This study provides critical information on the morphological features of DLR for improved diagnosis and treatment options of mandibular molars with DLR.