1.Contralateral posteromedial thigh flap for salvage breast reconstruction with adductor magnus perforator flap failure
Dajiang SONG ; Tianyi ZHANG ; Zan LI ; Yixin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery 2025;41(6):577-582
Objective:To summarize the technical experience of using a contralateral free gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with an adductor magnus perforator flap for salvaging failure of breast reconstruction after transplantation with the free adductor magnus perforator flap.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with breast cancer who received contralateral posteromedial thigh flap (gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with adductor magnus perforator flap) transplantation for immediate unilateral breast reconstruction developed vascular crisis and caused flap necrosis at the Department of Oncology Plastic Surgery, Hunan Cancer Hospital, between December 2016 to December 2022. All patients with early-stage breast cancer received modified radical mastectomy. All patients were selected to undergo the immediate breast reconstruction surgery with unilateral free adductor magnus perforator flap transplantation. The proximal end of internal mammary vessels were used as the recipient vessels in all cases. After the emergency exploration confirmed the necrosis of the flap, a contralateral free gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with adductor magnus perforator flap were immediately harvested for salvage breast reconstruction. The vascular pedicle of the gracilis muscular branch and the adductor magnus perforator branch were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal mammary vessels, respectively. Postoperative patient monitoring was conducted intensively, with follow-up assessments focusing on breast contour and donor site recovery.Results:A total of 5 patients were included, aged 26 to 42 years, with an average of (31.5±1.8) years. All salvaged breast reconstruction surgeries were successful, the salvaged flap measured 15.0 cm×6.0 cm×4.0 cm-17.0 cm×7.5 cm×5.5 cm. All the transplanted flaps survived after the operation, with satisfactory breast contour, good flap elasticity, and no contracture or deformation. The donor sites of both thigh flaps healed well, leaving only linear scars and no significant functional impairment to the lower limbs. Follow-up ranged from 9 to 24 months, with an average of 15.7 months. The breast shape was satisfactory, and there was no recurrence of breast cancer.Conclusion:The donor site morbidity of the posteromedial thigh flap is relatively small. When unilateral flap transplantation fails, immediate transfer of the contralateral flap can be chosen for salvage reconstruction. This approach ensures symmetrical donor site outcomes and is generally well-accepted by patients.
2.The strategy and pitfalls of bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for bilateral breast reconstruction
Dajiang SONG ; Peixian CHEN ; Zan LI ; Yixin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery 2025;41(9):931-938
Objective:To explore the technical points and precautions of using bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap to reconstruct bilateral breasts.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent bilateral mastectomy and bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for bilateral breast reconstruction at Hunan Cancer Hospital from June 2020 to January 2023. The operation was carried out simultaneously by two groups of doctors. Breast surgeons performed modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer or subcutaneous mastectomy. The flap group prepared bilateral free posteromedial thigh flaps. The posteromedial thigh flaps were designed in three patterns: transverse, vertical and oblique. The intrathoracal vessels were used as recipient vessels in all cases. There were two types of vascular anastomosis method: ① For flaps with single vascular pedicle, the artery was anastomosed with the proximal end of the internal thoracic artery, and the only accompanying vein was anastomosed with the proximal end of the internal thoracic vein, or the two accompanying veins were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic vein; ② For flaps with dual vascular pedicles, arteries were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic artery, and the accompanying veins on both sides communicated with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic vein, respectively. Normal distribution measurement data were expressed as Mean±SD.Results:A total of 9 female patients were enrolled, aged 29 to 43 years, with an average age of 38.3 years. Among them, bilateral breast cancer was considered in 4 cases, unilateral breast cancer with multiple nodules in the opposite breast was in 3 cases, and bilateral multiple nodules along with high-risk of developing breast cancer suggested by gene testing were found in 2 cases. Modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer and nipple-sparing subcutaneous mastectomy were performed in 7 and 11 breasts, respectively. There were three design method for the posteromedial thigh flap: horizontal design (6 thighs); vertical design (6 thighs); diagonal design (6 thighs). A total of 18 posteromedial thigh flaps were raised. Four different types of posteromedial thigh flaps were used: gracilis muscle flap (6 thighs); great adductor muscle perforator flap (5 thighs); great adductor muscle flap (5 thighs); femoral gracilis flap+ adductor magnus flap (2 thighs). The skin flaps harvested were (18.9±0.6) cm in length, (7.2±0.4) cm in width and (4.2±0.3) cm in thickness. The average weight of the skin flaps were 235 grams (185-355 grams). The aforementioned vascular anastomosis method ① and ② were carried out in 15 and 3 breasts, respectively. The patients were followed up for 6 to 32 months, with an average of 17.3 months. All skin flaps survived, and the reconstructed breasts presented with good appearance, good elasticity, and no skin flap contraction or deformation occurred; scarring on the donor area was linear and mild; there was no significant impact on lower limb movement. The breast shape was satisfactory, and there was no recurrence of breast cancer.Conclusion:The application of bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for reconstruction of bilateral breasts has flexible flap preparation and vascular anastomosis forms, which can achieve satisfactory result of bilateral symmetry.
3.Identify drug-drug interactions via deep learning:A real world study
Jingyang LI ; Yanpeng ZHAO ; Zhenting WANG ; Chunyue LEI ; Lianlian WU ; Yixin ZHANG ; Song HE ; Xiaochen BO ; Jian XIAO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(6):1249-1263
Identifying drug-drug interactions(DDIs)is essential to prevent adverse effects from polypharmacy.Although deep learning has advanced DDI identification,the gap between powerful models and their lack of clinical application and evaluation has hindered clinical benefits.Here,we developed a Multi-Dimensional Feature Fusion model named MDFF,which integrates one-dimensional simplified molec-ular input line entry system sequence features,two-dimensional molecular graph features,and three-dimensional geometric features to enhance drug representations for predicting DDIs.MDFF was trained and validated on two DDI datasets,evaluated across three distinct scenarios,and compared with advanced DDI prediction models using accuracy,precision,recall,area under the curve,and F1 score metrics.MDFF achieved state-of-the-art performance across all metrics.Ablation experiments showed that integrating multi-dimensional drug features yielded the best results.More importantly,we obtained adverse drug reaction reports uploaded by Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from 2021 to 2023 and used MDFF to identify potential adverse DDIs.Among 12 real-world adverse drug reaction reports,the predictions of 9 reports were supported by relevant evidence.Additionally,MDFF demon-strated the ability to explain adverse DDI mechanisms,providing insights into the mechanisms behind one specific report and highlighting its potential to assist practitioners in improving medical practice.
4.Contralateral posteromedial thigh flap for salvage breast reconstruction with adductor magnus perforator flap failure
Dajiang SONG ; Tianyi ZHANG ; Zan LI ; Yixin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery 2025;41(6):577-582
Objective:To summarize the technical experience of using a contralateral free gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with an adductor magnus perforator flap for salvaging failure of breast reconstruction after transplantation with the free adductor magnus perforator flap.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with breast cancer who received contralateral posteromedial thigh flap (gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with adductor magnus perforator flap) transplantation for immediate unilateral breast reconstruction developed vascular crisis and caused flap necrosis at the Department of Oncology Plastic Surgery, Hunan Cancer Hospital, between December 2016 to December 2022. All patients with early-stage breast cancer received modified radical mastectomy. All patients were selected to undergo the immediate breast reconstruction surgery with unilateral free adductor magnus perforator flap transplantation. The proximal end of internal mammary vessels were used as the recipient vessels in all cases. After the emergency exploration confirmed the necrosis of the flap, a contralateral free gracilis myocutaneous flap combined with adductor magnus perforator flap were immediately harvested for salvage breast reconstruction. The vascular pedicle of the gracilis muscular branch and the adductor magnus perforator branch were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal mammary vessels, respectively. Postoperative patient monitoring was conducted intensively, with follow-up assessments focusing on breast contour and donor site recovery.Results:A total of 5 patients were included, aged 26 to 42 years, with an average of (31.5±1.8) years. All salvaged breast reconstruction surgeries were successful, the salvaged flap measured 15.0 cm×6.0 cm×4.0 cm-17.0 cm×7.5 cm×5.5 cm. All the transplanted flaps survived after the operation, with satisfactory breast contour, good flap elasticity, and no contracture or deformation. The donor sites of both thigh flaps healed well, leaving only linear scars and no significant functional impairment to the lower limbs. Follow-up ranged from 9 to 24 months, with an average of 15.7 months. The breast shape was satisfactory, and there was no recurrence of breast cancer.Conclusion:The donor site morbidity of the posteromedial thigh flap is relatively small. When unilateral flap transplantation fails, immediate transfer of the contralateral flap can be chosen for salvage reconstruction. This approach ensures symmetrical donor site outcomes and is generally well-accepted by patients.
5.The strategy and pitfalls of bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for bilateral breast reconstruction
Dajiang SONG ; Peixian CHEN ; Zan LI ; Yixin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery 2025;41(9):931-938
Objective:To explore the technical points and precautions of using bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap to reconstruct bilateral breasts.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent bilateral mastectomy and bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for bilateral breast reconstruction at Hunan Cancer Hospital from June 2020 to January 2023. The operation was carried out simultaneously by two groups of doctors. Breast surgeons performed modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer or subcutaneous mastectomy. The flap group prepared bilateral free posteromedial thigh flaps. The posteromedial thigh flaps were designed in three patterns: transverse, vertical and oblique. The intrathoracal vessels were used as recipient vessels in all cases. There were two types of vascular anastomosis method: ① For flaps with single vascular pedicle, the artery was anastomosed with the proximal end of the internal thoracic artery, and the only accompanying vein was anastomosed with the proximal end of the internal thoracic vein, or the two accompanying veins were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic vein; ② For flaps with dual vascular pedicles, arteries were anastomosed with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic artery, and the accompanying veins on both sides communicated with the proximal and distal ends of the internal thoracic vein, respectively. Normal distribution measurement data were expressed as Mean±SD.Results:A total of 9 female patients were enrolled, aged 29 to 43 years, with an average age of 38.3 years. Among them, bilateral breast cancer was considered in 4 cases, unilateral breast cancer with multiple nodules in the opposite breast was in 3 cases, and bilateral multiple nodules along with high-risk of developing breast cancer suggested by gene testing were found in 2 cases. Modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer and nipple-sparing subcutaneous mastectomy were performed in 7 and 11 breasts, respectively. There were three design method for the posteromedial thigh flap: horizontal design (6 thighs); vertical design (6 thighs); diagonal design (6 thighs). A total of 18 posteromedial thigh flaps were raised. Four different types of posteromedial thigh flaps were used: gracilis muscle flap (6 thighs); great adductor muscle perforator flap (5 thighs); great adductor muscle flap (5 thighs); femoral gracilis flap+ adductor magnus flap (2 thighs). The skin flaps harvested were (18.9±0.6) cm in length, (7.2±0.4) cm in width and (4.2±0.3) cm in thickness. The average weight of the skin flaps were 235 grams (185-355 grams). The aforementioned vascular anastomosis method ① and ② were carried out in 15 and 3 breasts, respectively. The patients were followed up for 6 to 32 months, with an average of 17.3 months. All skin flaps survived, and the reconstructed breasts presented with good appearance, good elasticity, and no skin flap contraction or deformation occurred; scarring on the donor area was linear and mild; there was no significant impact on lower limb movement. The breast shape was satisfactory, and there was no recurrence of breast cancer.Conclusion:The application of bilateral free posteromedial thigh flap transplantation for reconstruction of bilateral breasts has flexible flap preparation and vascular anastomosis forms, which can achieve satisfactory result of bilateral symmetry.
6.Transabdominal bowel ultrasound for monitoring efficacy of vedolizumab treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis
Lihua YAN ; Xiaodong LUO ; Shuochun CHEN ; Xinying YU ; Ziyi QIU ; Yixin CHEN ; Caihe CHEN ; Buzhi SONG ; Yingjia LI
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(10):1687-1690
Objective To observe the value of transabdominal bowel ultrasound for monitoring therapeutic efficacy of vedolizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.Methods Totally 47 ulcerative colitis patients with Mayo endoscopic score(MES)≥2 and treated with vedolizumab were retrospectively included.Transabdominal bowel ultrasound examinations were performed at baseline,at the end of induction therapy,also 3 and 6 months after maintenance therapy,while colonoscopy was performed at baseline and 6 months after maintenance therapy.According to colonoscopy results 6 months after maintenance therapy,the patients were divided into improved group(MES≤1 or MES reduction≥1,n=25)and non-improved group(n=22),and ultrasonic findings of sigmoid colon were compared between and within groups.Results At baseline,no significant difference of ultrasonic findings of sigmoid colon was observed between groups(all P>0.05),whereas differences of bowel wall thickness at the end of induction therapy,of Limberg grade and abnormal perienteric lymph nodes 3 months after maintenance therapy,as well as bowel wall stratification 6 months after maintenance therapy were noticed between groups(all P<0.05).Within improved group,compared with those in baseline,bowel wall thickness improved at all time points after the beginning of treatment,Limberg grade improved 3 and 6 months after maintenance therapy,while bowel wall stratification,abnormal perienteric lymph node and perienteric fat edema improved 6 months after maintenance therapy(all P<0.05).Meanwhile,no significant change of ultrasonic findings of sigmoid colon was observed in non-improved group during the above periods(all P>0.05).Conclusion Transabdominal bowel ultrasound could be used to accurately monitor the therapeutic efficacy of vedolizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.
7.Crosstalk between astrocytes and T cells in neuroinflammation based on blood-brain barrier breakdown
Yuhan LIU ; Yixin ZHANG ; Yine SONG ; Lu LIU
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(10):2521-2529
Neuroinflammation refers to a widespread immune response within central nervous system.T lymphocytes,as main effector cells in cellular immunity,regulate activity of astrocytes through cytokines secretion by various subgroups and participate in pathological process of neuroinflammation.Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in central nervous system.Astrocytes activated by T lymphocytes produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory mediators,alter structure of tight junction,contribute to breakdown of blood-brain barrier,and provide conditions for immune cells to migrate to central nervous system.This review is based on integrity of blood-brain barrier and briefly explores crosstalk mechanism between astrocytes and T lymphocytes in neuroinflammatory diseases,including Alzheimer's disease,multiple sclerosis,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,viral encephalitis and migraine,in order to provide new potential biomarkers and directions for treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases.
8.Progress in research on the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy by the intervention of the nuclear red blood cell related factor 2 signaling pathway with effective components of traditional Chinese medicine
Yixin CHEN ; Chen LI ; Bin SONG ; Liping ZUO ; Jianjun LIU ; Lumin LIANG ; Ruixiong NAN ; Jiahao WANG ; Libin PAN ; Jingrong WANG
Recent Advances in Ophthalmology 2025;45(8):667-672
Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a kind of microvascular disease caused by the long-term influence of diabetes mellitus(DM),and it is one of the main cause of global visual impairment and blindness.Its typical characteristics include microaneurysms,hard exudates,macular edema(DME)and neovascularization.Its pathogenesis is diverse,and the root cause is oxidative stress and advanced glycosylation end products.The nuclear red blood cell related factor 2(Nrf2)signa-ling pathway plays an important role in preventing various diseases.As one of the characteristics of DM,hyperglycemia will activate the generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS)in mitochondria.These oxidative stress factors activate the nucle-ar transcription factor κB pathway,becoming the main inducement of various complications of DM.This pathway will in-duce increased transcription of proinflammatory cytokines,including tumor necrosis factor-alpha,transforming growth fac-tor-beta and interleukin-1.The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have significant antioxidant,anti-inflam-matory,anti-apoptotic and angiogenesis-promoting effects,and can block the progression of DR through various mecha-nisms.In this article,the research status of traditional Chinese medicine targeting the Nrf2 signaling pathway in the preven-tion and treatment of DR is reviewed to guide clinical and scientific research.
9.Crosstalk between astrocytes and T cells in neuroinflammation based on blood-brain barrier breakdown
Yuhan LIU ; Yixin ZHANG ; Yine SONG ; Lu LIU
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(10):2521-2529
Neuroinflammation refers to a widespread immune response within central nervous system.T lymphocytes,as main effector cells in cellular immunity,regulate activity of astrocytes through cytokines secretion by various subgroups and participate in pathological process of neuroinflammation.Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in central nervous system.Astrocytes activated by T lymphocytes produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory mediators,alter structure of tight junction,contribute to breakdown of blood-brain barrier,and provide conditions for immune cells to migrate to central nervous system.This review is based on integrity of blood-brain barrier and briefly explores crosstalk mechanism between astrocytes and T lymphocytes in neuroinflammatory diseases,including Alzheimer's disease,multiple sclerosis,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,viral encephalitis and migraine,in order to provide new potential biomarkers and directions for treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases.
10.Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy with myogenic tumors
Lifang SONG ; Li WANG ; Daoqi MEI ; Yuan WANG ; Yanli MA ; Kaili XU ; Fan WANG ; Yixin XIAN ; Xiao FENG ; Kai LIU
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2025;58(6):632-639
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with myogenic tumors.Methods:The clinical data of 2 children with DMD combined with myogenic tumors diagnosed in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in July 2021 and February 2022 were collected. The relevant literature was reviewed to summarize the clinical characteristics and explore the mechanism of the dystrophin ( DMD) gene in myogenic tumors. Results:A 6-year and 10-month-old boy with DMD (deletion of exon 45) and a 12-year-old boy with DMD (deletion of exon 51) were diagnosed with tumors. They were diagnosed with DMD for delayed motor development in the Department of Neurology of Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University. They presented with painless masses in the waist. Postoperative pathological diagnosis: the pathology and immunohistochemistry of case 1 showed an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) and both myogenin and myogenic differentiation 1 positive; the pathology and immunohistochemistry of case 2 showed an alveolar soft part sarcoma(ASPS) and transcription factor enhancer 3 positive; both cases were myogenic tumors. Literature review (including this paper) showed that there were in total 14 cases with DMD combined with myogenic tumors including 13 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and 1 case of ASPS. All of them are male, and the age of onset of the tumors was 4-17 years. Pathological subtypes were described in 6 cases of ARMS and 5 cases of embryonal RMS, and were not described in 2 cases. The 9 cases described all had large deletions in the DMD gene which can change the reading frame of the DMD gene, and all gene mutations did not exceed exon 62. Conclusions:DMD gene with deletion may increase the risk of having myogenic tumors, and RMS is more common, which is manifested as painless mass in early stage. All DMD gene deletions do not exceed exon 62 and lead to change of the gene reading frame with severe clinical phenotype and degenerative changes in muscle function.

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