Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of digital technology-assisted debridement and bone and soft tissue reconstruction in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the tibia.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed clinical data from 38 patients (26 males, 12 females; mean age 45.61±18.36 years, range 16-83 years) with chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis complicated by soft tissue defects in the tibia, treated at the Department of Orthopaedics, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital between June 2021 and June 2023. There were 18 cases of traffic accidents, 6 cases of high-altitude falls, 6 cases of heavy objects and 6 cases of low-energy falls. Lesion sites: 12 cases in the upper segment of the tibia, 12 cases in the middle segment, and 14 cases in the lower segment. According to the Cierny-Mader classification, there were 24 cases of type III and 14 cases of type IV. Before the operation, the "3D point cloud technology" was used to plan the debridement range of bone and soft tissue. During the operation, the optical navigation system was used to monitor the debridement range in real time. The flap was designed by combining "Reading Tablet Treasure" with CT angiography, and the amount of bone graft was predicted by AI algorithm. The surgical method adopted is the Masquelet technique, namely thorough debridement, bone cement occupation and soft tissue repair in the first stage, and bone reconstruction in the second stage. Comparing the calculated bone defect amount and soft tissue defect area before the operation with the actual measured values after debridement. The cure rate of infection was evaluated by using the McKee bone infection treatment criteria after the operation. The visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, lower extremity functional scale (LEFS), and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the improvement of the quality of life of postoperative patients.Results:38 patients were followed up with a mean follow-up of 13.53±2.37 months. 37 patients' infections were effectively controlled, and 1 patient had a recurrence of infection, with an effectiveness rate of 97% for the treatment of McKee's infections. The preoperative calculated bone defect amount and soft tissue defect area were 51.05±26.31 cm 3 and 68.42±43.45 cm 2 respectively, and the actual measured values after debridement during the operation were 51.66±26.35 cm 3 and 68.82±43.76 cm 2 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference before and after the operation ( P>0.05). The interval between the first and second stage surgeries was 10.36±1.61 weeks, and all flaps survived after the first stage surgery. Two months after the operation, one case had recurrent osteomyelitis. After palliative treatment, sinus tracts were formed at the infection site. At the 12-month regular dressing change follow-up, there were still purulent secretions in the sinus tracts. There was no recurrence of infection after primary debridement in 37 cases, and the bone grafts healed. The bone healing time was 3.58±0.97 months. The postoperative VAS, LEFS, and SAS scores were 1.00±0.91, 66.68±7.91, and 34.30±4.29, respectively, which were significantly improved compared with the preoperative scores of 7.54±1.52, 21.22±4.29, and 52.70±6.74, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The application of digital technology to precisely design the debridement range of bone and soft tissue, and the real-time holographic visualization monitoring of the debridement range during the operation can achieve precise debridement of bone and soft tissue and personalized and precise repair of soft tissue defects. It is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the tibia.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of the supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap in reconstruction of the surgical defects following resection of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in extremities.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 6 patients who received surgery to remove STS in extremities followed by reconstructive surgery with a supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap to reconstruct the surgical defect (16.0 cm×4.8 cm-25.0 cm×8.0 cm), at the Department of Microsurgery, the 4th Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2023 and January 2024. The locations of sarcoma were: 3 in left forearm, 2 in right calf and 1 in left calf. The pathological types of the sarcoma were: 1 of myxoid liposarcoma, 1 of dedifferentiated liposarcoma, 1 of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 of low-grade myxofibrosarcoma and 2 of fibrosarcoma. According to the Enneking classification, 2 sarcomas were in stage I and 4 in stage Ⅱa. All patients underwent expanded resection of the sarcoma and followed by reconstruction of the surgical defect with supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap. The flap size ranged from 18.0 cm×5.2 cm to 27.7 cm×10.2 cm, with the length of the muscle flap at 25.92 cm±5.57 cm and 17.0 cm×2.8 cm×2.7 cm-32.0 cm×6.0 cm×3.5 cm in volume. The surgical defects were filled with muscle flaps, while the wounds were covered by cutaneous flaps. The perforating branches of the deep femoral artery carried by proximal vascular pedicle of the myocutaneous flap were anastomosed end-to-end with the prominent vessels of the recipient site. Where, the perforators of the distal femoral artery of the myocutaneous flap were anastomosed end-to-end with the recipient vessels for external blood perfusion, and the great saphenous vein of the flap was anastomosed end-to-end with the superficial veins of the recipient site. All donor sites were directly sutured. Scheduled postoperative follow-ups at outpatient clinic were conducted to assess the viability of the transferred myocutaneous flap. Limb function was evaluated using the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society-93 (MSTS-93) and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS).Results:The postoperative follow-up lasted for 12 to 20 months. All 6 myocutaneous flaps survived without distal necrosis. All patients regained daily activities and functioned well. The MSTS-93 scores achieved 24 to 30 (27.0 ± 2.4) points; while the recovery rate of limb function were 85% to 100% (90.00% ± 7.89%) and the TESS were 85% to 100% (93.65% ± 5.47%). No patients exhibited tumour recurrence over the period of follow-up.Conclusion:The supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap is a safe and effective myocutaneous flap. It serves as an effective method for soft tissue reconstruction after surgical resection of STS in extremities.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of digital technology-assisted debridement and bone and soft tissue reconstruction in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the tibia.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed clinical data from 38 patients (26 males, 12 females; mean age 45.61±18.36 years, range 16-83 years) with chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis complicated by soft tissue defects in the tibia, treated at the Department of Orthopaedics, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital between June 2021 and June 2023. There were 18 cases of traffic accidents, 6 cases of high-altitude falls, 6 cases of heavy objects and 6 cases of low-energy falls. Lesion sites: 12 cases in the upper segment of the tibia, 12 cases in the middle segment, and 14 cases in the lower segment. According to the Cierny-Mader classification, there were 24 cases of type III and 14 cases of type IV. Before the operation, the "3D point cloud technology" was used to plan the debridement range of bone and soft tissue. During the operation, the optical navigation system was used to monitor the debridement range in real time. The flap was designed by combining "Reading Tablet Treasure" with CT angiography, and the amount of bone graft was predicted by AI algorithm. The surgical method adopted is the Masquelet technique, namely thorough debridement, bone cement occupation and soft tissue repair in the first stage, and bone reconstruction in the second stage. Comparing the calculated bone defect amount and soft tissue defect area before the operation with the actual measured values after debridement. The cure rate of infection was evaluated by using the McKee bone infection treatment criteria after the operation. The visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, lower extremity functional scale (LEFS), and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the improvement of the quality of life of postoperative patients.Results:38 patients were followed up with a mean follow-up of 13.53±2.37 months. 37 patients' infections were effectively controlled, and 1 patient had a recurrence of infection, with an effectiveness rate of 97% for the treatment of McKee's infections. The preoperative calculated bone defect amount and soft tissue defect area were 51.05±26.31 cm 3 and 68.42±43.45 cm 2 respectively, and the actual measured values after debridement during the operation were 51.66±26.35 cm 3 and 68.82±43.76 cm 2 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference before and after the operation ( P>0.05). The interval between the first and second stage surgeries was 10.36±1.61 weeks, and all flaps survived after the first stage surgery. Two months after the operation, one case had recurrent osteomyelitis. After palliative treatment, sinus tracts were formed at the infection site. At the 12-month regular dressing change follow-up, there were still purulent secretions in the sinus tracts. There was no recurrence of infection after primary debridement in 37 cases, and the bone grafts healed. The bone healing time was 3.58±0.97 months. The postoperative VAS, LEFS, and SAS scores were 1.00±0.91, 66.68±7.91, and 34.30±4.29, respectively, which were significantly improved compared with the preoperative scores of 7.54±1.52, 21.22±4.29, and 52.70±6.74, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The application of digital technology to precisely design the debridement range of bone and soft tissue, and the real-time holographic visualization monitoring of the debridement range during the operation can achieve precise debridement of bone and soft tissue and personalized and precise repair of soft tissue defects. It is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the tibia.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of the supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap in reconstruction of the surgical defects following resection of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in extremities.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 6 patients who received surgery to remove STS in extremities followed by reconstructive surgery with a supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap to reconstruct the surgical defect (16.0 cm×4.8 cm-25.0 cm×8.0 cm), at the Department of Microsurgery, the 4th Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2023 and January 2024. The locations of sarcoma were: 3 in left forearm, 2 in right calf and 1 in left calf. The pathological types of the sarcoma were: 1 of myxoid liposarcoma, 1 of dedifferentiated liposarcoma, 1 of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 of low-grade myxofibrosarcoma and 2 of fibrosarcoma. According to the Enneking classification, 2 sarcomas were in stage I and 4 in stage Ⅱa. All patients underwent expanded resection of the sarcoma and followed by reconstruction of the surgical defect with supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap. The flap size ranged from 18.0 cm×5.2 cm to 27.7 cm×10.2 cm, with the length of the muscle flap at 25.92 cm±5.57 cm and 17.0 cm×2.8 cm×2.7 cm-32.0 cm×6.0 cm×3.5 cm in volume. The surgical defects were filled with muscle flaps, while the wounds were covered by cutaneous flaps. The perforating branches of the deep femoral artery carried by proximal vascular pedicle of the myocutaneous flap were anastomosed end-to-end with the prominent vessels of the recipient site. Where, the perforators of the distal femoral artery of the myocutaneous flap were anastomosed end-to-end with the recipient vessels for external blood perfusion, and the great saphenous vein of the flap was anastomosed end-to-end with the superficial veins of the recipient site. All donor sites were directly sutured. Scheduled postoperative follow-ups at outpatient clinic were conducted to assess the viability of the transferred myocutaneous flap. Limb function was evaluated using the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society-93 (MSTS-93) and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS).Results:The postoperative follow-up lasted for 12 to 20 months. All 6 myocutaneous flaps survived without distal necrosis. All patients regained daily activities and functioned well. The MSTS-93 scores achieved 24 to 30 (27.0 ± 2.4) points; while the recovery rate of limb function were 85% to 100% (90.00% ± 7.89%) and the TESS were 85% to 100% (93.65% ± 5.47%). No patients exhibited tumour recurrence over the period of follow-up.Conclusion:The supercharged gracilis myocutaneous flap is a safe and effective myocutaneous flap. It serves as an effective method for soft tissue reconstruction after surgical resection of STS in extremities.

Bone Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Transplantation, Autologous/adverse effects*

BACKGROUND: Red-cell transfusion is critical for surgery during the peri-operative period; however, the transfusion threshold remains controversial mainly owing to the diversity among patients. The patient's medical status should be evaluated before making a transfusion decision. Herein, we developed an individualized transfusion strategy using the West-China-Liu's Score based on the physiology of oxygen delivery/consumption balance and designed an open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial to verify whether it reduced red cell requirement as compared with that associated with restrictive and liberal strategies safely and effectively, providing valid evidence for peri-operative transfusion. METHODS: Patients aged >14 years undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery with estimated blood loss > 1000 mL or 20% blood volume and hemoglobin concentration <10 g/dL were randomly assigned to an individualized strategy, a restrictive strategy following China's guideline or a liberal strategy with a transfusion threshold of hemoglobin concentration <9.5 g/dL. We evaluated two primary outcomes: the proportion of patients who received red blood cells (superiority test) and a composite of in-hospital complications and all-cause mortality by day 30 (non-inferiority test). RESULTS: We enrolled 1182 patients: 379, 419, and 384 received individualized, restrictive, and liberal strategies, respectively. Approximately 30.6% (116/379) of patients in the individualized strategy received a red-cell transfusion, less than 62.5% (262/419) in the restrictive strategy (absolute risk difference, 31.92%; 97.5% confidence interval [CI]: 24.42-39.42%; odds ratio, 3.78%; 97.5% CI: 2.70-5.30%; P <0.001), and 89.8% (345/384) in the liberal strategy (absolute risk difference, 59.24%; 97.5% CI: 52.91-65.57%; odds ratio, 20.06; 97.5% CI: 12.74-31.57; P <0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in the composite of in-hospital complications and mortality by day 30 among the three strategies. CONCLUSION: The individualized red-cell transfusion strategy using the West-China-Liu's Score reduced red-cell transfusion without increasing in-hospital complications and mortality by day 30 when compared with restrictive and liberal strategies in elective non-cardiac surgeries. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01597232.
Humans ; Adult ; Postoperative Complications ; Erythrocyte Transfusion/adverse effects* ; Blood Transfusion ; Hospitals ; Hemoglobins/analysis*

Objective:To evaluate the effect of berberine (BBR) on morphine-induced activation of BV2 microglial cells.Methods:The BV2 microglial cells were divided into 3 groups ( n=12 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), morphine group (Mor group)and morphine+ BBR group (Mor+ BBR group). The Mor group was treated for 24 h with a final concentration of 200 μmol/L morphine, while C group was treated for 24 h with an equal volume of PBS buffer. Mor+ BBR group was first treated for 2 h with a final concentration of 20 μmol/L berberine, followed by treatment with a final concentration of 200 μmol/L morphine for another 24 h. The viability of BV2 microglial cells was determined using the CCK-8 assay, the concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-10 in supernatant were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of CD86 and NF-κB proteins in microglial cells was detected using Western blot. Results:Compared with group C, the BV2 microglial cell viability and concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly increased, the concentrations of IL-10 were decreased, and the expression of CD86 and NF-κB in microglial cells was up-regulated in Mor group ( P<0.05). Compared with Mor group, the BV2 microglial cell viability and concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly decreased, the concentrations of IL-10 were increased, and the expression of CD86 and NF-κB in microglial cells was down-regulated in Mor+ BBR group( P<0.05). Conclusions:BBR can inhibit morphine-induced activation of BV2 microglial cells.

Objective:To review and summarize the main problems that have occurred in the history of manned spaceflight worldwide and the experience of the medical rescue support for astronauts at the main landing site since the first manned spaceflight mission of the Shenzhou-5 in China in 2003, focus on the technical status and return characteristics during the construction of the space station since the Shenzhou-12, and formulate a targeted injury treatment plan to ensure the safety of astronauts.Methods:This article summarized the lessons of accidental injuries of astronauts in foreign aerospace history, especially in the space station stage, combined with the experience of medical support of astronauts in manned spaceflight in China, and put forward a series of organizations, plans and treatments according to the mission characteristics of long-term orbits and adjustments of the main landing sites of space station mission spacecraft.Results:On the basis of the original pre-cabin emergency and helicopter ICU comprehensive rescue platform, the emergency procedures were further optimized, and the treatment plans under different complex terrains and the principles of rapid treatment and evacuation of astronauts were formulated.Conclusions:The effective treatment of astronauts returning from the space station in various situations could be ensured by the comprehensive rescue plan for the medical rescue of the space station mission and the construction and organization of the helicopter rescue platform.

Objective:This study aims to analyze the characteristics and basic principles of emergency surgery risks and anesthesia care of medical support at the landing site for China’s taikonauts of the Shenzhou-12, and to summarize China’s experience in medical support at the landing site for manned spaceflight, and ensure supports in special environments such as an emergency return of manned spaceflight.Methods:This study was carried out through literature research on relevant reports on the emergency surgery risks and aids of domestic and foreign astronauts at the landing sites, and summaries of the experience in medical support for taikonauts of spacecrafts from Shenzhou-5 to Shenzhou-11 at the landing sites. At the same time, according to the characteristics of Shenzhou-12 such as the long on-orbit time, the adjustment in the landing area, the optimization of the mission mode, and new search and rescue power, a series of organization, pre-arranged planning, equipment allocation, and effective anesthesia treatment plan were proposed and inspected in practice.Results:Based on the original anesthesia care plan of medical support, the first-aid carrier was adjusted and modified, the first-aid procedure was optimized, a new generation of supraglottic airway opening tool, video laryngoscope, portable ultrasound, and other devices were added, and the anesthesia care plan at the landing site for manned spaceflight was formulated to provide strong support for the medical care of taikonauts that had stayed in the outer space for a long time.Conclusions:Upon the targeted improvement and process optimization, the anesthesia care plan of medical support for taikonauts of Shenzhen-12 in the landing area fully meets the anesthesia requirement of medical support in special environments such as the emergency return of the taikonauts that have stayed in the outer space for a long time under the new orbital altitude.

Arsenic is a kind of non-metallic substance with carcinogenic effect, which widely exists in the natural environment. Chronic arsenic exposure will cause a series of health damage involving multiple organs of the whole body. Because of its unclear pathogenesis, lack of specific drugs and early biomarkers, it has become the focus and hotspot of scientific and technological workers for a long time. Epigenetic modification not only correlates with arsenic exposure, but also participates in early arsenic-induced damage by regulating the expression of key molecules, which has become an important research direction of arsenic exposure mechanism. As one of the important modes of epigenetic modification, DNA methylation is expected to provide a new therapeutic target for endemic arsenism. However, how DNA methylation regulates the expression of key genes induced by arsenic and participates in the occurrence and development of arsenism and its relationship with the mechanism of arsenism need to be further studied. The research progress of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of arsenism is reviewed.