OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the innervated medial plantar flap for reconstructing soft tissue defects, particularly in the weight-bearing zone, after resection of foot tumors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 12 patients with malignant skin and soft tissue tumors of the foot treated between October 2023 and December 2024. The cohort included 8 males and 4 females, aged 42-67 years (mean, 57.5 years). Tumor types comprised malignant melanoma (5 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (4 cases), arsenical keratosis (2 cases), and tumor-induced osteomalacia (1 case). Soft tissue defects located in the heel weight-bearing region in 10 cases and non-weight-bearing ankle region in 2 cases, with defect sizes ranging from 4.0 cm×3.0 cm to 6.0 cm×4.0 cm. Preoperative photon-counting CT angiography (PC-CTA) was performed to assess the medial plantar artery and its perforators. All patients underwent radical tumor resection with confirmed negative margins. The resulting defects were reconstructed using a innervated medial plantar flap incorporating sensory branches of the medial plantar nerve. The flap donor site was covered with a split-thickness skin graft harvested from the ipsilateral inguinal region. RESULTS: The operation was successfully completed in all 12 patients. All flaps survived completely without vascular compromise, partial necrosis, or total loss. Incisions healed primarily without dehiscence or infection. Minor skin graft necrosis occurred at the donor site in 3 patients, which healed within 2-3 weeks with routine dressing changes. No donor site complication (e.g., tendon or nerve injury) occurred. Patients were followed up 2-16 months (mean, 10.3 months). At last follow-up, there was no tumor recurrence. Flaps exhibited good color and texture match with surrounding tissue, restored sensation, and all feet achieved normal weight-bearing activity. CONCLUSION The innervated medial plantar flap, precisely designed based on PC-CTA localization, provides reliable blood supply and effective sensory restoration. It is an ideal method for reconstructing soft tissue defects after foot tumor resection, especially in the heel weight-bearing region.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods* ; Adult ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/surgery* ; Surgical Flaps/blood supply* ; Foot/surgery* ; Skin Neoplasms/surgery* ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Skin Transplantation/methods* ; Melanoma/surgery*

(+)-Borneol, the main component of "Natural Borneol" in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a high-end spice and precious medicine. Plant extraction cannot meet the increasing demand for (+)-borneol, while microbial biosynthesis offers a sustainable supply route. However, its production was extremely low compared with other monoterpenes, even with extensively optimizing the mevalonate pathway. We found that the key challenge is the complex and unusual dephosphorylation reaction of bornyl diphosphate (BPP), which suffers the side-reaction and the competition from the cellular dephosphorylation process, especially lipid metabolism, thus limiting (+)-borneol synthesis. Here, we systematically optimized the dephosphorylation process by identifying, characterizing phosphatases, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation metabolism. For the first time, we identified two endogenous phosphatases and seven heterologous phosphatases, which significantly increased (+)-borneol production by up to 152%. By engineering BPP dephosphorylation and optimizing the MVA pathway, the production of (+)-borneol was increased by 33.8-fold, which enabled the production of 753 mg/L under fed-batch fermentation in shake flasks, so far the highest reported in the literature. This study showed that rewiring dephosphorylation metabolism was essential for high-level production of (+)-borneol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation is also helpful for efficient biosynthesis of other terpenoids since all whose biosynthesis involves the dephosphorylation procedure.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic factors of elderly patients with epithelial ovarian cancer(EOC),construct and validate a nomogram prediction model,and provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treat-ment.Methods:A total of 13128 elderly patients pathologically diagnosed with EOC from 2010 to 2019 in the U.S.SEER database(version 8.4.1)were selected as internal validation data.They were randomly divided in a 7∶3 ratio,with 9138 cases in the training set and 3990 cases in the validation set.All factors were subjected to univari-ate Cox regression analysis;multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed for factors with P＜0.05 to ob-tain their independent prognostic risk factors,and a nomogram model for evaluating 1-,3-,and 5-year overall sur-vival rates was constructed,followed by internal validation.At the same time,the clinical data of 73 elderly EOC patients treated in the First Department of Gynecology at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University from January 1,2016 to December 31,2022 were selected for external validation of the nomogram.After construc-ting the nomogram model,by obtaining the risk scores of each independent prognostic factor,the training set,vali-dation set,and external validation set were divided into low-and high-risk groups according to comparison of indi-vidual risk scores and the overall median,the K-M curves for different risk groups were plotted based on the medi-an survival time.Results:①Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that,age,marital status,histological type,International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics(FIGO)stage,differentiation degree,ser-um tumor carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125)level,unilateral of bilateral tumor,tumor size,positive lymph nodes,residual disease size after cytoreductive surgery,postoperative chemotherapy and surgical treatment were inde-pendent influencing factors for elderly women with EOC(P＜0.05).②According to the drawn column line dia-gram model,the C index values of the training set,the verification set and the external verification set were:0.750,0.732 and 0.798 respectively;the 5-year Area under the curve(AUC)in the Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve of the external verification set in the three groups was 0.669,while the AUC values for 1-,3-,and 5-year(except the 5-year of external validation)were all greater than 0.700.③Based on the plotted K-M curves,the median survival time of the high-risk groups in the training set,validation set,and external validation set was 31,32 and 39 months respectively,and more than half of the patients in the low-risk group were still alive.The a-bove results all suggested that the column chart model had a high clinical application value for the prediction the 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival rates of elderly patients with EOC.Conclusions:The nomogram model in this study can accurately evaluate the overall survival rate of elderly with EOC,and provide a basis for individualized treatment.

In recent years， hyperuricemia （HUA） has shown a rapidly increasing incidence and tends to occur in increasingly young people， with a wide range of cardiac， renal， joint， and cancerous hazards and all-cause mortality associations. Western medicine treatment has limitations such as large liver and kidney damage， medication restriction， and easy recurrence. The intestine is the major extra-renal excretion pathway for uric acid （UA）， and the intestinal microecology can be regulated to promote UA degradation. It offers great potential to develop UA-lowering strategies that target the intestinal microecology， which are promising to provide safer and more effective therapeutic approaches. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can treat HUA via multiple targets and multiple pathways from a holistic view， with low toxicity and side effects. Studies have shown that intestinal microecology is a crucial target for TCM in the treatment of HUA. However， its specific mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. Focusing on the key role of intestinal microecology in HUA， this review explores the relationship between intestinal microecology and HUA in terms of intestinal flora， intestinal metabolites， intestinal UA transporters， and intestinal barriers. Furthermore， we summarize the research progress in TCM treatment of HUA by targeting the intestinal microecology， with the aim of providing references for the development of TCM intervention strategies for HUA and the direction of future research.

Ligusticum sinense cv.Fuxiong derived from"Xiongqiong",and in the Song Dynasty's Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang,it was already distinguished from Chuanxiong Rhizoma in usage.Doctors in the Ming Dynasty further clarified the differences in efficacy between the two.However,with the widespread circulation of Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Ligusticum sinense cv.Fuxiong gradually became marginalized,serving as a substitute,and is now only cultivated and used in small quantities within Jiangxi Province.This article reviewed the prescriptions and the ancient Chinese medical books that have records of Ligusticum sinense cv.Fuxiong,analyzed its specific applications alongside Chuanxiong Rhizoma in prescriptions and case studies to elucidate their differences in efficacy:Ligusticum sinense cv.Fuxiong is pungent and has strong dispersing power and is good at unblocking meridians and promoting qi circulation,which is suitable for excessive syndromes;Chuanxiong Rhizoma is good at promoting blood circulation and relieving pain,and is good at regulating and nourishing,which is suitable for patients with deficiency syndromes,aiming to provide insights and recommendations for the further development and rational clinical medication of Ligusticum sinense cv.Fuxiong.

Objective To investigate the effect of drug-eluting bead DACE(DEB-TACE)combined with systemic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)in different locations.Methods A total of 204 HCC patients who underwent DEB-TACE combined with systemic therapy(targeted and immunotherapy)were retrospectively collected.According to the anatomical location of HCC,86 cases with lesions located at the main trunk of portal vein(PV)or within 1 cm of the first PV branch were classified into central type group,while 118 cases with lesions located at the other areas were classified as peripheral type group.Follow-up was regularly performed after DEB-TACE until August,2024.The objective response rate(ORR)and disease control rate(DCR)at 1,3,6 and 12 months after DEB-TACE,also patients'progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)were compared between groups.Results All patients were followed up for a median of 32.6 months,during which 164 cases died.Significant differences of ORR at 1 and 3 months after DEB-TACE(77.91％[67/86]vs.89.83％[106/118],34.88％[30/86]vs.54.24％[64/118])and DCR at 3 and 6 months after DEB-TACE(51.16％[44/86]vs.66.95％[79/118],34.88％[30/86]vs.50.00％[59/118])were found between groups(all P＜0.05).Patients'PFS(30.18[9.12,48.54]months)and OS(37.36[17.79,56.68])in peripheral type group were better than those in central type group(20.11[11.35,28.87]months and 23.24[3.11,43.47]months,x2=3.971,4.162,P=0.048,0.041).Conclusion The effect of DEB-TACE combined with systemic treatment for peripheral type HCC was better than for central type HCC.

Objective:To explore the role positioning and job responsibilities of integrated care managers in China, with a view to providing reference for policy formulation and career development.Methods:The qualitative study was conducted. From December 2023 to July 2024, 18 frontline workers and managers working in integrated care in two hospitals, two community health service centers and seven elderly care institutions in Beijing were selected by purposive sampling method to conduct semi-structured interviews. Colaizzi 7-step analysis was used to analyze the data.Results:A total of six core roles and seven responsibilities of the integrated care managers were identified, including the role of the comprehensive assessor and the responsibility of conducting comprehensive health assessments, the role of the team collaborator and the responsibility of organizing interdisciplinary discussions, decision-making and collaboration, the role of the case manager and the responsibility of developing and implementing integrated care plans, the role of the resource integrator and the responsibility of coordinating and integrating resources, the role of the service controller and the responsibility of supervising and optimizing care services, the role of professional leader and communicator and the responsibility of promoting team building and development, and the responsibility of leading professional innovation and growth.Conclusions:As an emerging complex professional talent to cope with population aging, clarifying their roles and responsibilities is of great significance in realizing the goal of healthy aging and building an integrated healthcare service system in China. Integrated care managers should be based on personalized, multi-level, and whole-process care service needs, flexibly adapt to diversified role changes, and stimulate their own intrinsic motivation and innovation ability to provide high-quality care services.

Objective:To understand the usability evaluation indicators for intelligent caregiving robots in elderly care from the perspectives of stakeholders, and provide a reference for constructing a usability evaluation indicator system for these robots.Methods:This study was a qualitative study. From November 2023 to May 2024, purposive sampling was used to select eight intelligent robot developers from three engineering universities and one medical technology company, seven intelligent product usage managers from three elderly care institutions in Beijing, and seven elderly users who have used intelligent caregiving robots at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these participants. The content analysis method was employed to organize and analyze the interview data, and themes were extracted.Results:A total of four themes and eleven sub-themes were identified: safety and reliability (mechanical safety, sensory safety, privacy safety) , performance (effectiveness, fault tolerance, intelligence) , user experience (learnability, ease of use, comfort) , and cost-effectiveness (cost-performance ratio, usage cost) .Conclusions:The usability evaluation indicators for intelligent caregiving robots in elderly care, extracted from multiple perspectives, provide a reference for constructing a scientific, reasonable, and comprehensive usability evaluation indicator system for intelligent caregiving robots in elderly care.

Objective:To explore the impact of community environment on the functional ability in the elderly based on a person-environment fit perspective.Methods:The descriptive qualitative research method was used. Applying the purposive sampling method, elderly people attending two community health centers and their subordinate health stations in Beijing were selected as respondents from January to May 2024. An interview outline was developed based on the person-environment fit theory, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect information. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis.Results:A total of 16 community elderly people were interviewed, and four themes were finalized, including multidimensional compensation of the environment for individual competence (accessible and convenient environments compensate for declining motor abilities, supportive physical environments compensate for declining vision and vitality, social support compensates for declining cognitive abilities, and age-friendly environments enhancing a sense of belonging and security) , congruence of personal preferences with the community environment (diversity of activities to meet individualized needs, environmental stability to ensure a sense of control over life, age-friendly digital environments to meet the digital needs of the elderly) , personal influencing factors of the perceived environment (length of residence, personal health status, personal social relations) , and coping styles with person-environment mismatches (enhancement of individual capabilities, use of assistive devices for self-empowerment, proactive home age-friendly adaptation, self-psychological adjustment) .Conclusions:Community healthcare workers should emphasize the role of the environment and give full consideration to the individual characteristics, needs and preferences of the elderly people, and pay special attention to the elderly people who have a poor perception of the environment and encourage them to take positive coping styles to adapt to the environment.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic factors of elderly patients with epithelial ovarian cancer(EOC),construct and validate a nomogram prediction model,and provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treat-ment.Methods:A total of 13128 elderly patients pathologically diagnosed with EOC from 2010 to 2019 in the U.S.SEER database(version 8.4.1)were selected as internal validation data.They were randomly divided in a 7∶3 ratio,with 9138 cases in the training set and 3990 cases in the validation set.All factors were subjected to univari-ate Cox regression analysis;multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed for factors with P＜0.05 to ob-tain their independent prognostic risk factors,and a nomogram model for evaluating 1-,3-,and 5-year overall sur-vival rates was constructed,followed by internal validation.At the same time,the clinical data of 73 elderly EOC patients treated in the First Department of Gynecology at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University from January 1,2016 to December 31,2022 were selected for external validation of the nomogram.After construc-ting the nomogram model,by obtaining the risk scores of each independent prognostic factor,the training set,vali-dation set,and external validation set were divided into low-and high-risk groups according to comparison of indi-vidual risk scores and the overall median,the K-M curves for different risk groups were plotted based on the medi-an survival time.Results:①Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that,age,marital status,histological type,International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics(FIGO)stage,differentiation degree,ser-um tumor carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125)level,unilateral of bilateral tumor,tumor size,positive lymph nodes,residual disease size after cytoreductive surgery,postoperative chemotherapy and surgical treatment were inde-pendent influencing factors for elderly women with EOC(P＜0.05).②According to the drawn column line dia-gram model,the C index values of the training set,the verification set and the external verification set were:0.750,0.732 and 0.798 respectively;the 5-year Area under the curve(AUC)in the Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve of the external verification set in the three groups was 0.669,while the AUC values for 1-,3-,and 5-year(except the 5-year of external validation)were all greater than 0.700.③Based on the plotted K-M curves,the median survival time of the high-risk groups in the training set,validation set,and external validation set was 31,32 and 39 months respectively,and more than half of the patients in the low-risk group were still alive.The a-bove results all suggested that the column chart model had a high clinical application value for the prediction the 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival rates of elderly patients with EOC.Conclusions:The nomogram model in this study can accurately evaluate the overall survival rate of elderly with EOC,and provide a basis for individualized treatment.