Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the modified medial gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap (MGMF) with extended anterior, posterior and (or) inferior boundaries.Methods:From January 2002 to September 2022, modified MGMFs were applied onto 33 patients who received reconstructive surgery for soft-tissue defects around knee or in calf, in the Department of Orthopaedics, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The size of defects ranged from 10 cm×4 cm to 22 cm×12 cm, and the flap size ranged from 15 cm×6 cm to 28 cm×14 cm. Twenty-five patients had the complication of chronic osteomyelitis. The boundaries of a modified MGMF were as follows: the anterior boundary was the anterior border of the tibia, where the posterior boundary at 3.0 cm lateral to the posterior midline, the proximal boundary at the popliteal fossa crease, and the distal boundary at the plane 2.0 cm above the tip of medial malleolus. The anterior edge of the modified MGMF was designed running along the medial edge of the defect and its curved extension line. Pretibial skin was equally divided into 9 zones, with the 1st to 9th zones from proximal to distal in sequence. Postoperative routine anti-infection treatment was offered. All patients were included in the postoperative follow-up through outpatient visits, telephone or WeChat interviews. Flap viability and wound healing in both donor and recipient sites were evaluated. Function of the affected limb was assessed using the evaluation criteria established by Punor et al.Results:All patients were included in the follow-up for 1 to 169 (median duration: 9)months. The 33 modified MGMFs included MGMFs with extended boundary of anterior ( n=18), inferior ( n=5), anterior combined with inferior ( n=6), posterior combined with anterior ( n=2), and posterior combined with inferior ( n=2) boundaries. Twenty-nine (87.9%) flaps survived completely. Partial necrosis occurred in 4 flaps(12.1%)(2 flaps with extended anterior boundary and 2 flaps with extended inferior boundary). The anterior margins of 26 flaps (78.7%) with extended anterior boundary alone or in combination with extended inferior or posterior boundary exceeded the medial edge of the tibia by 1.0-4.5 (mean, 2.1) cm, and 3 of them reached the anterior edge of tibia. Fourteen (42.4%) modified MGMFs were used to reconstruct the defects involving 1/3 of distal calf, and the distal ends of these defects were located in the 7th ( n=8) or 8th ( n= 6) zone. All the skin grafts in the donor sites survived. During follow-up, 31 patients (93.9%) showed no sign of infection, and 2 patients (6.1%) who had recurrence of chronic osteomyelitis. Functions of the affected limbs were excellent ( n=25), good ( n=6) and fair ( n=2) by Punor et al. Conclusion:Modified MGMF with extended anterior, posterior and (or) inferior boundaries is clinically feasible. It offers advantages of easier design and operation. It can be used to reconstruct a more distal, wider and larger defect as well as broadens the application of the MGMF.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the modified medial gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap (MGMF) with extended anterior, posterior and (or) inferior boundaries.Methods:From January 2002 to September 2022, modified MGMFs were applied onto 33 patients who received reconstructive surgery for soft-tissue defects around knee or in calf, in the Department of Orthopaedics, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The size of defects ranged from 10 cm×4 cm to 22 cm×12 cm, and the flap size ranged from 15 cm×6 cm to 28 cm×14 cm. Twenty-five patients had the complication of chronic osteomyelitis. The boundaries of a modified MGMF were as follows: the anterior boundary was the anterior border of the tibia, where the posterior boundary at 3.0 cm lateral to the posterior midline, the proximal boundary at the popliteal fossa crease, and the distal boundary at the plane 2.0 cm above the tip of medial malleolus. The anterior edge of the modified MGMF was designed running along the medial edge of the defect and its curved extension line. Pretibial skin was equally divided into 9 zones, with the 1st to 9th zones from proximal to distal in sequence. Postoperative routine anti-infection treatment was offered. All patients were included in the postoperative follow-up through outpatient visits, telephone or WeChat interviews. Flap viability and wound healing in both donor and recipient sites were evaluated. Function of the affected limb was assessed using the evaluation criteria established by Punor et al.Results:All patients were included in the follow-up for 1 to 169 (median duration: 9)months. The 33 modified MGMFs included MGMFs with extended boundary of anterior ( n=18), inferior ( n=5), anterior combined with inferior ( n=6), posterior combined with anterior ( n=2), and posterior combined with inferior ( n=2) boundaries. Twenty-nine (87.9%) flaps survived completely. Partial necrosis occurred in 4 flaps(12.1%)(2 flaps with extended anterior boundary and 2 flaps with extended inferior boundary). The anterior margins of 26 flaps (78.7%) with extended anterior boundary alone or in combination with extended inferior or posterior boundary exceeded the medial edge of the tibia by 1.0-4.5 (mean, 2.1) cm, and 3 of them reached the anterior edge of tibia. Fourteen (42.4%) modified MGMFs were used to reconstruct the defects involving 1/3 of distal calf, and the distal ends of these defects were located in the 7th ( n=8) or 8th ( n= 6) zone. All the skin grafts in the donor sites survived. During follow-up, 31 patients (93.9%) showed no sign of infection, and 2 patients (6.1%) who had recurrence of chronic osteomyelitis. Functions of the affected limbs were excellent ( n=25), good ( n=6) and fair ( n=2) by Punor et al. Conclusion:Modified MGMF with extended anterior, posterior and (or) inferior boundaries is clinically feasible. It offers advantages of easier design and operation. It can be used to reconstruct a more distal, wider and larger defect as well as broadens the application of the MGMF.

OBJECTIVES: To summarize our experience with the sural neurofasciocutaneous flap for reconstructing the soft tissue defects over the forefoot distal to the connecting line of midpoints in the metatarsal bones, and to compare the outcomes between the flap for resurfacing the defects distal and proximal to the connecting line. METHODS: The clinical data of 425 sural neurofasciocutaneous flaps for repairing the soft tissue defects in the middle and lower leg, ankle, and foot between Apr. 2002 and Apr. 2020 were reviewed. Based on the connecting line of midpoints of the metatarsals, the sural neurofasciocutaneous flaps were divided into a forefoot group (flaps with furthest edges distal to the connecting line) and a peri-ankle group (flaps with the furthest edges proximal to the connecting line). RESULTS: The partial necrosis rate in the forefoot group (14.5%, 10/69) was significantly higher than that in the peri-ankle group (7.0%, 25/356), with significant difference (P<0.05). Using the flap alone or in combination with a simple salvage treatment, the ratio of successful coverages of the defects was 98.6% (68/69) in the forefoot group, and 97.8% (348/356) in the peri-ankle group, respectively, with no statistical difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The sural neurofasciocutaneous flap is a better choice for covering the soft tissue defects over the forefoot distal to the connecting line of midpoints of the metatarsal bones. The survival reliability of the sural neurofasciocutaneous flap reconstructing the soft tissue defect proximal to the connecting line is superior to that of the flap reconstructing the defect distal to the connecting line.
Ankle/surgery* ; Humans ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Reproducibility of Results ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Surgical Flaps

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of atorvastatin (ATV) on the inflammatory response of human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) induced by calcium oxalate crystals. Methods: HK-2 cells were divided into control group (normal medium), ATV group (after 3 h pretreatment with 40 μmol/L ATV, replaced with normal medium), calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group (4 mmol/L calcium oxalate crystal) and ATV treatment group (after 3 h pretreatment with 40 μmol/L ATV, replaced with 4 mmol/L calcium oxalate crystals). After 12 h, the cells were collected, and the expression levels of NLRP3 and Cleaved caspase-1 were detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. The expression level of NF-κB was detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The cell culture supernatant was collected to detecte the concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Western blot analysis showed that the relative expression of NLRP3 (0.125±0.013 vs. 0.135±0.007) and Cleaved caspase-1 (0.090±0.014 vs. 0.095±0.006) was decreased in the ATV group compared with the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The relative expression of NLRP3 (0.315±0.021 vs. 0.135±0.007, P<0.001) and Cleaved caspase-1 (0.235±0.008 vs. 0.095±0.006, P<0.001) was significantly increased in the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group compared with the control group. While the relative expression of NLRP3 (0.245±0.007 vs. 0.315±0.021, P<0.05) and Cleaved caspase-1 (0.170±0.017 vs. 0.235±0.008, P<0.05) in the ATV treatment group was significantly lower than that in the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group. The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression trends of NLRP3 and Cleaved caspase-1 in each group were consistent with those obtained by Western blotting. The ELISA results showed that the concentration of inflammatory factors IL-1β [(162.00±21.21)pg/ml vs. (183.50±7.78) pg/ml, P>0.05] and IL-18 [(176.50±24.12)pg/ml vs.(182.50±20.51)pg/ml, P>0.05] in the ATV group was lower than that in the control group, but the difference were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The concentrations of IL-1β[(850.50±48.79)pg/ml vs. (183.50±7.78)pg/ml, P<0.001] and IL-18 [(526.00±39.61)pg/ml vs. (182.50±20.51)pg/ml, P<0.001] were significantly increased in the cell culture medium of the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group compared with the control group, while the concentrations of IL-1β [(452.50±36.06)pg/ml vs. (850.50±48.79) pg/ml, P<0.01] and IL-18 [(403.50±23.33)pg/ml vs. (526.00±39.61)pg/ml, P<0.05] was significantly reduced in the cell culture medium of the ATV treatment group compared with the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group. Western blot analysis showed that the relative expression of NF-κB (0.105±0.021 vs. 0.100±0.014) in the ATV group was decreased compared with the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The relative expression of NF-κB (0.295±0.035 vs. 0.100±0.014, P<0.001) in the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group was significantly increased compared with the control group. While the relative expression of NF-κB (0.160±0.012 vs. 0.295±0.035, P<0.05) in the ATV treatment group was significantly lower than that in the calcium oxalate crystal stimulation group. The expression of NF-κB by immunofluorescence staining was consistent with the results of Western blotting. Conclusions Calcium oxalate crystals can induce the inflammatory response of HK-2 cells, while ATV can exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and decreasing the secretion of inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-18 and the expression of NF-κB.

Objective: To study the effects of estrogen on the degenerative changes of condylar cartilage and subchondral bone in rats. Methods: 18 female SD rats aged 6 weeks were divided into control(C),unilateral anterior cross-bite(UAC) and UAC treated with estrogen(UAC + E) groups(n = 6). UAC metal prosthesis was cemented to the left incisors of maxilla and mandible of the rats in group UAC and UAC + E. Rats in UAC + E group were given pexitoneal injection of 80 μg 17β-estradiol per day. The rats in group C were untreated. Animal were sacrificed at the 4th weeks. The micro-structure of subchondral bone was observed by Micro-CT scanning. HE staining,Safranin O staining,immunohistochemical staining,TUNEL staining and TRAP staining for the observation of pathological changes of histomorphology,extracellular matrix,chondrocyte apoptosis in condylar cartilage,and osteoclasts number in subchondral bone. Results: UAC and UAC + E group showed evident osteoarthritis(OA)-like lesions. Compare with UAC group,there was a significant decrease in the expression of proteoglycan(P ＜ 0. 05),type Ⅱ collagen(P ＜ 0. 01),and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic chondrocytes(P ＜ 0. 01) in UAC + E group. As for subchondral bone,the BV/TV,Tb. Th parameters in C and UAC + E groups were significant higher than in UAC group(P ＜ 0. 01),while the BS /BV,Tb. N,Tb. Sp parameters and the osteoclasts number in C and UAC + E groups were significant fewer than in UAC groups(P ＜ 0. 01). There was no significant difference in bone ultra-parameters and osteoclasts number between C and UAC + E groups(P＞ 0. 05). Conclusion: In the model of rat TMJOA induced by unilateral anterior crossbite prosthesis,supra-physiological level of estrogen can reverse bone loss in subchondral bone,but accelerate the degradation of condylar cartilage.