Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare but deadly complication with an unclear pathogenesis. We aimed to elucidate the immune characteristics of H1N1 influenza virusassociated ANE (IANE) and provide a potential therapeutic approach for IANE. Seven pediatric cases from a concentrated outbreak of H1N1 influenza were included in this study. The patients’ CD4+T cells from peripheral blood decreased sharply in number but highly expressed Eomesodermin (Eomes), CD69 and PD-1, companied with extremely high levels of IL-6, IL-8 in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma. Patient 2, who showed high fever and seizures and was admitted to the hospital very early in the disease course, received intravenous tocilizumab and subsequently showed a reduction in temperature and a stable conscious state 24 h later. In conclusion, a proinflammatory cytokine storm associated with activated CD4+T cells may cause severe brain pathology in IANE. Tocilizumab may be helpful in treating IANE.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of Masquelet technique combined with tissue flap transfer in the treatment of infectious composite bone and soft tissue defects in the early and middle stages after internal fixation for tibial fractures.Methods:From October 2017 to November 2020, 12 patients (13 tibial fractures) with infectious bone and soft tissue defects in the early and middle stages after internal fixation were treated in the Department of Orthopaedics, 988th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of CPLA by two-phased surgery with retaining internal fixation. Phase I procedures were thoroughly removal of the infected lesions and failed screws, preserving internal implants as many as possible, implantation of absorbable calcium sulphate and an antibiotics blended string of beads into the distal and proximal medullary cavity of the fractured bones, filling the bone defect and wrapping the internal implants with antibiotics loaded bone cement. The size of defects was 3.5 cm × 5.0 cm-7.5 cm × 14.5 cm, and the flaps for wound coverage sized 4.0 cm × 5.5 cm-8.0 cm × 15.0 cm. As for the repair of donor site, 8 limbs were sutured directly, 5 limbs could not be closed completely, and the remaining wounds were covered by skin grafting after suture. Based on well control of infection and stable clinical signs, fillings of bone cement were then removed in Phase II surgery, or 6-9 weeks after primary surgery. Autologous cancellous bone pieces or composite allogeneic bone were fully implanted around the induction membrane formed by Masquelet technique, and auxiliary steel plates were implanted for internal fixation of unstable fractures. After discharge, the patients visited the outpatient clinic regularly, and combined with Wechat follow-up. The texture, colour and bone healing were observed. At the last follow-up, the function of the affected limbs were assessed according to Johner-Wruhs evaluation standard.Results:After Phase I surgery, 13 flaps survived smoothly without vascular compromise. The wounds healed in Phase I. Two patients (2 sides) had recurrent infections. Re-debridement was performed and external fixation was applied after removal of internal fixation. After Phase II surgery, all patients were included in 12-26 months of follow-up, with an average of 18 months. Thirteen lower leg fractures healed well, and the time of bone healing was 16-25 (average 19.5) weeks. The Johner Wruhs criteria was used in evaluation of the function of affected limbs, and it was found that 6 patients were in excellent, 5 in good and 2 in fair.Conclusion:It is feasible while preserving the internal implants, to use membrane induction technique (Masquelet technique) combined with flap transfer, together with the absorbable calcium sulphate antibiotic sustained-release beads as a carrier in the phased treatment of infectious bone defects and bone exposure in the early and middle stages after the surgery of tibial internal fixation. It also gives a higher rate of excellence in surgical outcome. This study explores a treatment procedure for traumatic bone infection combined with composite soft tissue defects.

Objective:To explore a surgical technique and treatment outcomes of the segmentle bridging reconstruction for severed fingers with single segmentle defect by using the free second toe bone-joint composite tissue combined with the great toe flap.Methods:From June 2010 to September 2017, 5 patients suffered from severed segmental defect of finger were treated. According to the defects of bone-joints, blood vessels, nerves, tendons and other soft tissues, the reconstruction surgery was designed to create a Flow-through bridging composite flap pedicled with the first dorsal metatarsal artery or the plantar artery. The blood vessles carried by the pedicle were anastomosed with the vessels in the finger to restore the blood supply to the distal finger while having the defected finger segment reconstructed. A Flow-through bridging composite flap was created by taking the second toe bone-joint composite tissue combined with a C-shaped or half-moon shaped flap from the fibular side of the great toe. Skin graft, retrograde lateral tarsal flap or free perforator flaps were used in 3 cases to repair the donor sites of the great and second toes. Iliac strip was implanted in 2 cases for toe salvage. Kirschner wires were removed 4-6 weeks after surgery followed by functional exercise.Results:All of the 5 reconstructed distal segments of the fingers survived with the healing of fractures in 8-12 week after surgery. The postoperative follow-up lasted 6-36 months and all the patients had the follow-ups at the outpatient clinic. It was found that the maximum flexion of the reconstructed interphalangel joint was 60 degrees together with dorsiflezion. According to the evaluation standard of the reconstructed function for thumb and finger issued by the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association, 3 fingers were in excellent and 2 in good. No obviouse affect on walking was found in all the patients.Conclusion:The free second toe joint composite tissue together with the great toe flap can be used to bridge the single segmental defect of a finger. It restores the blood supply to as well as the appearance of the distal finger, helps the recovery of the reconstructed distal finger. It is an ideal technique in the treatment of a severed distal segment of the finger.

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and clinical value of free medial sural artery perforator (MSAP) flap for repairing the wound of toe.Methods:The patients with isolated toe skin defects admitted to the Department of Trauma Microsurgery of No.988 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force were treated with MSAP flap for wound repair from June 2014 to December 2018. All the donor site were closed primarily. After the operation, the appearance, texture, hair growth and functional recovery of donor and recipient sites were observed through regular follow-up in outpatient or WeChat.Results:A total of 11 cases were enrolled, including 7 males and 4 females, aged from 19 to 44 years, with an average of 31.3 years. The wound sites were located at the first toe in 8 cases, the second toe in 2 cases, and the fourth toe in 1 case. The size of the skin defects was from 2.2 cm×1.8 cm to 5.7 cm×3.8 cm, the primary repair was performed in 4 cases and secondary repair in 7 cases, and the flaps ranged from 2.6 cm×2.1 cm-6.1 cm×4.2 cm. Ten cases survived successfully, and the wounds healed primarily. One case had local necrosis at the distal end of the flap, the wound healed after secondary repair surgery. All patients were followed-up from 6 to 18 months. The appearance of flaps was good in 9 cases and slightly swollen in 2 cases. All flaps had good texture, no discomfort of wearing shoes, no obvious influence on walking, and linear scar remained in the donor area. Three cases were treated with laser hair removal because of the flap hair growth.Conclusions:The method of using a free MSAP flap to repair the small toe wound can restore its appearance to satisfaction and achieve a good aesthetic repair effect.

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and clinical value of free medial sural artery perforator (MSAP) flap for repairing the wound of toe.Methods:The patients with isolated toe skin defects admitted to the Department of Trauma Microsurgery of No.988 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force were treated with MSAP flap for wound repair from June 2014 to December 2018. All the donor site were closed primarily. After the operation, the appearance, texture, hair growth and functional recovery of donor and recipient sites were observed through regular follow-up in outpatient or WeChat.Results:A total of 11 cases were enrolled, including 7 males and 4 females, aged from 19 to 44 years, with an average of 31.3 years. The wound sites were located at the first toe in 8 cases, the second toe in 2 cases, and the fourth toe in 1 case. The size of the skin defects was from 2.2 cm×1.8 cm to 5.7 cm×3.8 cm, the primary repair was performed in 4 cases and secondary repair in 7 cases, and the flaps ranged from 2.6 cm×2.1 cm-6.1 cm×4.2 cm. Ten cases survived successfully, and the wounds healed primarily. One case had local necrosis at the distal end of the flap, the wound healed after secondary repair surgery. All patients were followed-up from 6 to 18 months. The appearance of flaps was good in 9 cases and slightly swollen in 2 cases. All flaps had good texture, no discomfort of wearing shoes, no obvious influence on walking, and linear scar remained in the donor area. Three cases were treated with laser hair removal because of the flap hair growth.Conclusions:The method of using a free MSAP flap to repair the small toe wound can restore its appearance to satisfaction and achieve a good aesthetic repair effect.

In February, 2019, a patient with a defect of open dorsal cartilage and bone in the first metatarsal head, including the defects of soft tissue, tendon and joint capsule, was treated in our department. After multiple debridement, the vascularised medial femoral condyle osteochondral chimeric tissue flap was transferred to repair the composite tissue defect in the metatarsal head at the second stage. After 18 months of follow-up, the patient felt no pain in the foot and walking, and there was no sign of lameness and discomfort at donor sites. The postoperative functional recovery was satisfactory.

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and clinical effect of free medial plantar flap (MPF) combined with anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) in repair of large soft tissue defect in the weight bearing area of sole.Methods:From April, 2017 to August, 2019, 8 patients with large soft tissue defects in plantar weight bearing area were repaired by free MPF combined with ALTF. Four patients had the defects located in the hindfoot and the surrounding area, 3 in the forefoot and 1 in the whole foot. A tandem flap made of free MPF combined with ALTF was used to repair the heel in 5 patients and repair the plantar forefoot in 3 patients. The size of defects ranged from 15.0 cm×10.0 cm to 26.0 cm×22.0 cm. The size of the MPF ranged from 6.0 cm×5.0 cm to 8.0 cm×6.5 cm. The donor sites repaired with full thickness skin graft. The size of ALTF ranged from 15.0 cm×7.0 cm to 27.0 cm×11.0 cm. Two donor sites were sutured directly, and the other 6 were repaired by full-thickness abdominal skin graft. The patients entered follow-up at outpatient clinic and via WeChat for 9 to 18 months.Results:All the 8 tandem flaps and the donor grafts survived. Only 1 ALTF had a distal necrosis and healed after change of dressing. All the flaps had good elasticity and good texture. All the recipient area of MPF achieved sensation recovery of pain and touch. But the ALTF only partially recovered tactile sensation. The weight-bearing and walking function were good. At the last follow-up, all patients were evaluated by Maryland foot score, of which 4 patients were excellent, 3 were good, and 1 was fair.Conclusion:The free MPF combined with ALTF is one of the ideal methods for the repair of plantar soft tissue defect in the weight bearing area of sole. It can better restore the foot weight-bearing and walking function with good clinical effect.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of perforator flap combined with toe transplantation for repairing thumb damage with soft tissue defect of hand.Methods:The retrospective observational study method was used. From May 2014 to June 2019, 8 patients with thumb damage and soft tissue defect of hand were admitted to the 988th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA, including 6 males and 2 females, aged from 25 to 46 years. Among them, thumb damage in 3 cases were degree Ⅱ, 1 case was degree Ⅲ, and 4 cases were degree Ⅳ. All thumb damage were repaired with perforator flap combined with toe transplantation. The skin and soft tissue defects of hand were repaired by free anterolateral thigh perforator flap in 6 cases and free deep inferior epigastric perforator flap in 2 cases. The thumb damage of degree Ⅱ was repaired by the first toe transplantation combined with perforator flap, and thumb damage of degree Ⅲ or Ⅳ was repaired by the second toe transplantation combined with perforator flap. The survival and blood supply of reconstructed thumbs and flaps, and wound healing of donor sites were observed after surgery. All the patients were followed up for 10 to 18 months, the appearance of the reconstructed thumbs, sensory recovery, and foot walking function were observed. At the final follow-up, the functional reconstruction of the thumb was evaluated.Results:All the blood supply and survival of the reconstructed thumbs and flaps were good, and all the wounds of donor sites healed well. During the follow-up, the appearances of the reconstructed thumb and flap were good, the sensation of pain and touch of the finger pulp recovered well, and no significant impact on foot walking function was observed. At the final follow-up, the function of reconstructed thumb was evaluated as excellent in 4 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 1 case.Conclusions:The repair method of perforator flap combined with toe transplantation technique can complete the targeted repair of thumb damage with skin and soft tissue defect of hand in one stage, minimizing the foot donor site injury and shortening the course of disease and early rehabilitation, which is one of the ideal methods for the treatment of complex thumb damage.

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and clinical effect of repairing the forefoot soft tissue defect by the retrograded lateral tarsal artery perforator flap pedicled with the anterior branch.Methods:From March, 2015 to October, 2018, 9 patients with soft tissue defects in forefoot were repaired by the retrograded lateral tarsal artery perforator flap pedicled with anterior branch. One patient received an emergency repair and 8 received secondary repair. The wounds were all located in the forefoot. Area of defects were 3.0 cm×2.0 cm-5.0 cm×4.0 cm; flap areas were 3.5 cm×3.0 cm-6.0 cm×4.5 cm. The donor sites of flap were repaired with full thickness skin graft. All patients received postoperative followed-up through the visits of outpatient clinics, WeChat or telephone reviews.Results:Eight flaps survived successfully and the wounds healed by first intention; One flap had venous crisis 2 days after surgery and after having removed stitches of the pedicle of flap, only distal skin necrosis occurred. And healed after changing treatment. All the skin graft in donor sites of flaps survived well. All patients were entered 3 to 18 months postoperative follow-up. The shape of flaps had good textures and were not bloated. The sensation of flaps partially recovered. In the last followed-up, 8 flaps were assessed by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) middle foot scoring standard. The results were excellent in 5 cases, good in 2 cases and poor in 1 case, with the good and excellent rate of 87.5%.Conclusion:The retrograde lateral tarsal artery perforator flap pedicled with the anterior branch is one of the effective methods to repair the soft tissue defect in forefoot without damaging the main trunk of dorsal pedal artery. It features a reliable blood supply to the flap and a relatively simple surgical procedure.

Objective:To reconstruct and repair forearm and foot injuries with soft tissue defect using medial sural artery perforator flap (MSAP), and to evaluate the curative effects.Method:From May, 2015 to September, 2017, 13 patients (9 males and 4 females) with soft tissue defect on forearm and foot underwent MSAP reconstruction operations. The age was ranged from 19 to 57 (mean 41) years. Six wounds located in forearms and 7 in foot. Ipsilater- al shank was used as donor for the repair of foot. The donor sites were directly sutured. The area of flaps was ranged from 3.0 cm×4.0 cm-7.0 cm×15.0 cm. All cases were followed-up for flap appearance, sensation and donor healing by visit of clinic and WeChat reviews.Results:All 13 flaps survived well without any vascular crisis nor necrosis. Postoperative superficial infections were found in 3 cases, and the wound healed gradually after daily dress changing and anti-infection treatment. Eleven patients were followed-up for 4 to 18 months (average 12 months). Two provincial patients lost to follow-up. No obvious disfunction was found from the donor shanks. The appearance and texture of flaps were in excellent condition and satisfactory. The sensation of 7 flaps was recovered to S 2-S 3. TPD was 6-9 mm. Conclusion:The free MSAP is rational therapeutic strategy for repairing the soft tissue defect of forearm and foot. It has advantages of long vascular pedicle, constant perforation and relatively thin subcutaneous fat.