Objective:To explore the clinical effect of a modified surgical procedure for replantation of severed digit-tips in Tamai zones I-II.Methods:From November 2019 to October 2022, the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College employed a modified procedure (to abandon the anatomically labelling of blood vessels and nerves after naked-eye debridement and fracture fixation, then perform the microscopic dissections and anastomoses of blood vessels and nerves, and the anastomosis of dorsal veins though an auxiliary small incision by the lateral nail fold of the severed digit-tip) to replant severed digit-tips in Tamai zones I-II of 26 patients (29 digits). The patients were 20 males (23 digits) and 6 females (6 digits), aged 3-66 years old, with mean age at 28 years old. Nineteen digit-tips were severed in Tamai zone I and 10 in Tamai zone II. The severed digit-tips were 7 of thumbs, 9 of index fingers, 5 of middle fingers, 5 of ring fingers and 3 of little fingers. Causes of injury were 12 of cut, 8 of crush and 6 of avulsion. Postoperative management included infection prevention, antispasmodic for 3 days and keeping in bed for 5 days. The time of surgery was recorded on all patients. Postoperative follow-ups were conducted at outpatient clinics for 6 to 12 months to observe the survival of digit-tips and the appearance, recovery of sensation and motor functions, strength of digits and patient satisfaction.Results:(1)The surgical time was about 1.0 hour for replantation of a severed digit-tip in Tamai zone I, while it took about 1.5 hours for those in Tamai zone II. (2)Survival rate and appearance: all 29 replanted digit-tips survived, except 2 in Tamai zone I which encountered venous occlusion and survived after small incision for bloodletting. Twenty-two digit-tips gained pulp fat pads with full digit pulps. Four avulsed digit-tips had mild atrophy of pulp. The 15 digit-tips severed in Tamai zone I were about 2 mm shorter than the healthy sides, but without deformity. One digit-tip had poor nail appearance due to preoperative fungal infection of nail bed. (3)Sensory recovery: with the British Medical Research Council (BMRC), 23 digit-tips recovered to S 3+, and 2 digit-tips of avulsion and 1 digit-tip of crush recovered to S 3. TPD of the replanted digit-tips were: 4-7 mm in those of cut injury; 6-8 mm in those of crush and 9-11 mm in those of avulsion. (4)Motion and digit strength: results of functional assessment according to the total active mobility standard promoted by China's Society for Surgery of the Hand were: 21 cases of excellent and 5 of good, without pain in digit pulp when pinching and griping. The mobility of the digits with replanted digit-tips of both Tamai zones I and II were close to that of the healthy sides. The motions of the digits with replanted digit-tips in Tamai zone I were close to the healthy sides and the 5 of those in Tamai zone II had 0° in extension and 2°-3° in flexion, due to the severed plane at distal interphalangeal joint. (5)Patient satisfaction: 25 patients were satisfied, however 1 patient was dissatisfied to the poor function of the distal interphalangeal joint due to the severed thumb-tip in Tamai zone II. Conclusion:Modified replantation procedure for severed digit-tip in Tamai zones I-II has significant achievement in cutting down the surgical time through a modified procedure of debridement and fracture fixation (tendon suture) by naked-eyes operation first, followed by dissections and anastomoses of the blood vessels and nerves under the surgical microscope. The auxiliary small incision by the lateral nail fold of digit-tip in Tamai zone I facilitates an exposure of a constant, healthy lateral nail fold vein. It enables the anastomosis with a high-quality vein, hence improves the success rate of replantation. The appearance and function of the replanted digit-tip are found better in the severed digit-tips of cut injury than those with injuries of avulsion and crush.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of free superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) superficial branch perforator flap combined with full-thickness skin graft far from the flap donor site in repairing the large wounds in extremities.Methods:The study was a retrospective observational study. From January 2020 to June 2022, 19 patients with large wounds in extremities who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, including 15 males and 4 females, aged 28-75 years. The debridement, fracture reduction and fixation, tendon, vessel, and nerve repair, and vacuum sealing drainage were performed in the first stage surgery. After debridement in the second stage surgery, the total wound area was 13.0 cm×8.0 cm-34.0 cm×15.0 cm. The tendon and bone exposed wound with area of 9.0 cm×6.0 cm-14.0 cm×7.0 cm was repaired with free SCIA superficial branch perforator flap with area of 10.0 cm×6.5 cm-15.0 cm×8.0 cm. The remaining granulation tissue wound with area of 5.0 cm×3.5 cm-13.0 cm×8.0 cm was repaired with full-thickness skin graft far from the flap donor site with area of 5.0 cm×3.5 cm-13.0 cm×8.0 cm. All the wounds in donor site were sutured. The operation time and amount of bleeding of patients during the surgery were recorded, the survival of flap and skin graft were observed after surgery. During follow-up, the flap and skin graft, scar in the donor site and its effect on donor site function were observed. At the last follow-up, the satisfaction of patients with the efficacy was evaluated by the efficacy satisfaction rating score.Results:The operation time of patients was 2.0-3.5 h. The amount of bleeding of patients during the surgery was 100-320 mL. One patient had ecchymosis and venous crisis in the edge of flap on the second day after surgery, and the flap survived after exploration. The flaps of the other patients survived smoothly. The skin grafts of patients all survived smoothly. Two patients had bloated flaps due to obesity in the later stage, and the expected results were achieved after flap thinning surgery 6 months after operation. During the follow-up of 6 to 24 months, the flaps had good elasticity and soft texture, and the skin grafts had no wear or ulceration; linear scars were left in all the donor sites but their functions were not affected. The patients were all satisfied with the efficacy.Conclusions:Free SCIA superficial perforator flap combined with full-thickness skin graft far from the donor site was used to repair the large wounds in extremities, which was safe, reliable, and less traumatic and short in operation time, and resulted in good postoperative appearance and function in the donor sites and recipient sites.

Objective To investigate the effect of upstream transcription factor 2 (USF2) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. Methods Lipofectamine?3000 transfection reagent was used to transfect USF2 siRNA into BGC-823 cells (siRNA-USF2 group). Blank control and negative control (siRNA-NC) groups were also prepared. The mRNA and protein expression levels of USF2 in transfected BGC-823 cells were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot, respectively. The proliferation and clone formation abilities of BGC-823 cells in each group were investigated by CCK-8 and plate cloning assay. The apoptosis of gastric cancer cells was examined by flow cytometry. The expression levels of PCNA and apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 in BGC-823 cells were measured by Western blot. Results Compared with those in the blank control and siRNA-NC groups, the mRNA and protein expression levels of USF2 significantly decreased in the siRNA-USF2 group (P < 0.05). At 72 h after transfection, the absorbance in the siRNA-USF2 group was lower than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05). Compared with that in the blank control and siRNA-NC groups, the number of BGC-823 cell clones significantly decreased in the siRNA-USF2 group (P < 0.05). The apoptosis rate of BGC-823 cells significantly differed among the blank control, siRNA-NC, and siRNA-USF2 groups (P < 0.05). Compared with those in the blank control and siRNA-NC groups, the expression of PCNA and Bcl-2 protein decreased and that of Bax protein increased in the siRNA-USF2 group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Inhibiting USF2 expression can suppress the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells and induce their apoptosis. USF2 inhibitors may have important value in the treatment of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disk (IVD) degeneration, which can cause lower back pain, is a major predisposing factor for disability and can be managed through multiple approaches. However, there is no satisfactory strategy currently available to reconstruct and recover the natural properties of IVDs after degeneration. As tissue engineering develops, scaffolds with embedded cell cultures have proved critical for the successful regeneration of IVDs. METHODS: In this study, an integrated scaffold for IVD replacement was developed. Through scanning electron microscopy and other mechanical measurements, we characterized the physical properties of different hydrogels. In addition, we simulated the physiological structure of natural IVDs. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and annulus fibrosusderived stem cells (AFSCs) were seeded in gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel at different concentrations to evaluate cell viability and matrix expression. RESULTS: It was found that different concentrations of GelMA hydrogel can provide a suitable environment for cell survival. However, hydrogels with different mechanical properties influence cell adhesion and extracellular matrix component type I collagen, type II collagen, and aggrecan expression. CONCLUSION This tissue-engineered IVD implant had a similar structure and function as the native IVD, with the inner area mimicking the NP tissue and the outer area mimicking the stratified annulus fibrosus tissue. The new integrated scaffold demonstrated a good simulation of disc structure. The preparation of efficient and regeneration-promoting tissueengineered scaffolds is an important issue that needs to be explored in the future. It is hoped that this work will provide new ideas and methods for the further construction of functional tissue replacement discs.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of striated free wrist transverse flap pedicled with superficial palmar branch of radial artery carrying sensory nerve in repairing pulp defect of middle-and-distal segments of fingers.Methods:From February 2019 to March 2021, the data of 20 patients with defects of middle-and-distal finger segment were collected. The defects were repaired with striated free wrist transverse flaps pedicled with superficial palmar branch of radial artery. The defects sized were 2.0 cm×1.5 cm-4.0 cm×1.5 cm, and the flaps sized were 2.5 cm×2.0 cm-4.5 cm×2.0 cm. The flap carried metacarpal cutaneous branch of median nerve for the reconstruction of the sensation of finger pulps. The donor sites were directly sutured. After operation, the patients were evaluated according to the shape, sensation and functional recovery of the repaired fingers through outpatient visits and reviews via WeChat.Results:All 20 flaps survived and the wounds healed well. All patients entered regular follow-up for 6-12(average, 8) months. The colour of the flaps was close to the finger skin, without bloating flaps. The flaps were soft in good shapes and function. TPD were 6-11 mm, at 8 mm in average. The scars at the donor sites were hidden and the wrist function was not affected. According to the Trial Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Function of Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association, 16 patients were classified as excellent and 4 as good.Conclusion:The striated transverse wrist flap with radial artery palmar superficial branch and sensory nerve offers many advantages, such as a good texture, hidden donor site, convenient flap harvesting, good recovery of sensation, etc. More clinical studies and the promotion of the technique are expected.

Objective:To explore a comparative study of arterial end-to-end and end-to-side anastomosis in superficial branch of the superficial circumflex iliac artery(SCIA) perforator flap transfer.Methods:Between November, 2019 and December, 2020, 21 patients with the soft tissue defects in the limbs were repaired with superficial branch of the SCIA perforator flaps. The size of flaps ranged from 3.5 cm×7.0 cm to 9.0 cm×18.0 cm. According to the upper or anterior wall of the main artery in the recipient area having branches that matched the flap artery, 2 groups were established. End-to-end group: 10 cases were anastomosed end-to-end between the flap artery and branch of the main artery in the recipient area; End-to-side group: 11 cases were anastomosed end-to-side between the flap artery and side mouth of the main artery in the recipient area. The vein of flap was anastomosed end-to-end with the accompanying vein to the main artery in the recipient area. All of the donor sites were sutured directly. All patients were followed-up for 6-12 months and the survival of the perforator flap, the appearance and function of the perforator flap and the donor site were observed. All data of the 2 groups were conducted statistical analyzed. P<0.05 was statistically significant. Results:All 10 flaps in end-to-end group survived successfully. In end-to-side group, 2 cases had venous crisis in 11 cases of flaps,the exploration revealed venous thrombosis, and the arterial end-to-side anastomosis had smooth blood flow had embolism. One flap survived after re-anastomosis of the vein, and 1 flap was changed to a pedicled abdominal flap during the re-venous crisis. The postoperative follow-up was 6 months to 1 year. The appearance and function of the flap and donor site were satisfactory, without difference between the 2 groups. The SCIA superficial branch artery caliber, recipient artery branch or lateral caliber was not statistically different between the 2 groups( P>0.05). The time of anastomosis for end-to-end group was[(16.70±1.34) min]. It was lower than that of anastomosed end-to-side group[(23.73±1.68) min]. The difference was statistically significant( P<0.01). Conclusion:In superficial branch of the SCIA perforator flap transfer, if the upper or anterior wall of the main artery in the recipient area has a branch that matches the flap artery, the flap artery should first be anastomosed with its end. Because it dose not required to make a side port, and makes the operation more convenient with a short anastomosis time; Otherwise, perform end-to-side anastomosis with the main artery of the recipient site.

Objective To investigate the influence of“double low”technology(low concentration iodinated contrast agent and low-dose scan) combined with body mass index(BMI) on radiation dose and image quality of contrast-enhanced upper abdominal CT examination. Methods One hundred and twenty patients who received upper abdominal enhanced CT examination were randomly divided into 4 groups:group A1, the iodinated contrast agent iodixanol(270 mg/ml), BMI<18.5 kg/m2 and 80 kVp;group A2, the iodinated contrast agent iodixanol(270 mg/ml), 18.5 kg/m2≤BMI≤24.9 kg/m2 and 100 kVp; group B1, the iodinated contrast agent ioversol(320 mg/ml),<18.5 kg/m2 and 120 kVp; group B2, the iodinated contrast agent ioversol(320 mg/ml), 18.5 kg/m2≤BMI≤24.9 kg/m2 and 120 kVp. Image quality was subjectively scored, the objective parameters(noise, CT values of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma, contrast noise ratio of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma) were evaluated and radiation dose was recorded. The differences of the indexes between A1 and B1 groups, A2 and B2 groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U test and pared-samples t test. Results All CT images were good. No images with 4 scores were obtained. No significant difference was found between group A1 and B1, between group A2 and B2(P>0.05). There was no significant difference in contrast noise ratio of liver parenchyma(P>0.05), while significant differences existed in CT values of abdominal aorta and liver parenchyma, contrast noise ratio of abdominal aorta between group A1 and B1(P<0.05). Significant differences existed in the parameters above mentioned between group A2 and B2, respectively(P<0.05). Radiation dose was lower in group A1 than in group B1 and in group A2 than in group B2(P<0.05), respectively. Radiation dose was decreased by 40.1%(0.89/2.22) in group A1 than group B1 while radiation dose decreased by 56.9%(3.02/5.31) in group A2 than group B2. Conclusion According to BMI, the low concentration iodinated contrast agent and low-dose scan CT scanning technology could effectively reduce radiation dose and generate ideal images during the contrast-enhanced upper abdominal CT examination.

Objective To investigate the effect of acute high altitude exposure on lung functions and the relationship between lung functions and acute mountain sickness ( AMS) .Method We collected the lung function and Lewis Lake data of 73 subjects (aged 18 to 26,male) at 400 m above sea-leve and those at high altitude(exposure to 3900 m, 5 d).Results Compared with sea-level, lung functions decreased in forced vital capucity (FVC), maximum midexpiratory flow(MMF), V50, V25 while forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1), peak expiratory flow(PEF), V75 did not change.FVC, FEV1, PEF, MMF were used to analyze the relationship between lung functions and AMS .There was no difference in lung functions between AMS group and NON AMS group at sea-level, but lung functions of AMS group were significantly lower than those of NON AMS group in FVC , MMF at high altitude .There was difference between AMS group and NON AMS group in the rate of change of FVC and MMF .Logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of change of FVC was an independent risk factor , while correlation analysis showed that the change of FVC and the change of oxygen saturation were relevant.Conclusion Lung functions showed restrictive decrease after acute high altitude exposure .Changes of lung func-tions will increase hypoxia and susceptiblity to AMS .

Objective To explore that whether the normoxic low altitude measurement of arterial blood pressure would predict subsequent susceptibility to acute mountain sickness ( AMS) during rapid ascent to high altitude .Methods Arterial blood pressure ( using a wrist sphygmomanometer ) was determined in two hundred and four healthy lowlanders first exposed to 3700 m-altitude (Lhasa) from plain (500 m) by air, and the Lake Louise self-report questionnaire(LLS) was used to assess AMS.We compared the low altitude blood pressure related indicators of two groups ( AMS and non-AMS ) and analyzed the relationship of diagnostic score and blood pressure related indicators .Results ①The incidence of AMS in the selected subjects was 53.92% by LLS.AMS scores increased markedly at high-altitude (P<0.05 versus low altitude).②Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial BP (MABP) in the AMS group were higher than those in the non-AMS group(P<0.05).The low altitude DBP levels for diagnosis of AMS at high-altitude (3700 m) had an area under curve(AUC) =0.598, P<0.05, with sensitivity of 56.3%, specificity of 63.2%, and cut-off point of 72.5 mmHg. Conclusion ①After acute exposure to high altitude , the incidence of AMS increases significantly .②A higher baseline DBP may be considered a potential risk factor for AMS , and is positively associated with LLS .DBP may serve as a predic-tive parameter for diagnosis of AMS .However , the clinical application of DBP as a predictive criterion is limited because of its poor specificity or sensitivity .The use of DBP as a predictive criterion should be combined with other indicators for the better predictive value of AMS .

Objective To investigate the indications,techniques and effects in surgical treatment of stale acetabular comminuted fractures.Methods A retrospective review was made on 24 cases (24 hips) of obsolete acetabular fractures undergone delayed reconstruction due to the combined injuries in other organs from October 2003 to June 2010.There were 18 males and 6 females,at 22-68 years of age [mean (42.2 ± 10.5) years].Mean time from injury to operation was (4.6 ± 1.3) weeks (range,3-6 weeks).According to Letournel classification,there were 11 simple fractures including six posterior wall fractures,one anterior wall fracture,one posterior column fracture,one anterior wall fracture and two transverse fractures and 13 compound fractures including six posterior column with posterior wall fractures,two transverse with posterior wall fractures,one T-shape fracture,two posterior semitransverse fractures and two both-column fractures.Surgery was performed via ilioinguinal approach in two cases,posterior acetabular approach in 13 and the combined approaches in nine.Results All 24 cases were available to average (15.6 ± 10.5) months of follow-up (range,10-36 months).Quality of reduction based on Matta standard was anatomic in 21 cases,unsatisfactory in two and poor in one.Clinical results evaluated using modified d' Aubigne-Postel score were excellent in 21 cases,good in two and poor in one.There were one femoral head necrosis,11 heterotopic ossification and six sciatic nerve transient palsy after operation.Conclusion Delayed open reduction and internal fixation is effective in treatment of obsolete acetabular comminuted fractures.