LncRNA MIR503HG promotes hypertrophic scar progression via miR-143-3p-mediated Smad3 expression.

Hypertrophic scars (HSs) form due to unchecked proliferation of fibrous tissue after an injury to the skin. Recently, lncRNA MIR503HG was shown to be involved in HS. However, the mechanism by which MIR503HG affects the formation and progression of HS still needs further study. qRT-PCR was applied to examine the levels of MIR503HG and miR-143-3p in HS tissues and human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (hHSFs). The relationships of MIR503HG, miR-143-3p and Smad3 were explored with a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were measured by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and transwell assay, respectively. The protein level of Smad3 was tested via Western blotting. MIR503HG was upregulated and miR-143-3p was downregulated in HS versus normal skin tissues. The knockdown of MIR503HG and the overexpression of miR-143-3p suppressed the proliferation and invasion of hHSF, and promoted cell apoptosis. MIR503HG bound to miR-143-3p while miR-143-3p directly targeted Smad3 to inhibit its expression. Suppression of miR-143-3p and overexpression of Smad3, respectively, reversed these effects of knockdown of MIR503HG and overexpression of miR-143-3p on hHSFs. Our research supports a model in which the MIR503HG/miR-143-3p/Smad3 axis serves as a critical regulator of HS, highlighting a promising therapeutic option for HS.

Chronic Mycobacterium avium skin and soft tissue infection complicated with scalp osteomyelitis possibly secondary to anti-interferon-γ autoantibody formation.

BACKGROUND: Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease is commonly an opportunistic infection frequently found in immunocompromised individuals, but sometimes can also be found in the immunocompetent hosts, especially in East Asians. The NTM separation rate in China is increasing, which reminds us to focus on NTM infections in immunocompromised populations. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old woman with a recurrent fever for more than 8-month and a right forehead surgical wounds unhealed for more than 6-month was admitted to our hospital on February 22, 2018. On arrival, several elliptic ulcers were obvious on the right forehead with pus and fibrin exudation, and the skin around the lesions was tender, reddish, no sense of fluctuation. The result of HIV serology test was negative. CD4+ T cell count was normal and tuberculosis antibody was negative. CT of the chest and head showed bone destruction. Skin biopsy on the right forehead was performed on March 13, 2018, and pathological examination of the excisional biopsy specimen found inflammatory granuloma and suppurative inflammatory changes. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were treated but the effect seemed discontent. Then debridement and skin grafting were performed on the right frontal ulcer under general anesthesia on April 3, 2018. The skin tissue culture that resected on March 13, 2018 found Nontuberculous mycobacteria grown after 78 days, so clarithromycin, ethambutol, protionamide, and amoxicillin clavulanate potassium were prescribed for anti-nontuberculous mycobacteria treatment beginning on May 31, 2018. In reviewing the case, Mycobacterium avium (M. avium) was identified in the skin tissue resected on April 3, 2018 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the serum test of anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies was positive. CONCLUSIONS: This is a case report of "Mycobacterium avium SSTI (skin and soft tissue infection) and OM (osteomyelitis) with possible secondary immunodeficiency syndrome induced by anti-interferon-γ autoantibody".

A case of chronic wounds caused by Sporothrix schenckii infection was rapidly detected by metagenomic next generation sequencing.

The dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii is widely distributed in soil, vegetation, and decaying organic matter, and can cause sporotrichosis when the patient's skin trauma was exposed to contaminated material with Sporothrix spp. The cases of Sporothrix schenckii infection in chronic wounds are rarely reported. Here we reported a 53-year-old male construction worker who was admitted to our hospital on July 9, 2022, without underlying disease presented with a painless subcutaneous hard nodule on his right calf, which later ulcerated and oozed, with an enlarged wound and no fever during the course of the disease. His procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate increased, and necrotic histopathology suggested chronic granulomatous inflammation. Then his necrotic tissue and pus were sent for metagenomic next generation sequencing(mNGS), the result reported Sporothrix schenckii after 43 hours, which was consistent with the result of culture after 18 days. mNGS might be more useful and valuable in diseases such as sporotrichosis where it is difficult to see the yeast cells in the tissues.

Spirometra mansoni sparganosis identified by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a case report.

A 30-year-old male patient had a cyst on the left hip and progressive enlargement for more than 2 months. Combined blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathology findings, cysticercosis infection was suspected. However, the treatment for cysticercosis was ineffective. We conducted a metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimen of the patient's surgically excised tissue, and the results suggested Spirometra mansoni, mNGS was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Based on these results, we found that mNGS provided a better method of diagnosing parasitic infections.

Epidemiology of electrical burns: a 10-year retrospective analysis of 376 cases at a burn centre in South China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological profile and associated outcomes of electrical injuries at a major burn centre in southern China. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled consecutive electrical burn patients admitted to the burn centre of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between 2008 and 2017. Demographic and clinical data and outcomes were recorded. Mann-Whitney U tests/Pearson's chi-squared tests were used to examine the differences between low-voltage and high-voltage injuries. RESULTS: There were 217 high-voltage injuries and 159 low-voltage injuries. High-voltage burns were frequently observed between March and August, and low-voltage burns peaked between June and September. Burn patients were mainly men. Most burns occurred in participants aged 21 to 50 years and in industrial workers and electricians at work or householders at home. Only one person with high-voltage burns died (a mortality rate of 0.46%). Amputation rates were 37.33% for high-voltage burns and 22.01% for low-voltage burns. High-voltage injuries were associated with more extensive burns, longer hospital stays, and more complications and amputations. CONCLUSIONS: More attention should be paid to prevention of electrical burns in male adults. Particular focus is needed on industrial workers, incidents in the spring and summer, and high-voltage injuries.