Subcutaneous pedicled propeller flap for reconstructing the large eyelid defect due to excision of malignancies or trauma.

Large eyelid defect after excision of malignancies or trauma is difficult to reconstruct due to special structure and function of the eyelid. In this study, we aimed to present the outcomes of subcutaneous pedicled propeller flap for reconstructing the large eyelid defect after excision of malignancies or trauma. A retrospective review of patients diagnosed with eyelid defect due to excision of malignancies or trauma, and undergoing subcutaneous pedicled propeller flap for reconstructing the large eyelid defect, was conducted at our hospital. The clinical data were collected and analyzed. A total of 15 patients were included in the cases series. Nine patients were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, 3 patients with epidermoid carcinoma, and 3 patients with trauma. All the defects were successfully covered with this designed flap. There was no flap necrosis in all the cases. No functional problems were observed in all of the cases. At long-term postoperative follow-up, the average score of patients' satisfaction was good. This subcutaneous pedicled propeller flap is a feasible alternative technique for reconstructing the large eyelid defect after excision of malignancies or trauma. This flap option could avoid the use of free flaps for large defect.

Acute neuroinflammation increases excitability of prefrontal parvalbumin interneurons and their functional recruitment during novel object recognition.

There is an emerging body of literature suggesting that unlike the chronic neuroinflammatory response, acute neuroinflammation is self-regulated and is beneficial for central nervous system homeostasis and cognitive integrity. However, the neurophysiological alterations upon acute neuroinflammation and their implications on cognitive function remain poorly understood. In the present study, we reliably established a mouse model of acute and self-limiting neuroinflammation by administering a single intraperitoneal injection of low-dose lipopolysaccharide, which induced reversible sickness behavior and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). During acute neuroinflammation, fast-spiking parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV interneurons) in the mPFC exhibited a hyperexcitable phenotype exemplified by increased input resistance, decreased rheobase current, and a higher frequency of action potentials. Furthermore, PV interneurons in the prelimbic subregion of the mPFC were excessively recruited into circuits supporting novel object recognition memory, which remained intact after acute neuroinflammation. Together, our findings suggest that alterations in PV neuronal excitability resulting from acute neuroinflammation may mediate neuronal recruitment and confer a beneficial outcome on functional integrity of NOR circuit in the mPFC.

Effect of mixing intensity on hydrolysis and acidification of sewage sludge in two-stage anaerobic digestion: Characteristics of dissolved organic matter and the key microorganisms.

Mixing should be optimized in anaerobic digestion (AD) systems to achieve excellent biomaterials production in the sewage sludge (SS) management in wastewater treatment plant. AD depends on the coordinated activity of hydrolysis, acidification and methanogenesis. However, the effect of mixing intensity on characteristics of hydrolysis and acidification in AD of SS is still poorly understood. This study focused on the mixing intensity (30, 60, 90 and 120 rpm) effect on the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the key microorganisms in the hydrolysis and acidification of SS. Results showed that enhanced hydrolysis and acidification efficiency was obtained at mixing of 90 and 120 rpm (p < 0.05), while the maximum acetic acid (388 ±â€¯21 mg/L) was produced at 90 rpm. Mixing at 90 rpm enhanced the release of protein and polysaccharide as well as humic acid. Further analyses of DOM molecular features revealed that 90 rpm led to the highest molecular diversity and easily biodegradable molecules (lipid and proteins/amino sugars), which contributed to the maximum hydrolysis and acidification efficiency. Firmicutes and Actinobacteria significantly increased with mixing intensity (p<0.05), and Chloroflexi and Fusobacteria were enriched at mixing of 90 rpm, which favored the hydrolysis of SS. The enrichment of Clostridium XI and Clostridium sensu stricto contributed to the acidification of DOM at 90 and 120 rpm. The results of this study can advance our knowledge about mixing intensity effects on the AD systems of SS. This research also showed how increasing mixing intensity to a relatively high speed can enhance the hydrolysis and acidification efficiency of SS.

Cell membrane characteristics and microbial population distribution of MBBR and IFAS with different dissolved oxygen concentration.

This paper investigated the influences of different dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (0.71-1.32, 2.13-3.02 and 4.31-5.16 mg/L) on cell membrane characteristics and microbial population distribution of moving biofilm reactors. Two representative reactors, i.e., moving bed biofilm reactors and integrated fixed-film activated sludge were operated. Results indicated that both DO concentration of 0.71-1.32 mg/L and 4.31-5.16 mg/L could increase membrane lipid mobile fraction (49.4%-67.4%) of the microbes, however, through prompting the synthesis of branched fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. For the biofilms, the abundance of Bacteroidetes decreased and Actinobacteria increased with the increase of DO levels. The lowest EfOM content and the highest microbial diversities (1.14-1.52) was observed at DO of 2.13-3.02 mg/L. Redundancy analysis showed that changes of DO levels could alter cell membrane properties and bacterial community structures, and subsequently significantly influenced effluent organic matter composition of moving biofilm reactors.

Perioperative safety analysis of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with preprocedural leukopenia or thrombocytopenia.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibit a high incidence of concomitant cirrhosis with leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia. In the present study, perioperative changes in the white blood cell (WBC) and platelet (PLT) counts and associated complications were investigated to assess the safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for HCC patients with preprocedural leukopenia or thrombocytopenia. The records of 1,461 HCC patients who received TACE between January 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The incidence of complications during the perioperative period and changes in the WBC and PLT counts were recorded. A Chi-squared test was used to evaluate the associations between postoperative infection and preprocedural WBC count and between bleeding at the puncture site and preprocedural PLT count. The WBC count of the majority of the patients increased within 3 days and returned to the preprocedural level within 30 days after TACE. The PLT count decreased within 3 days and returned to the preprocedural level within 30 days after TACE. The major complications were liver decompensation (n=66), puncture site bleeding (n=45), infection (n=33), severe thrombocytopenia (n=8), upper gastrointestinal bleeding (n=6), tumor bleeding (n=4) and agranulocytosis (n=3). A Chi-squared test revealed that postoperative infection was not associated with preprocedural WBC count and puncture site bleeding was not associated with decreased PLT count due to hypersplenism. Therefore, TACE was found to be safe for HCC patients with preprocedural thrombocytopenia or leukopenia due to hypersplenism, with a low incidence of major complications during the perioperative period.