Application of platelet-rich-plasma in the postoperative treatment of perianal abscess pseudohealing: A case report.

RATIONALE: Perianal abscess is a common disease of the anus and intestine. Surgery is an important treatment option for perianal abscess. However, some patients have a long healing time, poor healing effect after surgery, or even pseudo-healing. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is rich in platelets that can release a large number of factors when activated and promote wound healing. Moreover, there are few reports on the use of PRP for wounds that are difficult to heal after perianal abscess surgery. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient had reported a complaint of perianal swelling and discomfort associated with anal pain, which was considered a perianal abscess. Ceftriaxone, fumigation, and sitz bath were administered after mixed hemorrhoid and perianal abscess surgeries were performed; however, the wound remained unhealed for more than 3 months, and there was a fistula under the skin. DIAGNOSIS: Perianal color ultrasonography revealed perianal abscess. INTERVENTIONS: Autologous PRP treatment was performed 5 times for each patient. OUTCOMES: The postoperative wound healed within 15 days after 5 times PRP treatments. LESSONS: PRP is a novel treatment option for pseudo-healing.

Static Compressive Behavior and Failure Mechanism of Tantalum Scaffolds with Optimized Periodic Lattice Fabricated by Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing.

Porous tantalum (Ta) scaffolds have been extensively used in the clinic for reconstructing bone tissues owing to their outstanding corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, osteointegration, osteoconductivity, and mechanical properties. Additive manufacturing (AM) has an advantage in fabricating patient-specific and anatomical-shape-matching bone implants with controllable and well-designed porous architectures through tissue engineering. The sharp angles of strut joints in porous structures can cause stress concentration, reducing mechanical properties of the structures. In this study, porous Ta scaffolds comprising rhombic dodecahedron lattice unit cells with optimized node radius and porosities of 65%, 75%, and 85% were designed and fabricated by AM. The porous architecture and microstructure were characterized. The compressive behavior and failure mechanism of the material were explored through experimental compression tests and finite element analysis (FEA). Morphological evaluations revealed that the Ta scaffolds are fully interconnected, and the struts are dense. No processing defects and fractures were observed on the surface of struts. The scaffolds exhibited compressive yield strength of 5.8-32.3 MPa and elastic modulus of 0.6-4.5 GPa, comparable to those of human cancellous and trabecular bone. The compressive stress-strain curves of all samples show ductile deformation behavior accompanied by a smooth plateau region. The AM-fabricated rhombic dodecahedron lattice Ta scaffolds exhibited excellent ductility and mechanical reliability and plastic failure due to bending deformation under compressive loading. Deformation and factures primarily occurred at the junctions of the rhombus-arranged struts in the longitudinal section. Moreover, the struts in the middle of the scaffolds underwent a larger deformation than those close to the loading ends. FEA revealed a smooth stress distribution on the rhombic dodecahedron lattice structure with optimized node radius and stress concentration at the junctions of rhombus-arranged struts in the longitudinal section, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. Thus, the AM-fabricated Ta scaffolds with optimized node radius are promising alternatives for bone repair and regeneration.

Autologous platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of nonhealing perineal wounds: a report of two cases.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with perineal wounds often encounter difficulty in local wound healing after hemorrhoidectomies. PRP contains a high concentration of platelets and has been used to improve wound healing. OBJECTIVE: In this case study, PRP was used in the treatment of nonhealing perineal wounds to expedite wound healing. CASE REPORTS: The 2 patients in these cases suffered from perineal wounds that were nonhealing for more than 2 months. After assessment of their physical condition, autologous PRP was used in the treatment of both patients. A total of 150 mL of peripheral blood was collected from each patient to prepare autologous PRP in a completely enclosed environment. For one patient, the PRP product was injected subcutaneously around the wound. The rest of the PRP product was activated into a gel by thrombin and calcium chloride, and the gel was applied to the surface of the wound with dressing changes every 5 days. The other patient was externally treated with autologous PRP gel, and dressing changes were administered after a week. The 2 patients were treated twice with PRP, and both completely recovered within 2 weeks without any other treatment. CONCLUSION: As an autologous blood-derived product, PRP was safe and showed promising results in perineal wound healing.

Static Compressive Behavior and Material Failure Mechanism of Trabecular Tantalum Scaffolds Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion-based Additive Manufacturing.

Additively manufactured trabecular tantalum (Ta) scaffolds are promising bone repair materials for load-bearing applications due to their good pore interconnectivity. However, a thorough mechanical behavior evaluation is required before conducting animal studies and clinical research using these scaffolds. In this study, we revealed the compressive mechanical behavior and material failure mechanism of trabecular tantalum scaffolds by compression testing, finite element analysis (FEA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Trabecular tantalum scaffolds with porosities of 65%, 75%, and 85% were fabricated by laser powder bed fusion-based additive manufacturing. Porosity has a significant effect on their compressive mechanical properties. As the porosity decreased from 85% to 65%, the compressive yield strength and elastic modulus increased from 11.9 MPa to 35.7 MPa and 1.1 GPa to 3.0 GPa, respectively. Compression testing results indicate that trabecular tantalum scaffolds demonstrate ductile deformation and excellent mechanical reliability. No macroscopic cracks were found when they were subjected to strain up to 50%. SEM observations showed that material failure results from tantalum strut deformation and fracture. Most microcracks occurred at conjunctions, whereas few of them appear on the struts. FEA-generated compressive stress distribution and material deformation were consistent with experimental results. Stress concentrates at strut conjunctions and vertical struts, where fractures occur during compression testing, indicating that the load-bearing capability of trabecular tantalum scaffolds can be enhanced by strengthening strut conjunctions and vertical struts. Therefore, additively manufactured trabecular tantalum scaffolds can be used in bone tissue reconstruction applications.

A Network Pharmacological Approach to Explore the Mechanisms of TongXieYaoFang in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine, demonstrating an increasing incidence every year. TongXieYaoFang (TXYF) has been used widely in China as a complementary therapy to relieve the symptoms of IBD for hundreds of years. In the present research, a network pharmacology-based approach was used to systematically explore the intrinsic mechanisms of TXYF in IBD at the molecular level. Network pharmacology-based methods, which mainly included database mining, screening of bioactive compounds, target prediction, collection of IBD-related targets, gene enrichment analysis, network construction, and molecular docking, were employed in the present study. Network analysis revealed a total of 108 potential targets derived from 22 component compounds of TXYF, among which 34 targets were common with the IBD-related targets. In the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, 10 key targets were identified. The gene enrichment analysis suggested that anti-inflammatory processes, such as NF-kappa B signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, could be the core processes involved in the action of TXYF in IBD. Molecular docking results revealed that three compounds present in TXYF exhibited strong binding affinity for PTGS2. The present study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and network approaches of TXYF action in IBD from a systemic perspective. The potential targets and pathways identified in the present study would assist in further research on the clinical application of TXYF in IBD therapy.

Astragaloside II alleviates the symptoms of experimental ulcerative colitis in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disease, and its morbidity is rising worldwide. Previous study indicated that astragaloside II (AS II), a monomeric compound, was used to treat bowel disease. However, the effects of AS II on UC remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of AS II on experimental UC in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: CCD-18Co cells were stimulated by 1 µg/mL LPS to mimic UC in vitro. In addition, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mouse model was established in vivo. CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation in vitro. Moreover, the concentrations of inflammatory factors interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in CCD-18Co cells and colon tissues were determined by ELISA, respectively. Meanwhile, the expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-α), phospho-inhibitor of NF-κB (p-IκB) and phospho-NF-κB p65 (p-p65) were detected by western blotting in vitro and in vivo, respectively. RESULTS: In this study, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly increased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated CCD-18Co cells. However, LPS-induced inflammatory response was markedly alleviated by AS II. In addition, LPS-induced HIF-α, p-IκB and p-p65 proteins increases were markedly ameliorated by AS II treatment. Moreover, AS II reduced disease activity index (DAI) scores and increased the colon lengths in DSS-treated mice. Meanwhile, AS II decreased the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1ß, NO, MPO and MDA, and increased the level of SOD in colon of DSS-treated mice. Furthermore, AS II downregulated the expressions of HIF-α, p-IκB and p-p65 in DSS-induced UC in mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that AS II could alleviate inflammatory response in LPS-induced CCD-18Co cells and in DSS-induced UC in mice. In conclusion, AS II may serve as a potential agent for the treatment of UC.