Reverse lateral upper arm flaps for treating large soft tissue defects extending from the elbow to the forearm.

In this study, we report three cases wherein reverse lateral upper arm flaps were used to treat very large tissue defects extending from the elbow to the forearm. The flap sizes were 19 × 6.5 cm, 20 × 7 cm, and 17 × 7 cm. All flaps survived and elbow motion recovered sufficiently.

The Janus kinase inhibitor (baricitinib) suppresses the rheumatoid arthritis active marker gliostatin/thymidine phosphorylase in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Gliostatin/thymidine phosphorylase (GLS/TP) is known to have angiogenic and arthritogenic activities in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The novel oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor baricitinib has demonstrated high efficacy in RA. However, the effect of baricitinib on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), a key component of invasive synovitis, has not been still elucidated. This study investigated whether GLS/TP production could be regulated by JAK/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling in FLSs derived from patients with RA. FLSs were cultured and stimulated by interferon (IFN)γ in the presence of baricitinib. Expression levels of GLS/TP were determined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunocytochemistry. Phosphorylation of STAT proteins was investigated by Western blot. In cultured FLSs, GLS/TP mRNA and protein levels were significantly induced by treatment with IFNγ and these inductions were suppressed by baricitinib treatment. Baricitinib inhibited IFNγ-induced STAT1 phosphorylation, while JAK/STAT activation played a pivotal role in IFNγ-mediated GLS/TP upregulation in RA. These results suggested that baricitinib suppressed IFNγ-induced GLS/TP expression by inhibiting JAK/STAT signaling, resulting in the attenuation of neovascularization, synovial inflammation, and cartilage destruction.

Intratendinous ganglion of the hand: two case reports occurring in the extensor digitorum communis and the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon.

An intratendinous ganglion of the hand is a rare entity, and only one case report of flexor tendon has been published in the English literature. We herein report two cases of an intratendinous ganglion occurring in the extensor digitorum communis and flexor digitorum superficialis tendon, respectively.

A case of degloving injury of the whole hand reconstructed by a combination of distant flaps comprising an anterolateral thigh flap and a groin flap.

A case of degloving injury of the whole hand reconstructed by a combination of an anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap and a groin flap applied as a pedicled distant flap was reported. Despite complications of congestion of the ALT flap and superficial infection, both flaps were severed at 4 weeks after transplantation, and a useful hand was finally reconstructed. The combination of a pedicled groin flap and an ALT flap is not optimal for reconstruction of a whole-hand degloving injury but is considered to be an available procedure for covering a large skin defect without microsurgical procedures.

Subcutaneous rupture of the flexor tendon of the little finger associated with anomalous flexor digitorum superficialis.

A 59-year-old man suffered from subcutaneous rupture of the flexor tendon of the little finger associated with fracture of the hook of hamate. He could not flex his little finger completely at the distal interphalangeal joint, but incomplete flexion of the proximal interphalangeal joint was possible. Surgical exploration revealed anomaly of the flexor digitorum superficialis of the little finger, as it originated from the palmar aspect of the carpal ligament, and a small portion of the muscle belly was traversed toward the A1 pulley over the profundus tendon and then it ran into the A1 pulley as a normal superficialis tendon. The flexor digitorum superficialis of the little finger is well known to show variations, but our case is extremely rare, and furthermore there are no reports in the available literatures about the function of this anomalous muscle.