Current Status of Auricular Reconstruction Strategy Development.

Microtia has severe physical and psychological impacts on patients, and auricular reconstruction offers improved esthetics and function, alleviating psychological issues. Microtia is a congenital disease caused by a multifactorial interaction of environmental and genetic factors, with complex clinical manifestations. Classification assessment aids in determining treatment strategies. Auricular reconstruction is the primary treatment for severe microtia, focusing on the selection of auricular scaffold materials, the construction of auricular morphology, and skin and soft tissue scaffold coverage. Autologous rib cartilage and synthetic materials are both used as scaffold materials for auricular reconstruction, each with advantages and disadvantages. Methods for achieving skin and soft tissue scaffold coverage have been developed to include nonexpansion and expansion techniques. In recent years, the application of digital auxiliary technology such as finite element analysis has helped optimize surgical outcomes and reduce complications. Tissue-engineered cartilage scaffolds and 3-dimensional bioprinting technology have rapidly advanced in the field of ear reconstruction. This article discusses the prevalence and classification of microtia, the selection of auricular scaffolds, the evolution of surgical methods, and the current applications of digital auxiliary technology in ear reconstruction, with the aim of providing clinical physicians with a reference for individualized ear reconstruction surgery. The focus of this work is on the current applications and challenges of tissue engineering and 3-dimensional bioprinting technology in the field of ear reconstruction, as well as future prospects.

Diacerein interferes the expression of connective tissue growth factor in the articular cartilage culturedin vitro / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:In osteoarthritis cartilage degeneration, connective tissue growth factors as the important effector molecules play an important role in chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. Clinical application of diacerein for the treatment of osteoarthritis has achieved good effect, but the exact mechanism of the treatment is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of different concentrations of diacerein on the expression of connective tissue growth factor in the articular cartilage induced with interleukin-1βin vitro. METHODS: Chondrocytes of Sprague Dawley rats were culturedin vitro, and then the chondrocytes were induced with recombinant human interleukin-1β to prepare the osteoarthritis model. Rats in the normal control group received no treatment; rats in the model group were treated with recombinant human interleukin-1β; rats in the experimental group were treated with different concentrations of diacerein+10 μg/L recombinant human interleukin-1β. The proliferation of chondrocytes was observed withMTT assay, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of connective tissue growth factor. The experiments above were repeated for three times. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The MTT assay results showed that compared with the normal control group, the diacerein could promote the proliferation activity of chondrocytes, and more significant in the concentration of 10-5 mol/L (P < 0.01); the proliferation capacity of chondrocytes in the experimental group was decreased after induced with interleukin-1β (P < 0.05), but when compared with the normal control group, the diacerein with the concentrations of 10-4 mol/L and 10-5 mol/L could promote the MTT proliferation capacity of chondrocytes with or without interleukin-1β (P < 0.05). Western blot results showed that interleukin-1β could reduce the expression of connective tissue growth factor (P< 0.01), and 10-5 mol/L diacerein could significantly promote the expression of connective tissue growth factor induced with interleukin-1β, and the effect was significantly higher than that in the model group (P < 0.01). Diacerein can promote expression of connective tissue growth factor induced with interleukin-1β, it may be one the mechanism of diacerein for promoting chondrocytes differentiation and proliferation and the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Accessory lobe of right liver mimicking a pulmonary tumor in an adult male.

We describe a rare case of ectopic liver tissue in the right thoracic cavity. A 39-year-old man with a suspected lung tumor underwent thoracotomy. The intraoperative finding revealed an accessory liver lobe connected to the right lobe of the liver by a small pedicle that pierced the diaphragm. A pathologic evaluation confirmed the specimen to be hepatic tissues. In retrospect, the correct diagnosis of accessory liver could have been achieved using appropriate radiologic investigations if this possibility had been considered.