[Free anterolateral femoral muscle flap and perforator flap transplantation for repair of the huge wound after periorbital tumor resection and orbital enucleation].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of free anterolateral femoral muscle flap and perforator flap transplantation for repair of the huge wound and after periorbital tumor resection and orbital enucleation. Methods: It was a retrospective case series study. Twelve patients with orbital tumors admitted to the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from February 2017 to April 2021 were included. There were 4 males and 8 females, aged 48 to 87 years. Nine patients had cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and 3 had basal cell carcinoma. All patients underwent extended resection of the tumor, resection of orbital contents and wound repair.All patients had the lesion completely removed, chimeric anterolateral thigh flap of the anterolateral femoral flap and perforator flap were transplanted to repair the wound. The donor area of the flaps was closed with tension sutures. The size of intraoperative resection lesion,intraoperative resection flap and muscle flap and the depth of the wound cavity were summarized. The postoperative flap survival, wound healing, surgical area appearance, flap color, thickness and texture, scarring and sensation in the surgical area, and tumor recurrence were observed. Results: The surgical procedures were successfully completed in all the 12 patients. The intraoperative resection lesion ranged from 7.0 cm × 5.0 cm to 15.0 cm × 8.0 cm. The depth of the wound cavity was 4.0 to 5.0 cm. The intraoperative resection flap range was 7.0 cm × 5.0 cm to 19.0 cm × 8.0 cm. The muscle flap size ranged from 4.0 cm × 3.0 cm to 5.0 cm × 4.0 cm. All flaps completely survived after surgery, and the wounds healed. The sutures at the recipient area were removed at 5 to 7 days after surgery, while the sutures at the donor area were removed at 12 to 14 days. All of the patients were followed up for 3 to 30 months. The scar at the periorbital area was concealed, and the color, thickness and texture of the flaps were similar to those of the surrounding normal skin. The scarring in the flap supply area was not hypertrophic, with localized decreased skin sensation around it. None of the patients had any tumor recurrence during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The anterolateral femoral muscle flap and perforator flap transplantation could efficiently repair the huge wound after orbital content removal, achieving satisfactory therapeutic effects.

[LINC01285 promotes proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition].

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the mechanism by which LINC01285 regulates proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and the clinical implications. METHODS: We analyzed the expression of LINC01285 in CRC tissues and normal tissues using data from Starbase public database. We also examined the expression levels of LINC01285 in 70 pairs of CRC and adjacent tissue samples collected from our center and in different CRC cell lines using RT-qPCR, and analyzed the correlation of LINC01285 expression with the clinicopathological parameters and tumor-free survival time of the patients. In CRC cell lines (SW620 and HT-29), the changes in cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype following LINC01285 knockdown were analyzed using CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay and Western blotting. RESULTS: The TCGA-COAD transcriptome sequencing data obtained from the Starbasev3.0 public database revealed a significantly higher expression level of LINC01285 in CRC tissues than in adjacent tissues (P=0.00016), which was verified by RT-qPCR results of the clinical samples (P=0.0002). In CRC patients, the expression level of LINC01285 was closely correlated with histological differentiation of the tumor (P=0.036), T classification (P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (P=0.001), TNM stage (P=0.000), Duke stage (P=0.009) and relapse-free survival (P=0.0102). In SW620 and HT-29 cells, which expressed significantly higher levels of LINC01285 than normal colorectal mucosal cells (P < 0.001), LINC01285 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation (P < 0.001), increased early apoptosis, late apoptosis and total apoptosis rates (P < 0.05), suppressed cell migration and invasion (P < 0.001), upregulated the expression of E-cadherin (P < 0.001), and downregulated the expression of N-cadherin (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The expression level of LINC01285, which modulates the EMT pathway to regulate the proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis of CRC cells, is closely correlated with the prognosis of CRC patients.

A systematic study on 33 gallbladder stones resembling adult Clonorchis sinensis worms.

Limited studies provide direct evidence of Clonorchis sinensis adults in the early stage of gallbladder stone formation. Our current research systematically studied 33 gallbladder stones resembling adult worms and shed light on the definite connection of C. sinensis infection with concomitant cholelithiasis. A total of 33 gallbladder stones resembling adult C. sinensis worms were systematically analysed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy spectrometry were used to analyse the composition and microstructure. Meanwhile, a histopathological examination of the stone was carried out. The 33 gallbladder stones resembling adult C. sinensis worms included nine calcium carbonate (CaCO3) stones, 12 bilirubinate stones and 12 mixed stones. Clonorchis sinensis eggs were found in 30 cases, including all CaCO3 and mixed stones. Parasite tissues were detected in 12 cases, which were mainly CaCO3 stones or bilirubinate-CaCO3 mixed stones. The outer layer of stones was wrapped with 12.88% calcium salt, as revealed by X-ray energy spectrometry, while surprisingly, many C. sinensis eggs were found in the inner part of these stones. Based on our current findings, we concluded that calcification and packaging occurred after C. sinensis adult entrance into the gallbladder, subsequently leading to the early formation of CaCO3 or bilirubinate-CaCO3 mixed gallbladder stones. This discovery highlights definite evidence for C. sinensis infection causing gallbladder stones.

PRC1 plays an important role in lung adenocarcinoma and is potentially targeted by fostamatinib.

OBJECTIVE: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common cancers in the world. Protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) plays a role in the tumorigenesis and development of several cancers, including LUAD. The aim of the present study is to assess the characteristics of PRC1 in LUAD in order to find a potential drug that targets PRC1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the prognostic value of PRC1 in patients with LUAD using Cox analysis of the RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) portal. A link between PRC1 and LUAD progression, cigarette smoking mutation count, aneuploidy, and hypoxia scores was assessed. The relationship between PRC1 and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in LUAD was analyzed and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to study the PRC1-related biological process and signal pathways. Potential drugs targeting PRC1 were identified using DrugBank database and molecular docking. RESULTS: PRC1 expression was significantly increased in LUAD. PRC1 could be, therefore, a prognostic biomarker for predicting overall survival in LUAD. PRC1 expression was also related to cancer stage and patient's smoking history. PRC1 positively correlated with mutation count, aneuploidy and hypoxia scores. It was also significantly related to tumor-infiltrating immune cells, especially the activated mast cells. GSEA revealed that PRC1 might be correlated with cell cycle, cytokinesis and p53 signaling pathway. Additionally, fostamatinib was found to be a potential drug targeting PRC1. CONCLUSIONS: PRC1 may have a prognostic value for patients with LUAD, and be correlated with the mutation count, aneuploidy, hypoxia and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Fostamatinib was found to be a potential drug targeting PRC1 in LUAD.

Visualization of Chiral Electronic Structure and Anomalous Optical Response in a Material with Chiral Charge Density Waves.

Chiral materials have attracted significant research interests as they exhibit intriguing physical properties, such as chiral optical response, spin-momentum locking, and chiral induced spin selectivity. Recently, layered transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS_{2} has been found to host a chiral charge density wave (CDW) order. Nevertheless, the physical consequences of the chiral order, for example, in electronic structures and the optical properties, are yet to be explored. Here, we report the spectroscopic visualization of an emergent chiral electronic band structure in the CDW phase, characterized by windmill-shaped Fermi surfaces. We uncover a remarkable chirality-dependent circularly polarized Raman response due to the salient in-plane chiral symmetry of CDW, although the ordinary circular dichroism vanishes. Chiral Fermi surfaces and anomalous Raman responses coincide with the CDW transition, proving their lattice origin. Our Letter paves a path to manipulate the chiral electronic and optical properties in two-dimensional materials and explore applications in polarization optics and spintronics.

[Pay close attention to the current characteristics and development trend of severe acute hepatitis with unknown etiology in children worldwide].

In the past, acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children was sporadic. However, during the last three weeks, there has been a trend of short-term outbreak around the world. As of May 3, 2022, at least 228 cases had been reported in about 20 countries and regions. The main clinical manifestations of the children included abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, and hepatomegaly. The liver functions including alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin increased sharply. About 8.8% of the children needed liver transplantation. The etiology is not clear, but adenovirus type 41 is currently considered to be the most likely cause. Clinicians should keep alert to acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children, strengthen epidemic surveillance, clinical treatment, and carry out necessary health education.

[Initiation timing of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation].

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a salvage therapy for critical patients with refractory cardiogenic shock caused by various reasons. It can temporarily replace cardiopulmonary function, and rapidly improve hypoxemia, increase systemic oxygen content and remove carbon dioxide. Although the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) guideline proposed clear indication for VA-ECMO, the heterogeneity of cardiac pathogeny is large, so the clear timing of ECMO initiation is still vague. We discuss the timing of ECMO initiation for external cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and cardiogenic shock which is caused by fulminant myocarditis, acute myocardial infarction, acute pulmonary embolism, acute right heart failure related to lung transplantation, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated cardiovascular collapse. Also, we look forward to making more suggestions for clinicians' judgment and choice for VA-ECMO.

Effect of silicon content on the microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of ß-type TiNbZrTa alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion.

Beta-type titanium alloys are excellent candidates for biomedical applications because of their very low elastic modulus, excellent corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. However, many traditional ß-type titanium alloys exhibit low yield strength. In this study, a small amount of Si (3 and 5 at.%) was added to a Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta (wt%, TNZT) biomedical alloy prepared via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to increase its yield strength. The Si addition resulted in a significant increase in the compression yield strength of the alloy (from 802 to 1282 MPa). Meanwhile, the elastic moduli of the TNZT alloys (48.7-60.6 GPa) with 3 and 5 at.% Si were much lower than that of the Ti-6Al-4 V alloy (110 GPa), which is used extensively in clinical applications. The microstructural analyses indicated that the ultrahigh-strength of the TNZT alloy containing Si was due to the presence of ultrafine (Ti, Nb, Zr)5Si3 (S1) grains in the ß-Ti matrix. In addition, thin shell-shaped S1 and (Ti, Nb, Zr)2Si (S2) grains precipitated along the columnar ß-Ti grain boundaries in the TNZT alloys containing 3 and 5 at.% Si, respectively. Moreover, the introduction of Si to the TNZT alloy significantly refined the grains, weakened the cubic texture, decreased surface roughness, and improved Vickers hardness. The ultrahigh strength of the Si-containing TNZT alloys was due to grain boundary strengthening and precipitation strengthening. In addition, in vitro studies with MC3T3-E1 cells revealed that the cytocompatibilities of the LPBF-fabricated TNZT and Si-containing TNZT alloys were equivalent and were better than that of the LPBF-fabricated Ti-6Al-4 V alloy. In particular, the TNZT alloy with 3 at.% Si showed the best elastic modulus (48.7 ± 1.0 GPa), yield strength (1151 ± 17 MPa), and cell biological response among all the alloys investigated in this study, and hence was found to be a suitable candidate for application in load-bearing bone implants.

Quantum optimization of maximum independent set using Rydberg atom arrays.

Realizing quantum speedup for practically relevant, computationally hard problems is a central challenge in quantum information science. Using Rydberg atom arrays with up to 289 qubits in two spatial dimensions, we experimentally investigate quantum algorithms for solving the maximum independent set problem. We use a hardware-efficient encoding associated with Rydberg blockade, realize closed-loop optimization to test several variational algorithms, and subsequently apply them to systematically explore a class of graphs with programmable connectivity. We find that the problem hardness is controlled by the solution degeneracy and number of local minima, and we experimentally benchmark the quantum algorithm's performance against classical simulated annealing. On the hardest graphs, we observe a superlinear quantum speedup in finding exact solutions in the deep circuit regime and analyze its origins.

[Clinical characteristics and risk factors of lower extremity arterial disease in patients with diabetic foot ulcer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and its risk factors in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical and follow-up data of 650 patients with DFU treated in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Nanfang Hospital between January, 2017 and December, 2019. We compared the data between patients who had LEAD and those without LEAD and used a multivariate logistic regression model to analyze the risk factors of LEAD in DFU patients. RESULTS: Among the 650 DFU patients, 470 (72.4%) had LEAD. The patients were followed up for a mean of 3.5 months, and the mean healing time of DFU was 2.55 months; healing of DFU occurred in 453 patients and 183 patients received amputation. The patients with LEAD and those without LEAD differed significantly in age, hospitalization costs, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), glycated hemoglobin, blood lipid levels, disease course, ankle brachial index, healing time, smoking history, clinical outcomes, Wagner grade and imaging results (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age (OR=1.070, 95% CI: 1.049-1.091), smoking history (OR= 2.013, 95% CI: 1.268-3.195), and a decreased DBP (OR=0.980, 95% CI: 0.963-0.997) as independent risk factors for LEAD in DFU patients. A prolonged healing time was a prominent clinical feature of DFU complicated by LEAD. CONCLUSION: DFU patients have a high incidence of LEAD, which leads to high rates of disability and mortality and is associated with an advanced age, high smoking rate and longer healing time. A decreased DBP is also a risk factor for LEAD in DFU patients.

Association between Sedentary Time and 6-Year All-Cause Mortality in Adults: The Rural Chinese Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to prospectively explore the association between sedentary time and the risk of all-cause mortality in adults based on a cohort from rural areas of China. METHODS: The study population included 20,194 adults at baseline (2007-2008) who participated in the Rural Chinese Cohort Study. Cox's proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of sedentary time and all-cause mortality, and a restricted cubic spline was used to model the dose-response relation. We also carried out a series of sensitivity analyses to verify the robustness of our main results. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 6 years, with a total of 17,265 participants (response rate 85.5%) followed up, and 1,106 deaths observed. Data for 17,048 participants were analyzed, with the mean age of participants being 52.00. Compared with sedentary time <4 h/day group, the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly increased in the 8-11 h/day (HR=1.27, 95%CI:1.03-1.56) and ≥11 h/day groups (HR=1.48, 95%CI:1.20-1.84). With increases in sedentary time, the risk of all-cause mortality increased gradually (Ptrend <0.001). For each 1 h/day increase in sedentary time, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 3% (HR=1.03, 95%CI: 1.01-1.05). Sensitivity analyses showed our main results were consistent. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged sedentary time increases the risk of all-cause mortality in the adult rural Chinese population. Reducing sedentary time may have important implications for reducing mortality risk.