Research progress on salvianolic acids of Salvia miltiorrhiza / 中国中药杂志

Salvia miltiorrhiza is one of the most common traditional Chinese medicines. It has rich resources in China. According to modern studies, phenolic acids are the main effective components in S. miltiorrhiza. These components have cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protective effect, and anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic activities, etc. It has been widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and others. In this paper, the chemicals and pharmacological effects of phenolic acids from S. miltiorrhiza were summarized in the last decade. Its researches and development prospects were also analyzed for further studying and comprehensive utilization of these phenolic acids.

A modified technique of bone grafting pedicled with femoral quadratus for alcohol-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Quadratus femoris pedicled bone grafting has yielded satisfactory long-term clinical outcome for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) in pre-collapse ONFH without extensive lesion. However, for pre-collapse ONFH with extensive necrotic area, it is still challenging to preserve the femoral head. The current study aimed to introduce a new technique of deliquesce strut with titanium mesh containing bone grafting pedicled with the femoral quadratus and to evaluate its short-term outcomes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2008 to December 2008, 10 ONFH patients (12 hips) underwent operations by a new technique of deliquesce strut with titanium mesh containing bone grafting pedicled with the femoral quadratus (group A). According to the ARCO classification system, there were two hips in stage II B and 10 hips in stage II C. Also in the same period, 12 ONFH patients (16 hips) underwent operations by the conventional procedure of quadratus femoris pedicled bone grafting (group B). There were 6 hips in stage II B and 10 hips in stage II C. All patients were males and suffered from alcohol induced ONFH. For the new technique, the necrotic area was evaluated, and a titanium mesh piece of the same size (range from 2.5 cm × 2.8 cm to 2.8 cm × 3.4 cm) was obtained and shaped to match the contour of the head. The cancellous bone was first placed underneath the subchondral bone and was densely impacted (about 1 to 2 mm thick). Then the titanium mesh piece was inserted. The length of the decompressive trough was measured. A titanium cylinder mesh cage with a diameter of 1.6 cm of the same length was obtained, with a "U" shaped window in the wall being created to make room for the muscle pedicle. The muscle pedicle bone was inserted into the titanium mesh cage to form a bone graft-titanium cage complex and, then the complex was inserted. The hundred percent score method was used for outcome evaluation. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were compared between group A and group B.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average operative time was 150 minutes (130 to 185 minutes) in group A, with an average of 130 minutes (120 to 180 minutes) in group B. The mean blood loss was 400 ml (300 to 500 ml) in group A and 350 ml (250 to 500 ml) in group B. Group A patients were followed up for an average of 19.2 months (14 to 24 months), with an average of 18.5 months (12 to 24 months) for Group B. Full weight bearing was allowed 5 to 7 months postoperatively. Pain and function were obviously improved. For group A, pain score improved from a mean of 9.8 points preoperatively to an average of 24.6 points postoperatively, and function score improved from a mean of 9.0 points preoperatively to an average of 17.4 points postoperatively. In group B, pain score improved from a mean of 9.5 points preoperatively to an average of 24.2 points postoperatively and function score improved from a mean of 9.2 points preoperatively to an average of 17.2 points postoperatively. The range of motion changed the least, with score improvement from a preoperative mean of 13.9 points to postoperative 16.8 points for group A and from a preoperative mean of 13.7 points to postoperative 16.5 points for group B. Radiographic score improved from preoperative 31 points to postoperative 38 points for group A, in comparison with an improvement from preoperative 31 points to postoperative 37 points for group B. At the latest follow up, 11 hips were rated as excellent and 1 hip was better for group A, with 14 hips being rated as excellent and 2 hips being better in group B. There was no statistically significant difference between groups A and B in clinical and radiographic outcomes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For ONFH in stage ARCO IIC, satisfactory clinical outcome can be achieved by the new technique in the short-term period while the long-term clinical outcome has yet to be determined.</p>

Construction and clinical application of tissue engineered epidermal membrane / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To Construct tissue engineered epidermal membrane for promoting healing of clinical skin graft donor site wound.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Epidermal cells /Chitosan-Gelatin (CG) membrane was constructed with cultured human epidermal cells(EC) and CG membrane, at the donor site of split skin graft, the wound was divided into three groups: the control group was covered with CG membrane without KC, KC/CG membrane was grafted on the treatment part of the wound area, and blank group was covered with traditional vaseline gauze. The engineered epidermal membrane and its effect on wound were evaluated with gross observation, HE, immunohistochemistry, collagen type I/III ratio by picrosirius polarization method and RT - PCR test at various time points before and after operation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The result showed that human tissue engineered epidermis could be constructed with cultured human EC and CG membrane, and this artificial epidermal membrane could be used for promoting the healing of skin graft donor site wound successfully (16 cases with 3 months' oberservation). The average healing time is (16.2 +/- 3.8) days for control group, (8.1 +/- 1.3) days for experimental group and (23.0 +/- 5.7) days for blank group. The artificial epidermis was well survived with normal structure. In addition, less hypertrophic scar development was observed in treated wound at 90 days (3 in 16 cases, 20.0%) than in the blank sites (11 in 16 cases, 74.4%). The difference is statistically significant (chi2 = 8.127, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The constructed EC-CG membrane can be constructed in vitro, survived in vivo and has good clinical application in promoting healing of skin graft donor site wound and inhibiting hypertrophic scar formation.</p>

Experimental study on biological character changes of human epidermal cells during proliferation culture in vitro / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>UNLABELLED</b>[Abstract]</p><p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The study was (1) to investigate the biological character changes of human epidermal cells during proliferation culture in vitro and (2) to provide data for construction of engineered skin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The foreskin was collected from 20 healthy children. The epidermal cells were isolated with digestion of the foreskin and cultured in vitro. Growth curve was obtained from the data of cell counting. Cell growth kinetics was observed. Meanwhile, clonal analysis and cell size measurement was performed. The rate of keratin 19 (K19) and involucrin expression-positive cells was counted by flow cytometer. Expression of K19 and involucrin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When passaged to P6, the keratinocytes from child foreskin could be expanded by (700 +/- 37) times. Flow cytometer results showed that the percentage of K19 expression-positive cells decreased from (66.97 +/- 3.14)% to (4.65 +/- 1.38)% while the percentage of involucrin expression-positive cells increased from (11.65 +/- 1.62)% to (97.03 +/- 2.66)% at P0 and P6 respectively. RT-PCR results showed that expression of K19 mRNA decreased from P0 to P6 while involucrin mRNA kept stable with passage in vitro.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Human epidermal cells of passage 5 maintain proliferation phenotype, which are suitable for skin tissue engineering. Decrease of proliferation phenotype content is partially responsible for the proliferation capacity loss of in vitro cultured epidermal cells.</p>