Clinical application of thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps in the repair of head and neck defects / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To analyse the clinical application of thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps (TDAPF) in the repair of head and neck defects. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 38 patients with oral and maxillofacial head and neck malignant tumors who underwent radical resection of oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma and TDAPF repair in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology of the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from June 2017 to November 2018. Among them, 32 were males and 6 were females, aged 30-74 years. Flap size, vessel pedicle length, diameter and number of perforators, and flap fat thickness were recorded and counted. Elasti Meter and Skin Fibro Meter were applied to measure the skin elasticity and hardness in the donor areas of 4 kinds of skin flaps before the flap preparation. SPSS 19.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: All the flaps survived (100%). The mean elasticity of TDAPF [(41.2±12.9) N/m] was significantly lower than that of anterolateral thigh [(77.6±23.3) N/m, χ²=88.89, P<0.05], anterolateral thigh [(62.6±17.7) N/m, χ²=59.99, P<0.05] and or forearm flap [(51.7±8.6) N/m, χ²=37.82, P<0.05]. The hardness of TDAPF [(0.037±0.016) N] was also significantly lower than that of anterolateral femoral [(0.088±0.019) N, F=93.27, P<0.05], anteromedial femoral [(0.059±0.020) N, F=25.71, P<0.05] or forearm flap [(0.062±0.016) N, F=29.11, P<0.05]. Follow-up period ranged from 2 to 14 months. The 38 patients treated with TDAPF had a good recovery of the functions in the recipient areas, and the scars of the donor areas were not obvious after surgery, without serious complications. Conclusion: TDAPF is suitable for reconstruction of head and neck defect, with ductile texture and good recovery of the morphology and function of head and neck.

An ectopic study of tissue-engineered bone with Nell-1 gene modified rat bone marrow stromal cells in nude mice / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Tissue engineering techniques combined with gene therapy have been recently used to improve osteogenesis. NEL-like molecule-1 (Nell-1), a novel growth factor, has been reported to have specificity for osteochondral lineage. The study assessed the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (bMSCs) after Nell-1 gene modification and examined its ectopic bone formation ability in a nude mice model with tissue engineering technique.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>bMSCs obtained from Fischer 344 rats were transduced with either AdNell-1 (Nell-1 group) or Ad-beta-galactosidase (AdLacZ, LacZ group) or left untransduced (untransduced group). The expression of Nell-1 protein was determined by Western blotting and transfer efficiency was assessed. mRNA expressions of osteopontin (OP), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteocalcin (OC) were assessed by real-time PCR 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after gene transfer. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured and von Kossa test was also conducted. Finally, with a tissue engineering technique, gene transduced bMSCs, combining with beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) at a concentration of 2 x 10(7) cells/ml, were implanted at subcutaneous sites on the back of nude mice. Four weeks after surgery, the implants were evaluated with histological staining and computerized analysis of new bone formation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Under current transduction conditions, gene transfer efficiency reached (57.9 +/- 6.8)%. Nell-1 protein was detected in Nell-1 group but not in untransduced group and LacZ group. Induced by Nell-1, BSP and OP expression were increased at intermediate stage and OC expression was increased at later stage. ALP activity and the number of calcium nodules were highest in Nell-1 group. Four weeks after implanted into nude mice subcutaneously, the percentage of new bone area in Nell-1 group was (18.1 +/- 5.0)%, significantly higher than those of untransduced group (11.3 +/- 3.2)% and LacZ group (12.3 +/- 3.1)% (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study has demonstrated the ability of Nell-1 to induce osteogenic differentiation of rat bMSCs in vitro and to enhance bone formation with a tissue engineering technique. The results suggest that Nell-1 may be a potential osteogenic gene to be used in bone tissue engineering.</p>