Application of plantar medial thin skin flaps preserving plantar fascia with its superficial fascia tissue to repair skin defects in hands and feet / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of plantar medial thin skin flaps preserving plantar fascia with its superficial fascia tissue to repair skin defects in hands and feet.@*METHODS@#Between July 2017 and January 2023, 35 cases of hand and foot defects were repaired with plantar medial thin skin flaps preserving plantar fascia with its superficial fascia tissue (13 pedicled flaps and 22 free flaps). There were 18 males and 17 females, with an average age of 38.8 years (range, 8-56 years). Thirty cases of defects were caused by trauma, and the interval between injury and admission ranged from 2 to 6 hours (mean, 3.3 hours). Three cases were ulcer wounds with a course of 3.0, 3.8, and 7.0 months, respectively. Two cases were malignant melanoma. Eight cases of wounds located in the fingers, 13 cases in the palm, 12 cases in the heel, and 2 cases in the distal foot. The size of skin defects ranged from 4.0 cm×3.5 cm to 12.0 cm×10.0 cm, and the size of flap ranged from 5.0 cm×4.5 cm to 13.0 cm×11.0 cm. The donor sites were repaired with skin grafts.@*RESULTS@#All flaps were survived and the wounds healed by first intention after operation. The partial necrosis at the edge of the skin graft occurred in 1 case, which healed after dressing change; the other skin grafts survived successfully. All patients were followed up 6-24 months (mean, 18 months). The flaps exhibited similar color and thickness to the surrounding hand and foot skin. Two-point discrimination ranged from 7 to 10 mm in the flaps with an average of 8 mm. The donor sites had no painful scars or sensory abnormalities. Foot and ankle functions were good and gaits were normal.@*CONCLUSION@#Application of plantar medial thin skin flaps preserving plantar fascia with its superficial fascia tissue to repair skin defects in hands and feet had good flap shape, high survival rate of skin graft at the donor site, and no obvious complications.

Research progress in mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes repairing skin tissues / 中华创伤杂志

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in skin wound repair because of their multi-directional differentiation potential, hematopoietic support and promotion of stem cell implantation, immune regulation and self-replication. Exosomes contain proteins and RNAs, which have anti-tumor immunity, angiogenesis promotion and other physiological functions. Different MSCs-derived exosomes have different mechanisms in the skin traumatic action. The author summarizes the research progress of different MSCs-derived exosomes in the field of skin tissue repair through elaborations on the traditional treatment methods for skin damage, the biological properties of exosomes, the mechanism of MSCs-derived exosomes in skin wound repair and in other diseases, providing reference for improving clinical repair.

Research progress in mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes repairing skin tissues / 中华创伤杂志

Mesenchymal stem cells ( MSCs) play an important role in skin wound repair because of their multi-directional differentiation potential, hematopoietic support and promotion of stem cell implantation, immune regulation and self-replication. Exosomes contain proteins and RNAs, which have anti-tumor immunity, angiogenesis promotion and other physiological functions. Different MSCs-derived exosomes have different mechanisms in the skin traumatic action. The author summarizes the research progress of different MSCs-derived exosomes in the field of skin tissue repair through elaborations on the traditional treatment methods for skin damage, the biological properties of exosomes, the mechanism of MSCs-derived exosomes in skin wound repair and in other diseases, providing reference for improving clinical repair.