Spindle and kinetochore-related complex subunit 3 has a protumour function in osteosarcoma by activating the Notch pathway.

Increasing expression of spindle and kinetochore-related complex subunit 3 (SKA3) is related to the progression of multiple malignancies. However, the role of SKA3 in osteosarcoma remains unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate the relevance of SKA3 in osteosarcoma. Preliminarily, SKA3 expression in osteosarcoma was assessed through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis, which revealed high levels of SKA3 transcripts in osteosarcoma tissues. Subsequent examination of clinical tissues confirmed the abundant expression of SKA3 in osteosarcoma. Downregulation of SKA3 expression in osteosarcoma cell lines resulted in repressive effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), while upregulation of SKA3 expression had the opposite effect. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that the Notch pathway is enriched in SKA3 high groups based on different expressed genes from the TCGA data. Further investigation showed that the levels of Notch1, Notch1 intracellular domain (NICD1), hairy and enhancer of split 1 (HES1), and hairy/enhancer-of-split related with YRPW motif protein 1 (HEY1) were downregulated in SKA3-silenced osteosarcoma cells, and upregulated in SKA3-overexpressed osteosarcoma cells. Activation of the Notch pathway by increasing NICD1 expression reversed the antitumour effects induced by SKA3 silencing, while deactivation of the Notch pathway diminished the protumour effects induced by SKA3 overexpression. Moreover, SKA3-silenced osteosarcoma cells exhibited a reduced capacity for xenograft formation in nude mice. In conclusion, SKA3 plays a cancer-enhancing role in osteosarcoma through its effect on the Notch pathway. Reducing the expression of SKA3 could be a potential therapeutic approach for treating osteosarcoma.

[Effectiveness of dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery in treatment of high-pressure injection injuries of the finger].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery in the treatment of finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury. Methods: Between July 2011 and June 2020, 14 cases of finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury were repaired with dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery. All patients were male, with a mean age of 36 years (range, 22-56 years). The defects were located on the index finger in 8 cases, middle finger in 4 cases, and ring finger in 2 cases. The causes of injury include 8 cases of emulsion paint injection, 4 cases of oil paint injection, and 2 cases of cement injection. The time from injury to debridement was 2-8 hours, with a mean time of 4.5 hours. The soft tissue defects sized from 4.0 cm×1.2 cm to 6.0 cm×2.0 cm. The flaps sized from 4.5 cm×1.5 cm to 6.5 cm×2.5 cm. The donor site of the flap was repaired with skin graft. The pedicle was cut off at 3 weeks after operation, and followed by functional exercise. Results: All flaps and skin grafts at donor sites survived, and the wounds healed by first intention. Twelve patients were followed-up 16-38 months (mean, 22.6 months). The texture and appearance of all flaps were satisfactory. The color and texture of the flaps were similar to those of the surrounding tissues. The two-point discrimination of the flap was 10-12 mm, with a mean of 11.5 mm. There were different degrees of cold intolerance at the end of the affected fingers. At last follow-up, the finger function was evaluated according to the Upper Extremity Functional Evaluation Standard set up by Hand Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association, 3 cases were excellent, 8 cases were good, and 1 case was poor. Conclusion: The dorsal perforator flap of cross-finger proper digital artery can effectively repair finger soft tissue defect caused by high-pressure injection injury. The operation was simple, and the appearance and function of the finger recover well.

Flow-through Dorsoulnar Perforator Flap Repair of Soft-Tissue Defect of the Finger with Segmental Digital Arterial Defect.

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of transferring the free flow-through dorsoulnar perforator flap to reconstruct severely injured fingers. From January 2015 to March 2019, 16 patients, 16 thumb or fingers volar partial defects concomitant with segmental digital arterial defects, were included in this study. The flow-through dorsoulnar perforator flaps were used to repair the finger wounds and reconstruct digit arteries. Sixteen fingers in 16 patients were successfully reconstructed and all flaps survived completely. At the final follow-up, the appearance of the affected fingers was aesthetically pleasing. Two-point discrimination of the fingertips was 7.5-11.0 mm. According to the Total Active Motion (TAM) method: nine fingers were excellent, four were good, and three were fair. The free flow-through dorsoulnar perforator flap can achieve the goal of mending finger soft-tissue conditions complicated with segmental digital arterial defects with good results. Key Words: Flow-through flaps, Perforator flap, Dorsoulnar artery, Soft-tissue defect.

[Effectiveness of combined tissue transplantation to repair serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of combined tissue transplantation for repair of serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand and function reconstruction. METHODS: Between May 2013 and May 2017, 34 cases of serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand were treated. There were 29 males and 5 females; aged 17-54 years, with an average of 32.1 years. There were 23 cases of crushing injuries, 5 cases of bruising injuries, 4 cases of machine strangulation injuries, and 2 cases of explosion injuries. The time from injury to admission was 40 minutes to 3 days, with an average of 10 hours. According to the self-determined serially damaged injuries classification standard, there were 1 case of typeⅠa, 2 cases of typeⅠb, 10 cases of typeⅡa, 5 cases of type Ⅱb, 3 cases of type Ⅱc, 1 case of type Ⅱd, 7 cases of type Ⅲa, 3 cases of type Ⅲb, 1 case of type Ⅲc, and 1 case of type Ⅲd. According to the classification results, the discarded finger, nail flap, the second toe, anterolateral thigh flap, ilium flap, fibula flap, and other tissue flaps were selected to repair hand wounds and reconstruct thumb, metacarpal bones, and fingers. RESULTS: After operation, 2 cases of flaps developed vascular crisis and survived after symptomatic treatment; the other transplanted tissue survived smoothly. All cases were followed up 1 to 7 years, with an average of 2.4 years. The average fracture healing time was 7.4 weeks (range, 5.3-9.0 weeks). At last follow-up, the reconstructed fingers and the grafted flaps recovered good sensory function, with a two-point discrimination of 5 to 11 mm (mean, 9 mm). According to the evaluation standard of the upper limb function evaluation of the Chinese Medical Association Hand Surgery Society, the reconstructed thumb was rated as excellent in 24 thumbs, good in 8 thumbs, and fair in 2 thumbs; the reconstructed finger was rated as excellent in 18 fingers, good in 2 fingers, and fair in 1 finger. CONCLUSION: For the serially damaged injuries on radial side of hand, according to its classification, different tissues are selected for combined transplantation repair and functional reconstruction, which can restore hand function to the greatest extent and improve the quality of life of patients.

Removal of gaseous pollutants by using 3DOM-based catalysts: A review.

Catalytic oxidation is a promising technique to control the emission of gaseous pollutants. Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM)-based catalysts have aroused widespread attention because of their high porosity, large surface area and pore volume, superb ability of mass transfer. Therefore, they have been widely used in gaseous pollutants control field, such as soot and methane catalytic combustion, VOCs catalytic oxidation, photocatalytic CO2 reduction and so on. In this review, the recent studies about the preparation and applications of 3DOM catalysts are summarized. At the same time, the advantages and mechanism of the 3DOM catalysts used in gaseous pollutants control are introduced in depth. Finally, the perspective and future direction of 3DOM-based catalysts for gaseous pollutants control are proposed.

Enhancement of the activity of Cu/TiO2 catalyst by Eu modification for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3.

The Cu/TiO2 catalysts with the addition of Eu were developed by the sol-gel way for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by NH3. Activity tests revealed that CuEu/TiO2-0.15 catalyst showed the optimal de-NOx performance in a wide temperature range (150-300 °C), along with an admirable SO2 tolerance. According to characterization analysis, the relationship between the NH3-SCR performance and physicochemical characters of samples was explored. The adjunction of Eu on Cu/TiO2 catalyst can contribute to the formation of a large amount of Cu2+, adsorbed oxygen, and acid sites on the catalyst surface. Moreover, the Eu addition on Cu/TiO2 is favorable to the generation of activated NOx and NH3 substances adsorbed on the catalyst surface, which would conduce to the NH3-SCR process by Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism effectively.

Selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 over CeVO4-CeO2 nanocomposite.

In this study, it was found that the CeVO4-CeO2 nanocomposite possessed remarkably selective catalytic reduction (SCR) performance and wider active temperature scope. And, the promotion principle was explored based on BET, XRD, XPS, H2-temperature-programmed reduction, NH3-temperature-programmed desorption, and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) techniques. The characterization outcomes manifested that the CeVO4-CeO2 nanocomposite could inhibit its crystallinity and enhance the concentrations of chemisorbed oxygen species and Ce3+, which was advantageous to the SCR process. Moreover, the in situ DRIFT technique manifested that the NH3-SCR reaction over Ce0.75V0.25Oy was enhanced effectively through the mechanism of L-H.

PTPN14, a target gene of miR-4295, restricts the growth and invasion of osteosarcoma cells through inactivation of YAP1 signalling.

Non-receptor tyrosine phosphatase 14 (PTPN14) has emerged as a novel tumour-suppressor in a wide range of human cancer types. However, the role of PTPN14 in osteosarcoma remains undetermined. In the present study, we aimed to explore the expression pattern, biological function, and regulation of PTPN14 in osteosarcoma. Low PTPN14 expression levels were detected in osteosarcoma cells, and PTPN14 overexpression markedly decreased the proliferation, colony formation, and invasive potential of osteosarcoma cells. Bioinformatics analysis predicted PTPN14 as a potential target gene of microRNA-4295 (miR-4295), and this prediction was validated by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. PTPN14 expression was negatively modulated by miR-4295 in osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, PTPN14 expression was inversely correlated with miR-4295 expression in osteosarcoma tissues. Notably, miR-4295 inhibition significantly restricted the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. PTPN14 overexpression or miR-4295 inhibition increased the phosphorylation of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and impeded YAP1 nuclear translocation, leading to inhibition of YAP1-mediated transcriptional activity. However, the miR-4925-inhibition-mediated antitumour effect was partially reversed by PTPN14 knockdown. Overall, these results demonstrate that PTPN14 is a miR-4295 target gene and it exerts a tumour-suppressive function in osteosarcoma cells via inactivation of YAP1. Our study uncovers a miR-4295-PTPN14-YAP1 signalling pathway that may play a crucial role in the progression of osteosarcoma.