Micro-Nanocarriers Based Drug Delivery Technology for Blood-Brain Barrier Crossing and Brain Tumor Targeting Therapy.

The greatest obstacle to using drugs to treat brain tumors is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), making it difficult for conventional drug molecules to enter the brain. Therefore, how to safely and effectively penetrate the BBB to achieve targeted drug delivery to brain tumors has been a challenging research problem. With the intensive research in micro- and nanotechnology in recent years, nano drug-targeted delivery technologies have shown great potential to overcome this challenge, such as inorganic nanocarriers, organic polymer-carriers, liposomes, and biobased carriers, which can be designed in different sizes, shapes, and surface functional groups to enhance their ability to penetrate the BBB and targeted drug delivery for brain tumors. In this review, the composition and overcoming patterns of the BBB are detailed, and then the hot research topics of drug delivery carriers for brain tumors in recent years are summarized, and their mechanisms of action on the BBB and the factors affecting drug delivery are described in detail, and the effectiveness of targeted therapy for brain tumors is evaluated. Finally, the challenges and dilemmas in developing brain tumor drug delivery systems are discussed, which will be promising in the future for targeted drug delivery to brain tumors based on micro-nanocarriers technology.

Comparison of surgical outcomes between patients undergoing trans-oral endoscopic thyroid surgery combined with trans-thoracoareolar approach and conventional open surgery.

Over the past decades, remote-access thyroid surgery has been widely developed in the treatment of thyroid carcinoma, which can help patients to avoid cosmetically displeasing scarring. In this research, we collected and review our experience with endoscopic thyroidectomy with neck dissection via trans-thoracoareolar approach combined with trans-oral approach over a 3-year period. They were all diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma, and two of them had a complication of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. No patients were dissatisfied with the postoperative cosmetic results. One patient had numbness in the lower lip, but the symptom disappeared 1 month later. No infection, hemorrhage, or air embolism occurred. Pain and numbness in the endoscopic thyroid surgery group were slighter than in those who had open surgery. The present study aims to compare the feasibility and safety of trans-thoracoareolar approach combined with trans-oral approach to conventional open surgery.

Reconstruction of Full-Thickness Eyelid Defects Following Malignant Tumor Excision: The Retroauricular Flap and Palatal Mucosal Graft.

Treatment of malignant periorbital tumors requires radical resection of the tumor, which can result in the creation of major eyelid defects. Reconstruction of such defects with satisfactory restoration of function and aesthetic appearance is difficult. The present patient series describes the satisfactory outcomes achieved with a new surgical approach using a retroauricular flap and palatal mucosal graft. The authors reviewed 19 patients of eyelid defects created upon resection of malignant periorbital tumors between 1994 and 2012. Upon confirmation of the defect size, the eyelid defect was repaired with a palatal mucosal graft. Then a retroauricular flap was prepared at the postauricular region and the flap was used to cover the skin defect. In 1 patient, serious venous congestion of the flap occurred. After emergency surgery, the epidermis of the flap died, but the base of the flap survived. Thus, dermatoplasty was repeated. One-fourth of the flap died in 1 patient with an upper eyelid defect near the inner canthus, and after dressing of the wound, dermoplasty was repeated. No complications occurred in the other 17 patients, and satisfactory results were achieved.Thus, using a retroauricular flap, the authors can obtain good aesthetic results in the reconstruction of eyelids defect including the inner and external canthus. The color and texture of the retroauricular flap are similar to those of the eyelid, and scar contracture has a minimal effect.

[One cases of scalp teratoma].

The patient, female, 27 years old. The scalp neoplasm had been found at her right temple 10 years ago. At first, the size of the tumor was just like a soybean, and did not grow obviously in the past nine and a half years. But the tumor increased fast in these six months, almost as large as the pigeon egg now. The physical examination showed that: A spherical tumor locates in the right temple near the right ear; the size of the tumor is 3 cm X 4 cm X 3 cm; the surface is smooth, no tenderness, no obvious mobile base, skull defect not touched. Primary diagnosis: the scalp cyst or lipoma. Under the local anesthesia we remove the neoplasm, during the operation we found the lesion located in the subcutaneous tissue layer, involved the galea aponeurosis layer, the skull surface are smooth and complete. The tumor was completely removed. We cut the mass and found a cystic cavity sized 3 cmX4 cm, which contained gray jerry-built materials, contained oil and a mass of hair, the capsule wall was complete. Postoperative pathological report: The tumor is cystic look throught the microscope, the capsule wall is squamous epithelium, containing keratinized material and hair. The pathological diagnosis is teratoma. The incision healed primarily, no recurrence found for about a year.

[Application of anterolateral thigh free flap to reconstruct defects of the maxillary and midface].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the usefulness of anterolateral thigh flap for reconstruction of the defect after maxillectomy. METHOD: Seventy-two cases with defect after maxillectomy were constructed with anterolateral thigh flap in our department during 10 years. All cases were undertaken total maxillectomy. RESULT: All flaps except one were transferred successfully. Patients were satisfied with their appearances. No serious complications had happened. CONCLUSION: Anterolateral thigh flap could be an donor flap for the reconstruction of the defect after maxillectomy.