ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of using a sensory prefabricated flap to repair the heel avulsion injury. MethodsBetween August 2012 and August 2013, 6 cases of heel avulsion injury were treated. There were 4 males and 2 females, aged 16-54 years (mean, 29 years). The causes were crush injury in 4 cases and wheel twist injury in 2 cases. The injury to admission time was 2-6 hours (mean, 4 hours). The size of skin avulsion ranged from 5 cm×3 cm to 15 cm×8 cm. Avulsion skin had no replanted condition. At one stage operation, the avulsed heel skin soft tissue was made the full thickness skin graft which was fostered on the anterolateral thigh with lateral circumflex femoral artery perforator, and the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve was put beneath the skin to prefabricate the prefabricated flap; at two stage operation, the prefabricated skin flap pedicled with lateral circumflex femoral artery was used to repair the wound, and the lateral femoral nerve was anastomosed with the calcaneal nerve to reconstruct the feeling. ResultsSix prefabricated flaps all survived, and re-plantation flaps survived after operation. The wounds healed by first intention at donor site and recipient site. The patients were followed up 1-2 years (mean, 1.5 years). The flaps had satisfactory appearance and soft texture. At 1 year after operation, the sensation of the flaps was S3, with two-point discrimination of 22-27 mm (mean, 24.3 mm). According to ZHANG Ming's evaluation standards, the results were excellent in 5 cases, and good in 1 case. The patients could walk normally or with weight-bearing; only linear scar formed at the donor site. ConclusionFor patients with heel soft tissue avulsion injury without replantation qualification, a sensory prefabricated flap by the avulsed heel skin soft tissue can transplanted to repair the heel defect. Satisfactory effectiveness can be obtained in heel appearance and function recovery.
Objective To analyze the effect of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) retaining or not on knee-joint proprioception by comparing the proprioceptive difference between PCL retaining and no PCL retaining in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Between June 2009 and June 2010, 38 osteoarthritis patients meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into PCL retaining group (group A, n=19) and PCL-substituting group (group B, n=19) according to the random number table. There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, the range of motion of the knee between 2 groups (P gt; 0.05). The effectiveness and the knee-joint proprioception were separately assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score and the passive angle reproduction test (30, 60, and 90° of knee flexion) preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively. Results All incisons healed by first intention, without complications of infection, fracture, and deep vein thrombosis of lower limb. The patients were followed up 12-17 months (mean, 14.1 months). The knee function after operation was obviously improved when compared with preoperative one; significant differences were observed in the WOMAC scores and the results of passive angle reproduction test between at preoperation and at 12 months after operation (P lt; 0.05), but no significant difference was found between group A and group B (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion Whether PCL retaining or not in TKA both can improve knee-joint proprioception, and no obvious difference between them.
Objective To identify the effect of β-endorphin in the development of paresthesia in hypertrophic scar by detecting the expression and content of β-endorphin in human normal skin and hypertrophic scar. Methods Hypertrophic scar samples were collected from 42 patients with hypertrophic scar for 1-20 years (mean, 4.5 years), including 15 males and27 females with an average age of 32.6 years (range, 16-50 years). According to the kind of paresthesia, they were divided into 3 gourps: non-pain-pruritus group (n=20), pruritus group (n=14), and pain-pruritus group (n=8). Normal skin samples (normal skin group) were harvested from 5 patients undergoing skin grafting surgery, including 3 males and 2 females with an average age of 24.6 years (range, 15-37 years). The immunofluorescence method was used to observe the expression of β-endorphin and ELISA method to detect the concentrations of β-endorphin in the tissues. Results The β-endorphin expressed in all samples, and it expressed around peri pheral nerve fibers in the dermis, fibroblasts, and monocytoid cells princi pally; and it expressed significantly ber in pruritus group and pain-pruritus group than in non-pain-pruritus group and normal skin group. The β-endorphin content was (617.401 ± 97.518) pg/mL in non-pain-pruritus group, (739.543 ± 94.149) pg/mL in pruritus group, (623.294 ± 149.613) pg/mL in pain-pruritus group, and (319.734 ± 85.301) pg/mL in normal skin group; it was significantly higher in non-pain-pruritus group, pruritus group, and pain-pruritus group than in normal skin group (P lt; 0.05); it was significantly higher in pruritus group than in non-pain-pruritus group and pain-pruritus group (P lt; 0.05); and there was no significant difference between non-pain-pruritus group and pain-pruritus group (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion The expression of β-endorphin is high in hypertrophic scar, it may paly an important role in process of pruritus in these patients.
Objective To compare the recovery of proprioception between autograft and allograft for anterior cruciate l igament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods Between January 2008 and January 2010, 40 patients underwent ACL reconstruction with autologous tendon (autograft group, n=20) and allogeneic tendon (allograft group, n=20). No significant difference was found in gender, age, disease duration, and function scores between 2 groups (P gt; 0.05). All the patients underwent the ACL reconstruction with single-bundle technique. The knee range of motion (ROM), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and Lysholm score were measured after operation. The proprioception was assessedby the joint position sense (JPS) at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. The normal knee was used as control. Results Thepatients of 2 groups achieved heal ing of incision by first intention without compl ication of infection or haemarthrosis. Allpatients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 13.5 months). There were significant differences in knee ROM, IKDC score, and Lysholm score between preoperation and 12 months postoperatively in 2 groups (P lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference in JPS 30°, JPS 60°, and JPS 90° between affected knees and normal knees in autograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P gt; 0.05). No significant difference was found in JPS 30° between affected knees and normal knees in allograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P gt; 0.05); but significant differences were found in JPS 60° and JPS 90° between affected knees and normal knees in allograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference in JPS 30°, JPS 60°, and JPS 90° between affected knees and normal knees in 2 groups at 12 months postoperatively (P gt; 0.05). Significant differences were also found in JPS 60° and JPS 90° between affected knees of 2 groups (P lt; 0.05) at 3 months postoperatively, whereas no significant difference was found in JPS 30° between affected knees of 2 groups (P gt; 0.05). No significant difference was found in JPS 30°, JPS 60°, and JPS 90° between affected knees of 2 groups at 12 months postoperatively (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion Autologous andACL reconstruction is better than allogeneic ACL reconstruction in the recovery of proprioception at early time after surgery.
Objective To investigate the method and effectiveness of repairing fingertip defects with reverse island flappedicled with terminal dorsal branch of digital artery with sense reconstruction. Methods Between December 2008 and March2010, 32 patients (40 fingers) with fingertip defects were treated. There were 20 males (23 fingers) and 12 females (17 fingers), aged from 20 to 62 years (mean, 42 years). The time between injury and admission was from 1 to 8 hours. The injured fingers included thumb (2 cases), index finger (6 cases), index finger and middle finger (3 cases), middle finger (7 cases), middle finger and ring finger (3 cases),ring finger (8 cases), ring finger and little finger (2 cases), and little finger (1 case). The defect area ranged from 1.2 cm × 1.0 cm to 2.2 cm ×1.8 cm, and the flap area ranged from 1.5 cm × 1.0 cm to 2.5 cm × 2.0 cm. The fingertip defects were repaired by the reverse island flaps pedicled with terminal dorsal branch of digital artery and branch of digital nerve, and the branch of digital nerve was anastomosed withstump of proper digital nerve. The donor sites were repaired with free skin grafts. Results Bl isters occurred in 6 cases (9 fingers) andpartial necrosis of the flaps in 2 cases (2 fingers), which were cured after symptomatic treatment. The other flaps and skin grafts survived and the wounds healed by first intention. Thirty cases (38 fingers) were followed up 6 months postoperatively. The shape, contour of the reconstructed fingertip, and motivation of the fingers were satisfactory. The superficial sensation and deep pain sensation recovered after 6 months of operation. The two-point discrimination was 4-6 mm in 24 fingers, 7-10 mm in 13 fingers, and none in 1 finger. According to the functional assessment criteria of upper l imb formulated by the Hand Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association, S3 was achieved in 1 finger, S3+ in 13 fingers, and S4 in 24 fingers. Conclusion It is simple and safe to harvest the reverse island flap pedicled with terminal dorsal branch of digital artery with sense reconstruction; at the same time, the blood supply of the flap is rel iable and its sense can be reconstructed. It is one of effective methods for repairing fingertip defects.
Objective Vascular bundle and sensory nerve bundle implantation can promote the osteogenesis of tissue engineered bone. To investigate whether vascular bundle and sensory nerve bundle implantation will affect the expressions of neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) and vasoactive intestinal peptide type 1 receptor (VIPR1). Methods Fifty-four 5-montholdNew Zealand rabbits were selected. Autologous bone marrow was aspirated from the posterior il iac spine of rabbits, and the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were prol iferated in vitro. At the 3rd passage, the BMSCs were cultured in the osteogenic culture medium for 7 days. The tissue engineered bone was prepared by the combined culture of these osteoblastic induced BMSCs and β tricalcium phosphate scaffold material. A 1.5 cm segmental bone defect was created at the right femur of rabbits. After the plate fixation, defects were repaired with sensory nerve bundle plus tissue engineered bone (group A, n=18), with vascular bundle plus tissue engineered bone (group B, n=18), and tissue engineered bone only (group C, n=18). X-ray examination was used to evaluate the degree of the ossification. The expression levels of NK1R and VIPR1 were measured by the immuohistochemistry analysis and the mRNA expression of NK1R and VIPR1 by real-time PCR at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after operation. Results The better osteogenesis could be observed in group A and group B than in group C at all time points. X-ray scores were significantly higher in group B than in groups A and C (P lt; 0.05) at 4 weeks, and in groups A and B than in groupC (P lt; 0.05) at 8 and 12 weeks. The mRNA expressions of NK1R and VIPR1 were highest at 8 weeks in groups A and B and gradually decreased at 12 weeks (P lt; 0.05); the expressions were higher in groups A and B than that in group C (P lt; 0.05), and in group B than group A (P lt; 0.05). Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the expressions of NK1R and VIPR1 were highest at 8 weeks in 3 groups, and the expressions were higher in groups A and B than in group C. Conclusion Implanting vascular bundles into the tissue engineered bone can significantly improve the expression levels of NK1R and VIPR1. It is an ideal method to reconstruct composite tissue engineered bone.
Objective To investigate the significance of sensory neuropeptides [calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP)] in steroid-induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH) by using a rabbit model. Methods Fifty-five adult female Japanese White rabbits (weighing 3 kg and aging 24 months) were randomly divided into experimental group (n=45) and control group (n=10). The rabbits in experimental group received a single intramuscularinjection of methylprednisolone at a dose of 4 mg/kg and then were sacrificed after 3 days (n=15), 1 week (n=15), and 2 weeks (n=15) of injection. The rabbits in control group were fed without any treatment. The necrosis of the femoral head was observed. And the expressions of the monoclonal antibodies CGRP and SP were observed with immunohistochemical staining. Also, the integrated absorbance (IA) value of the positive area was calculated. Results All rabbits survived to the end of the experiment. There was no necrosis of the bone or bone marrow in experimental group at 3 days; whereas ANFH was observed in 5 rabbits at 1 week (33%) and in 8 rabbits at 2 weeks (53%). There were significant differences in the rate of ANFH between 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 days (P lt; 0.05); but there was no significant difference between 1 week and 2 weeks (P gt; 0.05). The intensity of CGRP immunoreactivity increased and reached the peak at 1 week, and then decreased at 2 weeks in experimental group. The IA value of CGRP in experimental group at 1 week was significantly higher than that of control group and that of experimental group at 3 days (P lt; 0.05). The IA value of CGRP in experimental group at 2 weeks was significantly lower than those at 3 days and 1 week (P lt; 0.05). The intensity of SP immunoreactivity decreased and reached the lowest at 1 week, and then increased. The IA value of SP in experimental group at 1 week was significantly lower than that of control group and that of experimental group at 2 weeks (P lt; 0.05). Conclusion The sensory neuropeptides may be affected by the steroid, which may play a key role in the process of steroid-induced ANFH by imbalance of bone metabol ism, disturbance of the microcirculation of bone, and disorder of the protective pain-transmission.
Objective To evaluate the survival condition and quantitative variation of mechanoreceptors in the tibial remnant of ruptured anterior cruciate l igament (ACL) in human knees. Methods Between April 2009 and May 2010, 60 patients who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction were included and divided into 4 groups according to the time of injury, with 15 patients in each group. In group A, there were 14 males and 1 female aged 20-37 years (mean, 27 years); the injury was caused by traffic accident in 5 cases and by sports in 10 cases, and the time between injury and surgery was not more than 3 months. In group B, there were 14 males and 1 female aged 17-43 years (mean, 24 years); the injury was caused by traffic accident in 2 cases and by sports in 13 cases; and the time between injury and surgery was 3 to 6 months. In group C, there were 11 males and 4 females aged 16-53 years (mean, 28 years); the injury was caused by traffic accident in 2 cases and by sports in 13 cases; and the time between injury and surgery was 6 to 12 months. In group D, there were 12 males and 3 females aged 18-41 years (mean, 26 years); the injury was caused by sports in 11 cases, and the other 4 cases had no defined etiology; and the time between injury and surgery was more than 12 months. Specimens were donated by the volunteers from the anteromedial side of the ACL tibial remnant (40 sl ices per specimen) and stained via immunohistochemical method. The type, size, and quantity of mechanoreceptors were observed under l ight microscope. Results Totally 80 Ruffini-l ike corpuscles, 8 Pacini-l ike corpuscles, 5 atypical neural endings and no distinct Golgi organ-l ike corpuscles were observed under l ight microscope in 60 specimens (2 400 sl ices) of 4 groups. There was no obvious difference in size and type of mechanoreceptors among 4 groups. However,some degenerative and atrophic changes could be observed in the specimens of group D. The total number of echanoreceptors was 31 (35.2%) in group A, 22 (25.0%) in group B, 23 (26.1%) in group C, and 12 (13.7%) in group D. There was no significant difference (P gt; 0.05) in Ruffini-l ike corpuscles and Pacini-l ike corpuscles among 4 groups. Mechanoreceptors were found in 9,8, 9, and 6 patients in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively; the detection rates were 60.0%, 53.3%, 60.0%, and 40.0%, respectively; showing no significant difference (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion The mechanoreceptors in tibial residual of ruptured ACL have a long survival without obvious degeneration and atrophy within 12 months. So it may contribute to restoration of proprioceptive function after operation if the remnant is preserved during ACL reconstruction.
To establ ish the animal model of the artificial physiological reflex arc with the reconstruction of the sensory and the motorial functions of atonic bladder simultaneously in the rats, and to provide the foundation to furtherinvestigate the repairing effectiveness of this technique. Methods There were 20 adult male SD rats (weighing 280-300 g)which were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=10): group A and group B. Group A was anastomosis of the ventral roots(VR) and the dorsal roots (DR) between L6 and S2 simultaneously to establ ish the model of the artificial physiological reflex arc. Group B was anastomosis of the main trunk between L6 and S2 to establ ish the model. The contents of the observation included: ① To measure the external diameter of the VR, DR and the main trunk of L6 and S2 with the sl iding cal iper; and to measure not only the distance between L6 and S2 but also the separable length of L6 with the ruler. ② Fast Blue dyeing of the VR, DR and the main trunk of L6 and S2 was performed to count their nerve fibers assisted by the Leica FW4000 system 2 weeks after opertation. ③ The observation of the urination of the rat and BBB scoring to evaluate the motorial function of the lower l imbs was performed postoperatively. Results ① L6 located in the lateral side of the S1-4 in the vertebral body of L6. The external diameters of the VR, DR and the main trunk of L6 were (0.68 ± 0.13), (0.88 ± 0.10) and (1.54 ± 0.33) mm, respectively, while those of S2 were (0.62 ± 0.08), (0.79 ± 0.14) and (1.39 ± 0.42) mm, respectively. The distance between L6 and S2 was (14.21 ± 1.95) mm, and the separable length of L6 was (10.76 ± 2.11) mm. Furthermore, the microdissection indicated the VR and the DR between L6 and S2 could be anastomosed respectively with no-tension at the level of the vertebral body of L6; and the main trunk of L6 and S2 could be anastomosed with no-tension at the level of the confluens of L5, 6. ② With Fast Blue dyeing, there were 892 ± 32, 354 ± 26 and 532 ± 17 nerve fibers of the VR, DR and the main trunk of L6, respectively. And there were 788 ± 29, 325 ± 19, and 478 ± 22 nerve fibers of the VR, DR and the main trunk of S2, respectively. There were no volar ulcer,trichomadesis and self-eating of the affected l imbs in the both groups postoperatively. The urinations of the rats after operationwere not different from those before operation. The mean BBB scores of pre- and postoperation in group A were 20.20 ± 0.35 and 19.80 ± 0.23, respectively; the mean BBB scores of pre- and postoperation in group B were 20.20 ± 0.35 and 19.20 ± 0.31, respectively. There was no significant difference of the above indexes between group A and group B (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion Anastomosis of the VR and the DR between L6 and S2 simultaneously in rats is an ideal animal model to establ ish the artificial physiological reflex arc owing to its simple and reproducible procedures.