Objective To investigate the effectiveness of finger reconstruction using nail flap anastomosing the nerve branch of the first toe nail bed. MethodsBetween January 2016 and December 2022, 18 patients (18 fingers) with thumb or finger nail bed defects were admitted. There were 12 males and 6 females, with an average age of 32 years (range, 19-42 years). Four cases were finger tip tissue damage caused by machine compression, and 4 cases were distal tissue necrosis after finger replantation. There were 9 cases of thumb injury, 3 cases of index finger injury, 5 cases of middle finger injury, and 1 case of ring finger injury. There were 11 cases of distal nail damage and 7 cases of distal nail root (including nail root) damage. The time from injury to admission was 1-5 hours, with an average of 2 hours. After debridement and anti-infection treatment for 5-7 days, the wounds in size of 1 cm×1 cm to 4 cm×3 cm were reconstructed by using nail flaps anastomosing the nerve branches of the first toe nail bed. The size of the nail flaps ranged from 1.5 cm×1.5 cm to 4.5 cm×3.5 cm. The donor sites were repaired with the flaps in 16 cases and skin graft in 2 cases. Results All nail flaps, flaps, and skin grafts survived after operation and the wounds healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 10 months). The nails of 18 cases were all grown, in which 16 cases had smooth nails with satisfactory appearances, 1 case had uneven nails, and 1 case had obvious scar hyperplasia around the suture opening. At 6 months after operation, the two-point discrimination of the skin flap was 4-8 mm (mean, 6 mm). Meanwhile, the skin grafts and flaps at the donor sites regained protective sensation, good abrasion resistance, and had no negative effect upon walking and wearing shoes. ConclusionThe application of a nail flap that anastomoses the nerve branch of the first toe nail bed for finger reconstruction has minimal damage and can achieve good nail bed repair results.
Objective To explore the effect of exogenous estrogen receptor β1 (ERβ1) gene on the expression of p53 as well as the changes of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cell line and to investigate the biological role of ERβ1 in breast cancer. Methods Recombinant eukaryotic expressing vector containing ERβ1 cDNA was transfected into human breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231 by using cationic liposome LipofectamineTM 2000. The expression levels of p53 and ERβ1 in mRNA and protein were evaluated by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Cell growth curve was used to detect the changes of cell proliferation ability. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results After transfected with vector containing ERβ1 cDNA, proliferation ability of MDA-MB-231 cell decreased and the expression levels of both ERβ1 and p53 in both mRNA and protein increased (Plt;0.01). Rate of cell apoptosis increased in ERβ1 upregulation groups （Plt;0.01）. Conclusion ERβ1 can induce apoptosis and inhibit the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells by upregulating p53 expression.