[Anatomical classification and application of chimeric myocutaneous medial thigh perforator flap in head and neck reconstruction]

Objective: To explore the anatomical classification and application of chimeric myocutaneous medial thigh perforator (MTP) flap in head and neck reconstruction. Methods: From September 2015 to December 2018, the clinical data of 74 patients (62 males and 12 females, age ranging from 31 to 69 years, with a mean age of 50.2 years) with oral tumor, who underwent radical resection in Hunan Cancer Hospital, including 39 cases of tongue carcinoma, 24 cases of gingival carcinoma and 11 cases of buccal cancer, 26 cases of stage T4N1M0, 22 cases of stage T4N0M0,15 cases of stage T3N1M0, and 11 cases of stage T3N2M0 were retrospectively analyzed in this work.The arteries and the veins contributing to MTP were anastomosed respectively with superior thyroid arteries, while the venae comitans were anastomosed with superior thyroid venae veins or internal jugular venae vein. The size of soft tissue defect, the length, width and thickness of free medial thigh flap, the length and source of vascular pedicle were recorded. The flap survival, functional status and donor area recovery were observed. Results: The postoperative defects in size ranged from 4.0 cm×3.5 cm to 9.0 cm×5.5 cm, which were reconstructed by free chimeric myocutaneous MTP flaps. The mean length of MTP flaps was (12.5±0.4) cm, the mean width was (7.2±0.4) cm, the mean thickness was (3.5±0.2) cm. The mean pedicle length was (8.6±0.4) cm. The perforators existed consistently in all cases, and the vascular origins were classified into 6 types. There were 4 cases (5.4%) of the perforating branches originating from femoral artery between the medial femoris and the adductor longus, 6 cases (8.1%) of the perforating branches of the profunda femoral artery from the adductor longus, 16 cases (21.6%) of the perforating branches of the profunda femoral artery from the gracilis, 9 cases (12.2%) of the perforating branches of the profunda femoral artery between the gracilis and the adductor longus, 29 cases (39.2%) of the perforating branches of the profunda femoral artery from the adductor longus, and 10 cases (13.5%) of branches of the profunda femoral artery from the semimembranous muscle. All 74 flaps survived uneventfully. The donor sites and recipient sites were closed directly in all cases. All patients were followed up for 12-36 months with satisfied esthetic and functional results. Only linear scars were left in the donor sites, and the thigh function was not affected. Local recurrence happened in 4 cases, which were treated with radical resection and the left defects were reconstructed with pedicled pectoral major myocutaneous flaps. Conclusion: The chimeric myocutaneous MTP flap has good color match and texture, with abundant tissue, and consistent blood supply, and it can be harvested in various forms while leaving minimal morbidity at donor site, being an idea choice for reconstruction after surgery of oral cancer.

[Effects of pedicled rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap combined with free deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap carrying inguinal lymphatic flap in breast reconstruction and upper limb lymphedema treatment post radical mastectomy]

Objective: To explore the effects of pedicled rectus abdominis myocutaneous (PRAM)flap combined with free deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEAP) flap carrying inguinal lymphatic flap in breast reconstruction and upper limb lymphedema treatment post radical mastectomy. Methods: From October 2014 to September 2016, 9 patients with upper limb lymphedema after mastectomy were treated with PRAM flap combined with free DIEAP flap carrying inguinal lymphatic flap for breast reconstruction and upper limb lymphedema treatment in Hunan Province Cancer Hospital. The patients were all females, aged 34-66 (44±7) years. The location of deep inferior epigastric artery perforator was detected by audible Doppler ultrasound blood stream detector and computed tomography angiography for designing combined tissue flap, with length of (25.32±0.27) cm, width of (13.14±0.76) cm, and thickness of (3.55±0.34) cm. The donor site of combined tissue flap was closed by suturing, and two or more tubes for negative pressure drainage were placed according to the situation of donor site and recipient site. Operation time and average placing time of negative pressure drainage tube, postoperative condition of combined tissue flap and the donor site, reconstructed breast condition, recovery of upper limb lymphedema were documented and followed up. Results: The operation time was 290-420 (396±55) min. The average retaining time of negative pressure drainage tube in breast was 5.9 d, while the average retaining time of negative pressure drainage tube in abdomen was 4.3 d. Ecchymoma occurred in DIEAP flap of one patient and in the flap donor site of another patient. Delayed healing was also seen in the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap of a patient, which healed eventually after dressing change, and the other flaps survived well. The appearance of reconstructed breast was good with good elasticity, and no contracture or deformation occurred in the tissue flap. The upper limb lymphedema in 7 patients was alleviated in varying degrees, with 2.0-4.0 cm reduction in circumference. During follow-up of 12-24 months of 9 patients, averaged 17.5 months, with 6 patients received long term bandage pressure therapy and physical therapy to the affected limbs after operation and all patients were satisfied with appearances of the affected limbs. Neuropathic pain in affected limbs was significantly relieved in 2 patients and stopped aggravating in the other 2 patients. Only linear scar was seen in the donor site of abdomen without affecting obviously the function of abdomen. Conclusions: The PRAM flap combined with free DIEAP flap carrying inguinal lymphatic flap is an effective way for breast reconstruction and upper limb lymphedema treatment post mastectomy.

Bi2O3 and g-C3N4 quantum dot modified anatase TiO2 heterojunction system for degradation of dyes under sunlight irradiation

A facile and feasible method was successfully utilized to incorporate Bi₂O₃ and g-C₃N₄ quantum dots on TiO₂ surface to synthesize a novel composite g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃. The photocatalytic activity of the composite g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ for degradation of dyes under sunlight and UV light irradiation was evaluated. It possessed the higher photocatalytic performance than that of pristine TiO₂ or g-C₃N₄ under the same conditions. Under sunlight irradiation, the reaction rate constants of the g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃ was about 4.2 times and 3.3 times higher than that of TiO₂ and g-C₃N₄, respectively. The promising photocatalytic performance was attributed to the broader light absorption range and efficient separation of photoinduced carriers. Moreover, based on the TEM, XPS, XRD, UV-vis spectrum, radicals scavenging test and Mott–Schottky analysis systematic mechanism for photodegradation process was proposed. This work provides a promising strategy for the modification of TiO₂-based semiconductors by incorporating different quantum dots and promoting the efficiency of the photocatalysts in practical application.

A facile and feasible method was successfully utilized to incorporate Bi₂O₃ and g-C₃N₄ quantum dots on TiO₂ surface to synthesize a novel composite g-C₃N₄/TiO₂/Bi₂O₃.

Nuclear Dependence of the Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetry in the Production of Charged Hadrons at Forward Rapidity in Polarized p+p, p+Al, and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We report on the nuclear dependence of transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) in the production of positively charged hadrons in polarized p^{↑}+p, p^{↑}+Al, and p^{↑}+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements have been performed at forward rapidity (1.4<η<2.4) over the range of transverse momentum (1.8<p_{T}<7.0  GeV/c) and Feynman x (0.1<x_{F}<0.2). We observed positive asymmetries for positively charged hadrons in p^{↑}+p collisions, and significantly reduced asymmetries in p^{↑}+A collisions. These results reveal a nuclear dependence of TSSAs for charged-hadron production in a regime where perturbative techniques are applicable. These results provide new opportunities to use p^{↑}+A collisions as a tool to investigate the rich phenomena behind TSSAs in hadronic collisions and to use TSSAs as a new handle in studying small-system collisions.

[The clinical applied analysis of the modified transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of the modified transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) by dissection of mental nerve in clinical practice. Methods: Totally 140 patients underwent the modified TOETVA from the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Hunan Cancer Hospital from July 2016 to June 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 130 females and 10 males, aging (35.4±9.8) years (range: 11 to 56 years). The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative suction drainage, postoperative pain score, postoperative cosmetic satisfaction and postoperative complications (recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypoparathyroidism, infection, pneumoderm, seroma and mental nerve injury) were summarized. Results: Of the 140 patients, 1 patient was transferred to open surgery. Fifty-nine patients underwent thyroidectomy with an operation time of (100.8±18.9) minutes. Sixty-three patients underwent thyroidectomy and central lymphadenectomy with an operation time of (112.1±16.6) minutes. Eighteen cases underwent total thyroidectomy and central lymphadenectomy with an operation time of (185.3±25.9) minutes. The postoperative hospital stay was (3.76±0.98) days. The postoperative drainage was (96.8±36.2) ml. The 24-hour postoperative pain score was 2.66±1.23, the postoperative cosmetic satisfaction was 9.65±0.24. Among the postoperative complications, there were 3 cases of temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, 2 cases of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, 4 cases of temporary hypoparathyroidism but no permanent hypoparathyroidism, 2 cases of infection, 1 case of seroma, 3 cases of pneumoderm, and no cases of mental nerve injury. Conclusion: The modified TOETVA by dissection of mental nerve is safe and feasible.

Beam Energy and Centrality Dependence of Direct-Photon Emission from Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The PHENIX collaboration presents first measurements of low-momentum (0.4<p_{T}<3  GeV/c) direct-photon yields from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 and 62.4 GeV. For both beam energies the direct-photon yields are substantially enhanced with respect to expectations from prompt processes, similar to the yields observed in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200. Analyzing the photon yield as a function of the experimental observable dN_{ch}/dη reveals that the low-momentum (>1  GeV/c) direct-photon yield dN_{γ}^{dir}/dη is a smooth function of dN_{ch}/dη and can be well described as proportional to (dN_{ch}/dη)^{α} with α≈1.25. This scaling behavior holds for a wide range of beam energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider, for centrality selected samples, as well as for different A+A collision systems. At a given beam energy, the scaling also holds for high p_{T} (>5  GeV/c), but when results from different collision energies are compared, an additional sqrt[s_{NN}]-dependent multiplicative factor is needed to describe the integrated-direct-photon yield.

Novel multilayer TiO2 heterojunction decorated by low g-C3N4 content and its enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV, visible and solar light irradiation

In this paper, we used a facile ball milling, microwave radiation and heating treatment method to achieve the surface modification of TiO2 with low g-C3N4 concentration, and a multilayer heterojunction composite with TiO2 as the main part and g-C3N4 as the modification agent was obtained. The obtained materials were analyzed by several characterizations to get information on their chemical composition, crystalline structure, vibrational features and optical properties. The photocatalytic performance was evaluated by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) under UV, visible and direct solar light irradiation. Its photocatalytic activity was enhanced depended on the novel structure of g-C3N4/TiO2 hybrid and the special Z-scheme electron-hole transfer model of multilayer heterointerfaces. The material preparation and structural features could be useful for the design and development of other photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity.

Hsa_circ_0003998 Promotes Chemoresistance via Modulation of miR-326 in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a new class of noncoding RNAs that is involved in the development of cancer. However, little is known about their role in chemoresistance. In the present study, we found that hsa_circ_0003998 expression levels in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) tissues and docetaxel-resistant cell lines (A549/DTX and H1299/DTX) were upregulated. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0003998 decreased chemoresistance, inhibited proliferation, and enhanced apoptosis in docetaxel-resistant LAD cells. Moreover, by using bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assays, we found that miR-326 was a direct target of hsa_circ_0003998. Functional analysis revealed that miR-326 mediated the effect of hsa_circ_0003998 on chemosensitivity. Our findings provide a molecular insight on understanding drug resistance in LAD cells. Therefore, inactivation of hsa_circ_0003998 or activation of miR-326 could be a novel approach for the treatment of LAD.

Pseudorapidity Dependence of Particle Production and Elliptic Flow in Asymmetric Nuclear Collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

Asymmetric nuclear collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV provide an excellent laboratory for understanding particle production, as well as exploring interactions among these particles after their initial creation in the collision. We present measurements of charged hadron production dN_{ch}/dη in all such collision systems over a broad pseudorapidity range and as a function of collision multiplicity. A simple wounded quark model is remarkably successful at describing the full data set. We also measure the elliptic flow v_{2} over a similarly broad pseudorapidity range. These measurements provide key constraints on models of particle emission and their translation into flow.

Comprehensive proteomics analysis of exosomes derived from human seminal plasma

Exosomes are membranous nanovesicles of endocytic origin that carry and transfer regulatory bioactive molecules and mediate intercellular communication between cells and tissues. Although seminal exosomes have been identified in human seminal plasma, their exact composition and possible physiologic function remain unknown. The objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive proteomics analysis of exosomes derived from human seminal plasma. Seminal exosomes were isolated and purified from 12 healthy donors using a 30% sucrose cushion‐based exosome‐isolation protocol, followed by characterization by western blot, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis before performing extensive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry proteomics analysis. The identified proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis, and seminal exosomes‐associated proteins were selectively validated by western blot. A total of 1474 proteins were identified in all seminal exosomes samples, with Gene Ontology analysis demonstrating that these identified seminal exosomes‐associated proteins were mostly linked to ‘exosomes,’ ‘cytoplasm,’ and ‘cytosol.’ Bioinformatics analysis indicated that these proteins were mainly involved in biologic processes, including metabolism, energy pathways, protein metabolism, cell growth and maintenance, and transport. Of these identified proteins, PHGDH, LGALS3BP, SEMG1, ACTB, GAPDH, and the exosomal‐marker protein ALIX were validated by western blot. This study provided a more comprehensive description of the seminal exosomes proteome and could also be a resource for further screening of biomarkers and comparative proteomics studies, including those associated with male infertility and prostate cancer.