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Objective: To study the anatomy of cutaneous blood vessels of the scent pig, and to provide an animal model for research in plastic surgery., Methods: Seven Chinese mini-pigs (scent pigs) were used in the study., Results: 1. The scent pig is small, easy to house, rich in panniculus adiposus. 2. The origin of cutaneous blood vessels is divided into three types: the musculo-cutaneous perforator, the intermuscular septal perforator and the direct cutaneous vessel. There are some differences in distribution, size, and architecture from the characteristics of that of human being. 3. The architecture of cutaneous vessels could be divided into four vascular plexuses: the profound vascular plexus, middle vascular plexus, superficial vascular plexus of the superficial fascia and the subdermal vascular plexus. 4. The density of vessels and vessel plexuses in the neck and trunk is higher than that of the legs., Conclusion: In terms of the morphology of cutaneous blood vessels, the scent pig is an ideal animal model for skin flap study.

Objective: An anatomical study was carried out to examine the existence of the inframammary crease ligament., Methods: 18 breasts of preserved female cadavers were dissected and dyed for the fascia., Results: The so-called inframammary crease ligament described by other authors does not exist., Conclusion: The reinforced Cooper's ligament supports the inframammary fold in position.

Objective: To study the innervation of the musculus temporalis and improve the successful rate of the operation for paralytic eyelid ectropion., Methods: Anatomic dissection was performed in 12 fresh cadavers., Results: The data show that the distance between the outer canthus and the crus helicis is 8.733 +/- 1.311 cm. The deep temporal nerve spread radially to the edge of musculus temporalis at 3.852 +/- 0.353 cm and 6.317 +/- 0.330 cm at a 60-degree angle to the horizontal line. The rami of the deep temporal nerve rise at a 60-degree angle to the horizontal line in 3 parts from the outer canthus to the crus helicis., Conclusion: In transferring the temporal muscle to treat paralytic ectropion, it is safe to make incisions at the middle one-third between the outer canthus and the crus helicis. The discovery has been used to treat 32 patients with eyelid ectropion of facial palsy, among whom 30(93.8%) got good results.

Objective: To further understand the distribution and course of the frontal branch of the facial nerve in the temporal and zygomatic areas., Methods: Facial dissection was performed on 9 cadaver heads(18 sides)., Results: It was found that the frontal of the facial nerve had 3 to 7 divisions (average 5) instead of one. The divisions of the frontal branch showed no constant course and distributed nearly all over the zygomatic arch. We divided the zygomatic arch into 3 equal parts and found that the middle third had the highest density of the branch distribution, accounting for 44.44% of the total divisions; the anterior third and the lateral third possessed 38.89% and 16.66% of the total divisions respectively. These divisions entered deeply into the temporoparietal fascia(the superficial temporal fascia). The divisions in the anterior third of the zygomatic arch innervate the lower and lateral orbicularis oculi muscle; the divisions in the middle third innervate the lateral orbicularis oculi muscle and the frontal muscle; the divisions in the lateral third innervate the frontal muscle and the anterior auricularis., Conclusion: We recommend discriminating the layers of the soft tissue over the zygomatic arch, not limiting the dissection range of the zygomatic arch to avoid damaging the nerve divisions while doing subperiosteal dissection of the zygomatic arch in facelifting.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the SMAS and the facial nerve divisions in the cheek area., Method: We dissected 12 cadaver heads(24 sides)., Results: 1. SMAS distributed over the middle face. It became thinner as it extended forward and there was a small aperture lateral to the mouth. The branches of facial nerve lay directly beneath the parotidomassetric fascia after emerging from the parotid gland. 2. The frontal branch penetrated the deep fascia to the SMAS at about 0.5 cm below the zygomatic arch. 3. Some buccal branches went through the cheek fat pad while the others lay on its surface directly under the thin SMAS. 4. There was constantly a zygomatic ramus went into the upper one third of the zygomaticus. It innervated the lower and lateral orbicularis oculi muscle in 9 of 24 sides (37.5%) of the cadaver heads, zygomaticus major and minor and orbicularis oculi muscle in 8 of 24 sides (33.3%), and the zygomaticus major and minor in 7 of 24 sides (29.2%)., Conclusion: During facelifting, wide dissection of the SMAS should be done directly above the parotidomassetric fascia and 0.5 cm below the zygomatic arch. While approaching the middle face, the dissection should be limited to the lower two third of the zygomaticus, followed by elevating the zygomatic fat. The authors dissect the nasolabial fold through the lower eyelid incision, then the dissection should go downwards, under the orbicularis oculi muscle, to the nasolabial area. In a clinical situation, care must be taken not to damage the facial nerve trunk, and dissection of the upper one third of the zygomaticus should be avoided.

Effects of local use of sulfadiazine (SD) zinc, SD silver in the wound and skin transplantation on the combined injury of 6 Gy radiation and 15% TBSA burn were investigated in the present study. In the three groups of SD zinc or SD silver plus skin grafting at 15 d after combined injury and SD zinc alone, the 15-day survival rates were 63%, 69% and 75% respectively, and significantly higher than that of control group (42%). The repair time of burn wound was shorter and the number of white blood cells was lower than that of control. Animals in the group of local use of SD silver followed by skin grafting on the 7th day all died, but all of the animals survived when the skin grafting was performed after 15 days. These results suggested that SD zinc and SD silver showed some therapeutic effects on the combined radiation-burn injury. In critical phase of the combined injury, surgical operation should be prohibited. However, in the recovery phase, skin transplantation could be performed.

To search ideal flaps for facial defect repair, the authors performed dissection in the submental region of 20 cadavers. Different methods were used in the anatomic study. It is concluded that 1. there is a submental artery and two concomitant veins on each side of the submental region; 2. four types of flaps can be formed; 3. the flap can be transferred as a free or pedicled flap; 4. while creating the flap, the anterior belly of the bigastric muscle should be included and the branches of the facial nerve and inferior alveolar nerve must be protected. With the well-matched color and texture, the flap of the submental region is suitable for facial defect repair.

Twenty adult cadavers were used to study the vessels of the flag flap in the dorsum of the finger with careful dissection and measurement. The results indicate: 1. The main blood supply to the dorsum of the finger comes from the cutaneous branches of the proper palmar digital artery. The dorsal digital artery is short and small, taking part in the blood supply of the dorsal digital skin of the proximal phalanges. 2. The veins communicate with each other, forming the first, the second and the third venous arch at the level of the distal phalangeal joint, the proximal phalangeal joint and the middle of the proximal phalanges. 3. The third venous arch is big. Proximally, the veins grouped to form radial and ulnar trunks, which communicate with the dorsum veins. 4. There are almost no veins in the area between the radial and ulnar venous trunk, which might be called the "vein lacking area." 5. The venous trunk, radial or ulnar, locates 4.1 +/- 0.1 mm from the midline of the finger dorsum at the middle of the proximal phalanges, and 5.2 +/- 0.2 mm at the metacarpophalangeal joint. Based on the results, we described the anatomical characteristics, the principle of design and the survival mechanism of the flag flap.

The changes of several immune functions were observed in rats after they were inflicted with 6 Gy gamma rays irradiation, 15% TBSA full thickness brun and the combination of the 2 injuries. It was found that the functions of thymocytes and splenoctyes suffered the most severe suppression in the 24th to 72nd hour after radiation injury and began to recover on the 7th day. In the rats with burn injury, the suppression on thymocytes and splenocytes were significantly less severe than that after radiation and recovered more rapidly. The effects of combined radiation-burn injury showed several characteristics. The suppression on the thymocytes was more severe with slower recovery as compared with that after single radiation injury only. The suppression on the splenocytes as a whole was similar to that after single radiation injury, but in the early stage after combined injury, the suppression was far more severe than that after radiation. Escharectomy and skin grafting on the burn wounds on the 1st day after combined injury could accelerate the recovery on both the thymocytes and splenocytes. Our findings indicated that the severity of the suppression on the immune functions due to combined radiation-burn injury might depend on the size of the burn wounds.

Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was increased obviously in rats after 3 days of normobaric hypoxic exposure and reached a maximum at 14 days of hypoxia. It remained at the same level during prolonged hypoxic exposure of up to 21 days. Right ventricular weight (RV/LV+S) and hydroxyproline (HP) content in the pulmonary artery began to increase at day 7. HP content had increased much faster than the relative rate of increase of PAP after 14 days, but HP content in the thoracic aorta showed no change. The relative proportion of type I to III collagen increased significantly, and compliance of the pulmonary vessels obviously decreased. All parameters returned to the normal range within 14 days after recovery from hypoxia, except for HP content as expressed per vessel. 764-3 treatment obviously attenuated most of the changes caused by hypoxia, though it had no effect on compliance of the pulmonary vessels. It is suggested that collagen, especially type I collagen, accumulation may play an important role in maintaining pulmonary hypertension. 764-3 has certain protective effects and may be useful in the treatment of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Anisodamine (ADM, 654-2, 30 mg/kg) and tetramethylpyrazine (TMP, 120 mg/kg) have shown an apparent preventive effect on pulmonary edema (PE). In this study, the nonhemodynamic mechanism was studied: The dynamic changes of PaO2, O2Sat, PaCO2, and blood pH were measured, and RBC superoxide dismutase (SOD) and plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) PGE2 levels were estimated. It was concluded that ADM and TMP exerted inhibitory effects on the hypoxic state. The ability of ADM and TMP to adjust RBC SOD and PGE2 levels may be one of the preventive mechanisms of the drugs.

In in situ perfused rat lungs, it was demonstrated that the perfusing pressure and permeability of pulmonary capillaries were obviously increased after activated neutrophils (PMNs) were added to the perfusate. The effect of free radicals generated by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system on isolated rabbit pulmonary arterial ring tension was also observed, and the contractile response was found to be dose dependent: The smaller the vessel diameter, the higher the contractile response. Superoxide dismutase and catalase were able to obviously attenuate the contractile response. The response was endothelium independent, and was influenced neither by indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) nor by nordihydroguaiaretic acid (lipoxygenase inhibitor), while removal of Ca from the bath solution or addition of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor "H7" or an antiinflammatory drug (764-3, the effective component of Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae) could significantly inhibit the contractile response. The results suggest that activated PMNs may play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension.

With the purpose of evaluating the therapeutic effect of colchicine on lung fibrosis in rats, bleomycin A5 (BLM-A5) was injected intratracheally to produce a lung fibrosis model. The animals were then treated with colchicine, 50 micrograms/d i.m. One month later, collagen fiber deposition scores (stained by Masson trichrome) were significantly lower in the treated group than in the untreated group (P less than 0.01). This result was proved further by assaying total lung hydroxyproline content (P less than 0.05). Histopathologic findings showed that the proliferation of fibroblasts dropped slightly in the treated group as compared with the untreated group. From this study, we conclude that colchicine has certain antifibrotic effects and may be used in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.