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Radiation Therapy (RT) constitutes an integral part of oncological treatment. Skin changes following RT can range from dermatitis to non-healing ulcer. The advances in delivery of radiation like Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and its further developments have reduced the incidence of these complications. However, patients who had received RT much earlier before the era of IMRT can manifest these complications many years later. Hereby, Authors report a 66-year-old male who presented with an ulcer in the epigastric region, which was not healing for more than 10 years. Patient had Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) resection at that area followed by radiation 20 years ago. The ulcerative skin was resected and covered with oblique paraumbilical perforator flap. The histopathology examination done on excised specimen was confirmed as radiation related skin ulcer and was negative for tumour cells. Oblique paraumbilical perforator flap is ideally suited for coverage of epigastric region as done in present case. It has multiple advantages such as good matching skin quality and texture, reliable blood supply and primary closure of the donor site.

Aims/Introduction: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)19 has been shown to improve glycemic homeostasis and lipid metabolism in animal models. In humans, decreased FGF19 level has been described in diabetes. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of FGF19 in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients. Materials and Methods: Samples for measurement were obtained from 20 women with GDM and 25 healthy controls. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels of FGF19, FGF21 and co‐receptor β‐klotho (KLB) in the placenta, rectus muscle and subcutaneous fat tissues were quantified by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results: Women with GDM had significantly lower mRNA and protein expressions of FGF19 than control women in the placenta (mRNA 0.33 ± 0.05 vs 0.72 ± 0.09; protein 0.34 ± 0.13 vs 0.85 ± 0.20) and rectus muscle (mRNA 0.83 ± 0.11 vs 1.28 ± 0.19; protein 0.78 ± 0.24 vs 1.23 ± 0.39). However, there were no significant differences between GDM women and controls with respect to the expression levels of FGF21 and β‐klotho in the placenta and rectus muscle. There were almost no detectable FGF19 and FGF21 expressions in subcutaneous fat tissue. Furthermore, β‐klotho expression levels were not different between the GDM and control group in subcutaneous fat. Conclusions: FGF19 expressions are decreased in the placenta and rectus muscle of women with GDM. This might contribute to the pathophysiology or development of GDM. FGF19 expressions are decreased in GDM women's placenta and rectus muscle. This may contribute to the pathophysiology or development of GDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) changes in the sciatic nerve (SN) in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats during aging., Methods: Eighteen healthy SD rats were selected at the age of 1 month (1M) and 24 months (24M) and SNs were collected. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were established according to differentially expressed genes (DEGs)., Result: As the length of lncRNAs increased, its proportion to the total number of lncRNAs decreased. A total of 4079 DElncRNAs were identified in Con vs. 24M. GO analysis was primarily clustered in nerve and lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix, and vascularization-related fields. There were 17 nodes in the PPI network of the target genes of up-regulating genes including Itgb2, Lox, Col11a1, Wnt5a, Kras, etc . Using quantitative RT-PCR, microarray sequencing accuracy was validated. There were 169 nodes constructing the PPI network of down-regulated target genes, mainly including Col1a1, Hmgcs1, Hmgcr. CeRNA interaction networks were constructed., Conclusion: Lipid metabolism, angiogenesis, and ECM fields might play an important role in the senescence process in SNs. Col3a1, Serpinh1, Hmgcr, and Fdps could be candidates for nerve aging research., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Keloids are considered the manifestation of a fibroproliferative disease characterized by chronic inflammation that is induced following skin injury. Deciphering the underlying mechanism of keloid formation is essential for improving treatment outcomes. Here, we found that more macrophages were activated toward the M2 subtype in keloid dermis when compared with normal dermis. Western blotting revealed that the level of phosphorylated STAT6 (p-STAT6), a known inducer of M2 polarization, was higher in keloid fibroblasts as opposed to fibroblasts from normal dermis. Moreover, keloid fibrosis was shown to be positively correlated with the level of p-STAT6. Further, we identified downregulation of IL-13RA2, a decoy receptor for IL-13, in keloid fibroblasts compared with fibroblasts from normal dermis. Ectopic expression of IL-13RA2 in keloid fibroblasts resulted in inhibition of STAT6 phosphorylation, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, extracellular matrix secretion, and myofibroblast marker expression, as well as an increase in apoptosis. Consistently, knockdown of IL-13RA2 in normal fibroblasts induced a keloidal status. Furthermore, both in vitro application and intratumoral injection of p-STAT6 inhibitor AS1517499 in a patient-derived xenograft keloid-implantation mouse model resulted in proliferation inhibition and tissue necrosis, apoptosis, and myofibroblast marker reduction. Collectively, this study elucidates the key role of IL-13RA2 in keloid pathology and inspires further translational research of keloid treatment concerning JAK/STAT6 inhibition.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of core fat transfer by comparing with traditional Coleman technique., Methods: The fat was obtained from 11 patients scheduled for fat transfer by 2 ways: Coleman's method and core fat graft. The latter was harvested by a modified 1 mL syringe. Then 48 nude mice at the age of 3-4 weeks, male or female, weighing 8.6-12.2 g, were divided into 2 groups randomly (n = 24). The dorsal subcutaneous space was recipient site. In the experimental group, 0.5 mL core fat was transplanted into dorsal subcutaneous space; in the control group, 0.5 mL fat obtained by Coleman's method was transplanted into the same site. The appearance of the back was observed after operation; fat specimens were procured at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after operation for the gross, histological, and immunohistochemical observations; and the residual weight of free fat-graft was calculated by the difference between pre- and post-operative mouse weights. The glucose transportation quantities and cell viability were measured immediately after obtaining fat. Facial augmentation procedure was performed with core fat graft in 11 patients with local depressed deformity between May 2010 and October 2011., Results: The uplift of the back was maintained in the experimental group, but the back of mice became flat in the control group at 2 weeks postoperatively. There was no significant difference in the weight of fat-graft between 2 groups (P > 0.05). The residual weight of fat-graft in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group at the other time (P < 0.05, except for 2nd week postoperatively). The histological observation showed good cell morphology and well-distributed vessels in the experimental group, but obvious destruction of the cells and most vessels at the edge of fat-graft in the control group. The normal fat cells in the experimental group were significantly more than those in the control group after operation (P < 0.05), except for 2nd week). The capillaries in the experimental group were fewer than those in the control group, showing significant differences at 1 week and 2 weeks (P < 0.05) and no significant difference at 4 and 8 weeks (P > 0.05). The glucose transportation quantities in the experimental group [(1.462 +/- 0.080) mmol/L] was significantly higher than that in the control group [(1.153 +/- 0.199)mmol/L] (t = 3.317, P = 0.021). The higher cell viability was also proved in the experimental group. Eleven patients were followed up 2-9 months, and no obvious atrophy or collapses was observed at recipient site., Conclusion: Compared with Coleman technique, core fat graft can keep the structure and viability of harvested fat tissue by avoiding certain damages of fat cell. Therefore, the earlier anastomoses between the host and core graft fat can reduce tissue loss and improve the fat survival. So it is recommended for enblock fat graft.

Objective: To review the recent progress of BMSCs acting as seeding cell for tissue engineered cartilage., Methods: The recent ten years literature about BMSCs acting as seeding cell for tissue engineered cartilage was extensively reviewed., Results: Scaffold provided an optimal environment for the growth of BMSCs. Cytokine and gene delivery could promote BMSCs to differentiate toward chondrocytes. All of them played important roles in the field of cartilage tissue engineering., Conclusion: The improvement of three-dimensional scaffolds, the rational use of cytokine, and the enhancement of gene delivery will promote the development of clinical cartilage reconstruction.