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Background Fullness of the perioral mound is considered a dissatisfying aspect of premature aging and has become a common complaint of patients seeking facial rejuvenation. Objectives The authors propose a novel concept of improving perioral mound fullness by liposuction and verify its safety and efficacy through cadaver and clinical studies. Methods A cadaver study was conducted to discover the soft tissue structure of the perioral mound region and identify a vital use for liposuction. For clinical evaluation, 37 patients with perioral mound fullness who underwent liposuction were retrospectively reviewed. Results The cadaver study results showed moderate fatty tissue in the subcutaneous layer of the perioral mound region. The liposuction manipulation was limited to the subcutaneous fat layer. Among the 37 patients (including 74 perioral mound regions), the median fat removal volume per perioral mound region was 2.0 (1.2, 2.3) mL. After liposuction, the subcutaneous fat thickness significantly decreased (median 5.0 [3.9, 6.6] mm vs 0.7 [0.4, 1.0] mm per perioral mound region, P < .001). All patients were satisfied with their posttreatment outcomes. Two patients (5.4%) had slight skin hyperpigmentation in the liposuction area after treatment and recovered naturally in 3 months without any intervention. No other complications were noted. Conclusions Liposuction is effective in improving perioral mound fullness with a low risk of complications. Level of Evidence: 4

Gluteal ptosis is a common complication of circumferential liposuction of the thigh. The authors propose a novel concept of combining circumferential liposuction of the thigh with concomitant fat transplantation to the infragluteal/posterior thigh junction region to prevent postliposuction gluteal ptosis.Patients underwent circumferential liposuction of the thigh with or without concomitant fat transplantation from 2015 to 2020 and were retrospectively reviewed. The postoperative changes in the grade of gluteal ptosis, length of hospitalization, time to recovery, postoperative complications, and patient satisfaction were evaluated.A total of 109 patients were enrolled in this study, including 46 patients in the liposuction-only group and 63 patients in the liposuction plus fat transplantation group. There was no significant difference in fat removal volume between the liposuction-only group and the liposuction plus fat transplantation group ( p = 0.152). Aggravation of gluteal ptosis occurred in 43 patients (93.5 percent) in the liposuction-only group and four patients (6.3 percent) in the liposuction plus fat transplantation group ( p0.001). The length of hospitalization and time to recovery was not significantly different between the two groups ( p = 0.402 and p = 0.423, respectively). Complications were rare in both groups. With a minimum evaluation time of 6 months, patients in the liposuction plus fat transplantation group showed significantly higher satisfaction ( p0.001).Concomitant fat transplantation to the infragluteal/posterior thigh junction region during circumferential liposuction of the thigh is effective in preventing postliposuction gluteal ptosis and improving patient satisfaction.Therapeutic, III.

An ovoid, slender face with a smooth contour is preferred in oriental esthetics. We developed a novel concept to achieve a slimmer and harmonious midface contour by liposuction of the projection area of the zygomatic arch.A cadaver study including anatomical dissection and histologic examination were conducted to better understand the soft tissue structure of the projection area of the zygomatic arch and the vital technique for liposuction. For the clinical evaluation, 49 patients with midface hypertrophy who underwent liposuction of the zygomatic arch area from January 2016 to June 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.Cadaver study showed that abundant fatty tissue existed in the subcutaneous layer of the zygomatic arch area. The liposuction manipulation was precisely limited to the subcutaneous fat layer, and nerve branches were observed in the deeper loose areolar tissue plane. Of the 49 patients enrolled in this study (including 98 zygomatic arch areas), the median fat removal volume per zygomatic arch area was 3.0 (2.0, 5.0) mL. The subcutaneous fat thickness was significantly decreased postoperatively [median 9 (6, 10) mm vs. 1 (1, 2) mm per zygomatic arch area, Plt; 0.001]. All patients were satisfied with their postoperative outcomes. Only three patients underwent slight depression of the liposuction area during making facial expression after surgery and subsequently recovered.Liposuction of the zygomatic arch area is effective in improving midface hypertrophy and achieving a harmonious facial contour with a low risk of complications.This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Hearing loss is a major health problem worldwide. Numerous attempts at regenerating functional hair cells (HCs) have been unsuccessful, but little is known about the main barrier that prevents us from achieving it and improving the hearing ability after damage. Here, we developed anin vivogenetic mouse model, by which the inner HCs (IHCs), the primary sound receptors innervated by the auditory neurons, were specifically damaged and the neighboring nonsensory supporting cells (SCs) were transformed into IHCs by ectopic expression of transient Atoh1 and permanent Tbx2. Despite ∼477 new IHCs were regenerated per cochlea and their differentiation status was more advanced than reported previously, no significant hearing improvement was achieved. By taking advantage of this unique model, we further found that the new IHCs expressed the functional marker vGlut3, harbored the similar transcriptomic profiles and electrophysiological properties as the endogenous IHCs. However, the mechanosensory transduction (MET) current could not be recorded in the new IHCs. Thus, our study indicated that the defective MET should be the main barrier that stops us from restoring the hearing capacity in the damaged cochlea and would pave the way for regenerating IHCsin vivo.

There is no conclusive evidence comparing the efficacy of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to the other guidelines recommended pharmacotherapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we aim to compare the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists, pioglitazone and vitamin E in patients with NAFLD. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library up to 11 April 2022. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing GLP-1 receptor agonists, pioglitazone and vitamin E against placebo or other active controls in patients with NAFLD were included. Nine RCTs including 1482 patients proved eligible. GLP-1 receptor agonists ranked first in steatosis, ballooning necrosis, γ-glutamyl transferase, body weight, body mass index, and triglycerides. Administration of GLP-1 receptor agonists, as compared with placebo, was associated with improvement in liver histology [steatosis (OR = 4.11, 95% CI: 2.83, 5.96), ballooning necrosis (OR = 3.07, 95% CI: 2.14, 4.41), lobular inflammation (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.68), fibrosis (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.20)]. GLP-1 receptor agonists were as effective as pioglitazone and vitamin E for liver histology among patients with NAFLD. GLP-1 receptor agonists might be considered as an alternative or complementary treatment in the future clinical practice.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global public health problem. Lifestyle modifications aimed at promoting weight loss and weight maintenance remain the current first-line treatments for NAFLD.We aim to identify barriers and enabling factors in weight management among patients with NAFLD using the capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour.This study adopted a qualitative design using semistructured interviews analysed with content analysis and the COM-B framework.Interviews were conducted with 27 patients with NAFLD who experienced successful or unsuccessful weight reduction.Our study included 27 participants: 15 participants with successful weight loss (successful weight loss refers to a decrease in body weight ≥7% of the initial body weight for patients with NAFLD) and 12 participants with unsuccessful weight loss. Thirty-five themes (19 barriers and 16 facilitators) were mapped onto the COM-B model as barriers and facilitators to weight management among patients with NAFLD. The key barriers were lack of time and energy, lack of awareness of weight, lack of attention to NAFLD, treating food as a reward or compensation and social entertainment. The key facilitators were having basic weight loss knowledge and skills, strong motivation, attention to NAFLD, unsuccessful weight loss experiences and positive feedback from phased success.In addition to identifying factors consistent with existing studies, this study identified factors that influence weight management in NAFLD patients, such as basic weight loss skills and rational thinking before weight loss, which were not previously reported. This has clinical implications for clinical healthcare providers and health management services for the improvement of education and support regarding lifestyle improvement and weight management in patients with NAFLD.We recruited potential participants from the Bariatric Clinic, Hepatology Clinic and Physical Examination Center of hospitals between March 2021 and October 2021. Twenty-seven patients with NAFLD who had successful or unsuccessful weight loss experiences participated in the study and responded to questions on weight management.

Importance: Lip deformities that occur after treatment of vascular anomalies treatment are often followed by serious local cicatricial adhesion and mucosa atrophy that can complicate reconstruction methods involving simple fat grafting or local flap transfer. Objective: To develop a novel technique that combines flap transfer with nanofat grafting that can be used to reconstruct the upper lip after treatment of vascular anomalies. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective study of a consecutive series of 24 patients with upper lip deformities (13 female and 11 male) aged between 7 and 24 years old was conducted. Of these, 15 patients were treated with nanofat grafting alone and 9 cases were treated with nanofat grafting combined with flap transfer (6 inferior- and 3 superior-based flaps). Main Outcomes and Measures: The appearance, symmetry, and smooth of upper lips with deformities before and after surgery were compared as the main outcome. Results: Among the patients examined, 15 achieved satisfactory results after undergoing multiple nanofat grafting treatments. The remaining nine patients who had serious deformities of the upper lip were treated using a combination of nanofat grafting and flap transfer. For these nine patients, postoperative results showed that the final appearance of the lips was generally symmetrical and smooth. Functional problems such as whistling defects were effectively corrected and no significant complications occurred. The aesthetic symmetry was higher for inferior flaps than for superior flaps and the incision scar for superior flaps was more obvious than for inferior flaps. Conclusion and Relevance: The technique combining nanofat autografting with local flap transfer for upper lip reconstruction was demonstrated to be effective, safe, and simple to perform. These findings suggest that this combined technique can be easily performed to achieve good results with only mild undercorrection.

Atoh1 is essential for the development of both outer hair cells (OHCs) and inner hair cells (IHCs) in the mammalian cochlea. Whereas Ikzf2 is necessary for OHC development, the key gene required for IHC development remains unknown. We found that deletion of Tbx2 in neonatal IHCs led to their transdifferentiation into OHCs by repressing 26.7% of IHC genes and inducing 56.3% of OHC genes, including Ikzf2. More importantly, persistent expression of Tbx2 coupled with transient Atoh1 expression effectively reprogrammed non-sensory supporting cells into new IHCs expressing the functional IHC marker vGlut3. The differentiation status of these new IHCs was considerably more advanced than that previously reported. Thus, Tbx2 is essential for IHC development and co-upregulation of Tbx2 with Atoh1 in supporting cells represents a new approach for treating deafness related to IHC degeneration.

Atoh1 is essential for the development of outer hair cells (OHCs) and inner hair cells (IHCs) in the mammalian cochlea. Whereas Ikzf2 is necessary for OHC development, the key gene for IHC development remains unknown. We found that deleting Tbx2 in neonatal IHCs led to their trans-differentiation into OHCs, by repressing 26.7% of IHC and inducing 56.3% of OHC genes, including Ikzf2. More importantly, persistent expression of Tbx2 together with transient Atoh1 effectively reprogramed non-sensory supporting cells into new IHCs expressing functional IHC marker vGlut3. The differentiation status of these new IHCs is much more advanced than those previously reported. Thus, Tbx2 is essential for IHC development, and its co-upregulation with Atoh1 in supporting cells represents a new approach for treating IHC degeneration-related deafness.

Backgrounds Many aging women with upper lid dermatochalasis pluck their lower lateral eyebrows to combat lateral drooping. The authors present and evaluate outcomes of a modified excision blepharoplasty method performed using a transbrow excision approach instead of infra/suprabrow access to more efficiently correct upper eyelid dermatochalasis. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective review of 192 patients who underwent transbrow excision blepharoplasty (TBEB) between 2014 and 2019 at the Plastic Surgery Hospital of Beijing in China. The clinical features, complications, and outcomes of patients were reviewed. The Strasser grading system was used to evaluate surgical results postoperatively. Aesthetic improvement was subjectively judged by the patients. Results All 192 patients (aged 25-72 years old, mean 46 years old) were reviewed and followed up for 6 months to 2 years. Patients were evaluated after 1 week and after at least 6 months. All patients reported an improved aesthetic appearance of the lateral periorbital area, and 174 patients (90.6%) rated their results as satisfactory. No serious complications were related to the procedure. Conclusions TBEB is used to correct problems that are not adequately managed by conventional excision blepharoplasty. Among 192 patients evaluated over 5 years, excision of the transbrow skin pad sufficiently reduced the redundancy of the upper eyelid and achieved an acceptable appearance of the periorbital area, where the postoperative location of a subtle scar defined a desired youthful brow position. In selected patients, this is an effective and safe method that uses patient-observed features to provide an alternate cosmetic approach.

Under the influence of a high-speed, interrupted-cutting impact load, the damage degree quickly increases following any structural damage in a milling cutter. The presence of structural damage must be explored given the fact that these conditions may result in irreparable and serious accidents if not immediately detected. Milling cutter damage has multi-scale characteristics. Therefore, the single-scale damage research method cannot reveal the formation and evolution of the multi-scale damage of a milling cutter, which makes it difficult to identify and control the damage of a milling cutter. The damage scales of a milling cutter are divided according to the multi-scale characteristics of milling cutter damage. Based on continuum mechanics, the dislocation theory, and molecular dynamics, the damage characterization method of the macrostructure, lattice structure, and mesoscopic structure of a milling cutter were proposed in this study. Utilizing the multi-scale finite element method and the force connection method, the loading boundary conditions of the multi-scale damage of a milling cutter were established in order to achieve a trans-scale load transfer. The damage characteristics of the macrostructure, lattice structure, and mesoscopic structure of the milling cutter were studied, and the critical value of the multi-scale damage characteristic variable of the milling cutter was obtained. Thereby, the damage position, types, and size and damage occurrence sequences of the milling cutter were revealed, and the damage formation process and the characteristics of the milling cutter were clarified. Based on this, a method for recognizing the multi-scale damage in a milling cutter was proposed and verified by experiments. The results showed that the above method could effectively identify multi-scale damage characteristics and reveal the formation and evolution process of the damage of a high-efficiency milling cutter.

Autologous fat grafting is common in facial reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries; the most important drawbacks are the high absorption rate and unpredictable volume retention rate. Surgeons usually make clinical judgements based on their own experience. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically and quantitatively review the volume retention rate of facial autologous fat grafting and analyse the relevant influencing factors. A systematic literature review was performed using the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases in October 2019 for articles that reported objectively measured volume retention rates of facial fat grafting. Patient characteristics, fat graft volumetric data, and complications were collected. A meta-analysis using a random-effects model was conducted to pool the estimated fat retention rate. Relevant factors were analysed and reviewed on the basis of subgroups. We included 27 studies involving 1011 patients with facial fat grafting. The volume retention rate varied from 26 to 83%, with a mean follow-up of 3–24 months. The overall pooled retention rate was 47% (95% CI 41–53%). The volume measurement method significantly influenced the reported retention rate. A trend towards better retention was found for secondary fat grafting procedures and patients with congenital deformities. Only 2.8% of all patients had complications. The exact percentage of facial fat grafts retained is currently unpredictable; the reported rate varies with different estimation methods. This review analysed studies that provided objectively measured volume retention rates, the pooled average percentage of facial fat graft retention (47%, 95% CI 41–53%), and relevant factors. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Dapagliflozin as a treatment option in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has received increasing attention, however, the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin for NAFLD has not been well assessed. This meta-analysis aimed to summarize these RCTs and evaluate the efficacy of dapagliflozin for patients with NAFLD.The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for RCTs comparing dapagliflozin with placebo or active comparator in patients with NAFLD from inception to Oct 2021.We included seven trials with 390 randomized participants in total. Compared to the placebo or control group, dapagliflozin could reduce the levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) (WMD: -6.62U/L; 95%CI: -12.66,-0.58; p = 0.03) and aspartate aminotransaminase(AST) (WMD: -4.20U/L; 95%CI: -7.92,-0.47; p = 0.03). However, dapagliflozin produced a non-significant decrease in gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (WMD: -7.28U/L; 95%CI: -16.26,1.71; p = 0.11). Additionally, we showed that dapagliflozin significantly affect Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (WMD: -0.88; 95%CI: -1.43,-0.33; p = 0.002). Metabolic outcomes, such as bodyweight (WMD: -3.79 Kg; 95%CI: -4.63,-2.95; p 0.00001), body mass index (BMI) (WMD: -1.33 Kg/mOur results suggest that dapagliflozin effectively improves liver function parameters and metabolic outcomes among patients with NAFLD. At the same time, treatment with dapagliflozin may increase total cholesterol.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased prevalence of psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. However, the correlation between NAFLD and depression has not been well illustrated.Studies that investigate the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and depression were searched in multiple electronic databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) of the included articles were calculated using a fixed- or random effects model.A total of seven articles were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with those without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, individuals with it had a significantly increased risk of depression (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.24, p = 0.007), and there was evidence that heterogeneity was not significant (IThe majority of the included articles in this study are cross-sectional studies and could not elucidate the causal relationship, so further longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship.Nonalcoholic fatty liver and depression are highly correlated, the two interact with each other and have a high risk of comorbidities. In the future more high quality prospective studies will be needed to validate our results.

Fat grafting procedures are considered to be a promising regenerative, cell-directed therapy; however, their survival is mainly influenced by ischemia condition. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), as an intermediate in energy metabolism, has the potential to rescue cells and tissues from hypoxic-ischemic circumstances. In the present study, human lipoaspirates were grafted subcutaneously into nude mice followed by a daily intraperitoneal injection of FBP at different doses for 7 days. Next, the grafts were harvested at different time points till 12 weeks postimplantation and were evaluated for cell viability and function, tissue revascularization and inflammatory cell infiltration using histological analysis, whole-mount living tissue imaging, glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity assays, and quantitative analysis of gene expression. The results demonstrated that exogenous FBP administration could attenuate the volume and weight reduction of fat graft; meanwhile, FBP enhanced adipocyte viability and function, increased blood vessel formation, and decreased inflammation. Moreover, in vitro cell experiments showed that FBP could promote adipose-derived stem cell viability and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression in ischemia conditions. Our study indicates that FBP can be used as a protective agent for fat grafting and may be applied in stem cell-based regenerative medicine. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:606–616

Background: Overaggressive liposuction of the infragluteal region can lead to iatrogenic infragluteal fold deformity and result in aesthetic defect of gluteal contour.Case presentation: We report a case of using autologous fat transplantation to correct severe post-liposuction infragluteal fold deformity. In the process of reconstruction, the patient experienced fat graft over absorbed, fat graft translocation and gluteal ptosis aggravation. Despite multiple operations, the effect of fat transplantation is limit.Conclusions: Severe post-liposuction infragluteal deformity is very difficult to correct. We suggest that the infragluteal region should be reserved as possible during liposuction to avoid deformity.

Background Upper arm liposuction mainly focuses on the posterolateral region, which may lead to a lack of harmony between the aspirated and unaspirated areas. In addition, the treatment effect of arm liposuction is often evaluated only by preoperative and postoperative photograph comparison and simple measurement; quantitative research on this topic is still lacking. Methods The multi-positional circumferential arm liposuction (MCAL) technique was proposed and applied to a total of 34 females in our hospital from 2017 to 2019. Three-dimensional data of 12 patients before the operation and after 2–3 months were collected and processed by 3D imaging, and the volume reduction rate was evaluated quantitatively. Results The MCAL method was successfully applied in the clinic, and its surgical effect was quantitatively studied. The mean follow-up time of 12 patients was (75.2 ±13.1) days, and the postoperative volume was significantly reduced. The postoperative volume of patients with type I, type II and type III decreased by (10.79 ±2.55)%, (17.25 ±3.02)% and (22.76 ±3.51)%, respectively. Conclusion Our new MCAL technique was successful, maximizing the esthetic results in upper limb contour refinements in the superficial fascial layer. The clinical efficacy of this proposed MCAL method was evaluated by CT and 3D digital technology, which provided further accuracy in demonstrating its effect on the shape of the arm. Level of evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors https://www.springer.com.

Under the influence of a high-speed, interrupted-cutting impact load, a great difference is existed among the internal load propagation of a milling cutter. Furthermore, the cutter damage caused by partial particle severe vibration has restricted the improvement of a high-speed milling energy efficiency; thus, the essence of wave dynamics damage in milling cutter remains has yet to be revealed. In this paper, through the relation between the systematic whole vibration and the particle motion, the dynamic response of milling cutter’s particle to cutting force load can be solved by the particle motion differential equation which is constructed with a one-dimensional string dynamic system. A combination of Newton’s second law and the constitutive equation of milling cutter material establishes the wave dynamics equation of milling cutter components. An approach for solving the wave front position and wave velocity of milling cutter’s stress wave is proposed, and the propagation path of transient cutting force to the milling cutter is communicated. The attenuation model of stress wave reflection is established to provide a method for revealing the stress wave transmission and distribution in milling cutter. The constitutive relation of milling cutter components under the impact load is obtained by split Hopkinson pressure bar experiment. A force connection method is adopted to make the trans-scale correlation analysis between continuum medium mechanics and molecular dynamics, thereby revealing the wave dynamics damage characteristics of a high-speed milling cutter. The results show that the potential damage position and types of milling cutter can be distinguished by the above method.

Effects of lentinan on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity in liver of burn rats with sepsis were investigated. To mimic the clinical sepsis after burn, rats were subjected to 30% full-thickness scald injury, followed by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Seventy-two adult rats were randomly divided into six groups: the normal control group (n=12); the burn sepsis group (n=12); the burn sepsis with positive drugs; the burn sepsis with low-dose lentinan treatment group (50.0 mg/kg, n=12); the burn sepsis with middle-dose lentinan treatment group (100.0 mg/kg, n=12) and the burn sepsis with high-dose lentinan treatment group (200.0 mg/kg, n=12). Expression of NF-κB in the liver was measured with western blot analysis. The morphology of liver was evaluated with hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of NF-κB significantly increased in the liver of burn rats with sepsis. Compared with the burn sepsis group, lentinan treatment obviously reduced the damage of hepatic cell morphology, and decreased the activity of NF-κB significantly in the medium and high concentrations of lentinan treatment groups (P

For reliable use of lithium ion batteries, their cyclic property must be further improved. Several phase separating materials called zero strain electrodes are very promising because they possess negligible lattice mismatches at the phase interface and significantly reduce the mechanically induced deterioration. However, the structures and chemistry of actual phase interfaces are still not well understood in this class of materials. In this study, the phase interfaces of Li1+xRh2O4 cubic spinel, one of the stable zero strain cathodes, are analyzed in an atomic scale using high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF)/annular bright-field (ABF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Electrochemically induced phase interfaces can be clearly visualized in the ABF STEM images, where they tend to lie on {111} crystallographic lattice planes. The zero strain nature near the observed interface can be confirmed by real space strain analysis, which is in good agreeme...

which highly prevents ion-insertionfor bivalent Mg-ions compared with that for monovalent Li-ions. We suggest that both delocalized electronic structure and highdimensional ion-channel are necessary to realize reversible cathodes of Mg-ion battery with high capacity.© The Author(s) 2014. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0941501jes] All rights reserved.Manuscript submitted August 22, 2014; revised manuscript received October 20, 2014. Published December 1, 2014.

The remnant auricular cartilage from microtia has become a valuable cell source for ear regeneration. It is important to clarify the issue of whether the genetically defective microtia chondrocytes could engineer cartilage tissue comparable to healthy ear chondrocytes. In the current study, the histology and cell yield of native microtia and normal ear cartilage were investigated, and the biological characteristics of derived chondrocytes examined, including proliferation, chondrogenic phenotype and cell migration. Furthermore, the in vivo cartilage-forming capacity of passaged microtia and normal auricular chondrocytes were systematically compared by seeding them onto polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid scaffold to generate tissue engineered cartilage in nude mice. Through histological examinations and quantitative analysis of glycosaminoglycan, Young's modulus, and the expression of cartilage-related genes, it was found that microtia chondrocytes had a slower dedifferentiation rate with the decreased expression of stemness-related genes, and weaker migration ability than normal ear chondrocytes, and the microtia chondrocytes-engineered cartilage was biochemically and biomechanically inferior to that constructed using normal ear chondrocytes. This study provides valuable information for the clinical application of the chondrocytes derived from congenital microtia to engineer cartilage. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.