No abstract

Soft tissue defects of the forefoot represent a challenging surgical modality to reconstructive microsurgeons. This study describes the anatomical basis and design of the perforator‐based intermediate dorsal pedal neurocutaneous vascular flap. Thirty fresh human lower limb specimens were injected with red latex and used for dissection of the dorsal vascular and neural anatomy of the foot. The direction and distribution of the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve and the vascular anatomy of the third dorsal artery of the plantar arch, along with the intermediate dorsal neurocutaneous nutrient vessels, were mapped. A simulated flap elevation procedure was performed on one fresh cadaver specimen. A clinical series of five cases is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of using the perforator‐based intermediate dorsal pedal neurocutaneous vascular flap to reconstruct soft‐tissue defects of the forefoot. The intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve usually originates from the lateral branch of the superficial peroneal nerve. Crossing the surface of the cruciate ligament, it descends distally to the proximal part of the fourth intermetatarsal space and divides into the third and fourth dorsal metatarsal branches. The intermediate dorsal cutaneous neural nutrient vessels, which are multi‐segmental and polyphyletic, offer innervation to the skin paddle of the flap elevated on the basis of the third dorsal perforator of the plantar arch. This perforator occupies a relatively constant position in the proximal part of the intermetatarsal space. It sends multiple tiny branches toward the intermediate dorsal cutaneous neural or paraneural nutrient vessel chain. In terms of clinical application, all flaps survived completely; one patient had partial loss of the skin graft. The design and anatomical basis of the intermediate dorsal pedal neurocutaneous vascular flap based on the third dorsal perforator of the plantar arch is a reliable reconstructive option for reconstructing small soft tissue defects in the forefoot. Clin. Anat. 31:1077–1084, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In this work, zeolite, a porous material with a 3D network structure, was introduced as the carrier to support P/Ag/Ag2O/Ag3PO4/TiO2 (PAgT) composite for synthesizing the 3D-zeolite–modified photocatalyst (Z-PAgT). In this combination, zeolite with strong adsorbability can pre-adsorb and condense organic compounds onto the catalyst surface, thereby helping to speed up the photocatalytic reaction. In the present study, to determine the optimum mass ratio of zeolite to photocatalyst, various samples containing different zeolite additions (0 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 25 wt%) were prepared using the hydrothermal method, respectively. The physical–chemical properties of the as-prepared samples were systematically characterized by different analytical techniques, including XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, EDX, UV-Vis, and PL. The results revealed that the obtained Z-PAgT-5 sample possessed relatively higher crystallinity, smaller crystalline size, larger specific surface area, narrow band gap, and lower generated electron-hole recombination rate. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (Rh B) in aqueous suspension has been employed to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared photocatalysts with simulated solar light as an irradiation source. The results showed that Z-PAgT-5 performed the highest photodegradation efficiency, and its degradation rate constant (kapp) (0.188 min−1) is much higher than that of Z-PAgT-0 (0.132 min−1), Z-PAgT-10 (0.050 min−1), Z-PAgT-25 (0.037 min−1), and pure zeolite (0.003 min−1). This super photocatalytic activity of Z-PAgT-5 toward Rh B degradation can be ascribed to the synergistic effect between the 3D-zeolite and PAgT photocatalyst, which made the hybrid zeolite-photocatalyst material possess good adsorption and photodegradation properties. In addition, repetitive experiments demonstrated that the improved Rh B degradation efficiency of Z-PAgT-5 was well maintained even after five recycling runs without any obvious decrease. Hence, the obtained results indicated that Z-PAgT-5 material can be used as a potential photocatalyst for treating organic pollutants during wastewater environmental remediation.