Background: Primary non-function(PNF) and early allograft failure(EAF) after liver transplantation(LT) seriously affect patient outcomes. In clinical practice, effective prognostic tools for early identifying recipien...Background: Primary non-function(PNF) and early allograft failure(EAF) after liver transplantation(LT) seriously affect patient outcomes. In clinical practice, effective prognostic tools for early identifying recipients at high risk of PNF and EAF were urgently needed. Recently, the Model for Early Allograft Function(MEAF), PNF score by King's College(King-PNF) and Balance-and-Risk-Lactate(BAR-Lac) score were developed to assess the risks of PNF and EAF. This study aimed to externally validate and compare the prognostic performance of these three scores for predicting PNF and EAF. Methods: A retrospective study included 720 patients with primary LT between January 2015 and December 2020. MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac scores were compared using receiver operating characteristic(ROC) and the net reclassification improvement(NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI) analyses. Results: Of all 720 patients, 28(3.9%) developed PNF and 67(9.3%) developed EAF in 3 months. The overall early allograft dysfunction(EAD) rate was 39.0%. The 3-month patient mortality was 8.6% while 1-year graft-failure-free survival was 89.2%. The median MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac scores were 5.0(3.5–6.3),-2.1(-2.6 to-1.2), and 5.0(2.0–11.0), respectively. For predicting PNF, MEAF and King-PNF scores had excellent area under curves(AUCs) of 0.872 and 0.891, superior to BAR-Lac(AUC = 0.830). The NRI and IDI analyses confirmed that King-PNF score had the best performance in predicting PNF while MEAF served as a better predictor of EAD. The EAF risk curve and 1-year graft-failure-free survival curve showed that King-PNF was superior to MEAF and BAR-Lac scores for stratifying the risk of EAF. Conclusions: MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac were validated as practical and effective risk assessment tools of PNF. King-PNF score outperformed MEAF and BAR-Lac in predicting PNF and EAF within 6 months. BAR-Lac score had a huge advantage in the prediction for PNF without post-transplant variables. Proper use of these scores will help early identify PNF, standardize grading of EAF and reasonably select clinical endpoints in relative studies.展开更多
Background: Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms(BMCNs) are rare hepatobiliary cystic tumors, which can be divided into noninvasive and invasive types. This study aimed to investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and progno...Background: Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms(BMCNs) are rare hepatobiliary cystic tumors, which can be divided into noninvasive and invasive types. This study aimed to investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of BMCNs in a large single center. Methods: We analyzed 49 patients with BMCNs confirmed by postoperative pathology at the First Afflliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January 2007 and December 2021. Results: Among the 49 patients, 37 were female(75.5%), and the average age was 57.04 years. Common symptoms included abdominal discomfort, jaundice and fever, while 22 patients(44.9%) had no symptoms. Serum carbohydrate antigen(CA) 19-9 and CA125 concentrations were elevated in 34.8% and 19.6% of patients, respectively. Forty-eight patients had tumors in the intrahepatic bile ducts and only one had a tumor in the extrahepatic bile duct. Forty-eight patients with noninvasive intrahepatic BMCNs were further analyzed in terms of pathological features: 34(70.8%) had low-grade intraepithelial neoplasms(LGINs), and 14(29.2%) had high-grade intraepithelial neoplasms(HGINs). The potential immunohistochemical markers of BMCNs were cytokeratin(CK) 19, CK7, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. Follow-up data for 37 patients with intrahepatic BMCNs were obtained. The median overall survival(OS) of BMCNs was not reached. The longest survival time was 137 months.The 5-and 10-year OS rates were 100% and 85.4%, respectively. The 5-and 10-year recurrence-free survival(RFS) rates were 93.9% and 80.2%, respectively. Conclusions: BMCNs are rare cystic neoplasms that commonly occur in middle-aged females. BMCNs can only be diagnosed and classified by postoperative pathology, as there are no specific clinical presentations, serological indicators or imaging modalities for preoperative diagnosis. Complete surgical resection is necessary for BMCNs, and the postoperative prognosis is favorable.展开更多
AIM To investigate the underlying mechanisms of the protective role of remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) in rat liver transplantation. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham, orthotopic liver transp...AIM To investigate the underlying mechanisms of the protective role of remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) in rat liver transplantation. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham, orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) or RIPerC. After 3 h reperfusion, blood samples were taken for measurement of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine (Cr) and creatinine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB). The liver lobes were harvested for the following measurements: reactive oxygen species (ROS), H2O2, mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m) and total nitric oxide (NO). These measurements were determined using an ROS/H2O2, JC1 and Total NOx Assay Kit, respectively. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) and western blotting, and peroxynitrite was semiquantified by western blotting of 3-nitrotyrosine. RESULTS Compared with the OLT group, the grafts subjected to RIPerC showed significantly improved liver and remote organ functions (P < 0.05). ROS (P < 0.001) including H2O2 (P < 0.05) were largely elevated in the OLT group as compared with the sham group, and RIPerC (P < 0.05) reversed this trend. The collapse of Delta psi m induced by OLT ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was significantly attenuated in the RIPerC group (P < 0.001). A marked increase of NO content and phosphoserine eNOS, both in protein and mRNA levels, was observed in liver graft of the RIPerC group as compared with the OLT group (P < 0.05). I/R-induced 3-nitrotyrosine content was significantly reduced in the RIPerC group as compared with the OLT group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the RIPerC and IPostC groups for all the results except Cr. The Cr level was lower in the RIPerC group than in the IPostC group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Liver graft protection by RIPerC is similar to or better than that of IPostC, and involves inhibition of oxidative stress and up-regulation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO pathway.展开更多
AIM:To investigate the significance of pre-transplant neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) in determining the prognosis of liver transplant(LT) recipients with acuteon-chronic liver failure(ACLF).METHODS:Data were collect...AIM:To investigate the significance of pre-transplant neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) in determining the prognosis of liver transplant(LT) recipients with acuteon-chronic liver failure(ACLF).METHODS:Data were collected from the liver transplantation data bank.The NLR values and other conventional inflammatory markers were evaluated for their ability to predict the prognosis of 153 patients with ACLF after LT.The NLR cut-off value was based on a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.A Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to define the independent risk factors for poor outcomes.RESULTS:The optimal NLR cut-off value was 4.6.Out of 153 patients,83(54.2%) had an NLR ≥ 4.6.The 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival rates were 94.3%,92.5% and 92.5%,respectively,in the normal NLR group and 74.7%,71.8% and 69.8%,respectively,in patients with high NLRs(P < 0.001).Furthermore,there was a significant difference in infectious complications after LT between the high and normal NLR groups.There were no significant differences for other complications.In the multivariate Cox regression model,a high NLR was defined as a significant predictor of poor outcomes for LT.CONCLUSION:A high NLR is a convenient and available predictor for prognosis of LT patients and can potentially optimize the current criteria for LT in ACLF.展开更多
AIM: To optimize the perfusates used for hypothermicmachine perfusion(HMP).METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to three groups(n = 12 per group) that received either saline, University of Wisconsin col...AIM: To optimize the perfusates used for hypothermicmachine perfusion(HMP).METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to three groups(n = 12 per group) that received either saline, University of Wisconsin coldstorage solution(UW) or histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution(HTK) as the perfusate. Each group was divided into two subgroups: static cold storage(SCS) and HMP(n = 6 per subgroup). The liver graft was retrieved according to the method described by Kamada. For the SCS group, the graft was directly placed into cold perfusate(0-4?℃) for 6 h after liver isolation while the portal vein of the graft was connected to the perfusion machine for the HMP group. Then the perfusates were collected at different time points for analysis of aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine transaminase(ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) levels. Liver tissues were obtained for evaluation of histology, dry/wet weight(D/W) ratio, and malondialdehyde(MDA) and adenosine-triphosphate(ATP) levels. The portal vein pressure and velocity were monitored in real time in all HMP subgroups.RESULTS: Comparison of HMP and SCS: Regardless of the perfusate, HMP improved the architecture of donor graft in reducing the congestion around sinusoids and central vein and maintaining sinusoid lining in morphology; HMP improved liver function in terms of ALT, AST and LDH, especially during the 3-6 h period(SCS vs HMP using saline: ALT3, 225.00 ± 105.62 vs 49.50 ± 18.50, P = 0.047; LDH3, 1362.17 ± 563.30 vs 325.75 ± 147.43, P = 0.041; UW: LDH6, 2880.14 ± 948.46 vs 2135.00 ± 174.27, P = 0.049; HTK, AST6, 307.50 ± 52.95 vs 185.20 ± 20.46, P = 0.041); HMP decreased MDA level(saline, 2.79 ± 0.30 vs 1.09 ± 0.09, P = 0.008; UW, 3.01 ± 0.77 vs 1.23 ± 0.68, P = 0.005; HTK, 3.30 ± 0.52 vs 1.56 ± 0.22, P = 0.006). Comparison among HMP subgroups: HTK showed less portal vein resistance than UW and saline(vs saline, 3.41 ± 0.49 vs 5.00 ± 0.38, P < 0.001; vs UW, 3.41 ± 0.49 vs 4.52 ± 0.63, P = 0.007); UW reduced edema most efficiently(vs saline, 0.68 ± 0.02 vs 0.79 ± 0.05, P = 0.013), while HTK maintained ATP levels best(vs saline, 622.60 ± 29.11 vs 327.43 ± 44.66, P < 0.001; vs UW, 622.60 ± 29.11 vs 301.80 ± 37.68, P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: HMP is superior to SCS in maintaining both architecture and function of liver grafts. Further, HTK was found to be the optimal perfusate for HMP.展开更多
AIM To study the influence of different doses of tacrolimus(FK506)on gut microbiota after liver transplantation(LT)in rats.METHODS Specific pathogen-free Brown Norway(BN)rats and Lewis rats were separated into five gr...AIM To study the influence of different doses of tacrolimus(FK506)on gut microbiota after liver transplantation(LT)in rats.METHODS Specific pathogen-free Brown Norway(BN)rats and Lewis rats were separated into five groups:(1)Tolerance group(BN-BN LT,n=8);(2)rejection group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);(3)high dosage FK506(FK506-H)group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);(4)middle dosage FK506(FK506-M)group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);and(5)low dosage FK506(FK506-L)group(LewisBN LT,n=8).FK506 was administered to recipients at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg,0.5 mg/kg,and 0.1 mg/kg body weight for 29 d after LT to the FK506-H,FK506-M,and FK506-L groups,respectively.On the 30^(th) day after LT,all rats were sampled and euthanized.Blood samples were harvested for liver function and plasma endotoxin testing.Hepatic graft and ileocecal tissues were collected for histopathology observation.Ileocecal contents were used for DNA extraction,Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and digital processing of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE)profiles and analysis.RESULTS Compared to the FK506-H and FK506-L groups,FK506-M was optimal for maintaining immunosuppression and inducing normal graft function;the FK506-M maintained gut barrier integrity and low plasma endotoxin levels;furthermore,DGGE results showed that FK506-M induced stable gut microbiota.Diversity analysis indicated that FK506-M increased species richness and rare species abundance,and cluster analysis confirmed the stable gut microbiota induced by FK506-M.Phylogenetic tree analysis identified crucial bacteria associated with FK506-M;seven of the nine bacteria that were decreased corresponded to Bacteroidetes,while increased bacteria were of the Bifidobacterium species.FK506-M increased Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium spp.and decreased Bacteroides-Prevotella and Enterobacteriaceae,as assessed by RT-PCR,which confirmed the crucial bacterial alterations identified through DGGE.CONCLUSION Compared to the low or high dosage of FK506,an optimal dosage of FK506 induced immunosuppression,normal graft function and stable gut microbiota following LT in rats.The stable gut microbiota presented increased probiotics and decreased potential pathogenic endotoxin-producing bacteria.These findings provide a novel strategy based on gut microbiota for immunosuppressive dosage assessment for recipients following LT.展开更多
AIM To investigate the protective mechanism of mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) in rat remote ischemic perconditioning (RIC) models and revalidate it in alpha mouse liver-12 (AML-12) hypoxia cell lines. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats ...AIM To investigate the protective mechanism of mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) in rat remote ischemic perconditioning (RIC) models and revalidate it in alpha mouse liver-12 (AML-12) hypoxia cell lines. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (n = 6 each): sham, orthotopic liver transplantation and RIC. After operation, blood samples were collected to test alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. The liver lobes were harvested for histopathological examination, western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR. AML-12 cell lines were then subjected to normal culture, anoxic incubator tank culture (hypoxia) and anoxic incubator tank culture with Mfn2 knockdown (hypoxia + Si), and data of qRT-PCR, WB, mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m), apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ concentrations and mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations were collected. RESULTS Both sham and normal culture groups showed no injury during the experiment. The RIC group showed amelioration of liver function compared with the orthotopic liver transplantation group (P < 0.05). qRTPCR and WB confirmed that Mfn2-mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake 1/2 (MICUs) axis was changed (P < 0.005). In AML-12 cell lines, compared with the hypoxia group, the hypoxia + Si group attenuated the collapse of..m and apoptosis (P < 0.005). The endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ decrease and mitochondrial Ca2+ overloading observed in the hypoxia group were also attenuated in the hypoxia + Si group (P < 0.005). Finally, qRT-PCR and WB confirmed the Mfn2-MICUs axis change in all the groups (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION Mfn2 participates in liver injury in rat RIC models and AML-12 hypoxia cell lines by regulating the MICUs pathway.展开更多
The International Organ Protection Symposium was held in Toronto,Canada on May 15–16,2019.This symposium focused on the fusion of engineering and medicine,bringing together experts in organ transplantation,organ repa...The International Organ Protection Symposium was held in Toronto,Canada on May 15–16,2019.This symposium focused on the fusion of engineering and medicine,bringing together experts in organ transplantation,organ repair,artificial organs,precision medicine,automation,micro and nanotechnologies.This letter highlights some of the innovative and impactful presentations in this symposium.Dr.Mitesh Badiwala,Director of Heart Transplantation Program at University Health Network,gave a speech of“Cardiac transplant advances in donation after circulatory death”.Dr.Badiwala introduced the history of heart transplantation and the donor organ shortage crisis.He pointed out that ex-situ heart perfusion allows the resuscitation of donation after circulatory death and expand organ pool.He reviewed the contemporary heart transplant research after circulatory death and shared his experience.At the end of his speech he showed the current challenges and future directions in heart donation after circulatory death.展开更多
Background: With the increased use of extended-criteria donors, static cold storage has failed to provide optimal preservation of liver grafts, resulting in early allograft dysfunction and long-term complications Mach...Background: With the increased use of extended-criteria donors, static cold storage has failed to provide optimal preservation of liver grafts, resulting in early allograft dysfunction and long-term complications Machine perfusion(MP) is a beneficial alternative preservation strategy for donor livers, particularly fo those considered to be of suboptimal quality, and could expand the limited donor pool. Data sources: A comprehensive search in Pub Med, EMBASE, Ovid databases and Clinical Trials.gov website was conducted using the medical subject heading terms "machine perfusion", "machine preservation""liver transplantation", combined with free text terms such as "hypothermic", "normothermic" and "sub normothermic". The deadline for the search was September 30, 2017. Results: MP can be classified as hypothermic, subnormothermic, and normothermic with the tempera ture maintained at 0–12 °C, 25–34 °C and 35–38 °C, respectively. Twelve clinical trials of MP have been reported in recent years. MP effectively decreased AST/ALT level and the incidence of early allograft dys function. However, the graft and patient survival rate after MP were similar to static cold storage. The detailed clinical characteristics such as liver function, graft survival, patient survival and early allograf dysfunction were reviewed.Conclusions: Clinical trial results showed that MP improves delayed graft function, primary non-function and biliary strictures. However, MP still requires validation in large clinical trials and the key parameters during MP still require optimization.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the effect of the ‘‘minimizing tacrolimus' ' strategy on long-term survival of patients after liver transplantation(LT).METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 319 patients who rec...AIM: To investigate the effect of the ‘‘minimizing tacrolimus' ' strategy on long-term survival of patients after liver transplantation(LT).METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 319 patients who received LT between January 2009 and December 2011 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Following elimination of ineligible patients, 235 patients were included in the study. The relationship between early tacrolimus(TAC)exposure and survival period was analyzed by Kaplan Meier curves. Adverse effects related to TAC were eval-uated by the χ2 test. Routine monitoring of blood TAC concentration(TC) was performed using the PRO-TracTM Ⅱ Tacrolimus Elisa Kit(Diasorin, United States). RESULTS: Of 235 subjects enrolled in the study, 124(52.8%) experienced adverse effects due to TAC. When evaluating mean TC, the survival time of patients with a mean TC < 5 ng/mL was significantly shorter than that in the other groups(911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1381.1 ± 66.1 d, 911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1327.3 ± 47.8 d, 911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1343.2 ± 83.1 d, P < 0.05), while the survival times of patients with a mean TC of 5-7, 7-10 and 10-15 ng/mL were comparable. Adverse effects due to TAC in all four groups were not significantly different. When comparing the standard deviation(SD) of TC among the groups, the survival time of patients with a SD of 2-4 was significantly longer than that in the other groups(1388.8 ± 45.4 d vs 1029.6 ± 131.3 d, 1388.8 ± 45.4 d vs 1274.9 ± 57.0 d, P < 0.05), while in patients with a SD < 2 and SD > 4, the survival time was not statistically different. Adverse effects experienced in all three groups were not statistically different. In Cox regression analysis, male patients and those with a primary diagnosis of benign disease, mean TC > 5 ng/mL and TC SD 2-4 had better outcomes.CONCLUSION: The early ‘‘minimizing tacrolimus' ' strategy with a mean TC of 5-10 ng/mL and SD of 2-4 was beneficial in terms of long-term survival after LT.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Liver transplantation is the therapy of choice for patients with end-stage liver diseases. However, the gap between the low availability of organs and high demand is continuously increasing. Innovative st...BACKGROUND： Liver transplantation is the therapy of choice for patients with end-stage liver diseases. However, the gap between the low availability of organs and high demand is continuously increasing. Innovative strategies for organ protection are necessary to expand donor pool and to achieve better outcomes for liver transplantation. The present review analyzed and compared various strategies of liver protection.DATA SOURCES： Databases such as PubM ed, Embase and Ovid were searched for the literature related to donor liver protection strategies using following key words： ＂ischemia reperfusion injury＂, ＂graft preservation＂, ＂liver transplantation＂, ＂machine perfusion＂ and ＂conditioning＂. Of the 146 studies identified,only those with cutting edge strategies were analyzed.RESULTS： A variety of therapeutic approaches were proposed to alleviate graft ischemia/reperfusion injury, which included static cold storage, machine perfusion （hypothermic, normothermic and subnormothermic）, manual conditioning （pre,post and remote）, and pharmacological conditioning. Evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials suggested that all these strategies could potentially protect liver graft; however, their clinical applications are limited partially due to their own disadvantages.CONCLUSIONS： There are a plenty of methods suggested to decrease the degree of donor liver transplantation-related injury. However, none of these approaches is perfect in clinical practice. More translational researches （molecular and clinical studies） are needed to improve the techniques in liver graft protection.展开更多
Dawei was in intensive care unit on a ventilator.He was declared brain death after a traffic accident.At visiting time,his younger brother Dayong told me their final decision to give up the subsequent treatment.“We ...Dawei was in intensive care unit on a ventilator.He was declared brain death after a traffic accident.At visiting time,his younger brother Dayong told me their final decision to give up the subsequent treatment.“We don’t have enough money and medical insurance,we can’t afford further treatment”,he said.展开更多
The 2018 Joint International Congress of ILTS,ELITA and LICAGE were held in Lisbon,Portugal on May 23–26,2018.The exciting and innovative program brought together 1144 experts in liver transplantation(LT)such as surg...The 2018 Joint International Congress of ILTS,ELITA and LICAGE were held in Lisbon,Portugal on May 23–26,2018.The exciting and innovative program brought together 1144 experts in liver transplantation(LT)such as surgeons,physicians or basic scientists from 61 countries.The presentations included 110 invited speakers,181 oral presentations,and 545 posters.This editorial highlights some of the most innovative and impactful presentations in展开更多
BACKGROUND： The established procedure for ABO-incompatible liver transplantation（ABO-I LT） was too complicated to be used in case of emergency. We developed a protocol consisting of rituximab and intravenous immuno...BACKGROUND： The established procedure for ABO-incompatible liver transplantation（ABO-I LT） was too complicated to be used in case of emergency. We developed a protocol consisting of rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin（IVIG） for ABO-I LT in patients with acute liver failure（ALF）.METHODS： The data from 101 patients who had undergone liver transplantation（LT） for ALF were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into two groups： ABO-compatible liver transplantation group（ABO-C LT, n=66） and ABO-I LT group（n=35）. All the patients in the ABO-I LT group received a single dose of rituximab（375 mg/m2） and IVIG（0.4 g/kg per day） at the beginning of the operation. IVIG was administered for 10 consecutive days after LT. Plasma exchange, splenectomy and graft local infusion were omitted in the protocol.Quadruple immunosuppressive therapy including basiliximab,corticosteroids, tacrolimus and mycophenolatemofetil was used to reinforce immunosuppression.RESULTS： The 3-year cumulative patient survival rates in the ABO-I LT and ABO-C LT groups were 83.1% and 86.3%,respectively（P〉0.05）, and the graft survival rates were 80.0%and 86.3%, respectively（P〉0.05）. Two patients（5.7%） suffered from antibody-mediated rejection in the ABO-I LT group.Other complications such as acute cellular rejection, biliary complication and infection displayed no significant differences between the two groups.CONCLUSIONS： The simplified treatment consisting of rituximab and IVIG prevented antibody-mediated rejection for LT of blood-type incompatible patients. With this treatment, the patients did not need plasma exchange, splenectomy and graft local infusion. This treatment was safe and efficient for LT of the patients with ALF.展开更多
Background: Ischemia reperfusion injury(IRI) causes postoperative complications and influences the outcome of the patients undergoing liver surgery and transplantation. Postconditioning(Post C) is a known manual condi...Background: Ischemia reperfusion injury(IRI) causes postoperative complications and influences the outcome of the patients undergoing liver surgery and transplantation. Postconditioning(Post C) is a known manual conditioning to decrease the hepatic IRI. Here we aimed to optimize the applicable Post C protocols and investigate the potential protective mechanism.Methods: Thirty Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the sham group(n = 5),standard orthotopic liver transplantation group(OLT, n = 5), Post C group(OLT followed by clamping and re-opening the portal vein for different time intervals, n = 20). Post C group was then subdivided into 4 groups according to the different time intervals:(10 s × 3, 10 s × 6, 30 s × 3, 60 s × 3, n = 5 in each subgroup). Liver function, histopathology, malondialdehyde(MDA), myeloperoxidase(MPO), expressions of p-Akt and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS) related genes were evaluated.Results: Compared to the OLT group, the grafts subjected to Post C algorithm(without significant prolonging the total ischemic time) especially with short stimulus and more cycles(10 s × 6) showed significant alleviation of morphological damage and graft function. Besides, the production of reactive oxidative agents(MDA) and neutrophil infiltration(MPO) were significantly depressed by Post C algorithm. Most of ERS related genes were down-regulated by Post C(10 s × 6), especially ATF4, Casp12, hspa4, ATF6 and ELF2, while p-Akt was up-regulated.Conclusions: Post C algorithm, especially 10 s × 6 algorithm, showed to be effective against rat liver graft IRI. These protective effects may be associated with its antioxidant, inhibition of ERS and activation of p-Akt expression of reperfusion injury salvage kinase pathway.展开更多
To the Editor:Liver transplantation(LT)has become a major and effective therapeutic approach for end-stage liver disease[1].However,10-year graft and patient survival rates remained low with 54%and 61%,respectively[2]...To the Editor:Liver transplantation(LT)has become a major and effective therapeutic approach for end-stage liver disease[1].However,10-year graft and patient survival rates remained low with 54%and 61%,respectively[2].Improving the outcome of long-term LT has become a major focus of the transplantation community.展开更多
We present an analysis of the metallicity and star formation activities of H II regions in the interacting system Arp 86, based on the first scientific observations using mulri-object spectroscopy with the 2.16 m tele...We present an analysis of the metallicity and star formation activities of H II regions in the interacting system Arp 86, based on the first scientific observations using mulri-object spectroscopy with the 2.16 m telescope at the Xinglong Observing Station. We find that the oxygen abundance gradient in Arp 86 is flatter than that in normal disk galaxies, which confirms that gas inflows caused by tidal forces during encounters can flatten the metallicity distributions in galaxies. The companion galaxy NGC 7752 is currently experiencing a galaxy-wide starburst with a higher star for- marion rate surface density than the main galaxy NGC 7753, which can be explained in that the companion galaxy is more susceptible to the effects of interaction than the primary. We also find that the galaxy 2MASX J23470758＋2926531 has similar abun- dance and star formation properties to NGC 7753, and may be a part of the Arp 86 system.展开更多
Background:Remote ischemic perconditioning(RIPerC)has been demonstrated to protect grafts from hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI).This study investigated the role of exosomes in RIPerC of liver grafts in rats.Me...Background:Remote ischemic perconditioning(RIPerC)has been demonstrated to protect grafts from hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI).This study investigated the role of exosomes in RIPerC of liver grafts in rats.Methods:Twenty-five rats(including 10 donors)were randomly divided into five groups(n=5 each group):five rats were used as sham-operated controls(Sham),ten rats were for orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT,5 donors and 5 recipients)and ten rats were for OLT+RIPerC(5 donors and 5 recipients).Liver architecture and function were evaluated.Results:Compared to the OLT group,the OLT+RIPerC group exhibited significantly improved liver graft histopathology and liver function(P<0.05).Furthermore,the number of exosomes and the level of P-Akt were increased in the OLT+RIPerC group.Conclusions:RIPerC effectively improves graft architecture and function,and this protective effect may be related to the increased number of exosomes.The upregulation of P-Akt may be involved in underlying mechanisms.展开更多
Introduction Organ transplantation increases survival and improves qual-ity of life to many patients with end-stage organ failure.Or-gan shortage is a worldwide problem that restricts organ trans-plantation[1].Organ p...Introduction Organ transplantation increases survival and improves qual-ity of life to many patients with end-stage organ failure.Or-gan shortage is a worldwide problem that restricts organ trans-plantation[1].Organ procurement and preservation as well as ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI)after transplantation are the im-portant factors affecting prognosis of recipients.Since the de-velopment of organ transplantation technology in the 20th cen-tury,organ protection technology has been a most promising con-cept in this field.Organ preservation solutions such as the Collins solution,University of Wisconsin(UW)solution,and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate(HTK)solution were developed sequen-tially[2],which developed rapidly in static cold storage(SCS)tech-niques.SCS remains the standard preservation technique for organ transplantation[2].展开更多
Acute cellular rejection(ACR) remains a major concern after liver transplantation.Predicting and monitoring acute rejection by non-invasive methods are very important for guiding the use of immunosuppressive drugs.Man...Acute cellular rejection(ACR) remains a major concern after liver transplantation.Predicting and monitoring acute rejection by non-invasive methods are very important for guiding the use of immunosuppressive drugs.Many studies have shown that exosomes and their contents are potential biomarkers for various liver diseases.Here,we identify and validate the role of exosomes and galectin-9 in ACR after liver transplantation.Exosomes were isolated from three sets of paired patients,with and without ACR,and the proteins within the exosomes were isolated and identified.Candidate proteins were then validated using a tissue microarray containing resected liver samples from 73 ACR and 63 non-rejection patients.Finally,protein expression and clinical manifestations were included in KaplanMeier survival and Cox regression analyses.Circulating exosomes were isolated from ACR and non-rejection patients and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and western blotting for CD63/CD81.Western blotting experiments revealed higher levels of galectin-9 protein in circulating exosomes from ACR recipients.Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissue microarray showed that the expression of galectin-9 in resected liver was significantly higher in the ACR group than in the non-rejection group(P<0.05).Higher levels of galectin-9 expression in resected livers were associated with poorer prognosis(P<0.05).Exosome-derived galectin-9 may be a novel predictor of rejection and prognosis after liver transplantation.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the National Nat-ural Science Foundation of China (81570587 and 81700557)the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory Construction Projection on Organ Donation and Transplant Immunology (2013A061401007 and 2017B030314018)+3 种基金Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Funds for Major Basic Science Culture Project (2015A030308010)Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (201704020150)the Natural Science Foundations of Guangdong province (2016A030310141 and 2020A1515010091)Young Teachers Training Project of Sun Yat-sen University (K0401068) and the Guangdong Science and Technology Innovation Strategy (pdjh2022b0010 and pdjh2023a0002)。
文摘Background: Primary non-function(PNF) and early allograft failure(EAF) after liver transplantation(LT) seriously affect patient outcomes. In clinical practice, effective prognostic tools for early identifying recipients at high risk of PNF and EAF were urgently needed. Recently, the Model for Early Allograft Function(MEAF), PNF score by King's College(King-PNF) and Balance-and-Risk-Lactate(BAR-Lac) score were developed to assess the risks of PNF and EAF. This study aimed to externally validate and compare the prognostic performance of these three scores for predicting PNF and EAF. Methods: A retrospective study included 720 patients with primary LT between January 2015 and December 2020. MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac scores were compared using receiver operating characteristic(ROC) and the net reclassification improvement(NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI) analyses. Results: Of all 720 patients, 28(3.9%) developed PNF and 67(9.3%) developed EAF in 3 months. The overall early allograft dysfunction(EAD) rate was 39.0%. The 3-month patient mortality was 8.6% while 1-year graft-failure-free survival was 89.2%. The median MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac scores were 5.0(3.5–6.3),-2.1(-2.6 to-1.2), and 5.0(2.0–11.0), respectively. For predicting PNF, MEAF and King-PNF scores had excellent area under curves(AUCs) of 0.872 and 0.891, superior to BAR-Lac(AUC = 0.830). The NRI and IDI analyses confirmed that King-PNF score had the best performance in predicting PNF while MEAF served as a better predictor of EAD. The EAF risk curve and 1-year graft-failure-free survival curve showed that King-PNF was superior to MEAF and BAR-Lac scores for stratifying the risk of EAF. Conclusions: MEAF, King-PNF and BAR-Lac were validated as practical and effective risk assessment tools of PNF. King-PNF score outperformed MEAF and BAR-Lac in predicting PNF and EAF within 6 months. BAR-Lac score had a huge advantage in the prediction for PNF without post-transplant variables. Proper use of these scores will help early identify PNF, standardize grading of EAF and reasonably select clinical endpoints in relative studies.
基金supported by grants from Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (GF21H030024)the General Scientific Re-search Project of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education (Y202146219)the Postgraduate Education Research Project of Zhejiang University (20220326)。
文摘Background: Biliary mucinous cystic neoplasms(BMCNs) are rare hepatobiliary cystic tumors, which can be divided into noninvasive and invasive types. This study aimed to investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of BMCNs in a large single center. Methods: We analyzed 49 patients with BMCNs confirmed by postoperative pathology at the First Afflliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between January 2007 and December 2021. Results: Among the 49 patients, 37 were female(75.5%), and the average age was 57.04 years. Common symptoms included abdominal discomfort, jaundice and fever, while 22 patients(44.9%) had no symptoms. Serum carbohydrate antigen(CA) 19-9 and CA125 concentrations were elevated in 34.8% and 19.6% of patients, respectively. Forty-eight patients had tumors in the intrahepatic bile ducts and only one had a tumor in the extrahepatic bile duct. Forty-eight patients with noninvasive intrahepatic BMCNs were further analyzed in terms of pathological features: 34(70.8%) had low-grade intraepithelial neoplasms(LGINs), and 14(29.2%) had high-grade intraepithelial neoplasms(HGINs). The potential immunohistochemical markers of BMCNs were cytokeratin(CK) 19, CK7, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. Follow-up data for 37 patients with intrahepatic BMCNs were obtained. The median overall survival(OS) of BMCNs was not reached. The longest survival time was 137 months.The 5-and 10-year OS rates were 100% and 85.4%, respectively. The 5-and 10-year recurrence-free survival(RFS) rates were 93.9% and 80.2%, respectively. Conclusions: BMCNs are rare cystic neoplasms that commonly occur in middle-aged females. BMCNs can only be diagnosed and classified by postoperative pathology, as there are no specific clinical presentations, serological indicators or imaging modalities for preoperative diagnosis. Complete surgical resection is necessary for BMCNs, and the postoperative prognosis is favorable.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81421062the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province,China,No.2016C33145+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81470891the 863 National High Technology Research and Development Program of China for young scientist No.2015AA020923
文摘AIM To investigate the underlying mechanisms of the protective role of remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) in rat liver transplantation. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham, orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) or RIPerC. After 3 h reperfusion, blood samples were taken for measurement of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine (Cr) and creatinine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB). The liver lobes were harvested for the following measurements: reactive oxygen species (ROS), H2O2, mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m) and total nitric oxide (NO). These measurements were determined using an ROS/H2O2, JC1 and Total NOx Assay Kit, respectively. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) and western blotting, and peroxynitrite was semiquantified by western blotting of 3-nitrotyrosine. RESULTS Compared with the OLT group, the grafts subjected to RIPerC showed significantly improved liver and remote organ functions (P < 0.05). ROS (P < 0.001) including H2O2 (P < 0.05) were largely elevated in the OLT group as compared with the sham group, and RIPerC (P < 0.05) reversed this trend. The collapse of Delta psi m induced by OLT ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was significantly attenuated in the RIPerC group (P < 0.001). A marked increase of NO content and phosphoserine eNOS, both in protein and mRNA levels, was observed in liver graft of the RIPerC group as compared with the OLT group (P < 0.05). I/R-induced 3-nitrotyrosine content was significantly reduced in the RIPerC group as compared with the OLT group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the RIPerC and IPostC groups for all the results except Cr. The Cr level was lower in the RIPerC group than in the IPostC group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Liver graft protection by RIPerC is similar to or better than that of IPostC, and involves inhibition of oxidative stress and up-regulation of the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO pathway.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China for Innovative Research Group,No.81121002grants from Scientific Research Project of Education Department of Zhejiang Province,No.Y201223762
文摘AIM:To investigate the significance of pre-transplant neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) in determining the prognosis of liver transplant(LT) recipients with acuteon-chronic liver failure(ACLF).METHODS:Data were collected from the liver transplantation data bank.The NLR values and other conventional inflammatory markers were evaluated for their ability to predict the prognosis of 153 patients with ACLF after LT.The NLR cut-off value was based on a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.A Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to define the independent risk factors for poor outcomes.RESULTS:The optimal NLR cut-off value was 4.6.Out of 153 patients,83(54.2%) had an NLR ≥ 4.6.The 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival rates were 94.3%,92.5% and 92.5%,respectively,in the normal NLR group and 74.7%,71.8% and 69.8%,respectively,in patients with high NLRs(P < 0.001).Furthermore,there was a significant difference in infectious complications after LT between the high and normal NLR groups.There were no significant differences for other complications.In the multivariate Cox regression model,a high NLR was defined as a significant predictor of poor outcomes for LT.CONCLUSION:A high NLR is a convenient and available predictor for prognosis of LT patients and can potentially optimize the current criteria for LT in ACLF.
基金Supported by National Science and Technology Major Project,No.2012ZX10002-017Natural Science Foundation of China for Innovative Research Group,No.81121002+4 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81000137 and No.81470891The Qianjiang Talent Program of Zhejiang Province,China,No.2012R10045the Scientific Research Program for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars,Ministry of Health,China,No.J20112008National High Technology Research and Development Program of China for Young Scientists(863 Program),No.2015AA020923Ministry of Education,Zhejiang Province,China,No.Y201328095
文摘AIM: To optimize the perfusates used for hypothermicmachine perfusion(HMP).METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to three groups(n = 12 per group) that received either saline, University of Wisconsin coldstorage solution(UW) or histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution(HTK) as the perfusate. Each group was divided into two subgroups: static cold storage(SCS) and HMP(n = 6 per subgroup). The liver graft was retrieved according to the method described by Kamada. For the SCS group, the graft was directly placed into cold perfusate(0-4?℃) for 6 h after liver isolation while the portal vein of the graft was connected to the perfusion machine for the HMP group. Then the perfusates were collected at different time points for analysis of aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine transaminase(ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) levels. Liver tissues were obtained for evaluation of histology, dry/wet weight(D/W) ratio, and malondialdehyde(MDA) and adenosine-triphosphate(ATP) levels. The portal vein pressure and velocity were monitored in real time in all HMP subgroups.RESULTS: Comparison of HMP and SCS: Regardless of the perfusate, HMP improved the architecture of donor graft in reducing the congestion around sinusoids and central vein and maintaining sinusoid lining in morphology; HMP improved liver function in terms of ALT, AST and LDH, especially during the 3-6 h period(SCS vs HMP using saline: ALT3, 225.00 ± 105.62 vs 49.50 ± 18.50, P = 0.047; LDH3, 1362.17 ± 563.30 vs 325.75 ± 147.43, P = 0.041; UW: LDH6, 2880.14 ± 948.46 vs 2135.00 ± 174.27, P = 0.049; HTK, AST6, 307.50 ± 52.95 vs 185.20 ± 20.46, P = 0.041); HMP decreased MDA level(saline, 2.79 ± 0.30 vs 1.09 ± 0.09, P = 0.008; UW, 3.01 ± 0.77 vs 1.23 ± 0.68, P = 0.005; HTK, 3.30 ± 0.52 vs 1.56 ± 0.22, P = 0.006). Comparison among HMP subgroups: HTK showed less portal vein resistance than UW and saline(vs saline, 3.41 ± 0.49 vs 5.00 ± 0.38, P < 0.001; vs UW, 3.41 ± 0.49 vs 4.52 ± 0.63, P = 0.007); UW reduced edema most efficiently(vs saline, 0.68 ± 0.02 vs 0.79 ± 0.05, P = 0.013), while HTK maintained ATP levels best(vs saline, 622.60 ± 29.11 vs 327.43 ± 44.66, P < 0.001; vs UW, 622.60 ± 29.11 vs 301.80 ± 37.68, P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: HMP is superior to SCS in maintaining both architecture and function of liver grafts. Further, HTK was found to be the optimal perfusate for HMP.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81672422,No.81600506,and No.81702757Open Project in State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease,No.2015KF03+4 种基金National S&T Major Project of China,No.2018ZX10301201Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province,No.LY15H160033China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,No.2017464Zhejiang Province Health Department Program,No.2014KYB081,and No.2017KY322Academician Jieshou Li Mucosal Barrier Fund,No.201208
文摘AIM To study the influence of different doses of tacrolimus(FK506)on gut microbiota after liver transplantation(LT)in rats.METHODS Specific pathogen-free Brown Norway(BN)rats and Lewis rats were separated into five groups:(1)Tolerance group(BN-BN LT,n=8);(2)rejection group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);(3)high dosage FK506(FK506-H)group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);(4)middle dosage FK506(FK506-M)group(Lewis-BN LT,n=8);and(5)low dosage FK506(FK506-L)group(LewisBN LT,n=8).FK506 was administered to recipients at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg,0.5 mg/kg,and 0.1 mg/kg body weight for 29 d after LT to the FK506-H,FK506-M,and FK506-L groups,respectively.On the 30^(th) day after LT,all rats were sampled and euthanized.Blood samples were harvested for liver function and plasma endotoxin testing.Hepatic graft and ileocecal tissues were collected for histopathology observation.Ileocecal contents were used for DNA extraction,Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and digital processing of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE)profiles and analysis.RESULTS Compared to the FK506-H and FK506-L groups,FK506-M was optimal for maintaining immunosuppression and inducing normal graft function;the FK506-M maintained gut barrier integrity and low plasma endotoxin levels;furthermore,DGGE results showed that FK506-M induced stable gut microbiota.Diversity analysis indicated that FK506-M increased species richness and rare species abundance,and cluster analysis confirmed the stable gut microbiota induced by FK506-M.Phylogenetic tree analysis identified crucial bacteria associated with FK506-M;seven of the nine bacteria that were decreased corresponded to Bacteroidetes,while increased bacteria were of the Bifidobacterium species.FK506-M increased Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium spp.and decreased Bacteroides-Prevotella and Enterobacteriaceae,as assessed by RT-PCR,which confirmed the crucial bacterial alterations identified through DGGE.CONCLUSION Compared to the low or high dosage of FK506,an optimal dosage of FK506 induced immunosuppression,normal graft function and stable gut microbiota following LT in rats.The stable gut microbiota presented increased probiotics and decreased potential pathogenic endotoxin-producing bacteria.These findings provide a novel strategy based on gut microbiota for immunosuppressive dosage assessment for recipients following LT.
基金Supported by Science and Technology Innovation Talents Support Plan,Department of Education,Henan Province,China,No.17HASTIT044China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,No.2017M610374
文摘AIM To investigate the protective mechanism of mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) in rat remote ischemic perconditioning (RIC) models and revalidate it in alpha mouse liver-12 (AML-12) hypoxia cell lines. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (n = 6 each): sham, orthotopic liver transplantation and RIC. After operation, blood samples were collected to test alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. The liver lobes were harvested for histopathological examination, western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR. AML-12 cell lines were then subjected to normal culture, anoxic incubator tank culture (hypoxia) and anoxic incubator tank culture with Mfn2 knockdown (hypoxia + Si), and data of qRT-PCR, WB, mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m), apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ concentrations and mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations were collected. RESULTS Both sham and normal culture groups showed no injury during the experiment. The RIC group showed amelioration of liver function compared with the orthotopic liver transplantation group (P < 0.05). qRTPCR and WB confirmed that Mfn2-mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake 1/2 (MICUs) axis was changed (P < 0.005). In AML-12 cell lines, compared with the hypoxia group, the hypoxia + Si group attenuated the collapse of..m and apoptosis (P < 0.005). The endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ decrease and mitochondrial Ca2+ overloading observed in the hypoxia group were also attenuated in the hypoxia + Si group (P < 0.005). Finally, qRT-PCR and WB confirmed the Mfn2-MICUs axis change in all the groups (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION Mfn2 participates in liver injury in rat RIC models and AML-12 hypoxia cell lines by regulating the MICUs pathway.
基金supported by a grant from China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2019T120525)
文摘The International Organ Protection Symposium was held in Toronto,Canada on May 15–16,2019.This symposium focused on the fusion of engineering and medicine,bringing together experts in organ transplantation,organ repair,artificial organs,precision medicine,automation,micro and nanotechnologies.This letter highlights some of the innovative and impactful presentations in this symposium.Dr.Mitesh Badiwala,Director of Heart Transplantation Program at University Health Network,gave a speech of“Cardiac transplant advances in donation after circulatory death”.Dr.Badiwala introduced the history of heart transplantation and the donor organ shortage crisis.He pointed out that ex-situ heart perfusion allows the resuscitation of donation after circulatory death and expand organ pool.He reviewed the contemporary heart transplant research after circulatory death and shared his experience.At the end of his speech he showed the current challenges and future directions in heart donation after circulatory death.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81470891)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2017M610374)+1 种基金Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province,China(2016C33145)Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81421062)
文摘Background: With the increased use of extended-criteria donors, static cold storage has failed to provide optimal preservation of liver grafts, resulting in early allograft dysfunction and long-term complications Machine perfusion(MP) is a beneficial alternative preservation strategy for donor livers, particularly fo those considered to be of suboptimal quality, and could expand the limited donor pool. Data sources: A comprehensive search in Pub Med, EMBASE, Ovid databases and Clinical Trials.gov website was conducted using the medical subject heading terms "machine perfusion", "machine preservation""liver transplantation", combined with free text terms such as "hypothermic", "normothermic" and "sub normothermic". The deadline for the search was September 30, 2017. Results: MP can be classified as hypothermic, subnormothermic, and normothermic with the tempera ture maintained at 0–12 °C, 25–34 °C and 35–38 °C, respectively. Twelve clinical trials of MP have been reported in recent years. MP effectively decreased AST/ALT level and the incidence of early allograft dys function. However, the graft and patient survival rate after MP were similar to static cold storage. The detailed clinical characteristics such as liver function, graft survival, patient survival and early allograf dysfunction were reviewed.Conclusions: Clinical trial results showed that MP improves delayed graft function, primary non-function and biliary strictures. However, MP still requires validation in large clinical trials and the key parameters during MP still require optimization.
基金Supported by National S and T Major Program,No.2012 ZX10002004National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81373160 and No.81302074
文摘AIM: To investigate the effect of the ‘‘minimizing tacrolimus' ' strategy on long-term survival of patients after liver transplantation(LT).METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 319 patients who received LT between January 2009 and December 2011 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Following elimination of ineligible patients, 235 patients were included in the study. The relationship between early tacrolimus(TAC)exposure and survival period was analyzed by Kaplan Meier curves. Adverse effects related to TAC were eval-uated by the χ2 test. Routine monitoring of blood TAC concentration(TC) was performed using the PRO-TracTM Ⅱ Tacrolimus Elisa Kit(Diasorin, United States). RESULTS: Of 235 subjects enrolled in the study, 124(52.8%) experienced adverse effects due to TAC. When evaluating mean TC, the survival time of patients with a mean TC < 5 ng/mL was significantly shorter than that in the other groups(911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1381.1 ± 66.1 d, 911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1327.3 ± 47.8 d, 911.3 ± 131.6 d vs 1343.2 ± 83.1 d, P < 0.05), while the survival times of patients with a mean TC of 5-7, 7-10 and 10-15 ng/mL were comparable. Adverse effects due to TAC in all four groups were not significantly different. When comparing the standard deviation(SD) of TC among the groups, the survival time of patients with a SD of 2-4 was significantly longer than that in the other groups(1388.8 ± 45.4 d vs 1029.6 ± 131.3 d, 1388.8 ± 45.4 d vs 1274.9 ± 57.0 d, P < 0.05), while in patients with a SD < 2 and SD > 4, the survival time was not statistically different. Adverse effects experienced in all three groups were not statistically different. In Cox regression analysis, male patients and those with a primary diagnosis of benign disease, mean TC > 5 ng/mL and TC SD 2-4 had better outcomes.CONCLUSION: The early ‘‘minimizing tacrolimus' ' strategy with a mean TC of 5-10 ng/mL and SD of 2-4 was beneficial in terms of long-term survival after LT.
基金supported in part by grants from the National Science and Technology Major Project (2012ZX10002-017)Natural Science Foundation of China for Innovative Research Group (81121002)+3 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81470891)the Qianjiang Talent Program of Zhejiang Province, China (2012R10045)the 863 National High-Technology Research and Development Program of China for young scientists (2015AA020923)the Scientific Research Program for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Health, China (491010-G51104)
文摘BACKGROUND： Liver transplantation is the therapy of choice for patients with end-stage liver diseases. However, the gap between the low availability of organs and high demand is continuously increasing. Innovative strategies for organ protection are necessary to expand donor pool and to achieve better outcomes for liver transplantation. The present review analyzed and compared various strategies of liver protection.DATA SOURCES： Databases such as PubM ed, Embase and Ovid were searched for the literature related to donor liver protection strategies using following key words： ＂ischemia reperfusion injury＂, ＂graft preservation＂, ＂liver transplantation＂, ＂machine perfusion＂ and ＂conditioning＂. Of the 146 studies identified,only those with cutting edge strategies were analyzed.RESULTS： A variety of therapeutic approaches were proposed to alleviate graft ischemia/reperfusion injury, which included static cold storage, machine perfusion （hypothermic, normothermic and subnormothermic）, manual conditioning （pre,post and remote）, and pharmacological conditioning. Evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials suggested that all these strategies could potentially protect liver graft; however, their clinical applications are limited partially due to their own disadvantages.CONCLUSIONS： There are a plenty of methods suggested to decrease the degree of donor liver transplantation-related injury. However, none of these approaches is perfect in clinical practice. More translational researches （molecular and clinical studies） are needed to improve the techniques in liver graft protection.
基金supported by grants from the Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation(LQ20H030005)the Zhejiang Health Technology Project(2019RC153 and 2020KY126)。
文摘Dawei was in intensive care unit on a ventilator.He was declared brain death after a traffic accident.At visiting time,his younger brother Dayong told me their final decision to give up the subsequent treatment.“We don’t have enough money and medical insurance,we can’t afford further treatment”,he said.
基金supported by grants from China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2017M610374)National Natural Science Foundation of China(81470891)+2 种基金Science and Technology Bureau of Zhejiang Province,China(2016C33145)Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81421062)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2018FZA7003)
文摘The 2018 Joint International Congress of ILTS,ELITA and LICAGE were held in Lisbon,Portugal on May 23–26,2018.The exciting and innovative program brought together 1144 experts in liver transplantation(LT)such as surgeons,physicians or basic scientists from 61 countries.The presentations included 110 invited speakers,181 oral presentations,and 545 posters.This editorial highlights some of the most innovative and impactful presentations in
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81373160,81272675 and81100321)Innovative research group National Natural Science Foundation of China(81121002)
文摘BACKGROUND： The established procedure for ABO-incompatible liver transplantation（ABO-I LT） was too complicated to be used in case of emergency. We developed a protocol consisting of rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin（IVIG） for ABO-I LT in patients with acute liver failure（ALF）.METHODS： The data from 101 patients who had undergone liver transplantation（LT） for ALF were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into two groups： ABO-compatible liver transplantation group（ABO-C LT, n=66） and ABO-I LT group（n=35）. All the patients in the ABO-I LT group received a single dose of rituximab（375 mg/m2） and IVIG（0.4 g/kg per day） at the beginning of the operation. IVIG was administered for 10 consecutive days after LT. Plasma exchange, splenectomy and graft local infusion were omitted in the protocol.Quadruple immunosuppressive therapy including basiliximab,corticosteroids, tacrolimus and mycophenolatemofetil was used to reinforce immunosuppression.RESULTS： The 3-year cumulative patient survival rates in the ABO-I LT and ABO-C LT groups were 83.1% and 86.3%,respectively（P〉0.05）, and the graft survival rates were 80.0%and 86.3%, respectively（P〉0.05）. Two patients（5.7%） suffered from antibody-mediated rejection in the ABO-I LT group.Other complications such as acute cellular rejection, biliary complication and infection displayed no significant differences between the two groups.CONCLUSIONS： The simplified treatment consisting of rituximab and IVIG prevented antibody-mediated rejection for LT of blood-type incompatible patients. With this treatment, the patients did not need plasma exchange, splenectomy and graft local infusion. This treatment was safe and efficient for LT of the patients with ALF.
基金supported by grants from Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81421062)National Natural Science Foundation of China(81470891)+2 种基金863 National High Technology Research and Development Program of China for Young Scientist(2015AA020923)Public Technology Research and Social Development Projects(2016C33145)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2017M610374)
文摘Background: Ischemia reperfusion injury(IRI) causes postoperative complications and influences the outcome of the patients undergoing liver surgery and transplantation. Postconditioning(Post C) is a known manual conditioning to decrease the hepatic IRI. Here we aimed to optimize the applicable Post C protocols and investigate the potential protective mechanism.Methods: Thirty Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the sham group(n = 5),standard orthotopic liver transplantation group(OLT, n = 5), Post C group(OLT followed by clamping and re-opening the portal vein for different time intervals, n = 20). Post C group was then subdivided into 4 groups according to the different time intervals:(10 s × 3, 10 s × 6, 30 s × 3, 60 s × 3, n = 5 in each subgroup). Liver function, histopathology, malondialdehyde(MDA), myeloperoxidase(MPO), expressions of p-Akt and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS) related genes were evaluated.Results: Compared to the OLT group, the grafts subjected to Post C algorithm(without significant prolonging the total ischemic time) especially with short stimulus and more cycles(10 s × 6) showed significant alleviation of morphological damage and graft function. Besides, the production of reactive oxidative agents(MDA) and neutrophil infiltration(MPO) were significantly depressed by Post C algorithm. Most of ERS related genes were down-regulated by Post C(10 s × 6), especially ATF4, Casp12, hspa4, ATF6 and ELF2, while p-Akt was up-regulated.Conclusions: Post C algorithm, especially 10 s × 6 algorithm, showed to be effective against rat liver graft IRI. These protective effects may be associated with its antioxidant, inhibition of ERS and activation of p-Akt expression of reperfusion injury salvage kinase pathway.
基金supported by grants from Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation(LQ20H030005)Zhejiang Health Technology Project(2020KY126 and 2019RC153)。
文摘To the Editor:Liver transplantation(LT)has become a major and effective therapeutic approach for end-stage liver disease[1].However,10-year graft and patient survival rates remained low with 54%and 61%,respectively[2].Improving the outcome of long-term LT has become a major focus of the transplantation community.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘We present an analysis of the metallicity and star formation activities of H II regions in the interacting system Arp 86, based on the first scientific observations using mulri-object spectroscopy with the 2.16 m telescope at the Xinglong Observing Station. We find that the oxygen abundance gradient in Arp 86 is flatter than that in normal disk galaxies, which confirms that gas inflows caused by tidal forces during encounters can flatten the metallicity distributions in galaxies. The companion galaxy NGC 7752 is currently experiencing a galaxy-wide starburst with a higher star for- marion rate surface density than the main galaxy NGC 7753, which can be explained in that the companion galaxy is more susceptible to the effects of interaction than the primary. We also find that the galaxy 2MASX J23470758＋2926531 has similar abun- dance and star formation properties to NGC 7753, and may be a part of the Arp 86 system.
基金This study was supported by the Public Projects of Zhe-jiang Province(LGF21H030006)the Major Science and Tech-nology Projects of Hainan province(ZDKJ2019009)+2 种基金Research Project of Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory(JNL-2022002A,JNL-2022023C)Research Unit Project of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences(2019-I2M-5-030)Innovative Re-search Groups of National Natural Science Foundation of China(81721091).
文摘Background:Remote ischemic perconditioning(RIPerC)has been demonstrated to protect grafts from hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI).This study investigated the role of exosomes in RIPerC of liver grafts in rats.Methods:Twenty-five rats(including 10 donors)were randomly divided into five groups(n=5 each group):five rats were used as sham-operated controls(Sham),ten rats were for orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT,5 donors and 5 recipients)and ten rats were for OLT+RIPerC(5 donors and 5 recipients).Liver architecture and function were evaluated.Results:Compared to the OLT group,the OLT+RIPerC group exhibited significantly improved liver graft histopathology and liver function(P<0.05).Furthermore,the number of exosomes and the level of P-Akt were increased in the OLT+RIPerC group.Conclusions:RIPerC effectively improves graft architecture and function,and this protective effect may be related to the increased number of exosomes.The upregulation of P-Akt may be involved in underlying mechanisms.
基金Major Science and Technology Projects of Hainan Province(ZDKJ2019009)Research Project of Ji’nan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Labora-tory(JNL-2022002A and JNL-2022023C)+3 种基金Public Projects of Zhe-jiang Province(LGF21H030006)Research Unit Project of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences(2019-I2M-5-030)the National Natu-ral Science Foundation of China(81721091,62073211)the Na-tional S&T Major Project for Infectious Diseases(2017ZX10203205).
文摘Introduction Organ transplantation increases survival and improves qual-ity of life to many patients with end-stage organ failure.Or-gan shortage is a worldwide problem that restricts organ trans-plantation[1].Organ procurement and preservation as well as ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI)after transplantation are the im-portant factors affecting prognosis of recipients.Since the de-velopment of organ transplantation technology in the 20th cen-tury,organ protection technology has been a most promising con-cept in this field.Organ preservation solutions such as the Collins solution,University of Wisconsin(UW)solution,and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate(HTK)solution were developed sequen-tially[2],which developed rapidly in static cold storage(SCS)tech-niques.SCS remains the standard preservation technique for organ transplantation[2].
基金Project supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2017M610374)the Zhejiang Health Technology Project(No.2019RC153)+1 种基金the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.Y17H160118)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.91542205)
文摘Acute cellular rejection(ACR) remains a major concern after liver transplantation.Predicting and monitoring acute rejection by non-invasive methods are very important for guiding the use of immunosuppressive drugs.Many studies have shown that exosomes and their contents are potential biomarkers for various liver diseases.Here,we identify and validate the role of exosomes and galectin-9 in ACR after liver transplantation.Exosomes were isolated from three sets of paired patients,with and without ACR,and the proteins within the exosomes were isolated and identified.Candidate proteins were then validated using a tissue microarray containing resected liver samples from 73 ACR and 63 non-rejection patients.Finally,protein expression and clinical manifestations were included in KaplanMeier survival and Cox regression analyses.Circulating exosomes were isolated from ACR and non-rejection patients and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and western blotting for CD63/CD81.Western blotting experiments revealed higher levels of galectin-9 protein in circulating exosomes from ACR recipients.Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissue microarray showed that the expression of galectin-9 in resected liver was significantly higher in the ACR group than in the non-rejection group(P<0.05).Higher levels of galectin-9 expression in resected livers were associated with poorer prognosis(P<0.05).Exosome-derived galectin-9 may be a novel predictor of rejection and prognosis after liver transplantation.
