Infection evaluation in the early period after liver transplantation: A single-center exploration.

BACKGROUND: Infection is a significant risk factor that impacts for perioperative morbidity and mortality in liver transplantation (LTx) patients and is difficult to evaluate quantitatively in the early posttransplantation period. Thus, a biomarker to assess the risk of infection and the prognosis of the recipient is highly desirable. METHODS: A total of 128 consecutive patients with end-stage liver diseases undergoing LTx between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, were screened retrospectively. Graft preservation fluid and blood samples were collected for culture, and other perioperative laboratory examination results were recorded, for assessment of infection status. RESULTS: After a follow-up period of 30 days, the survival rate among the 128 LTx recipients was 94.5%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that the logarithmically transformed neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (HR = 3.548, 95% CI: ; p = .041) on post-LTx day 1 and graft preservation fluid culture positivity (HR = 12.032, 95% CI: ; p = .006) were independent predictive factors for early prognosis after LTx. CONCLUSIONS: Positive graft preservation fluid culture and the logarithmically transformed NLR on post-LTx day 1 were independent predictive factors for early prognosis after LTx. The logarithmically transformed NLR could provide an earlier indication than culture results in clinical practice.

Evaluating the Response and Safety of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccines in Liver Transplant Recipients.

Purpose: To evaluate the response and safety of an inactivated vaccine (Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd., Beijing, China) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in liver transplant (LTx) recipients from China. Patients and Methods: Thirty-five recipients post LTx from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine who received inactivated vaccine from June to October 2021 were screened. Information regarding vaccine side effects and clinical data were collected. Results: Thirty-five LTx recipients were enrolled, with a mean age of 46 years, and most patients were male (30, 85.71%). All the participants had a negative history of COVID-19 infection. Predictors for negative response in the recipients were interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) induction during LTx, shorter time post LTx and application of a derivative from mycophenolate acid (MPA). No serious adverse events were observed during the progress of vaccination or after the vaccination. Conclusion: LTx recipients have a substantially partial immunological response to the inactivated vaccine for COVID-19. IL-2R induction during LTx, a shorter time post LTx and the application of a derivative from MPA seem to be predictors for a negative serological immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response in recipients. The findings require booster vaccination in these LTx recipients.

[The analysis of follow-up results of 612 cases of cholecystolithiasis treated with the minimal invasive operation with gallbladder preserved via choledochoscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the feasibility of the operation of minimal invasive with gallbladder preserved via choledochoscopy. METHODS: From February 1992 to June 2006, there were 760 patients who underwent cholecystolithiasis treated with the minimal invasive operation with gallbladder preserved via choledochoscopy, among which there were 428 males and 332 females, aged from 18 to 81 years old. All cases were diagnosed by ultrasonography and their gallbladder functions were proved normal by the examination of oral cholecystography or ECT before operation. In the operation gallstones were removed from gallbladder completely. RESULTS: There were 612 cases who were followed up for 1-15 years and the follow-up rate was 80.5%. All patients recovered well after operation. The post-operation rate of recurrence of gallstone was 0.49%, 4.39%, 5.83%, 6.60%, 7.21% and 8.38% within the first year, the second year, the third year, the fifth year, the seventh year and the ninth year respectively, rate of recurrence of gallstone were 10.11% within both the tenth and the fifteenth year. CONCLUSIONS: The minimal invasive operation with gallbladder preserved via choledochoscopy is effective to cholecystolithiasis patients whose gallbladder function is normal. It is a feasible operation that preserves the normal functional gallbladder and improves the patients' life quality.

Effect of ultrasound on the production of xanthylium cation pigments in a model wine.

As a potential novel technique in the wine-making industry, ultrasound has received considerable attention. In this paper, a model wine system was constructed to investigate the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the formation of xanthylium cation pigment derived from the (+)-catechin and the glyoxylic acid, an oxidation product of tartaric acid, so as to explore the changing mechanism of the wine color mediated by ultrasound. The results indicate that the long-term ultrasonic treatment can enhance the formation of the xanthylium cation pigment in the model wine, which is attributed to free radicals triggered by ultrasound, meanwhile, iron ions and oxygen can influence the ultrasonic effect. All these results suggest that ultrasound is promising to be employed in regulating the formation of the yellow pigment during wine aging thus modifying the wine organoleptic characteristic.

Lymphocyte proliferation responses induced to broadly reactive Th peptides did not protect against equine infectious anemia virus challenge.

The effect of immunization with five lipopeptides, three containing T-helper (Th) epitopes and two with both Th and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, on equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) challenge was evaluated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from EIAV lipopeptide-immunized horses had significant proliferative responses to Th peptides compared with those preimmunization, and the responses were attributed to significant responses to peptides Gag from positions 221 to 245 (Gag 221-245), Gag 250-269, and Pol 326-347; however, there were no consistent CTL responses. The significant proliferative responses in the EIAV lipopeptide-immunized horses allowed testing of the hypothesis that Th responses to immunization would enhance Th and CTL responses following EIAV challenge and lessen the viral load and the severity of clinical disease. The EIAV lipopeptide-immunized group did have a significant increase in proliferative responses to Th peptides 1 week after virus challenge, whereas the control group did not. Two weeks after challenge, a significant CTL response to virus-infected cell targets occurred in the EIAV lipopeptide-immunized group compared to that in the control group. These Th and CTL responses did not significantly alter either the number of viral RNA copies/ml or disease severity. Thus, lipopeptide-induced proliferative responses and enhanced Th and CTL responses early after virus challenge were unable to control challenge virus load and clinical disease.