Nonlocal magnon entanglement generation in coupled hybrid cavity systems.

We investigate dynamical generation of macroscopic nonlocal entanglements between two remote massive magnon-superconducting-circuit hybrid systems. Two fiber-coupled microwave cavities are employed to serve as an interaction channel connecting two sets of macroscopic hybrid units, each containing a magnon (hosted by an yttrium-iron-garnet sphere) and a superconducting-circuit qubit. Surprisingly, it is found that stronger coupling does not necessarily mean faster entanglement generation. The proposed hybrid system allows the existence of an optimal fiber coupling strength that requires the shortest amount of time to generate a systematic maximal entanglement. Our theoretical results are shown to be within the scope of specific parameters that can be achieved with current technology. The noise effects on the implementation of systems are also treated in a general environment, suggesting the robustness of entanglement generation. Our discrete-variable qubit-like entanglement theory of magnons may lead to direct applications in various quantum information tasks.

Indocyanine green fluorescence navigation in laparoscopic hepatectomy: a retrospective single-center study of 120 cases.

PURPOSE: To explore the role of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence navigation in laparoscopic hepatectomy and investigate if the timing of its administration influences the intraoperative observation. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective study were 120 patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy; divided into an ICG-FN group (n = 57) and a non-ICG-FN group (n = 63). We analyzed the baseline data and operative data. RESULTS: There were no remarkable differences in baseline data such as demographic characteristics, lesion-related characteristics, and liver function parameters between the groups. Operative time and intraoperative blood loss were significantly lower in the ICG-FN group. The rate of R0 resection of malignant tumors was comparable in the ICG-FN and non-ICG-FN groups, but the wide surgical margin rate was significantly higher in the ICG-FN group. The administration of ICG 0-3 or 4-7 days preoperatively did not affect the intraoperative fluorescence imaging. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and a wide surgical margin correlated with ICG fluorescence navigation. ICG fluorescence navigation helped to minimize intraoperative blood loss and achieve a wide surgical margin. CONCLUSION: ICG fluorescence navigation is safe and efficient in laparoscopic hepatectomy. It helps to achieve a wide surgical margin, which could result in a better prognosis. The administration of ICG 0-3 days preoperatively is acceptable.

Effects of multimodal fast-track surgery on liver transplantation outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Fast-track surgery and enhanced recovery after surgery have been applied to many surgical procedures; however, data on fast-track surgery and enhanced recovery after surgery following liver transplantation is limited. This study aimed to conduct a prospective study to determine the effects of fast-track surgery on prognosis after liver transplantation. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized study. One hundred twenty-eight patients undergoing liver transplantation were selected for the fast-track (FT group, n=54) or conventional process (NFT group, n=74). The primary endpoints were intensive care unit (ICU) stay and hospital stay. The secondary endpoints were as follows: operative time, anhepatic phase time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, postoperative complications, readmission rate, and postoperative mortality. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in preoperative demographics between the two groups. The median ICU stay was 2 days (range 1-7 days) in the FT group and 5 days (range 3-12 days) in the NFT group (P<0.01). Furthermore, the hospital stay was also significantly reduced in the FT group (P<0.01). The operative time, anhepatic phase time, intraoperative blood loss, and intraoperative blood transfusion volume were decreased in the FT group compared with the NFT group (P<0.05). Based on Spearman correlation analysis, the ICU stay and hospital stay may be positively correlated with operative time, anhepatic phase time and intraoperative blood loss. There were no differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, readmissions, and postoperative mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Fast-track procedures effectively reduce the ICU stay and hospital stay without adversely affecting prognosis. This study demonstrated that fast-track protocols are safe and feasible in liver transplantation.

Coherence Constraints and the Last Hidden Optical Coherence.

We have discovered a new domain of optical coherence, and show that it is the third and last member of a previously unreported fundamental triad of coherences. These are unified by our derivation of a parallel triad of coherence constraints that take the form of complementarity relations. We have been able to enter this new coherence domain experimentally and we describe the novel tomographic approach devised for that purpose.

Oleanolic acid attenuates liver ischemia reperfusion injury by HO-1/Sesn2 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is unavoidable in liver transplantation and hepatectomy. The present study aimed to explore the possible mechanism and the effect of oleanolic acid (OA) in hepatic IRI. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into 6 groups based on different treatment. IRI model: The hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct to the left and median liver lobes (70% of the liver) were occluded with an atraumatic bulldog clamp for 90 minutes and then the clamp was removed for reperfusion. The mice were sacrificed 6 hours after reperfusion, and blood and liver tissues were collected. Liver injury was evaluated by biochemical and histopathologic examinations. The expressions of Sesn2, PI3K, Akt and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were measured with quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: The serum aminotransferases level and scores of hepatic histology were increased after reperfusion. The increase was attenuated by pretreatment with OA (P<0.01). Compared with the IR group, OA pretreatment significantly up-regulated the expression of Sesn2, PI3K, Akt and HO-1 in IR livers (P<0.05). Administration of zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), an inhibitor of HO-1, diminished the OA effect on HO-1 and Sesn2 expressions (P<0.05) and the protective effect of OA on IRI. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that OA can attenuate hepatic IRI. The protective mechanism may be related to the OA-induced HO-1/Sesn2 signaling pathway.

Enhancing the performance of electrorheological fluids by structure design.

By incorporating polar fibers into the design of electrorheological (ER) fluids, a 130% performance improvement can be achieved with the addition of only 0.8 vol% of polar long fibers. We quantitatively analyzed the impact of relatively long fibers on improving ER performance by measuring the yield stress, shear stress, and current density after adding fibers. Both optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe and analyze the interaction between ER particles and polar fibers. The results indicate that, under the influence of an electric field, the fibers transform the one-dimensional chain-like structure into a two-dimensional mesh structure, greatly improving the ER performance. The transformation of structure induced by the polar fibers in the ER fluids amplifies the ER effect. However, the inclusion of non-polar fibers does not contribute to this enhancement, as a point of comparison. Moreover, to ensure the universality of this method, we used two different types of ER fluids in experiments. The utilization of this method offers a straightforward, environmentally friendly, and highly effective approach. Furthermore, this study provides a novel technical solution aimed at enhancing the performance of ER fluids.

Entanglement and classical polarization states.

We identify classical light fields as physical examples of nonquantum entanglement. A natural measure of degree of polarization emerges from this identification, and we discuss its systematic application to any optical field, whether beamlike or not.

Immunohistochemical staining of cancer stem cell markers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be a critical subpopulation in tumor development, progression, metastasis and recurrence, and the identification of these cells is an initial step in understanding their role in oncogenesis and in seeking valuable markers for diagnosis or development of targeting therapeutics. AIMS: To identify CSCs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens and define their tissue specificity. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of CSC markers: CD44, CD90, CD133 and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) was performed in 25 HCC specimens, 4 hepatoblastomas, 8 peri-malignant tissues, and 19 cases of viral hepatitis. RESULTS: The positivity of CD44 staining in HCC specimens was significantly lower than in viral hepatitis specimens. The positive rate of CD133 in HCC was similar to viral hepatitis specimens. CD133(+) cells were largely localized to ALDH-positive cells in HCC as revealed by confocal microscopy. In contrast, the co-expression of both markers was visualized within vessels or in the portal areas in viral hepatitis. Moreover, among 7 liver specimens adjacent to HCC tissue, 3-6 samples were positive for CD44, CD90, CD133 and ALDH, especially in dysplastic cells. One of 4 hepatoblastoma cases was positive for all these markers; whereas, the other three specimens were negative for all these CSC markers. CONCLUSIONS: In HCC and dysplastic tissues, clusters of CD133(+)/ALDH(high) cells were identified. The use of cancer stem cell markers to screen tissues with chronic liver diseases provides limited guidance in the identification of malignant cells.

[Surgical technique and concept in precise hepatectomy: experience of 338 cases of hepatectomy in single center].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perioperative clinical outcome and predictive factors for perioperative complication morbidity and mortality. METHODS: From August 2003 to August 2008, the data of 338 cases of hepatectomy performed in the liver transplant center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University was collected in a prospective manner. The patients' perioperative clinical risk factors and results were analyzed. RESULTS: In the 338 hepatectomy cases, 255 patients (75.4%) underwent precise anatomical hepatectomy. The overall perioperative complication morbidity was 18.1%, while the perioperative mortality was 0.6%. In a total of 211 (62.4%) cases, the operation was carried out without blood transfusion. Univariate analysis revealed that cirrhotic liver, thrombocytopenia, blood loss in operation > 1000 ml, blood transfusion in operation and several other factors were closely related with the incidence rate of complication. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that thrombocytopenia and perioperative blood transfusion were important independently predictive factors for the occurrence of perioperative complications in hepatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Precise hepatectomy enables patients to obtain better clinical outcome with low complication morbidity and perioperative mortality. Reducing hemorrhage is an important factor that lead to good clinical results.

[Adult living donor liver transplantation using right lobe for severe hepatitis in emergency: a report of 9 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of emergency adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation for fulminant hepatitis. METHODS: Nine cases of adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation were performed from September 2002 to August 2005, the clinical and follow-up data was analyzed. RESULTS: According to Child Pugh Turcotte (CPT) classification, 9 patients were classified as grade C before transplant. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores of these patients were 26.7 +/- 8.8. The principal pre-transplant complications included hepatic encephalopathy (5 cases), electrolyte disturbance (3 cases), renal failure (2 cases), gastrointestinal bleeding (1 case). The operations in donors and recipients were all successful. The post-transplant complications induced pulmonary infection in 2 patients, acute renal failure in 3 and transplantation related encephalopathy in 1. There were no primary graft non-function and no blood vessel and bile tract complications occurred. One-year survival rate was 55.6%. No serious complication or death found in donors. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency adult to adult living donor liver transplantation is an effective treatment for fulminant hepatitis but the safety of the donors should be assessed strictly preoperation.

[Adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation for decompensated end-stage liver diseases].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize our clinical experience in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT). METHODS: Clinical data of 12 patients with ALDLT performed in our center from September 2000 to June 2005 were analyzed, retrospectively. RESULTS: Left lobe (segments II, III, IV, including the middle hepatic veins) transplantation was performed in 3 patients and right lobe (segments V, VI, VII, VIII, with or without the middle hepatic veins) transplantation was performed in 9 patients. Donors: There were no operative deaths. The median operative time was 6.20+/-1.40 hours and their blood loss ranged from 300 ml to 1200 ml. Postoperative complications included biliary fistula (1 donor) and wound fat liquefaction (1 donor). During a 6-12 months follow-up, no long-term complications were found. Recipients: The operating time ranged from 5 to 11 hours and their blood loss ranged from 800 to 7000 ml. Modified outflow reconstruction, microvascular reconstruction of the hepatic artery and duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction were done during the recipient operations. The median cold ischemia time was 1.90+/-0.50 hours. The median anhepatic phase of recipients was 1.63+/-0.43 hours. Graft/recipient weight ratio (GRWR) was (1.20+/-0.26)%. One recipient presented a postoperative complication of biliary fistula and another recipient died 1 month after the operation from serious infection. The other 11 recipients had long-term survivals. CONCLUSION: ALDLT is an effective treatment for decompensated end-stage liver disease patients and is relatively safe for the donors.

[Adult to adult living donor liver transplantation for decompensated end stage liver disease].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical experience and some principal surgical techniques of adult to adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT). METHODS: The clinical data of 9 patients receiving ALDLT from September 2000 to September 2004 in liver transplantation center in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. The left lobe (segments II, III, IV, including the middle hepatic veins) was transplanted in 3 patients, and the right lobe (segments V, VI, VII, VIII, not including the middle hepatic veins) was transplanted in 6 patients. RESULTS: There was no operative death in donors. The median operative time was (6.2+/-1.4) hours. The blood loss ranged from 300 to 1,200 ml. Postoperative complications included biliary fistula (1 donor) and wound fat liquefaction (1 donor). They were followed up for 6-12 months, and no long term complications were found. In recipients, the operating time ranged from 5 to 11 hours. The blood loss ranged from 800 to 7,000 ml. Modified outflow reconstruction method, microvascular reconstruction of the hepatic artery and duct to duct biliary reconstruction were performed in recipients. The median cold ischemic time of the grafts was (1.9+/-0.5) hours. The mean non hepatic stage of recipients was (98+/-26) minutes. Graft/recipient weight ratio (GRWR) was (1.20+/-0.26)%. One recipient presented postoperative complication of biliary fistula. One recipient died of serious infection 1 month postoperatively. The other 8 recipients enjoyed longterm survival. CONCLUSION: The procedure of ALDLT is an effective method in the treatment of decompensated end stage liver disease, and it is relatively safe for the donor. Reconstruction of vessels is the key surgical technique in the operative procedure.

Robust Multiple-Range Coherent Quantum State Transfer.

We propose a multiple-range quantum communication channel to realize coherent two-way quantum state transport with high fidelity. In our scheme, an information carrier (a qubit) and its remote partner are both adiabatically coupled to the same data bus, i.e., an N-site tight-binding chain that has a single defect at the center. At the weak interaction regime, our system is effectively equivalent to a three level system of which a coherent superposition of the two carrier states constitutes a dark state. The adiabatic coupling allows a well controllable information exchange timing via the dark state between the two carriers. Numerical results show that our scheme is robust and efficient under practically inevitable perturbative defects of the data bus as well as environmental dephasing noise.

Heme oxygenase-1 alleviates ischemia/reperfusion injury in aged liver.

AIM: To investigate if ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in aged liver could be alleviated by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). METHODS: Three groups of SD rats (16 mo old) were studied. Group 1: control donors received physiological saline 24 h before their livers were harvested; group 2: donors were pretreated with hemin 24 h before their livers were harvested; and group 3: donors received hemin 24 h before their livers were harvested and zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP, HO-1 inhibitor) was given to recipients at reperfusion. The harvested livers were stored in University of Wisconsin solution (4 degrees) for 6 h, and then transplanted to syngeneic rats. Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), apoptotic cells, and apoptotic gene were measured 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 h after reperfusion. We measured the apoptotic index by TUNEL, determined the expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and proapoptotic (caspase-3) gene products by Western blot. RESULTS: After 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h of reperfusion, the SGOT levels (584.4+/-85.8 u/L, 999.2+/-125.2 u/L, 423.4+/-161.3 u/L, 257.8+/-95.8 u/L, and 122.4+/-26.4 u/L) in hemin group were significantly (all P<0.05) lower than those in saline group (1082.2+/-101.2 u/L, 1775.2+/-328.3 u/L, 840.4+/-137.8 u/L, 448.6+/-74.3 u/L, and 306.2+/-49.3 u/L). Liver HO-1 enzymatic activity correlated with beneficial effects of hemin and deleterious effects of adjunctive ZnPP treatment. Markedly less apoptotic (TUNEL+) liver cells 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after reperfusion (5.16+/-0.73, 10.2+/-0.67, 9.28+/-0.78, 7.14+/-1.12, and 4.78+/-0.65) (P<0.05) could be detected in hemin liver grafts, as compared to controls (7.82+/-1.05, 15.94+/-1.82, 11.67+/-1.59, 8.28+/-1.09, and 6.36+/-0.67). We detected the increased levels of Bcl-2 (1.5-fold) expression and compared with saline controls. These differences were most pronounced at 12 h after transplantation. In contrast, an active form of proapoptotic caspase-3 (p20) protein was found to be 2.9-fold lower at 24 h in hemin-pretreated group, as compared to saline liver transplant controls. CONCLUSION: HO-1 overexpression can provide potent protection against cold I/R injury. This effect depends, at least in part, on HO-1-mediated inhibition of antiapoptotic mechanism.

[Relationship between the expression of IL-10 and liver regeneration following reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation in rats].

OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between the expression of IL-10 and liver regeneration following reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation in rats. METHODS: Rats models with reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation were established. The rats were divided in three groups: partial liver resection (I), orthotopic liver transplantations (II), and reduced-size orthotopic liver transplantation (III). The expression of IL-10 and regenerative response of liver in rats were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry on the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th days after the operations, respectively. RESULTS: The liver grafts were capable of regeneration, the proliferation activity peaked on the fourth day with 26.3+/-0.9, 35.8+/-2.2, and 32.4+/-1.8 in I, II, and III groups, respectively. The expression of IL-10 was negative correlation to liver regeneration (r=-0.58, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Whole and reduced-size transplanted livers show the same regenerative activity. The maximal regenerative response delayes slightly, compared with that after partial hepatectomy. IL-10 plays an important immunomodulatory role in liver regeneration,and the effect is affected by general immune system and other cytokines.

SOD mimetic improves the function, growth, and survival of small-size liver grafts after transplantation in rats.

BACKGROUND: Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) may occur when graft volume is less than 45% of the standard liver volume, and it manifests as retarded growth and failure of the grafts and more mortality. However, its pathogenesis is poorly understood, and few effective interventions have been attempted. AIMS: The present study aimed to delineate the critical role of oxidant stress in SFSS and protective effects of a superoxide dismutase mimetic, Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP), on graft function, growth, and survival in the recipient rats. METHODS: Small size graft liver transplantation (SSGLT) was performed to determine the survival, graft injury, and growth. MnTBAP was administered in SSGLT recipients (SSGLT+MnTBAP). RESULTS: Serum alanine aminotransferase levels were sustained higher in SSGLT recipients, which were correlated with an increased apoptotic cell count and hepatocellular necrosis in liver sections. Malondialdehyde content, gene expression of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1ß, and DNA binding activity of nuclear factor-κB in the grafts were increased significantly in SSGLT recipients compared with sham-operated controls. Both phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear c-Jun were increased in SSGLT. All these changes were strikingly reversed by the administration of MnTBAP, with an increase in serum superoxide dismutase activity. Moreover, in situ bromodeoxyuridine incorporation demonstrated that graft regeneration was much more profound in the SSGLT+MnTBAP group than in the SSGLT group. Finally, the survival of recipients with MnTBAP treatments was significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced oxidant stress with activation of the p38/c-Jun/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway contributes to SFSS-associated graft failure, retarded graft growth, and poor survival. MnTBAP effectively reversed the pathologic changes in SFSS-associated graft failure.

Outcomes of living-related liver transplantation for Wilson's disease: a single-center experience in China.

BACKGROUND: Although orthotopic liver transplantation provides a therapeutic option for patients with Wilson's disease (WD) presenting fulminant liver failure or drug resistance, it is still unclear whether the living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) can result in long-term therapeutic effect on WD. METHODS: Here, we report a retrospective analysis of LRLT for 36 cases of WD patients. The indications for LRLT were fulminant hepatic failure in two patients and chronic advanced liver disease in 32 patients including 13 patients with Wilsonian neurologic manifestations. Two patients presented with severe Wilsonian neurologic manifestations even though their liver functions were stable. RESULTS: Results revealed that the survival of posttransplant patients or grafts at 1, 3, and 5 years was 91.7%, 83.3%, 75%, or 86.1%, 77.8%, 75%, respectively. Pretransplant intensive care unit-bound and model for end-stage liver disease score were indicated as independent factors predictive of patient survival. Patients with neurologic abnormalities showed significant improvement after liver transplant. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate LRLT is an excellent therapeutic modality for WD patients with end-stage liver disease. Better pretransplant conditions appeared to be advantageous in gaining better survival outcomes of patients undergoing LRLT.