IL-8-induced CXCR2 down-regulation in circulating monocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma is partially dependent on MAGL.

BACKGROUND: CXC-chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) expression was found to be down-regulated on circulating monocytes of cancer patients. Here, we analyze the percentage of CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subsets in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and investigate the mechanisms that regulate CXCR2 surface expression on monocytes and its biological function. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the proportion of the CD14+CXCR2+ subset from the total circulating monocytes of HCC patients. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels were measured from serum and ascites, and their correlation with the CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subset proportion was calculated. THP-1 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with recombinant human IL-8 and CXCR2 surface expression was analyzed. CXCR2 was knocked down to examine how it affects the antitumor activity of monocytes. Finally, a monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor was added to analyze its effect on CXCR2 expression. RESULTS: A decrease in the proportion of the CD14+CXCR2+ monocyte subset was observed in HCC patients compared with healthy controls. CXCR2+ monocyte subset proportion was associated with the AFP value, TNM stage, and liver function. Overexpression of IL-8 was observed in the serum and ascites of HCC patients, and negatively correlated with CXCR2+ monocyte proportion. IL-8 decreased CXCR2 expression in THP-1 cells, contributing to decreased antitumor activity toward HCC cells. MAGL expression in THP-1 cells was up-regulated after IL-8 treatment, and the MAGL inhibitor partially reversed the effects of IL-8 on CXCR2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of IL-8 drives CXCR2 down-regulation on circulating monocytes of HCC patients, which could be partially reversed by a MAGL inhibitor.

Repeated postoperative adjuvant TACE after curative hepatectomy improves outcomes of patients with HCC.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To gain a clear picture of the influence of postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on recurrence after curative resection for HCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: According to the inclusion criteria and the exclusion criteria, the clinical data of 118 patients with HCC at Qilu Hospital, Shan Dong University between January 2011 and August 2013, who were treated by curative hepatectomy and postoperative TACE (two groups of patients received TACE once or twice, respectively) or by curative hepatectomy alone were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: The three-year survival (RFS) rate was 51.7% for the whole study population. The three-year relapse-free RFS rates were 73.0% and 55.0% for the patients who received two and one postoperative adjuvant TACE treatments, groups respectively, and 29.3% for the hepatectomy alone group. The three-year RFS of the patients who received postoperative adjuvant TACE once was significantly higher than that of the patients who received hepatectomy alone (p = .024). And the outcome of patients with two adjuvant TACE treatments was better than that of patients who received one treatment (p = .033). CONCLUSIONS: Repeated postoperative adjuvant TACE seems to be a promising treatment for HCC that might delay tumor recurrence and improve the RFS rates of patients after curative hepatectomy.

Hepatocyte infusions improve the results of liver transplantation in rats.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The results of liver transplantation were influenced by miscellaneous factors. The aim was the notion that hepatocyte infusions might improve results of liver transplantation in rats. METHODOLOGY: Survival, serum analytes, FasL production, and histologic degree of rejection of transplanted rats pretreated with hepatocyte infusions (Hepatocyte) was compared to that of rats pretreated with either bone marrow cell infusions (Marrow) or saline infusions (Control). RESULTS: Hepatocyte rats had longer median survivals, less biochemical evidence of liver damage, more albumin production, a lower degree of histologic rejection, and increased FasL production than did either Marrow or Control rats (p < 0.05 for each analysis), which did not differ from one another (p > 0.05 for each analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocyte infusions improve the results of liver transplantation in rats.

Ileal transposition controls diabetes as well as modified duodenal jejunal bypass with better lipid lowering in a nonobese rat model of type II diabetes by increasing GLP-1.

OBJECTIVE: Modified duodenal jejunal bypass (MDJB) and ileal transposition (IT) were compared as surgeries for glucose control. Initial conclusions might be formed with respect to the possibility of (1) whether duodenal exclusion is essential for the control of diabetes and (2) application as a low morbid procedure. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: IT, MDJB, sham-IT, and sham-MDJB procedures were performed on 10- to 12-week-old Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, nonobese animals who spontaneously develop type 2 diabetes. Rats were observed for 24 weeks after surgery. Glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acid levels were measured. RESULTS: MDJB and IT rats, when compared with sham-operated rats, showed reduced blood-glucose levels (P < 0.001); but IT- and MDJB did not differ from one another (P < 0.05). Compared with sham-operated rats, IT- and MDJB rats showed increased GLP-1 secretion (P < 0.01), with a more rapid and higher secretion in IT operated than in MDJB rats (P < 0.05). After 6 months, sham-operated rats weighed more than IT or MDJB rats (P < 0.01), but the weights of IT- and MDJB rats were similar to one another (P > 0.05). In terms of both operative time (P < 0.001) and postoperative recovery time (P < 0.001), MDJB took longer than did IT. CONCLUSION: In nonobese spontaneously diabetic rats, IT is equivalent to MDJB in terms of glucose control and weight secondary to significant increases of GLP-1. IT is faster to perform and yields a shorter recovery period than does MDJB.

Influence of estrogen and androgen on the outcome of liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess influence of sex hormone on outcome of orthotropic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODOLOGY: Adult female Wistar rats were used as donors and male Wistar rats as recipients. Two experimental series were established. The first series consisted of the orchectomized (ORC) group. 17beta-estradiol (E2) treated-ORC group and recipient Sham-ORC group; the second series consisted of the ovariectomized (OVX) group, dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated OVX group and donor Sham-OVX group. Recipients were sacrificed on postoperative day 7 (POD 7); the survival rate (SVR), histomorphological damage score of liver, graft-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and albumin (ALB) on POD 7 were detected. RESULTS: The histomorphological damage score and the level of ALT and AKP in the E2-treated ORC group, OVX group and DHT-treated OVX group was significantly lower compared with their respective sham group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Estrogen in recipient rats was responsible for the observed beneficial effects of liver transplantation, but at the same time, influence on liver of estrogen for a long time decreased the adaptability of graft to environment change. In contrary, androgen had less influence than estrogen.

Hemodialysis-induced hyperglycemia after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: One might hypothesize that hemodialysis, by cleansing the blood of metabolic waste, might elevate the patient's sensitivity to insulin. The results of this study show that hypothesis is untrue in the case of liver transplant patients. METHODOLOGY: Glucose levels of five liver transplant patients, whom underwent 24 hemodialysis sessions in total, were compared with that of five non-liver transplantation patients, whom had undergon 21 hemodyalisis sessions in total. RESULTS: For liver transplant patients, Glucose levels at two, four, six and eight hours but the ten hours were significantly higher compared with that at the onset of the sessions (p<0.05). In contrast, this phenomenon could not be found in non-liver transplant patients (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The patients who have undergone liver transplantation are more likely to experience hyperglycemia during hemodyalisis than patients who have not undergone liver transplantation.

Loss expression of active fragile sites genes associated with the severity of breast epithelial abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: WWOX and FHIT are two candidate tumor suppressor genes located in active fragile sites, the damage of which has been associated with the development of breast cancer. The association of the expression of these genes and the development of breast cancer has not been fully explored. We evaluated mRNA and protein expression of WWOX and FHIT in breast tissue with normal histological appearances, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive cancer to see if a progressive decline in expression was present. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the specimens for mRNA and protein expression, including 28 specimens with normal tissue, 28 specimens with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 33 specimens with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 51 specimens with invasive ductal carcinoma. RESULTS: Compared with in situ and invasive cancer specimens, both normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens had greater rates of detectable mRNA (WWOX rate ratio = 2.95, 95% CI 1.24 - 7.08; FHIT rate ratio = 4.58, 95% CI 1.82 - 11.81) and Western blotting detectable protein (WWOX rate ratio = 4.12, 95% CI 1.63 - 10.73; FHIT rate ratio = 3.76, 95% CI 1.44 - 10.06). For both proteins, differences between normal and atypical hyperplasia specimens and between in situ and invasive carcinoma specimens were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). Within each histological category, differences among fractions of specimens showed that FHIT and WWOX mRNA and protein expression were explainable by chance (P > 0.05 for each analysis). CONCLUSION: Expression of FHIT and WWOX decreases along with breast tissue progress from a normal histological appearance to atypical ductal hyperplasia, in situ cancer, and the final invasive cancer.

Application of pancreaticojejunostomy with one-layer suture in pancreaticoduodenectomy: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most common critical complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and a primary reason for increased mortality and morbidity after PD. To perform a safe pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ), a fast and simple technique of duct-to-mucosa PJ with one-layer suture was devised at our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 81 successive cases of PD performed at our hospital from March 2012 to August 2016. Data of perioperative parameters were collected for all PD cases. RESULTS: A total of 17 (21.0%) cases of morbidity occurred after PD, including 5 (6.1%) cases of POPF (grade A), 8 (9.8%) cases of delayed gastric emptying, 1 (1.2%) case of abdominal infection, and 3 (3.7%) cases of incision infection. The median operative time for the PJ was 7 min. No mortality or relaparotomy was observed. CONCLUSION: Our technique could significantly reduce the incidence of POPF and other complications after PD and may be a promising technique for pancreaticoenteric anastomosis.

[Clinical evaluation of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in 587 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. METHODS: The clinical data of 587 cases who underwent laparoscopic common bile duct exploration from June 1992 to May 2006 were analyzed. RESULTS: The surgery was successful in 585 cases (99.7%), 2 cases were converted to open common bile duct exploration. The duration of operation was 60 approximately 230 min (averaged 85 min), the complications consisted of biliary fistula (n=13), injury of the duodenum (n=1), abscess of drainage tube orifice (n=1), titanium clip discharging out from T tube (n=3), residual common bile duct stones (n=35). The patients could take food and walk on the second postoperative day and average postoperative hospital stay was 4.6 days. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is a safe and effective procedure in treating the calculus of bile duct.