[Efficacy of in-situ full-left/full-right split liver transplantation for adult recipients using the living donor liver transplantation technique:a single-center report of 25 cases].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of in-situ full size split liver transplantation(fSLT) for adult recipients using the living donor liver transplantation(LDLT) technique and to compare the characteristics of the left hemiliver graft (LHG) and the right hemiliver graft(RHG)transplantation. Methods: Deceased donor and recipient data of 25 consecutive cases of fSLT at Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital from March to December 2021 was retrieved and the patients divided into two groups:LHG group and RHG group. Among the 13 donors,11 were male and 2 were female,aged (M(IQR))38(19) years(range: 25 to 56 years),with height of 168(5) cm(range:160 to 175 cm) and weight of 65(9) kg(range: 50 to 75 kg). The median age of the 25 recipients was 52(14) years(range:35 to 71 years),17 were male and 8 were female,15 had primary liver cancer and 10 had benign end-stage liver disease,model for end-stage liver disease score was 10(9) points(range:7 to 23 points). Of the 25 recipients,10 recipients had previously undergone hepatobiliary surgery. The follow-up period was to January 2022. Demographic,clinicopathological,surgical outcomes and postoperative complications were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Continuous quantitative data were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Classification data were expressed as frequencies,and were compared between groups using χ2 test or Fisher exact probability method. Results: Using LDLT technique,in-situ full-left/full-right liver splitting was performed and 13 viable pairs of hemiliver grafts were harvested with acquisition time of 230(53) minutes(range:125 to 352 minutes) and blood loss of 250(100) ml(range:150 to 1 000 ml). A total of 25 hemiliver grafts(13 LHG and 12 RHG) were allocated to patients listed for liver transplantation in our center by China Organ Transplant Response System. In the LHG group(13 cases),there were more females and more patients with benign end-stage liver disease than in the RHG group(12 cases)(P<0.05). The body weight and graft weight of recipients in the LHG group were lower than that in RHG group(both P<0.05). There were no significant differences in other baseline data between the two groups(all P>0.05). The graft to recipient weight ratio(GRWR) was 1.2(0.4)%(range:0.7% to 1.9%) for 25 recipients,1.1(0.5)%(range:0.7% to 1.6%)for the LHG group and 1.3(0.5)%(range:0.9% to 1.9%)for the RHG group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Sharing patterns of hepatic vessels and the common bile duct are as follows:all the trunk of middle hepatic vein were allocated to the LHG group. The proportion of celiac trunk,main portal vein and common bile duct assigned to LHG and RHG was 10∶3 (P=0.009), 9∶4 (P>0.05) and 4∶9 (P=0.027),respectively. The vena cava of 12 donors in early stage retained in LHG and that of last one was shared between LHG and RHG (P<0.01). The median cold ischemia time of 25 hemiliver grafts was 240(90) minutes(range:138 to 420 minutes). For the total of 25 fSLT,the median anhepatic phase was 50(16) minutes(range:31 to 98 minutes) and the operation time was 474(138)minutes(range:294 to 680 minutes) with blood loss of 800(640) ml(range:200 to 5 000 ml). There were no significant differences in all of operation data between two groups. In the LHG group,3 patients with GRWR≤0.8% had postoperative small-for-size syndrome which improved after treatment. Postoperative Clavien-Dindo grade≥Ⅲ complications were observed in 6 cases(24.0%),4 cases(4/13) in the LHG group and 2 cases(2/12) in the RHG group,respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. Among them,5 cases improved after re-operation and intervention,1 case in LHG group died of secondary infection 2 weeks after operation,and the mortality was 4.0%. Analysis of serious postoperative complications and death has suggested that conventional caval interposition should not be used for LHG transplantation. Conclusion: Relying on accurate donor-recipient evaluation and the apply of LDLT technique,the morbidity and mortality of in-situ fSLT in adults is acceptable.

[Evaluations of total hilar en bloc resection and reconstruction in comparison with portal vein resection and reconstruction in treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma].

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of total hilar en bloc resection and reconstruction(THERR) and portal vein resection and reconstruction(PVRR) in treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma(PHC). Methods: Data of a total of 101 consecutive patients with PHC who underwent bile duct resection with various types of hepatectomies from June 2013 to December 2019 at Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary,Lihuili Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who underwent PHC resection combined with THERR or PVRR were identified and grouped accordingly. Fourteen patients(6 males, 8 females, aged (64.3±9.7)years old) underwent hepatectomy combined with THERR, 19 patients(11 males, 8 females, aged (63.8±8.6)years old) underwent hepatectomy combined with PVRR. Indications and surgical procedures of THERR and PVRR were reported. The clinicopathological characteristics and operation data, as well as the short and long-term outcomes of patients of the two groups were compared by Student's t-test and the χ2 test or Fisher exact test, respectively. The actual survivals rates were calculated by using the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared using the Log-rank test. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in respect to age,sex and whether they had preoperative biliary drainage or not. The types of combined hepatectomy carried out predominately between the two groups were statistically different with the left side being predominant in the THERR group(10/14,P=0.010) and right side in PVRR group(12/19,P=0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in respect to whether they received preoperative portal vein embolization,intraoperative blood loss,curative degree,number of lymph node dissections, and whether there was lymphatic metastasis or not. However, both the times of operation and continuous Pringle maneuver were statistically longer in the THERR group((586±158)minutes and (32.5±7.3)minutes)than those in the PVRR group((453±88)minutes and (12.4±3.8)minutes),respectively(t=3.087,P=0.004;t=10.325,P<0.01). One patient in the THERR group died of liver failure 9 days postoperative, the cumulative 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 84.9%, 57.1% and 37.0% for the THERR group and 81.9%, 37.8% and 30.2% for the PVRR group, respectively. There was no statistically significant differences between the two groups(χ²=0.150,P=0.698). Conclusions: Compared to the role of PVRR in the treatment of PHC, THERR is a novel and technically demanding procedure that is feasible in selected patients for the treatment of advanced PHC with invasion of both the hepatic artery and portal vein. However,due to the small size of this primary study,the value of THERR needs further evaluation.

Analgesic effects of serotonin microinjection into nucleus raphe magnus and nucleus raphe dorsalis evaluated by the monosodium urate (MSU) tonic pain model in the rat.

The effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) microinjection into the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and the nucleus raphe dorsalis (NRD) on tonic pain were studied using the monosodium urate (MSU) tonic pain model in the rat. For the NRM, 5-HT microinjection produced significant analgesic effects, which were antagonized by systemic naloxone administration and also by subsequent microinjection of naloxone into the NRM. For the NRD, systemic naloxone administration did not antagonize these analgesic effects, although 5-HT microinjection produced significant analgesic effects. Therefore, as far as tonic pain is concerned, it was suggested that neural transmission mediated by 5-HT in the NRM and NRD plays an antinociceptive action, but via different neural mechanisms.

[The role on the analgesia of entopeduncular nucleus].

L-glutamic acid, bicuculline (a GABA receptor antagonist), lidocaine and GABA were injected into entopeduncular and habenular nuclei respectively in rats. Pain threshold was measured by the latency of avoidance response (tail-flick) elicited by radiant heat exposure before and after intracerebral injection. Microinjection of different concentration of L-glutamic acid (25 nmol/L.0.5 microliter-1, 50 nmol/L.0.5 microliter-1, 100 nmol/L.0.5 microliter-1) into bilateral entopeduncular nuclei resulted in increases of pain threshold in a dose-dependent manner. Similar increase of pain threshold could also be observed by microinjection of 200 nmol/L GABA.0.5 microliter-1 into bilateral habenular nuclei. Both the effect of GABA and that of glutamate, could be antagonized by 0.2% bicuculline. The results mentioned above indicate that GABAergic fibers are involved in the analgesic effect of entopeduncular-habenular complex.

[Study on in vitro nitric oxide and interleukin-6 levels induced from peripheral mononuclear cells in patients with osteosarcoma].

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 32 cases of osteosarcoma and 20 normal controls were separated and induced by lipopolysaccharide, followed by 48 hour incubation in vitro, then the supernatant were collected. The levels of IL-6 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, the concentrations of NO were measured by Griess methods. The results were as follows: The concentrations of IL-6 and NO were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P < 0.01). There were positive correlation between the levels of IL-6 and NO in patients with osteosarcoma (r = 0.652, P < 0.01). The results suggest that the immune function of peripheral mononuclear cell in patients with osteosarcoma was disordered. It may activate peripheral mononuclear cells to produce high levels of IL-6 and NO, which may take part in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma.