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We employed scRNA sequencing to extensively characterize the cellular landscape of human liver from development to disease. Analysis of â¼212,000 cells representing human fetal, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and mouse liver revealed remarkable fetal-like reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment. Specifically, the HCC ecosystem displayed features reminiscent of fetal development, including re-emergence of fetal-associated endothelial cells (PLVAP/VEGFR2) and fetal-like (FOLR2) tumor-associated macrophages. In a cross-species comparative analysis, we discovered remarkable similarity between mouse embryonic, fetal-liver, and tumor macrophages. Spatial transcriptomics further revealed a shared onco-fetal ecosystem between fetal liver and HCC. Furthermore, gene regulatory analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and in vitro functional assays implicated VEGF and NOTCH signaling in maintaining onco-fetal ecosystem. Taken together, we report a shared immunosuppressive onco-fetal ecosystem in fetal liver and HCC. Our results unravel a previously unexplored onco-fetal reprogramming of the tumor ecosystem, provide novel targets for therapeutic interventions in HCC, and open avenues for identifying similar paradigms in other cancers and disease.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Células Endoteliales/metabolismo , Microambiente Tumoral/genética , Adulto , Animales , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Línea Celular , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Células Endoteliales/patología , Femenino , Receptor 2 de Folato/metabolismo , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica/métodos , Humanos , Hígado/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Masculino , Proteínas de la Membrana/metabolismo , Ratones , Receptores Notch/genética , Receptores Notch/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/genética , Transcriptoma/genética , Receptor 2 de Factores de Crecimiento Endotelial Vascular/metabolismoRESUMEN
In living-donor liver transplantation, biliary complications including bile leaks and biliary anastomotic strictures remain significant challenges, with incidences varying across different centers. This multicentric retrospective study (2016-2020) included 3633 adult patients from 18 centers and aimed to identify risk factors for these biliary complications and their impact on patient survival. Incidences of bile leaks and biliary strictures were 11.4% and 20.6%, respectively. Key risk factors for bile leaks included multiple bile duct anastomoses (odds ratio, [OR] 1.8), Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (OR, 1.4), and a history of major abdominal surgery (OR, 1.4). For biliary anastomotic strictures, risk factors were ABO incompatibility (OR, 1.4), blood loss >1 L (OR, 1.4), and previous abdominal surgery (OR, 1.7). Patients experiencing biliary complications had extended hospital stays, increased incidence of major complications, and higher comprehensive complication index scores. The impact on graft survival became evident after accounting for immortal time bias using time-dependent covariate survival analysis. Bile leaks and biliary anastomotic strictures were associated with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.7 and 1.8 for graft survival, respectively. The study underscores the importance of minimizing these risks through careful donor selection and preoperative planning, as biliary complications significantly affect graft survival, despite the availability of effective treatments.
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Supervivencia de Injerto , Trasplante de Hígado , Donadores Vivos , Complicaciones Posoperatorias , Humanos , Trasplante de Hígado/efectos adversos , Masculino , Femenino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Factores de Riesgo , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/etiología , Estudios de Seguimiento , Pronóstico , Fuga Anastomótica/etiología , Enfermedades de las Vías Biliares/etiología , Incidencia , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly fatal cancer characterized by high intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH). A panoramic understanding of its tumor evolution, in relation to its clinical trajectory, may provide novel prognostic and treatment strategies. METHODS: Through the Asia-Pacific Hepatocellular Carcinoma trials group (NCT03267641), we recruited one of the largest prospective cohorts of patients with HCC, with over 600 whole genome and transcriptome samples from 123 treatment-naïve patients. RESULTS: Using a multi-region sampling approach, we revealed seven convergent genetic evolutionary paths governed by the early driver mutations, late copy number variations and viral integrations, which stratify patient clinical trajectories after surgical resection. Furthermore, such evolutionary paths shaped the molecular profiles, leading to distinct transcriptomic subtypes. Most significantly, although we found the coexistence of multiple transcriptomic subtypes within certain tumors, patient prognosis was best predicted by the most aggressive cell fraction of the tumor, rather than by overall degree of transcriptomic ITH level - a phenomenon we termed the 'bad apple' effect. Finally, we found that characteristics throughout early and late tumor evolution provide significant and complementary prognostic power in predicting patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study generated a comprehensive landscape of evolutionary history for HCC and provides a rich multi-omics resource for understanding tumor heterogeneity and clinical trajectories. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: This prospective study, utilizing comprehensive multi-sector, multi-omics sequencing and clinical data from surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), reveals critical insights into the role of tumor evolution and intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH) in determining the prognosis of HCC. These findings are invaluable for oncology researchers and clinicians, as they underscore the influence of distinct evolutionary paths and the 'bad apple' effect, where the most aggressive tumor fraction dictates disease progression. These insights not only enhance prognostic accuracy post-surgical resection but also pave the way for personalized treatment strategies tailored to specific tumor evolutionary and transcriptomic profiles. The coexistence of multiple subtypes within the same tumor prompts a re-appraisal of the utilities of depending on single samples to represent the entire tumor and suggests the need for clinical molecular imaging. This research thus marks a significant step forward in the clinical understanding and management of HCC, underscoring the importance of integrating tumor evolutionary dynamics and multi-omics biomarkers into therapeutic decision-making. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT03267641 (Observational cohort).
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OBJECTIVE: To define benchmark values for adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). BACKGROUND: LDLT utilizes living-donor hemiliver grafts to expand the donor pool and reduce waitlist mortality. Although references have been established for donor hepatectomy, no such information exists for recipients to enable conclusive quality and comparative assessments. METHODS: Patients undergoing LDLT were analyzed in 15 high-volume centers (≥10 cases/year) from 3 continents over 5 years (2016-2020), with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Benchmark criteria included a Model for End-stage Liver Disease ≤20, no portal vein thrombosis, no previous major abdominal surgery, no renal replacement therapy, no acute liver failure, and no intensive care unit admission. Benchmark cutoffs were derived from the 75th percentile of all centers' medians. RESULTS: Of 3636 patients, 1864 (51%) qualified as benchmark cases. Benchmark cutoffs, including posttransplant dialysis (≤4%), primary nonfunction (≤0.9%), nonanastomotic strictures (≤0.2%), graft loss (≤7.7%), and redo-liver transplantation (LT) (≤3.6%), at 1-year were below the deceased donor LT benchmarks. Bile leak (≤12.4%), hepatic artery thrombosis (≤5.1%), and Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI ® ) (≤56) were above the deceased donor LT benchmarks, whereas mortality (≤9.1%) was comparable. The right hemiliver graft, compared with the left, was associated with a lower CCI ® score (34 vs 21, P < 0.001). Preservation of the middle hepatic vein with the right hemiliver graft had no impact neither on the recipient nor on the donor outcome. Asian centers outperformed other centers with CCI ® score (21 vs 47, P < 0.001), graft loss (3.0% vs 6.5%, P = 0.002), and redo-LT rates (1.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029). In contrast, non-benchmark low-volume centers displayed inferior outcomes, such as bile leak (15.2%), hepatic artery thrombosis (15.2%), or redo-LT (6.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Benchmark LDLT offers a valuable alternative to reduce waitlist mortality. Exchange of expertise, public awareness, and centralization policy are, however, mandatory to achieve benchmark outcomes worldwide.
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Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal , Hepatopatías , Trasplante de Hígado , Trombosis , Adulto , Humanos , Donadores Vivos , Benchmarking , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal/cirugía , Resultado del Tratamiento , Estudios Retrospectivos , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Hepatopatías/complicaciones , Supervivencia de InjertoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Down-staging is commonly used to select patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond Milan criteria (MC) for liver transplantation (LT), but outcomes are heterogenous. We aimed to estimate pooled down-staging success rates, HCC recurrence, and overall survival (OS), stratified by criteria used for baseline tumor burden. METHODS: We searched Pubmed and EMBASE databases from inception until August 2021 for studies reporting down-staging success (reduction of tumor burden to within MC) and outcomes of adult HCC patients. In addition, we performed a pooled analysis using reconstructed individual participant data to obtain robust estimates for OS. RESULTS: We screened 1059 articles and included 25 articles involving 3997 patients. Overall, 55.16% (45.49%-64.46%) underwent successful down-staging, and 31.52% (24.03%-40.11%) received LT (by intention-to-treat analysis [ITT]). Among patients who received LT, 16.01% (11.80%-21.37%) developed HCC recurrence. Comparing studies that used the United Network for Organ Sharing Down-Staging (UNOS-DS) criteria versus studies beyond UNOS-DS or did not specify criteria, down-staging success (by ITT) was 83.21% versus 45.93%, P < .001; the proportion who received LT (by ITT) was 48.61% vs 28.60%, P = .030; and HCC recurrence (among patients who received LT) occurred in 9.06% versus 20.42%, P < .001. Among studies that used UNOS-DS criteria, ITT 1- and 5-year OS from the initiation of down-staging treatment was 86% and 58%, respectively, whereas 1- and 5-year post-LT OS was 94% and 74%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among studies that adhered to UNOS-DS criteria, down-staging was successful in four-fifths of patients, >50% received LT, and post-LT outcomes were excellent. These data provide clinical validation for the utilization of UNOS-DS criteria.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Trasplante de Hígado , Adulto , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Trasplante de Hígado/efectos adversos , Resultado del Tratamiento , Estudios Retrospectivos , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/patología , Estadificación de NeoplasiasRESUMEN
NASH is the fastest-growing cause of liver cirrhosis and is the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT). However, significant racial and ethnic disparities in waitlist outcomes and LT allocation may unfairly disadvantage minorities. Our aim was to characterize racial and ethnic disparities in waitlist mortality and transplantation probability among patients with NASH. This is a retrospective analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing registry data of LT candidates from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2021. Outcomes analysis was performed using competing risk analysis with the Fine and Gray model. The multivariable adjustment was conducted, and mixed-effect regression was used to compare the model for end-stage liver disease scores at listing and removal. Of 18,562 patients with NASH cirrhosis, there were 14,834 non-Hispanic Whites, 349 African Americans, 2798 Hispanics, 312 Asians, and 269 of other races/ethnicities; African American (effect size: 2.307, 95% CI: 1.561-3.053, and p < 0.001) and Hispanic (effect size: 0.332, 95% CI: 0.028-0.637, p = 0.032) patients were found to have a significantly higher model for end-stage liver disease scores at the time of listing than non-Hispanic Whites. African Americans had a higher probability of receiving LT relative to non-Hispanic Whites (subdistribution HR: 1.211, 95% CI: 1.051-1.396, and p = 0.008). However, Hispanic race/ethnicity was associated with a lower transplantation probability (subdistribution HR: 0.793, 95% CI: 0.747-0.842, and p < 0.001) and increased waitlist mortality (subdistribution HR: 1.173, CI: 1.052-1.308, and p = 0.004) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in waitlist outcomes of patients with NASH in the US. Hispanic patients are less likely to receive LT and more likely to die while on the waitlist compared with non-Hispanic Whites despite being listed with a lower model for end-stage liver disease scores.
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Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal , Trasplante de Hígado , Enfermedad del Hígado Graso no Alcohólico , Humanos , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Enfermedad del Hígado Graso no Alcohólico/cirugía , Trasplante de Hígado/efectos adversos , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal/cirugía , Estudios Retrospectivos , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Cirrosis Hepática , Listas de EsperaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hypoxia is one of the central players in shaping the immune context of the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the complex interplay between immune cell infiltrates within the hypoxic TME of HCC remains to be elucidated. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We analyzed the immune landscapes of hypoxia-low and hypoxia-high tumor regions using cytometry by time of light, immunohistochemistry, and transcriptomic analyses. The mechanisms of immunosuppression in immune subsets of interest were further explored using in vitro hypoxia assays. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and a number of immunosuppressive myeloid subsets, including M2 macrophages and human leukocyte antigen-DR isotype (HLA-DRlo ) type 2 conventional dendritic cell (cDC2), were found to be significantly enriched in hypoxia-high tumor regions. On the other hand, the abundance of active granzyme Bhi PD-1lo CD8+ T cells in hypoxia-low tumor regions implied a relatively active immune landscape compared with hypoxia-high regions. The up-regulation of cancer-associated genes in the tumor tissues and immunosuppressive genes in the tumor-infiltrating leukocytes supported a highly pro-tumorigenic network in hypoxic HCC. Chemokine genes such as CCL20 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 20) and CXCL5 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5) were associated with recruitment of both Tregs and HLA-DRlo cDC2 to hypoxia-high microenvironments. The interaction between Tregs and cDC2 under a hypoxic TME resulted in a loss of antigen-presenting HLA-DR on cDC2. CONCLUSIONS: We uncovered the unique immunosuppressive landscapes and identified key immune subsets enriched in hypoxic HCC. In particular, we identified a potential Treg-mediated immunosuppression through interaction with a cDC2 subset in HCC that could be exploited for immunotherapies.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Humanos , Linfocitos T Reguladores , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Granzimas/metabolismo , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos , Receptor de Muerte Celular Programada 1/metabolismo , Ligandos , Microambiente Tumoral , Terapia de Inmunosupresión , Hipoxia/metabolismo , Células Dendríticas/metabolismo , Antígenos HLARESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Conventional differential expression (DE) testing compares the grouped mean value of tumour samples to the grouped mean value of the normal samples, and may miss out dysregulated genes in small subgroup of patients. This is especially so for highly heterogeneous cancer like Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Using multi-region sampled RNA-seq data of 90 patients, we performed patient-specific differential expression testing, together with the patients' matched adjacent normal samples. RESULTS: Comparing the results from conventional DE analysis and patient-specific DE analyses, we show that the conventional DE analysis omits some genes due to high inter-individual variability present in both tumour and normal tissues. Dysregulated genes shared in small subgroup of patients were useful in stratifying patients, and presented differential prognosis. We also showed that the target genes of some of the current targeted agents used in HCC exhibited highly individualistic dysregulation pattern, which may explain the poor response rate. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the importance of identifying patient-specific DE genes, with its potential to provide clinically valuable insights into patient subgroups for applications in precision medicine.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Humanos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Biomarcadores de Tumor/genética , Biomarcadores de Tumor/metabolismo , Pronóstico , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión GénicaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Reducing clinically relevant post-operative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) incidence after pancreatic resections has been a topic of great academic interest. Optimizing post-operative drain management is a potential strategy in reducing this major complication. METHODS: Studies involving pancreatic resections, including both pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and distal pancreatic resections (DP), with intra-operative drain placement were screened. Early drain removal was defined as removal before or on the 3rd post-operative day (POD) while late drain removal was defined as after the 3rd POD. The primary outcome was CR-POPF, International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) Grade B and above. Secondary outcomes were all complications, severe complications, post-operative haemorrhage, intra-abdominal infections, delayed gastric emptying, reoperation, length of stay, readmission, and mortality. RESULTS: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were included for analysis. The studies had a total of 8574 patients, comprising 1946 in the early removal group and 6628 in the late removal group. Early drain removal was associated with a significantly lower risk of CR-POPF (OR: 0.24, p < 0.01). Significant reduction in risk of post-operative haemorrhage (OR: 0.55, p < 0.01), intra-abdominal infection (OR: 0.35, p < 0.01), re-admission (OR: 0.63, p < 0.01), re-operation (OR: 0.70, p = 0.03), presence of any complications (OR: 0.46, p < 0.01), and reduced length of stay (SMD: -0.75, p < 0.01) in the early removal group was also observed. CONCLUSION: Early drain removal is associated with significant reductions in incidence of CR-POPF and other post-operative complications. Further prospective randomised trials in this area are recommended to validate these findings.
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Infecciones Intraabdominales , Pancreatectomía , Humanos , Pancreatectomía/efectos adversos , Remoción de Dispositivos , Páncreas , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/epidemiología , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/prevención & control , Hemorragia Posoperatoria/epidemiología , Hemorragia Posoperatoria/etiologíaRESUMEN
Dysregulated adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is implicated in various cancers. However, no available RNA editing inhibitors have so far been developed to inhibit cancer-associated RNA editing events. Here, we decipher the RNA secondary structure of antizyme inhibitor 1 (AZIN1), one of the best-studied A-to-I editing targets in cancer, by locating its editing site complementary sequence (ECS) at the 3' end of exon 12. Chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that target the editing region of AZIN1 caused a substantial exon 11 skipping, whereas ECS-targeting ASOs effectively abolished AZIN1 editing without affecting splicing and translation. We demonstrate that complete 2'-O-methyl (2'-O-Me) sugar ring modification in combination with partial phosphorothioate (PS) backbone modification may be an optimal chemistry for editing inhibition. ASO3.2, which targets the ECS, specifically inhibits cancer cell viability in vitro and tumor incidence and growth in xenograft models. Our results demonstrate that this AZIN1-targeting, ASO-based therapeutics may be applicable to a wide range of tumor types.
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Proteínas Portadoras/genética , Marcación de Gen , Edición de ARN , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular , Supervivencia Celular/genética , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Exones , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Marcación de Gen/métodos , Terapia Genética/métodos , Humanos , Ratones , Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/terapia , Oligonucleótidos Antisentido/genética , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Multimodal prehabilitation aims to prepare frail older patients for major surgery. The objective of this review is to determine the benefits of pre-operative multimodal prehabilitation compared to standard care in older patients. METHODS: Data sources included MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL and PsychINFO. They were searched from inception to September 2021. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) with an average study population age ≥ 65 that had undergone major abdominal operation with at least two components (physical, nutritional, psychological) of prehabilitation programs were included. RESULTS: Nine RCTs were included with a total of 823 patients, of whom 705 completed the study with 358 undergoing prehabilitation and 347 were controls. Significantly lower complications were observed in the prehabilitation group compared to control (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.99; p = 0.04; I2 = 32%). A significant increase in 6-min walking distance (6MWD) from baseline to immediately prior to surgery (mean difference 35.1 m; 95%CI 11.6-58.4; p = 0.003; I2 = 67%) and 8 weeks post-surgery (mean difference 44.9 m; 95%CI 6.0-83.8; p = 0.02; I2 = 75%) was noted in the prehabilitation group. No difference was observed in length of stay (OR 0.59; 95% CI - 0.23 to 1.40; p = 0.16; I2 = 91%) or 30-day emergency department visit (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.41 to 1.26; p = 0.25; I2 = 0%). Patient reported outcome measures were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst older patients, multimodal prehabilitation increases peri-operative functional capacity and may potentially decrease post-operative complications. Future studies should continue to focus on older patients who are frail as this is the group that prehabilitation would likely have a clinically significant impact on.
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Cuidados Preoperatorios , Ejercicio Preoperatorio , Abdomen/cirugía , Anciano , Humanos , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Given the complexity of living donor hepatectomy, it is expected that high hospital volume will better outcomes. This study aims to evaluate post-operative outcomes for living donor hepatectomy in a medium volume liver transplant centre and compare to outcomes in high volume centres. Also, it serves as a validation tool for framework of structure-process-outcome model for safe living donor hepatectomy program. METHODS: 204 donors who underwent donor hepatectomy between June 1996 to September 2019 were reviewed retrospectively and compared to outcomes in high volume centres. RESULTS: At 6 months, overall donor morbidity rate was 20/204 (9.8%). Wound complications were most common at 5/204 (2.5%). Majority of complications were either Clavien grade 1 or 2 and only 3 donors had Clavien grade 3 complications. There was zero donor mortality. DISCUSSION: Our centre's donor morbidity rate of 9.8% is the one of the lowest reported in the published literature. With increased experience, stringent donor selection and enhanced perioperative care by a multi-disciplinary team, outcomes in a medium volume centre can match the outcomes reported in high volume centres. The framework for quality in terms of structure, process and outcomes is presented which can be adopted for developing programs.
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Trasplante de Hígado , Donadores Vivos , Hepatectomía/efectos adversos , Humanos , Trasplante de Hígado/efectos adversos , Complicaciones Posoperatorias , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The application of intra-operative blood salvage autotransfusion(IBSA) in liver transplantation(LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) remains controversial due to the theoretical risk of tumour cell(TC) reintroduction. Current studies evaluating for presence of TC are limited by suboptimal detection techniques. This study aims to analyze the presence of TC in HCC LT autologous blood using microfluidics technology. METHODS: A prospective study of HCC patients who underwent LT from February 2018-April 2019 was conducted. Blood samples were collected peri-operatively. TCs were isolated using microfluidics technology and stained with antibody cocktails for confirmation. RESULTS: A total of 15 HCC LT patients were recruited. All recipients had tumour characteristics within the University of California, San Francisco(UCSF) criteria pre-operatively. TC was detected in all of the autologous blood samples collected from the surgical field. After IOCS wash, five patients had no detectable TC, while 10 patients had detectable TC; of these two remained positive for TC after Leukocyte Depletion Filter(LDF) filtration. CONCLUSION: The risk of tumour cell reintroduction using IBSA in HCC LT patients can be reduced with a single LDF. Future studies should evaluate the proliferation capacity and tumorigenicity of HCC TC in IBSA samples, and the effects of TC reintroduction in patients with pre-existing HCC TCs.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular , Neoplasias Hepáticas , Trasplante de Hígado , Recuperación de Sangre Operatoria , Transfusión de Sangre Autóloga , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/cirugía , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/cirugía , Trasplante de Hígado/efectos adversos , Microfluídica , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia , Estudios Prospectivos , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The outbreak of COVID-19 has vastly increased the operational burden on healthcare systems worldwide. For patients with end-stage liver failure, liver transplantation is the only option. However, the strain on intensive care facilities caused by the pandemic is a major concern. There is an urgent need for ethical frameworks to balance the need for liver transplantation against the availability of national resources. METHODS: We performed an international multicenter study of transplant centers to understand the evolution of policies for transplant prioritization in response to the pandemic in March 2020. To describe the ethical tension arising in this setting, we propose a novel ethical framework, the quadripartite equipoise (QE) score, that is applicable to liver transplantation in the context of limited national resources. RESULTS: Seventeen large- and medium-sized liver transplant centers from 12 countries across 4 continents participated. Ten centers opted to limit transplant activity in response to the pandemic, favoring a "sickest-first" approach. Conversely, some larger centers opted to continue routine transplant activity in order to balance waiting list mortality. To model these and other ethical tensions, we computed a QE score using 4 factors - recipient outcome, donor/graft safety, waiting list mortality and healthcare resources - for 7 countries. The fluctuation of the QE score over time accurately reflects the dynamic changes in the ethical tensions surrounding transplant activity in a pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This four-dimensional model of quadripartite equipoise addresses the ethical tensions in the current pandemic. It serves as a universally applicable framework to guide regulation of transplant activity in response to the increasing burden on healthcare systems. LAY SUMMARY: There is an urgent need for ethical frameworks to balance the need for liver transplantation against the availability of national resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe a four-dimensional model of quadripartite equipoise that models these ethical tensions and can guide the regulation of transplant activity in response to the increasing burden on healthcare systems.
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Infecciones por Coronavirus/epidemiología , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal , Recursos en Salud/tendencias , Trasplante de Hígado , Pandemias , Neumonía Viral/epidemiología , Obtención de Tejidos y Órganos , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal/mortalidad , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal/cirugía , Humanos , Cooperación Internacional , Trasplante de Hígado/ética , Trasplante de Hígado/métodos , Innovación Organizacional , Pandemias/ética , Pandemias/prevención & control , Selección de Paciente/ética , SARS-CoV-2 , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Obtención de Tejidos y Órganos/ética , Obtención de Tejidos y Órganos/organización & administración , Obtención de Tejidos y Órganos/tendencias , Listas de Espera/mortalidadRESUMEN
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Some oncogenes encode transcription factors, but few drugs have been successfully developed to block their activity specifically in cancer cells. The transcription factor SALL4 is aberrantly expressed in solid tumor and leukemia cells. We developed a screen to identify compounds that reduce the viability of liver cancer cells that express high levels of SALL4, and we investigated their mechanisms. METHODS: We developed a stringent high-throughput screening platform comprising unmodified SNU-387 and SNU-398 liver cancer cell lines and SNU-387 cell lines engineered to express low and high levels of SALL4. We screened 1597 pharmacologically active small molecules and 21,575 natural product extracts from plant, bacteria, and fungal sources for those that selectively reduce the viability of cells with high levels of SALL4 (SALL4hi cells). We compared gene expression patterns of SALL4hi cells vs SALL4-knockdown cells using RNA sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Xenograft tumors were grown in NOD/SCID gamma mice from SALL4hi SNU-398 or HCC26.1 cells or from SALL4lo patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cells; mice were given injections of identified compounds or sorafenib, and the effects on tumor growth were measured. RESULTS: Our screening identified 1 small molecule (PI-103) and 4 natural compound analogues (oligomycin, efrapeptin, antimycin, and leucinostatin) that selectively reduced viability of SALL4hi cells. We performed validation studies, and 4 of these compounds were found to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase inhibitor oligomycin reduced the viability of SALL4hi hepatocellular carcinoma and non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines with minimal effects on SALL4lo cells. Oligomycin also reduced the growth of xenograft tumors grown from SALL4hi SNU-398 or HCC26.1 cells to a greater extent than sorafenib, but oligomycin had little effect on tumors grown from SALL4lo PDX cells. Oligomycin was not toxic to mice. Analyses of chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data showed that SALL4 binds approximately 50% of mitochondrial genes, including many oxidative phosphorylation genes, to activate their transcription. In comparing SALL4hi and SALL4-knockdown cells, we found SALL4 to increase oxidative phosphorylation, oxygen consumption rate, mitochondrial membrane potential, and use of oxidative phosphorylation-related metabolites to generate ATP. CONCLUSIONS: In a screening for compounds that reduce the viability of cells that express high levels of the transcription factor SALL4, we identified inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation, which slowed the growth of xenograft tumors from SALL4hi cells in mice. SALL4 activates the transcription of genes that regulate oxidative phosphorylation to increase oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ATP generation in cancer cells. Inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation might be used for the treatment of liver tumors with high levels of SALL4.
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Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento/métodos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Factores de Transcripción/antagonistas & inhibidores , Animales , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Línea Celular Tumoral , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Supervivencia Celular/genética , Femenino , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Masculino , Ratones , Fosforilación Oxidativa/efectos de los fármacos , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Regulación hacia Arriba/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación hacia Arriba/genética , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: This study aims to review the clinical management of patients with acute pancreatitis in a tertiary institute in Singapore, and to identify areas qualiy improvement based on validation against the recommendations in the IAP/APA and the Japanese guidelines. METHODS: 391 patients from a prospective electronic database were included and reviewed for compliance to the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP)/American Pancreatic Association (APA) guidelines (2013) and the Japanase Guidelines (2015). RESULTS: The 90 day mortality was 8.4% for moderately severe and 11.9% for severe pancreatitis. The accuracy of SIRS in predicting severe acute pancreatitis on admission was 72.1% and at 48â¯h 80.8%. Only 61.1% patients had ultrasound scan during their admission of whom 32.9% had it within 24â¯h of admission. 18.3% patients with initial diagnosis of idiopathic pancreatitis had EUS. 50% received Ringer lactate for initial fluid resuscitation. 38.7% received antibiotics as prophylaxis. 21.4% with severe acute pancreatitis had early enteral nutrition. Only 21.4% patients with biliary pancreatitis had index admission cholecystectomy. CONCLUSION: The compliance to existing guidelines for management of acute pancreatitis is variable. Identifying gaps and implementing measures to address them allows for continued improvement in the management of patients with acute pancreatitis.
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Manejo de la Enfermedad , Pancreatitis/terapia , Centros de Atención Terciaria , Enfermedad Aguda , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Bases de Datos Factuales , Femenino , Fluidoterapia , Adhesión a Directriz , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pancreatitis/diagnóstico por imagen , Pancreatitis/mortalidad , Pancreatitis Aguda Necrotizante/diagnóstico por imagen , Pancreatitis Aguda Necrotizante/mortalidad , Pancreatitis Aguda Necrotizante/terapia , Estudios Prospectivos , Mejoramiento de la Calidad , Singapur , Resultado del Tratamiento , Ultrasonografía , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is a common condition in the pediatric population. In patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is preferred as compared to open appendectomy (OA). However, in patients with complicated appendicitis (CA), as defined as suppurative, gangrenous or perforated appendicitis, or appendicitis with periappendicular abscess formation, the decision to perform OA or LA remains unclear. METHODS: The PRISMA guidelines were adhered to. An electronic database search from 1997 to 2017 was performed using the Cochrane, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, Embase, and Web of Knowledge databases. Data analysis, including subgroup analysis of randomized-control trials, was performed using RevMan 5.3. Assessment of methodological and statistical heterogeneity, as well as publication bias of the included studies, was performed. RESULTS: Six randomized-control trials (296 LA versus 373 OA) and 33 case-control trials (3106 LA versus 4149 OA) were analyzed. Compared to OA, LA has a shorter length of stay (WMD = - 0.96, 95% CI - 1.47 to - 0.45) and a lower rate of surgical site infection (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.25-0.54), although the rates of intraabdominal abscess formation were similar (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.71-1.43). LA was also shown to have lower readmission rates, lower incidences of postoperative ileus or intestinal obstruction, lower incidence of reoperation, as well as a shorter time taken to oral intake. Operative time for OA was shorter than LA (WMD = 12.44, 95% CI 2.00-22.87). CONCLUSION: While studies in the past have associated LA with higher rates of intraabdominal abscess in patients with CA, our meta-analysis has shown that they were similar. Considering this, together with other improved postoperative outcomes, LA should be the procedure of choice in pediatric patients presenting with CA.
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Apendicectomía/métodos , Apendicitis/cirugía , Laparoscopía , Absceso Abdominal/cirugía , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Laparoscopía/métodos , Masculino , Prioridad del Paciente , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como Asunto , Infección de la Herida Quirúrgica/cirugíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: In adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation, the decision to include the middle hepatic vein (MHV) remains controversial. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 50 R-LDLTs between January 2008 and June 2016 was performed. RESULTS: Twenty-one procedures were performed using a MHV+ graft (42.0%) and 29 procedures using a MHV- graft (58%). MHV- donors were taller (173 vs 166 cm, p = 0.004) with a larger standard liver volume (1351 vs 1245 mls, p = 0.014) compared to MHV+ donors. The duration of operation for donors was significantly longer in the MHV+ group (530 (313-975) mins) compared to the MHV- group (489 (336-708) mins) (p = 0.029). Similarly, the operative time for recipients was longer in the MHV+ group (660 (428-831) mins) compared to MHV- (579 (359-1214) mins) (p = 0.023). MHV- grafts were heavier compared to MHV+ grafts (918 vs 711 g, p = 0.017). Recipient mortality rates and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were comparable (p = 0.411). All donors were well at last review. CONCLUSION: Both MHV+ and MHV- grafts are safe for the donor and recipient. The decision to take the MHV should be based on specific donor-recipient characteristics.
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Venas Hepáticas/trasplante , Trasplante de Hígado , Donadores Vivos , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Tempo Operativo , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: To compare the presentations and outcomes of anti-HBc seropositive Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HBc-HCC) with anti-HBc seronegative (NHBc-HCC) patients in HBsAg negative Non-HBV Non-HCV (NBNC-HCC) HCC population. METHODS: 515 newly diagnosed HCC patients from January 2011 to September 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. 145 (66.5%) NHBc-HCC and 73 (33.5%) HBc-HCC patients were identified. Patient demographics, disease characteristics, details of treatments, recurrence and survival outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: A significantly lower proportion of HBc-HCC patients were diagnosed through surveillence (6.8% vs 26.2%, p = 0.001). HBc-HCC patients were less likely cirrhotic (p < 0.001), portal hypertensive (p < 0.001), ascitic (p = 0.008) and thrombocytopenic (p = 0.003). A higher proportion of HBc-HCC patients had treatment with curative intent (46.6% vs 30.3%, p = 0.018) and surgery (39.7% vs 16.6%, p < 0.001). Although HBc-HCC patients had larger median tumor size (74.0 mm vs 55.0 mm, p = 0.016) with a greater proportion of patients having tumors ≥5 cm, there was no difference in the overall median survival (19.0 months vs 22.0 months, p = 0.919) and recurrence rates (38.2% vs 40.9%). CONCLUSION: Isolated anti-HBc seropositivity in HbsAg negative patients tend to present incidentally with delayed diagnoses resulting in larger tumors, but their long-term survival remain comparable.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis C/sangre , Hepatitis C/virología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Biomarcadores/sangre , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/sangre , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidad , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/virología , Diagnóstico Tardío , Femenino , Hepatitis C/sangre , Hepatitis C/diagnóstico , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/sangre , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidad , Neoplasias Hepáticas/virología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Medición de Riesgo , Factores de Riesgo , Factores de Tiempo , Resultado del Tratamiento , Carga TumoralRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: As the current therapeutic strategies for human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been proven to have limited effectiveness, immunotherapy becomes a compelling way to tackle the disease. We aim to provide humanised mouse (humice) models for the understanding of the interaction between human cancer and immune system, particularly for human-specific drug testing. DESIGN: Patient-derived xenograft tumours are established with type I human leucocyte antigen matched human immune system in NOD-scid Il2rg-/- (NSG) mice. The longitudinal changes of the tumour and immune responses as well as the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors are investigated. RESULTS: Similar to the clinical outcomes, the human immune system in our model is educated by the tumour and exhibits exhaustion phenotypes such as a significant declination of leucocyte numbers, upregulation of exhaustion markers and decreased the production of human proinflammatory cytokines. Notably, cytotoxic immune cells decreased more rapidly compared with other cell types. Tumour infiltrated T cells have much higher expression of exhaustion markers and lower cytokine production compared with peripheral T cells. In addition, tumour-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells are found to be highly enriched in the tumour microenvironment. Interestingly, the tumour also changes gene expression profiles in response to immune responses by upregulating immune checkpoint ligands. Most importantly, in contrast to the NSG model, our model demonstrates both therapeutic and side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors pembrolizumab and ipilimumab. CONCLUSIONS: Our work provides a model for immune-oncology study and a useful parallel-to-human platform for anti-HCC drug testing, especially immunotherapy.