Glissonian approach combined with major hepatic vein first for laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy remains challenging because of the complex interior structures of the liver. Our novel strategy includes the Glissonian approach and the major hepatic vein first, which serves to define the external and internal landmarks for laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy. METHODS: Eleven cases underwent laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy, including three right hepatectomies, three left hepatectomies, three right posterior hepatectomies, and two mesohepatectomies. The Glissonian approach was used to transect the hepatic pedicles as external demarcation. The major hepatic vein near the hepatic portal was exposed and served as the internal landmark for parenchymal transection. The liver parenchyma below and above the major hepatic vein was transected along the major hepatic vein. Fifty-nine subjects were used to compare the distance between the major hepatic vein and secondary Glisson pedicles among different liver diseases. RESULTS: The average operative time was 327 min with an estimated blood loss of 554.55 mL. Only two patients received three units of packed red blood cells. The others recovered normally and were discharged on postoperative day 7. The distance between right posterior Glissonian pedicle and right hepatic vein was shorter in the patients with cirrhosis than that without cirrhosis, and this distance was even shorter in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The Glissonian approach with the major hepatic vein first is easy and feasible for laparoscopic anatomic hepatectomy, especially in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis.

Effect of Huaier granule on recurrence after curative resection of HCC: a multicentre, randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: There is little evidence that adjuvant therapy after radical surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) improves recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS). We conducted a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase IV trial evaluating the benefit of an aqueous extract of Trametes robinophila Murr (Huaier granule) to address this unmet need. DESIGN AND RESULTS: A total of 1044 patients were randomised in 2:1 ratio to receive either Huaier or no further treatment (controls) for a maximum of 96 weeks. The primary endpoint was RFS. Secondary endpoints included OS and tumour extrahepatic recurrence rate (ERR). The Huaier (n=686) and control groups (n=316) had a mean RFS of 75.5 weeks and 68.5 weeks, respectively (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.55 to 0.81). The difference in the RFS rate between Huaier and control groups was 62.39% and 49.05% (95% CI 6.74 to 19.94; p=0.0001); this led to an OS rate in the Huaier and control groups of 95.19% and 91.46%, respectively (95% CI 0.26 to 7.21; p=0.0207). The tumour ERR between Huaier and control groups was 8.60% and 13.61% (95% CI -12.59 to -2.50; p=0.0018), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first nationwide multicentre study, involving 39 centres and 1044 patients, to prove the effectiveness of Huaier granule as adjuvant therapy for HCC after curative liver resection. It demonstrated a significant prolongation of RFS and reduced extrahepatic recurrence in Huaier group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01770431; Post-results.

Dexamethasone-Induced Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Prolong Allo Cardiac Graft Survival through iNOS- and Glucocorticoid Receptor-Dependent Mechanism.

How to induce immune tolerance without long-term need for immunosuppressive drugs has always been a central problem in solid organ transplantation. Modulating immunoregulatory cells represents a potential target to resolve this problem. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are novel key immunoregulatory cells in the context of tumor development or transplantation, and can be generated in vitro. However, none of current systems for in vitro differentiation of MDSCs have successfully achieved long-term immune tolerance. Herein, we combined dexamethasone (Dex), which is a classic immune regulatory drug in the clinic, with common MDSCs inducing cytokine granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to generate MDSCs in vitro. Addition of Dex into GM-CSF system specifically increased the number of CD11b+ Gr-1int/low MDSCs with an enhanced immunosuppressive function in vitro. Adoptive transfer of these MDSCs significantly prolonged heart allograft survival and also favored the expansion of regulatory T cells in vivo. Mechanistic studies showed that inducible nitric oxide sythase (iNOS) signaling was required for MDSCs in the control of T-cell response and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling played a critical role in the recruitment of transferred MDSCs into allograft through upregulating CXCR2 expression on MDSCs. Blockade of GR signaling with its specific inhibitor or genetic deletion of iNOS reversed the protective effect of Dex-induced MDSCs on allograft rejection. Together, our results indicated that co-application of Dex and GM-CSF may be a new and important strategy for the induction of potent MDSCs to achieve immune tolerance in organ transplantation.

MicroRNA-122 Inhibits Lipid Droplet Formation and Hepatic Triglyceride Accumulation via Yin Yang 1.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: An increase in intracellular lipid droplet formation and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content usually results in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of hepatic TG homeostasis remain unclear. METHODS: Oil red O staining and TG measurement were performed to determine the lipid content. miRNA expression was evaluated by quantitative PCR. A luciferase assay was performed to validate the regulation of Yin Yang 1 (YY1) by microRNA (miR)-122. The effects of miR-122 expression on YY1 and its mechanisms involving the farnesoid X receptor and small heterodimer partner (FXR-SHP) pathway were evaluated by quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses. RESULTS: miR-122 was downregulated in free fatty acid (FFA)-induced steatotic hepatocytes, and streptozotocin and high-fat diet (STZ-HFD) induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice. Transfection of hepatocytes with miR-122 mimics before FFA induction inhibited lipid droplet formation and TG accumulation in vitro. These results were verified by overexpressing miR-122 in the livers of STZ-HFD-induced NASH mice. The 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of YY1 mRNA is predicted to contain an evolutionarily conserved miR-122 binding site. In silico searches, a luciferase reporter assay and quantitative PCR analysis confirmed that miR-122 directly bound to the YY1 3'UTR to negatively regulate YY1 mRNA in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. The (FXR-SHP) signaling axis, which is downstream of YY1, may play a key role in the mechanism of miR-122-regulated lipid homeostasis. YY1-FXR-SHP signaling, which is negatively regulated by FFA, was enhanced by miR-122 overexpression. This finding was also confirmed by overexpression of miR-122 in the livers of NASH mice. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that miR-122 plays an important role in lipid (particularly TG) accumulation in the liver by reducing YY1 mRNA stability to upregulate FXR-SHP signaling.

PARP-1 promotes tumor recurrence after warm ischemic liver graft transplantation via neutrophil recruitment and polarization.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is a crucial contributor to exacerbate ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury and cancer process. However, there is little research into whether PARP-1 affects the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver transplantation. In this study, we investigated the influence of PARP-1 on hepatic neutrophil mobilizing and phenotype shifting which may lead to HCC recurrence after liver transplantation. We found that rats received the grafts with warm ischemic injury had higher risk of HCC recurrence, which was markedly prevented by pharmacological inhibition of PARP-1 after liver transplantation. In mouse models, the up-regulation of PARP-1 was closely related to the greater tumor burden and increased hepatic susceptibility to recurrence after IR injury. The reason was that high hepatic PARP-1 led to increased liver CXCL1 levels, which in turn promoted recruitment of neutrophils. Both blocking CXCL1/CXCR2 signaling pathway and depleting neutrophils decreased tumor burden. Moreover, these infiltrating neutrophils were programmed to a proangiogenic phenotype under the influence of PARP-1 in vivo after hepatic IR injury. In conclusion, IR-induced PARP-1 up-regulation increased the hepatic recruitment of neutrophils through regulation of CXCL1/CXCR2 signaling and polarized hepatic neutrophils to proangiogenic phenotype, which further promoted HCC recurrence after transplantation.

Wip1 Deficiency Promotes Neutrophil Recruitment to the Infection Site and Improves Sepsis Outcome.

Sepsis is defined as an uncontrolled host response to infection, and no specific therapy or drugs have been used in clinical trials currently. Discovering new therapeutic targets for sepsis treatment has always been a central problem in the field of sepsis research. Neutrophils stand at the first line in controlling infection and have been identified to be dysregulated with impaired migration and antimicrobial function during sepsis. Based on our previous results on demonstrating wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 in controlling neutrophil development, we explored the possible relationship among Wip1, neutrophils, and sepsis in the present study. Wip1-deficient mice exhibited improved outcomes in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis model with enhanced bacterial clearance and less multi-organ damage. The protection seen in Wip1 KO mice was mainly due to an increased accumulation of neutrophils in the primary infectious locus mediated by the decreased internalization of CXCR2, as well as by an increased antimicrobial function. Additionally, we also identified a negative correlation between CXCR2 and Wip1 in human neutrophils during sepsis. Pharmacological inhibition of Wip1 with its inhibitor can also prevent the internalization of CXCR2 on human neutrophils treated with lipopolysaccharides in vitro and significantly improve the outcome in CLP-induced sepsis model. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Wip1 can negatively regulate neutrophil migration and antimicrobial immunity during sepsis and inhibition of Wip1 can be a potential therapeutic target for sepsis treatment.

Intraportal mesenchymal stem cell transplantation prevents acute liver failure through promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been regarded as a potential treatment for acute liver failure (ALF), but the optimal route was unknown. The present study aimed to explore the most effective MSCs transplantation route in a swine ALF model. METHODS: The swine ALF model induced by intravenous injection of D-Gal was treated by the transplantation of swine MSCs through four routes including intraportal injection (InP group), hepatic intra-arterial injection (AH group), peripheral intravenous injection (PV group) and intrahepatic injection (IH group). The living conditions and survival time were recorded. Blood samples before and after MSCs transplantation were collected for the analysis of hepatic function. The histology of liver injury was interpreted and scored in terminal samples. Hepatic apoptosis was detected by TUNEL assay. Apoptosis and proliferation related protein expressions including cleaved caspase-3, survivin, AKT, phospho-AKT (Ser473), ERK and phospho-ERK (Tyr204) were analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS: The average survival time of each group was 10.7+/-1.6 days (InP), 6.0+/-0.9 days (AH), 4.7+/-1.4 days (PV), 4.3+/-0.8 days (IH), respectively, when compared with the average survival time of 3.8+/-0.8 days in the D-Gal group. The survival rates between the InP group and D-Gal group revealed a statistically significant difference (P<0.01). Pathological and biochemical analysis showed that liver damage was the worst in the D-Gal group, while less injury in the InP group. Histopathological scores revealed a significant decrease in the InP group (3.17+/-1.04, P<0.01) and AH group (8.17+/-0.76, P<0.05) as compared with that in the D-Gal group (11.50+/-1.32). The apoptosis rate in the InP group (25.0%+/-3.4%, P<0.01) and AH group (40.5%+/-1.0%, P<0.05) was lower than that in the D-Gal group (70.6%+/-8.5%). The expression of active caspase-3 was inhibited, while the expression of survivin, AKT, phospho-AKT (Ser473), ERK and phospho-ERK (Tyr204) was elevated in the InP group. CONCLUSIONS: Intraportal injection was superior to other pathways for MSC transplantation. Intraportal MSC transplantation could improve liver function, inhibit apoptosis and prolong the survival time of swine with ALF. The transplanted MSCs may participate in liver regeneration via promoting cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis during the initial stage of ALF.

Clinical analysis of 47 cases of solitary fibrous tumor.

The aim of the present study was to summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT). In total, 47 cases of SFTs diagnosed by postoperative pathology between January 2002 and September 2014 were retrospectively reviewed, and the general information, clinical manifestations, imaging techniques, treatment, pathology and follow-up findings were analyzed. Of the 47 patients, clinical characteristics were collected in 37 cases (18 men and 19 women; mean age, 44.1 years; age range, 13-72 years). The maximum diameters of the tumors were 1.5-25 cm, with a mean diameter of 8.8 cm. The symptoms were various and non-specific. Imaging examinations following iodinated contrast administration showed the SFTs to be well-defined, cystic or solid mass and enhanced. On color Doppler ultrasound, SFTs were described as hypoechoic, clear, irregular masses. All patients underwent surgical resection, and SFT was diagnosed by postoperative pathological and immunohistochemical examination. Of the 47 patients, 25 received complete follow-up of 5-130 months, with a median follow-up period of 35.2 months, that included a color Doppler ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scan every 6-12 months. At the end of the follow-up period all patients were alive and healthy, with the exception of one patient, who presented with recurrence 15 months after surgery. The findings of the present study showed SFT to be a rare systemic disease with no particular clinical manifestations. In the cases reviewed in the present study, CT, magnetic resonance imaging scans and color Doppler ultrasound were important for the diagnosis of SFT, while the definitive diagnosis relied on pathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Surgery, the primary treatment for SFT, was performed, and, following complete removal of the tumor, the prognosis was favorable.

MiR-145 functions as a tumor suppressor via regulating angiopoietin-2 in pancreatic cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is currently one of the leading causes of cancer deaths without any effective therapies. Mir-145 has been found to be tumor-suppressive in various types of cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of miR-145 in pancreatic cancer cells and explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Quantitative real time PCR was used to determine the expression level of miR-145 and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) mNRA, and the expression level of Ang-2 protein was measured by western blotting. The anti-cancer activities of miR-145 were tested both in in vitro by using cell invasion and colony formation assay and in vivo by using xenograft assay. The direct action of miR-145 on Ang-2 was predicted by TargetScan and confirmed by luciferase report assay. The vascularization of xenografts were performed by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: The expression level of miR-145 was significantly lower and the expression levels of Ang-2 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in the more aggressive pancreatic cancer cells (MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1) when compared to that in BxPC3 cells. Overexpression of miR-145 in the BxPC3, MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells suppressed the cell invasion and colony formation ability, and the expression level of Ang-2 protein in MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells was also suppressed after pre-miR-145 transfection. Intratumoral delivery of miR-145 inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer xenografts and angiogenesis in vivo, and also suppressed the expression level of angiopoietin-2 protein. Luciferase report assay showed that Ang-2 is a direct target of miR-145, and down-regulation of angiopoietin-2 by treatment with Ang-2 siRNA in the BxPC3, MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells suppressed cell invasion and colony formation ability. The reverse transcription PCR results also showed that Tie1 and Tie2 were expressed in BxPC3, MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells. CONCLUSION: MiR-145 functions as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer cells by targeting Ang-2 for translation repression and thus suppresses pancreatic cancer cell invasion and growth, which suggests that restoring of miR-145 may be a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.

Puerarin protects against CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in mice: possible role of PARP-1 inhibition.

Liver fibrosis, which is the pathophysiologic process of the liver due to sustained wound healing in response to chronic liver injury, will eventually progress to cirrhosis. Puerarin, a bioactive isoflavone glucoside derived from the traditional Chinese medicine pueraria, has been reported to have many anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis properties. However, the detailed mechanisms are not well studied yet. This study aimed to investigate the effects of puerarin on liver function and fibrosis process in mice induced by CCl4. C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with 10% CCl4 in olive oil(2mL/kg) with or without puerarin co-administration (100 and 200mg/kg intraperitoneally once daily) for four consecutive weeks. As indicated by the ameliorative serum hepatic enzymes and the reduced histopathologic abnormalities, the data collected showed that puerarin can protect against CCl4-induced chronic liver injury. Moreover, CCl4-induced development of fibrosis, as evidenced by increasing expression of alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), collagen-1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) in liver, were suppressed by puerarin. Possible mechanisms related to these suppressive effects were realized by inhibition on NF-κB signaling pathway, reactive oxygen species(ROS) production and mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo. In addition, these protective inhibition mentioned above were driven by down-regulation of PARP-1 due to puerarin because puerarin can attenuate the PARP-1 expression in CCl4-damaged liver and PJ34, a kind of PARP-1 inhibitor, mimicked puerarin's protection. In conclusion, puerarin played a protective role in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis probably through inhibition of PARP-1 and subsequent attenuation of NF-κB, ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Combined mesenchymal stem cell transplantation and interleukin-1 receptor antagonism after partial hepatectomy.

AIM: To study the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in acute liver failure. METHODS: Chinese experimental miniature swine (15 ± 3 kg, 5-8 mo) were obtained from the Laboratory Animal Centre of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School. Acute liver failure was induced via 85% hepatectomy, and animals were treated by MSC transplantation combined with IL-1Ra injection. Blood samples were collected for hepatic function analysis, and the living conditions and survival time were recorded. Liver injury was histologically analyzed. Hepatic cell regeneration and apoptosis were studied by Ki67 immunohistochemistry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling, respectively. The levels of protein kinase B and nuclear factor-κB expression were analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS: MSCs were infected with a lentivirus for expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) for subsequent identification; 97.3% of the MSCs were positive for GFP as assessed by flow cytometry. Additional flow cytometric analysis of cell surface marker expression demonstrated that > 90% of GFP-expressing MSCs were also positive for CD29, CD44, and CD90, indicating that most of these cells expressed typical markers of MSCs, and the population of MSCs was almost pure. Transplantation of MSCs in combination with 2 mg/kg IL-1Ra therapy significantly improved survival time compared to the acute liver failure model group (35.3 ± 6.7 d vs 17.3 ± 5.5 d, P < 0.05). Combined therapy also promoted improvement in serum inflammatory cytokines and biochemical conditions. The observed hepatic histopathologic score was significantly lower in the group with combined therapy than in the model group (3.50 ± 0.87 vs 8.17 ± 1.26, P < 0.01). In addition, liver cell apoptosis in the combined therapy group was significantly inhibited (18.1 ± 2.1% vs 70.8 ± 3.7%, P < 0.01), and hepatic cell regeneration increased. A significant increase in protein kinase B expression and decrease in nuclear factor-κB expression were observed (P < 0.01), which supports their important roles in liver regeneration. CONCLUSION: MSCs and IL-1Ra had a synergistic effect in liver regeneration via regulation of inflammation and apoptotic signaling.

Clinical analysis of 82 cases of carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation of the thyroid.

The aim of the present study was to summarize the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation of the thyroid (CASTLE). A search of the relevant literature was conducted, which identified 82 cases of CASTLE reported to date. A review of the clinical and auxiliary examination data, treatment, pathological findings and follow-up of these cases was performed. The clinical manifestations of CASTLE varied and did not demonstrate specificity. During ultrasound examination, CASTLE was described as a solid and hypoechoic mass, and the echo was typically observed to be heterogeneous. In computed tomography (CT), CASTLE was demonstrated to be a well-defined, soft tissue density mass without calcification, which appeared enhanced following administration of contrast medium. In emission CT, CASTLE was revealed as a 'cold nodule'. A total of 78 patients underwent radical surgery, and 12 patients experienced recurrence. Lymph node metastasis did not promote recurrence, and postoperative radiation was not able to reduce the recurrence rate (P=0.144 and 1.000, respectively). The median follow-up time was 14 months (range, 1-312 months). Typical immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated the specimens to be positive for cluster of differentiation (CD)5, CD117, cytokeratin 19, epithelial membrane antigen and tumor protein 63, and negative for calcitonin, thyroglobulin and thyroid transcription factor-1. Thyroid CASTLE is a rare malignancy whose exact diagnosis relies on pathological examination, particularly immunohistochemistry, since preoperative examinations are usually unable to provide an exact diagnosis. Radical resection is the primary treatment for CASTLE, which presents favorable prognosis.

Improved survival of porcine acute liver failure by a bioartificial liver device implanted with induced human functional hepatocytes.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening illness. The extracorporeal cell-based bioartificial liver (BAL) system could bridge liver transplantation and facilitate liver regeneration for ALF patients by providing metabolic detoxification and synthetic functions. Previous BAL systems, based on hepatoma cells and non-human hepatocytes, achieved limited clinical advances, largely due to poor hepatic functions, cumbersome preparation or safety concerns of these cells. We previously generated human functional hepatocytes by lineage conversion (hiHeps). Here, by improving functional maturity of hiHeps and producing hiHeps at clinical scales (3 billion cells), we developed a hiHep-based BAL system (hiHep-BAL). In a porcine ALF model, hiHep-BAL treatment restored liver functions, corrected blood levels of ammonia and bilirubin, and prolonged survival. Importantly, human albumin and α-1-antitrypsin were detectable in hiHep-BAL-treated ALF pigs. Moreover, hiHep-BAL treatment led to attenuated liver damage, resolved inflammation and enhanced liver regeneration. Our findings indicate a promising clinical application of the hiHep-BAL system.

Radiological score for hemorrhage in the patients with portal hypertension.

GOAL: To analyze the risk factors from radiological indices for hemorrhage in the patients with portal hypertension and weight risk factors. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed all cases of portal hypertension with hepatitis B from June 2008 to June 2014 in Nanjing Drum Tower hospital. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis, or portal hypertension with other causes, such as autoimmune hepatitis, pancreatitis, or hematological diseases were excluded. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were recruited and divided into hemorrhage and non-hemorrhage groups. There were no statistical differences in clinical indexes such as age, prothrombin time, serum albumin, serum creatinine, serum sodium, hemameba, and blood platelet count. However, the differences were statistically significant in total bilirubin, hemoglobin, and liver function with the p values of 0.023, 0.000, and 0.039 respectively. For radiological indices, hemorrhage was correlated with diameter of inferior mesenteric vein (P=0.0528), posterior gastric vein (P=0.0283), and esophageal varices scores (P=0.0221). Logistic procedure was used to construct the model with stepwise selection and finally inferior mesenteric vein, posterior gastric vein, esophageal varices, and short gastric vein were enrolled into the model. These veins were scored according to the diameters and the rates of hemorrhage were increased with the score. We then validated the model with 26 patents from July 2014 to December 2014. The AUC value was 0.8849 in ROC curves for this radiological model. CONCLUSIONS: A risk model was constructed including inferior mesenteric vein, esophageal varices, posterior gastric vein, and short gastric vein. This radiological scoring model may be a valuable indicator for hemorrhage of portal hypertension.

Detecting abnormal methylation of tumor suppressor genes GSTP1, P16, RIZ1, and RASSF1A in hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high rate of mortality. Further studies into epigenetic changes in HCC, particularly the abnormal methylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), are required, since these changes may provide novel biomarkers for early screening and diagnosis of HCC. By using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP), the present study detected the methylation status in the promoter region of 4 candidate TSGs, GSTP1, P16, RIZ1, and RASSF1A, respectively, in 35 paired HCC and tumor-adjacent liver tissues in addition to 20 normal liver tissues. Their effect on the initiation and progression of HCC was also investigated by analyzing the clinicopathological data. The results of the present study revealed that the methylation level of RIZ1 and GSTP1 genes in HCC was significantly increased compared with that in the adjacent tissues (P<0.01) and the normal liver tissues (P<0.01). The methylation frequency of P16 and RASSF1A genes was not significantly increased compared with that observed in the adjacent tissues (P>0.05) but was significantly increased compared with the normal tissues (P<0.01). In HCC tissues, the methylation frequency of the GSTP1 gene in tumors with capsular invasion was significantly increased compared with that in tumors without capsular invasion (P<0.05). The methylation frequency of P16 gene in hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg)-positive HCC patients was significantly increased compared with that in HbsAg-negative patients (P<0.05). The methylation status of RIZ1 and RASSF1A genes was not significantly correlated with the clinicopathological data (P>0.05). Previous studies have demonstrated that the methylation status of RIZ1 and GSTP1 genes is HCC-specific, and thus may be used as a biomarker to assist the clinical diagnosis of HCC. While the methylation of GSTP1 gene promoter may associate with the invasiveness of HCC, chronic hepatitis B virus infection may be the cause of methylation-induced P16 inactivation.

Effect of chewing gum on the postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function.

Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction remains a source of morbidity and the major determinant of length of stay after abdominal operation. There are many different reasons for postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction such as stress response, perioperative interventions, bowel manipulation and so on. The mechanism of enhanced recovery from postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction with the help of chewing gum is believed to be the cephalic-vagal stimulation of digestion which increases the promotability of neural and humoral factors that act on different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Recently, there were a series of randomized controlled trials to confirm the role of chewing gum in the recovery of gastrointestinal function. The results suggested that chewing gum enhanced early recovery of bowel function following abdominal surgery expect the gastrointestinal surgery. However, the effect of chewing gum in gastrointestinal surgery was controversial.

No transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus in an acute liver failure model treated by a novel hybrid bioartificial liver containing porcine hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND: A novel hybrid bioartificial liver (HBAL) was constructed using an anionic resin adsorption column and a multi-layer flat-plate bioreactor containing porcine hepatocytes co-cultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological safety of the HBAL by detecting the transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) into canines with acute liver failure (ALF) undergoing HBAL. METHODS: Eight dogs with ALF received a 6-hour HBAL treatment on the first day after the modeling by D-galactosamine administration. The plasma in the HBAL and the whole blood in the dogs were collected for PERV detection at regular intervals until one year later when the dogs were sacrificed to retrieve the tissues of several organs for immunohistochemistry and Western blotting for the investigation of PERV capsid protein gag p30 in the tissue. Furthermore, HEK293 cells were incubated to determine the in vitro infectivity. RESULTS: PERV RNA and reverse transcriptase activity were observed in the plasma of circuit 3, suggesting that PERV particles released in circuit 3. No positive PERV RNA and reverse transcriptase activity were detected in other plasma. No HEK293 cells were infected by the plasma in vitro. In addition, all PERV-related analyses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tissues were negative. CONCLUSION: No transmission of PERVs into ALF canines suggested a reliable microbiological safety of HBAL based on porcine hepatocytes.

Lymphocele: a clinical analysis of 19 cases.

PURPOSE: To summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of lymphocele. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 19 cases of lymphocele diagnosed by postoperative pathology from January 2003 to September 2012 were retrospectively analyzed, especially the general information, clinical manifestations, imaging, operations, and pathological findings. RESULTS: In 19 cases, the common locations were in retroperitoneal, abdominal wall, and neck. There were no typical clinical manifestations with lymphocele. 6 cases visited hospital because of pain, while 13 cases were diagnosed incidentally with imaging or surgery. Fourteen cases undergoing CT were all displayed as cystic lesion. In 12 of 14 cases undergoing type-B ultrasonic, the masses were shown to be cystic lesion without special signs. 19 cases were all treated by surgical resection, and testified to be lymphocele with pathological analysis. The sensitivity of D2-40 was 89.5% (17/19) in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocele is very rare with no specific clinical manifestations. The preoperative diagnosis was based on imaging examinations, while definite diagnosis was based on the pathological, and (or) immunohistochemical examination with D2-40. The prognosis of lymphocele is good after it is removed completely.

Preoperative serum liver enzyme markers for predicting early recurrence after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with worse prognosis after liver resection. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of common liver enzyme markers in HCC early recurrence after curative hepatectomy and to establish a simple predictive model for HCC early recurrence. METHODS: A total of 200 patients who had undergone curative resection for HCC were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into early recurrence (within 2 years) and non-early recurrence groups. Demographical characteristics, preoperative liver function parameters, surgical factors and tumor related factors of the patients were assessed by univariate analysis to identify potential significant predictors for early recurrence after resection of HCC. Parameters with statistical significance were entered into a Cox proportional hazard model to find independent risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was done to determine optimal cut-off values and the number of combined factors in multi-factor predictive model. RESULTS: Of 13 potential risk factors for early recurrence identified by univariate analysis, high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH>206 U/L, HR=1.711, P=0.006), high aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AST/ALT>0.96, HR=1.769, P=0.006), elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP<8.6 ng/mL, HR=2.079, P=0.007), small resection margin (≤1 cm, HR=2.354, P<0.001) and advanced TNM stage (TNM III-IV, HR=2.164, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for early recurrence of HCC shown by multivariate analysis. Patients with three or more concurrent independent risk factors had significantly higher risk for early recurrence than those with low risk factors. The sensitivity and specificity of this predictive model are 53.6% and 80.7%, respectively (area under curve=0.741, 95% CI 0.674-0.800, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative common liver enzyme markers, LDH and AST/ALT ratio, were independently associated with early recurrence of HCC. The combination of serum liver enzyme markers with AFP, resection margin and TNM stage better predicted early recurrence of HCC after curative resection in a simple multi-factor model.

GGPPS deficiency aggravates CCl4-induced liver injury by inducing hepatocyte apoptosis.

GGPPS catalyses the expression of GGPP, a key protein in the mevalonate metabolic pathway. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor statins can induce liver injury by inhibiting GGPP. However, the function of GGPPS in liver injury has not yet been revealed. In this study, we found that GGPPS increased in liver injury and that GGPPS deletion augmented liver injury and fibrosis. GGPPS inhibition induced hepatocyte apoptosis, inflammation and TGF-ß1 secretion, which activated hepatic stellate cells. Our findings imply that GGPPS deletion induces hepatocyte apoptosis, which makes the liver vulnerable to hepatotoxicity.