A predictive factor of insufficient liver regeneration after preoperative portal vein embolization.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) is performed to enhance the future remnant liver function (FRLF) and volume (FRLV). However, the volume of the nonembolized liver does not increase enough in some patients, which results in an insufficient FRLF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictors of insufficient FRLF after PVE for extended hepatectomy. METHODS: This retrospective study included 172 patients (107 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, 40 patients with metastatic liver cancer and 25 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma) who underwent PVE before extended hepatectomy. The total liver function was evaluated by measuring the indocyanine green plasma clearance rate (KICG). Computed tomography volumetry was conducted to evaluate the total liver volume and FRLV. The KICG of the future remnant liver (remK) was calculated using the following formula: KICG × FRLV/total liver volume. The safety margin for hepatectomy was set at remK after PVE (post-PVE remK) ≥ 0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-three patients with a post-PVE remK level of >0.05 underwent hepatectomy without postoperative liver failure [sufficient liver regeneration (SLR) group], and 9 patients with a post-PVE remK level of <0.05 did not due to insufficient FRLF [insufficient liver regeneration (ILR) group]. In the SLR group, the KICG values did not change after PVE (median, 0.144-0.146, p = 0.523); however, the %FRLV and remK increased significantly (35.0-44.3%, p < 0.001 and 0.0488-0.0610, p < 0001, respectively). In contrast, in the ILR group, the KICG values decreased significantly (0.128-0.108, p = 0.021) and the %FRLV increased marginally (27.4-32.6%, p = 0.051). As a result, the remK did not increase significantly (0.0351-0.0365, p = 0.213). A receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated an remK value of 0.04 obtained before PVE (pre-PVE remK) to be the optimal cutoff point for defective liver regeneration. The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that a pre-PVE remK value of <0.04 was a factor for ILR. It was also correlated with postoperative liver failure in the analysis of the patients who underwent hepatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The patients in the ILR group did not achieve SLR after PVE due to a significant decrease in the KICG and an insufficient increase in %FRLV. A pre-PVE remK value of <0.04 is a useful predictor of insufficient regeneration of the nonembolized liver, even after PVE.

Criteria for drain removal following liver resection.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal drains have been placed prophylactically and removed in liver resection without robust evidence. The present study was designed to establish the optimal time for removal of such drains. METHODS: Data on abdominal prophylactic drains were analysed in a consecutive series of patients who underwent liver resection for malignancy between 2006 and 2009. Bilirubin levels in drain fluid were measured and bacteriological cultures were taken on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after surgery. Drains were removed on day 3 if the drain-fluid bilirubin level was less than 5 mg/dl and bacteriological cultures were negative. Drains remained in situ until these conditions were met. RESULTS: A total of 514 abdominal drains were placed in 316 patients operated on in the study period. Fifty-eight patients (18·4 per cent) had positive drain-fluid cultures and 14 (4·4 per cent) had bile leakage (drain-fluid bilirubin level 5 mg/dl or more). Only one patient required ultrasound-guided abdominal drainage. On multivariable analysis, drain-fluid bilirubin level on day 3 after surgery was the strongest predictor of infection (odds ratio 15·11, 95 per cent confidence interval 3·04 to 92·11; P < 0·001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve on day 3 had the highest predictive value: 83·6 per cent accuracy and 3·9 per cent false-positive rate for a drain-fluid bilirubin level of 3·01 mg/dl (51·5 µmol/l). CONCLUSION: The '3 × 3 rule' (drain-fluid bilirubin level below 3 mg/dl on day 3 after operation) is an accurate criterion for removal of prophylactically placed abdominal drains in liver resection.

Safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in patients with preexisting antinuclear antibodies.

PURPOSE: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show promising clinical activity in advanced cancers. However, the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in patients with preexisting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are unclear. METHODS: 191 patients treated with nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, or durvalumab for unresectable advanced cancers between September 2014 and December 2018 were identified retrospectively. Patients were divided into positive (ANA titers ≥ 1:160) and negative ANA groups (ANA titers < 1:160). Development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), the overall response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) were monitored. RESULTS: Positive ANA titers were seen in 9 out of 191 patients. Four patients in the positive ANA group and 69 patients in the negative group developed irAEs of any grade without a significant difference between the groups. The development of endocrine, pulmonary, and cutaneous irAEs was not significant, whereas positive ANA was significantly higher in patients who developed colitis (2/9) than in patients who did not (3/182, P = 0.0002). DCR in the positive and negative ANA group was 37.5% and 67.5%, respectively, and was not statistically significant, but had better efficacy in patients without ANA (P = 0.08). ANA-related autoimmune diseases such as SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, MCTD, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis was not induced in either group. However, one patient with preexisting dermatomyositis had a flare up after initiation of atezolizumab. CONCLUSION: Further studies to identify predictive factors for the development of irAEs are required to provide relevant patient care and maximize the therapeutic benefits of ICIs.

Inhibition of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase by uridine.

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylases (UTP: 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.23) from baker's yeast and Neurospora crassa IFO 6178 were inhibited by uridine which is the nucleoside moiety of UDP-GlcNAc. The inhibition was shown in both directions of pyrophosphorolysis and of synthesis of UDP-GlcNAc. Kinetic analysis revealed that uridine demonstrated a noncompetitive type of inhibition with UDP-GlcNAc and competitive inhibition with PPi. The Ki values for the baker's yeast enzyme were 1.8 mM for UDP-GlcNAc and 0.16 mM for PPi, and the values for the Neurospora enzyme were 1.1 mM for UDP-GlcNAc and 0.15 mM for PPi, respectively. Uridine did not bind irreversibly to the enzyme, as the activity was restored with dialysis. No other nucleosides caused inhibition of the enzyme activity except uridine. Some uridine derivatives, such as 5-hydroxyuridine, 5,6-dihydrouridine and pseudouridine, also inhibited the enzyme activity. But doexyuridine showed only slight inhibition, and 5'-UMP and orotidine caused no inhibition of the enzyme activity.

Purification and properties of guanylate kinase from baker's yeast.

Guanylate kinase (ATP:(d)GMP phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.8) was purified about 200-fold with 4% yield from baker's yeast. The enzyme preparation showed a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated to be 25 000 by gel filtration. With ATP as a phosphate donor, the kinase used only GMP as a phosphate acceptor. Km values for ATP and GMP were 0.5 and 0.048 mM, respectively. The enzyme reacted optimally at pH 7.5. The enzyme was labile during storage at 4 degrees C and inactivation was prevented by 20% glycerol.

Effects of L-NMMA and L-NNA on the selective ATP-induced enhancement of intratumoral blood flow.

We studied the effects of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) and N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) on the selective ATP and adenosine-induced enhancement of intratumoral blood flow in rats measured by the hydrogen clearance method. Both adenosine and ATP produced a selective enhancement of the intratumoral blood flow. Neither L-NMMA nor L-NNA had a significant effect on either the CBF or the intratumoral blood flow. Adenosine-induced enhancement was not inhibited by L-NMMA or L-NNA. On the other hand, the ATP-induced enhancement was totally inhibited by both L-NMMA and L-NNA. The inhibitory action of L-NMMA against ATP was blocked by L-arginine, but not by D-arginine. It is suggested that the ATP-induced increase of intratumoral blood flow is evoked by nitric oxide synthesized from the endothelium of the intratumoral blood vessels.

Purification and characterization of N-acyl-D-glutamate deacylase from Alcaligenes xylosoxydans subsp. xylosoxydans A-6.

The purification and properties of N-acyl-D-glutamate deacylase from the cell extracts of Alcaligenes xylosoxydans subsp. xylosoxydans A-6 were studied. The two active fractions (peaks I and II) were obtained by a Mono Q column chromatography. The predominant enzyme (peak I) has been purified, 1960-fold to homogeneity and characterized. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 59,000. The optimum pH and the isoelectric point were 8.0 and 5.5, respectively. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of N-acyl derivatives of D-glutamate. The Kms for N-acetyl, N-butyryl and N-propionyl derivatives of D-glutamate were 0.129, 0.066 and 0.01 mM, respectively.

Cardiovascular effects of a newly synthesized cardiotonic agent (TA-064) on normal and diseased hearts.

A new inotropic agent, TA-064, (-)-alpha-(3,4-dimethoxyphenethylaminomethyl)-4-hydroxybenzylalcohol, was shown to have strong effects in experimental animals. Its effectiveness and associated adverse effects were tested in humans invasively (n = 6) and noninvasively (n = 17). Increasing doses of intravenous infusion (1, 2, and 4 micrograms/kg/min) increased plasma levels to 15, 35, and 82 ng/ml, respectively, resulting in marked increases in the peak rate of left ventricular pressure rise (dP/dt) (1,450 +/- 63 to 3,042 +/- 349 mm Hg/s) (mean +/- standard error of the mean [SEM], p less than 0.01) and the ratio of dP/dt to left ventricular pressure at a developed pressure of 40 mm Hg (25 +/- 3 to 39 +/- 2 s-1) (p less than 0.01), with a reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (12 +/- 2 to 4 +/- 1 mm Hg) (p less than 0.01). Minimal or no changes were seen in heart rate and left ventricular systolic pressure. After a single oral dose (10 mg), the plasma level reached its peak at 90 minutes (16 +/- 9 ng/ml, n = 17). A positive inotropic effect was confirmed echocardiographically in both healthy volunteers (n = 8) and patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) (n = 9) who were maximally treated with conventional regimens: increase in mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (healthy volunteers: 1.29 +/- 0.05 to 1.60 +/- 0.11 circ/s [p less than 0.05]; patients with CHF: 0.69 +/- 0.08 to 0.93 +/- 0.09 circ/s [p less than 0.01]), ejection fraction (healthy volunteers: 68 +/- 2 to 75 +/- 2% [p less than 0.05], patients with CHF: 37 +/- 4 to 45 +/- 5% [p less than 0.01]) without change in heart rate. The cardiac index was increased only in the CHF group (2.71 +/- 0.22 to 3.21 +/- 0.24 liters/min/m2) (p less than 0.05). No significant untoward effects were observed. Thus TA-064 is a potent inotropic agent and can be used either parenterally or orally. Salutary effects can be expected in patients with congestive heart failure who are treated with digitalis and diuretic agents.

Effect of beta-carotene, sodium ascorbate and cellulose on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced intestinal carcinogenesis in rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a diet containing either 0.005% beta-carotene, 0.02% sodium ascorbate or 1.5% cellulose for 14 weeks. Beginning on day 3, all animals were also given weekly subcutaneous injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH; 20 mg/kg body wt.) throughout a 12-week period. The experimental diet was continued for an additional 14 weeks. At the end of the 26th week, surviving animals were sacrificed and the incidence of intestinal carcinomas was examined. A significantly lower incidence of carcinomas was observed in the beta-carotene-fed group (55.0%), compared with that in the control group given DMH (82.1%).

The effect of dietary seaweeds on 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumorigenesis in rats.

Six groups of female rats were fed diets containing 2% of one of six powdered seaweeds for 152 days and a basic diet for 59 or 60 successive days, and controls were fed the basic diet for the whole experimental period. The 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene was given to all rats intragastrically (20 mg/kg X 1), 27 days after the start of feeding. Diets with 3 weeds, Porphyra tenera (PT), Laminaria religiosa (LR) and L. japonica var. ochotensis (LO), showed an inhibitory effect on mammary tumorigenesis. Tumor incidences were 35% (7/20), 35% (7/20) and 50% (9/18), respectively, whereas that in the control group was 69% (20/29). There was a significant delay in the time to first palpable tumor in LR-fed and PT-fed rats (P less than 0.01). As for the tumor weight per rat in each group, it was significantly lower in the LR-fed group with a weight of 1.6 g, as compared with that of 16.3 g in the control group (P less than 0.02).

Purification and enzymatic properties of glyoxylate reductase II from baker's yeast.

Glyoxylate reductase II was purified about 2,400-fold from a cell extract of baker's yeast by protamine sulfate treatment, and column chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite, Sephadex G-150, and phosphocellulose. The purified enzyme was electrophoretically homogeneous. The molecular weight was determined to be approximately 65,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme was greatly stabilized by the addition of 20% (v/v) glycerol. It catalyzed the reduction of glyoxylate and hydroxypyruvate and was specific for NADPH as an electron donor, but showed slight affinity towards NADH. The Michaelis constants for glyoxylate, hydroxypyruvate, NADPH, and NADH were found to be 16mM, 1.4 mM, 5.7 microM, and 0.43 mM, respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) and iodoacetate, but inhibition was prevented by dithiothreitol (DTT) or L-cysteine. The reduction of glyoxylate and hydroxypyruvate was not stimulated by anions.

Purification and properties of glyoxylate reductase I from baker's yeast.

The purification and properties of NADPH-linked glyoxylate reductase [EC 1. 1. 1. 79] from baker's yeast were studied. Two active fractions (peak I and peak II) were isolated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The peak I fraction was purified to homogeneity by the criteria of disc gel electrophoresis and tentatively designated glyoxylate reductase I. Its molecular weight was calculated to be 31,000 from gel filtration measurements. The enzyme reduced glyoxylate 7 times faster than hydroxypyruvate and was specific for NADPH. The enzyme showed optimum activity between pH 5.5 and 7.2. The Michaelis constants for glyoxylate and NADPH were found to be 13 mM and 4 microM, respectively. The enzymic activity was not significantly affected by anions, except for nitrate and iodide, which were inhibitory.

Stereochemistry of ornithine decarboxylase reaction.

To determine the steric course of the reaction of bacterial ornithine decarboxylase [EC 4.1.1.17], we have carried out the decarboxylation of L-ornithine in 2H2O and that of DL-[2-2H]ornithine in H2O, and obtained putrescine bearing a single deuterium atom in the C-1 position. The stereochemistry of [1-2H]putrescine was established by conversion to 1-(2-pyrrolidinyl)-2-propanone with acetoacetate and the pro-S hydrogen-specific diamine oxidase from pea seedlings. Analysis of deuterium content by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that the deuterium label was fully retained during the conversion of [1-2H]putrescine produced by the decarboxylation of L-ornithine in 2H2O to 1-(2-pyrrolidinyl)-2-propanone, in contrast with the considerable loss of label from [1-2H]putrescine which was produced by the decarboxylation of DL-[2-2H]ornithine in H2O. The extent of loss of the deuterium label was in good agreement with the estimated value based on the isotope effect in the diamine oxidase reaction. These results indicate that the introduced deuterium (or hydrogen) is in the pro-R position at C-1 of putrescine, and consequently the ornithine decarboxylase reaction proceeds with retention of configuration.

Primary structure of N-acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase from Alcaligenes xylosoxydans subsp. xylosoxydans A-6.

The gene coding the N-acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase of Alcaligenes xylosoxydans subsp. xylosoxydans A-6 (Alcaligenes A-6) was cloned and its complete DNA sequence was determined. The N-acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase structural gene consists of 1,464 nucleotides and encodes 488 amino acid residues. The molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated to be 51,490. This value is close to the apparent molecular weight of 59,000 determined for the purified enzyme from Alcaligenes A-6 by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the recombinant protein exactly matches the amino acid sequence derived from the DNA sequence and that determined from the Alcaligenes A-6 enzyme (NH2-MQEKLDLVIEGGWVIDGLGG). The deduced amino acid sequence of the cloned N-acyl-D-glutamate amidohydrolase showed high sequence homology with those of N-acyl-D-aspartate amidohydrolase (46%) and D-aminoacylase (47%) from Alcaligenes A-6. This fact strongly suggests that these three enzymes have evolved from a common ancestral gene.

L-ornithine decarboxylase from Hafnia alvei has a novel L-ornithine oxidase activity.

A novel activity producing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from L-ornithine in the presence of NAD(P)+ was found in the crude extract of L-ornithine-induced Hafnia alvei, in addition to L-ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. The reaction system for the former activity consisted of two enzymes, L-ornithine oxidase (decarboxylating, OOD) and gamma-aminobutyraldehyde (GABL) dehydrogenase (GDH). OOD catalyzed the conversion of L-ornithine into GABL, CO2, NH3, and H2O2 in the presence of O2, and GDH dehydrogenated GABL to GABA in the presence of NAD(P)+. OOD, purified to homogeneity, had a high ODC activity and the activity ratio of ODC to OOD was almost constant throughout the purification (ODC/ OOD=160:1). The molecular mass of the OOD was about 230 kDa, probably consisting of three identical subunits of a 77 kDa peptide, and OOD had an absorption maximum at 420 nm as well as at 278 nm, the specific absorption for an enzyme containing pyridoxal phosphate (PLP). The content of PLP was estimated at about 1 mol per subunit. OOD was specific to L-ornithine, and other L-amino acids and polyamines including putrescine were inert. The enzyme was activated by PLP, but not by pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, FAD, FMN, or pyrroloquinoline quinone, and it was inactivated by hydrazine, semicarbazide, and hydroxylamine. The holoenzyme can be resolved to the apoenzyme by incubation with hydroxylamine, and reconstituted with PLP. These properties of OOD were almost the same as those of ODC separately purified to homogeneity from H. alvei. Zn2+ and Cu2+, butanedione, and sodium borohydride inhibited both OOD and ODC in a similar manner. The OOD reaction required O2 and only the ODC reaction proceeded under anaerobic conditions. The substitution of air for oxygen in the reaction vessel and the addition of catalase-H2O, enhanced only the OOD reaction, resulting in an increase of the ratio of OOD/ODC to 1:30 and 1:4.1, respectively. These results suggested that OOD and ODC are identical and that the former is a side reaction of the latter in the presence of O2.

Topical heat therapy for cutaneous chromomycosis.

An aged man with a large scaly plaque over the left buttock was successfully treated by local heat therapy using an electric bed-warmer with a surface temperature of 46 degrees C. Clinically, the lesion involuted completely after two months of treatment. This was concomitantly confirmed by histopathological and mycological studies of biopsy specimens obtained from the lesion at an interval of several weeks. The isolated fungus strain of Fonsecaea pedrosol could grow at 37 degrees C on Sabouraud's dextrose agar, but was totally eradicated 24 hours after the culture was incubated at 46 degrees C. We consider that local heat therapy carried out under strict supervision is a quite effective treatment for chromomycosis. Moreover, it can be performed safely and without much discomfort to patients, and can yield satisfactory results in a relatively short time.

Posteroventral pallidotomy for midbrain tremor after a pontine hemorrhage. Case report.

This 49-year-old man gradually developed a disabling action tremor in the proximal right upper extremity 8 months after suffering a pontine tegmental hemorrhage. The intraoperative microrecording in the nucleus ventralis intermedius (VIM) of the left thalamus revealed tremor-synchronous grouped discharges with a vigorous (2.7 Hz) action tremor predominantly in the shoulder and upper arm. High frequency electrical stimulation in the VIM did not affect the tremor. A posteroventral pallidotomy (PVP) was performed and resulted in the successful alleviation of all tremor activity. Posteroventral pallidotomy is known to alleviate parkinsonian tremors, especially those occurring in the contralateral lower extremity, trunk, and proximal segment of the contralateral upper extremity. The authors consider the pallidoreticular pathway to be an important tremor-mediating pathway for the proximal segment of the upper extremities and believe it can be controlled more effectively by PVP than by VIM thalamotomy, as demonstrated by the PVP-induced resolution of the midbrain tremor observed in this case.

Structure of aureobasidin A.

Aureobasidin A, a new antifungal antibiotic, was isolated from the culture medium of Aureobasidium pullulans R106. Aureobasidin A was a cyclic depsipeptide consisting of eight alpha-amino acid units and one hydroxy acid unit. The structures of the units were found by acid hydrolysis of the antibiotic to be 2(R)-hydroxy-3(R)-methylpentanoic acid, beta-hydroxy-N-methyl-L-valine, N-methyl-L-valine, L-proline, allo-L-isoleucine, N-methyl-L-phenylalanine, L-leucine, and L-phenyl-alanine. The sequence of the units was identified by NMR and FAB-MS of the products from the alkaline hydrolysis of aureobasidin A.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of spergualin analogues. II. Chemical modification of the spermidine moiety.

Chemical modifications of the spermidine moiety of an antitumor antibiotic, spergualin (Ia), and the structure-activity relationship are described. Replacement of spermidine with other polyamines decreased the antitumor activity against mouse leukemia L1210. Analogues containing an oxidized spermidine moiety that probably formed during oxidation with amine oxidase were inactive. Spermidine is indispensable for the antitumor activity. A facile method for the synthesis of glyoxyloyl polyamine, a key intermediate of spergualin-related compounds, is also reported.