A systematic review and meta-analysis of blood transfusion rates during liver resection by country

Purpose@#This study aimed to determine the blood transfusion rates during liver resection by country to prepare a basis for patient blood management policy. @*Methods@#Relevant articles from January 2020 to December 2022 were identified through an electronic database search.Meta-analyses were performed using fixed- or random-effects models. Study heterogeneity was assessed using the Q-test and I² test. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Egger’s and Begg’s tests. @*Results@#Of 104 studies (103,778 participants), the mean transfusion rate was 16.20%. Korea’s rate (9.72%) was lower than Western (14.97%) and other Eastern nations (18.61%). Although open surgery rates were alike (approximately 25%) globally, Korea’s minimally invasive surgery rate was lower (6.28% vs. ≥10%). Odds ratios (ORs) indicated a higher transfusion risk in open surgeries than minimally invasive surgery, especially in Korea (8.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.55–14.02) compared to other Eastern (OR, 2.57) and Western countries (OR, 2.20). For liver resections due to hepatocellular carcinoma and benign diseases, Korea’s rates (10.86% and 15.62%) were less than in Eastern (18.90% and 29.81%) and Western countries (20.15% and 25.22%). @*Conclusion@#Korea showed a lower transfusion rate during liver resection than other countries. In addition to the patient’s characteristics, including diagnosis and surgical methods, differences in the medical environment affect blood transfusion rates during liver resection.

The Distinct Role of Tcfs and Lef1 in the Self-Renewal or Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Background and Objectives@#Tcfs and Lef1 are DNA-binding transcriptional factors in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. In the absence of β-catenin, Tcfs and Lef1 generally act as transcriptional repressors with co-repressor proteins such as Groucho, CtBP, and HIC-5. However, Tcfs and Lef1 turn into transcriptional activators during the interaction with β-catenin. Therefore, the activity of Tcfs and Lef1 is regulated by β-catenin. However, the intrinsic role of Tcfs and Lef1 has yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Tcfs and Lef1 play differential roles in the regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of mouse ES cells. @*Methods@#and Results: Interestingly, the expression of Tcfs and Lef1 was dynamically altered under various differentiation conditions, such as removal of LIF, EB formation and neuronal differentiation in N2B27 media, suggesting that the function of each Tcf and Lef1 may vary in ES cells. Ectopic expression of Tcf1 or the dominant negative form of Lef1 (Lef1-DN) contributes to ES cells to self-renew in the absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), whereas ectopic expression of Tcf3, Lef1 or Tcf1-DN did not support ES cells to self-renew. Ectopic expression of either Lef1 or Lef1-DN blocked neuronal differentiation, suggesting that the transient induction of Lef1 was necessary for the initiation and progress of differentiation. ChIP analysis shows that Tcf1 bound to Nanog promoter and ectopic expression of Tcf1 enhanced the transcription of Nanog. @*Conclusions@#The overall data suggest that Tcf1 plays a critical role in the maintenance of stemness whereas Lef1 is involved in the initiation of differentiation.

Changes in Diffusion Metrics of the Red Nucleus in Chronic Stroke Patients With Severe Corticospinal Tract Injury: A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVE: To explore plastic changes in the red nucleus (RN) of stroke patients with severe corticospinal tract (CST) injury as a compensatory mechanism for recovery of hand function. METHODS: The moderate group (MG) comprised 5 patients with synergistic hand grasp movement combined with limited extension, and the severe group (SG) included 5 patients with synergistic hand grasp movement alone. The control group (CG) included 5 healthy subjects. Motor assessment was measured by Motricity Index (MI). Diffusion tensor imaging was analyzed using fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) in the individual regions of interest (ROIs)—bilateral internal capsule and anterior pons for CST injury and bilateral RN for rubrospinal tract (RST) injury. RESULTS: The SG showed a significantly lower MI score than the MG mainly due to differences in hand subscores. Significantly reduced FA was observed in both MG and SG compared with CG, while SG showed increased MD and RD in the affected ROIs of CST, and increased FA on the unaffected side compared with CG. However, in the RN ROI, a significantly increased FA and decreased RD on the unaffected side similar to the affected side were found only in the SG. The relative index of FA was lower and RD in SG was higher than in CG in RST. CONCLUSION: The diffusion metrics of RST showed changes in patients with severe CST injury, suggesting that RST may play a role in the recovery of hand function in patients with severe CST injury.

Hypersexuality Induced by Rasagiline Monotherapy in a Patinet with Parkinson's Disease

Impulse control disorders including hypersexuality occur occasionally in Parkinson's disease, especially when treated with dopamine agonist. A 62-year-old male with Parkinson's disease was initially treated with rasagiline monotherapy and presented hypersexuality. After 8 weeks of discontinuation of the drug, his hypersexual behavior was significantly improved. To our knowledge, this is the first reported Asian case of a hypersexuality caused by rasagiline. Our observation emphasizes that patients and caregivers need to be educated on the possibility of hypersexuality resulting from rasagiline.

Quantitative Gait Analysis in Patients with Huntington's Disease

OBJECTIVE: Gait disturbance is the main factor contributing to a negative impact on quality of life in patients with Huntington’s disease (HD). Understanding gait features in patients with HD is essential for planning a successful gait strategy. The aim of this study was to investigate temporospatial gait parameters in patients with HD compared with healthy controls. METHODS: We investigated 7 patients with HD. Diagnosis was confirmed by genetic analysis, and patients were evaluated with the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS). Gait features were assessed with a gait analyzer. We compared the results of patients with HD to those of 7 age- and sex-matched normal controls. RESULTS: Step length and stride length were decreased and base of support was increased in the HD group compared to the control group. In addition, coefficients of variability for step and stride length were increased in the HD group. The HD group showed slower walking velocity, an increased stance/swing phase in the gait cycle and a decreased proportion of single support time compared to the control group. Cadence did not differ significantly between groups. Among the UHDRS subscores, total motor score and total behavior score were positively correlated with step length, and total behavior score was positively correlated with walking velocity in patients with HD. CONCLUSION: Increased variability in step and stride length, slower walking velocity, increased stance phase, and decreased swing phase and single support time with preserved cadence suggest that HD gait patterns are slow, ataxic and ineffective. This study suggests that quantitative gait analysis is needed to assess gait problems in HD.

Does Diabetes Mellitus Influence Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been proposed as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but this remains controversial. We investigated the association between DM and CTS using both ultrasonography (US) and nerve conduction study (NCS) data. METHODS: We analyzed a prospectively recruited database of neuromuscular US and medical records of subjects who had undergone NCSs and electromyography for symptoms suggestive of CTS. Subjects were assigned to the follow groups: Group I, CTS with DM; Group II, CTS without DM; Group III, no CTS with DM; and Group IV, no CTS without DM. US cross-sectional area (CSA) and NCS measurements at the median nerve (MN) were compared among groups. We used a general linear mixed model to adjust for statistically significant covariates. RESULTS: The 230 participants comprised 22, 83, 19, and 106 in Groups I–IV, respectively. In multivariate analyses, the MN action potential amplitude in females was the only variable that was significantly associated with DM (p<0.001). Groups with DM tended to have a longer latency, smaller amplitude, and lower conduction velocity in the NCSs compared to groups without DM. The measured US CSA values did not differ significantly among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: NCS measurements of the MN tended to differ between DM and non-DM patients regardless of the presence or absence of CTS. However, US did not reveal any statistically significant relationship between CTS and DM.

Utilization of Post-centrifugal Plasma Filtration for Treatment of Hyperviscosity Syndrome due to Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia: A Case Report / 대한수혈학회지

Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia is characterized by overproduction of immunoglobulin M (IgM), which can lead to development of a hyperviscosity syndrome. Plasmapheresis has been used to reduce plasma viscosity and IgM levels. However, plasmapheresis not only removes pathogenic substances but also the normal components in plasma. Post-centrifugal plasma filtration (PCPF) using a filter with an appropriate pore size has been shown to be effective for selective removal of macromolecules in plasma without requiring a replacement fluid. Here, we report on a patient with hyperviscosity syndrome due to Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, which was ameliorated by a single treatment of PCPF using an Evaflux 5A filter. After centrifugation, the separated plasma of the patient was subjected to membrane filtration for removal of IgM in the plasma. After PCPF, a 56.5% reduction in the IgM level (from 9,370 mg/dL to 4,080 mg/dL) was achieved, whereas the level of albumin showed a slight decrease, from 2.7 g/dL to 2.4 g/dL (11.1% reduction). The patient's symptoms were relieved and she was discharged on the seventh hospital day.

Artifactual Hyperbilirubinemia due to Paraprotein Interference in a Case of Multiple Myeloma / 임상검사와정도관리

When analyzing samples containing paraproteins, various interference effects are encountered in the clinical laboratory. Precipitation of paraproteins mostly interferes with the assays that use photometric detection. Herein, we present a case of a patient with multiple myeloma who had paraproteins and spuriously elevated total bilirubin levels (31.1 mg/dL), which were measured by using Roche total bilirubin assay on the Modular DPE (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland) chemical analyzer. The total bilirubin concentration reduced from 31.1 mg/dL to 1.5 mg/dL, when tested after three fold dilution of the sample on Modular DPE chemical analyzer.

Comparison of Six Clinical Chemistry Test Results According to the Treatment of EDTA Anticoagulant in Body Fluid Specimens / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: Specimen requirements such as type of anticoagulant and number of tube for body fluid analysis vary with specimen type and requested laboratory tests. We compared the results of six clinical chemistry tests between EDTA anticoagulated and anticoagulant-free body fluids. METHODS: A total of 191 body fluids (45 pleural, 28 bronchoalveolar lavage, 35 peritoneal, 45 peritosol, and 38 synovial fluids) were aliquoted into EDTA tubes and anticoagulant-free tubes, and were simultaneously tested for total protein, albumin, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase, adenosine deaminase, and amylase. RESULTS: The coefficient of determination (R2) for all six clinical chemistry test results between EDTA anticoagulated and anticoagulant-free body fluids are more than 0.95 with the exception of glucose in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (R2= 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: EDTA anticoagulated specimen could be used for testing routinely requested clinical chemistry tests in body fluid analysis, that only one tube of specimen is necessary to perform cell count, differential count, and clinical chemistry tests.