Predictive value of continuous monitoring of indocyanine green retention rate at 15 minutes combined with standard residual liver volume for hepatic insufficiency in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after partial hepatectomy / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of continuous monitoring of indocyanine green retention rate at 15 minutes （ICG-R15） combined with standard residual liver volume （SRLV） in predicting hepatic insufficiency after partial hepatectomy. MethodsClinical data and SRLV data were collected from 70 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were admitted to Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery， Tianjin First Central Hospital， from November 2016 to May 2017. According to the presence or absence of hepatic insufficiency after surgery， the patients were divided into good liver function group with 56 patients and hepatic insufficiency group with 14 patients. Based on preoperative liver function evaluation and contrast-enhanced CT scans， resected liver volume and residual liver volume were calculated， and three-dimensional reconstruction of the liver was performed. Intraoperative ultrasound localization was performed to determine the surgical regimen， and selective hepatic inflow occlusion or intermittent hepatic portal occlusion was selected based on intraoperative conditions. CUSA combined with BIPOLAR drip electric coagulation forceps were used for the partition of liver parenchyma. SRLV was calculated， and ICG-R15 was monitored continuously. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups； the area under the ROC curve （AUC） was used to investigate the accuracy in predicting hepatic insufficiency after surgery. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to establish a predictive model for postoperative hepatic insufficiency， and diagnostic criteria were developed for SLRV combined with postoperative ICG-R15 dynamic monitoring in the diagnosis of postoperative hepatic insufficiency. ResultsThere were significant differences between the two groups in ICG-R15 before surgery， immediately after surgery， and on days 3 and 5 after surgery， as well as significant differences in SRLV and Child class （all P<0.05）. The incidence rate of postoperative hepatic insufficiency increased with the increase in ICG-R15 before surgery， immediately after surgery， and on days 3 and 5 after surgery （all P<0.001）. Further comparison between two groups showed that there was a significant difference in the incidence rate of hepatic insufficiency between the ICG-R15>20% group and the other two groups before surgery， immediately after surgery， and on days 3 and 5 after surgery （all P<0.001）， and there was a significant difference in the incidence rate of hepatic insufficiency between the ICG-R15<10% group and the 10%≤ICG-R15≤20% group immediately after surgery （P<0.001）. ICG-R15 before surgery， ICG-R15 immediately after surgery， ICG-R15 on day 3 after surgery， and ICG-R15 on day 5 after surgery had an AUC of 0.790， 0.857， 0.855， and 0.870， respectively， in predicting postoperative hepatic insufficiency， and ICG-R15 immediately after surgery and on days 3 and 5 after surgery had a significantly larger AUC than ICG-R15 before surgery （all P<0.05）. The multivariate analysis showed that increases in SRLV and postoperative ICG-R15 dynamic monitoring （immediately after surgery and on days 3 and 5 after surgery） were independent risk factors for postoperative hepatic insufficiency， while increased body mass index before surgery was an independent protective factor （all P<0.05）. A multivariate Logistic regression predictive model was established and was used to predict hepatic insufficiency after surgery （immediately after surgery and on days 3 and 5 after surgery）， and the ROC curve analysis showed that the model had an AUC of 0.963， 0.967， and 0.967， respectively， in predicting hepatic insufficiency immediately after surgery and on days 3 and 5 after surgery （all P<0.01）. Diagnostic criteria were developed for SLRV combined with postoperative ICG-R15 dynamic monitoring in the diagnosis of postoperative hepatic insufficiency， i.e.， SLRV>1 240 mL/m2， ICG-R15>20% immediately after surgery， or ICG-R15>25% on day 3 or 5 after surgery， and postoperative hepatic insufficiency could be diagnosed if a patient met any one criterion. These diagnostic criteria had a sensitivity of 100%， a specificity of 60.71%， and a conformity degree of 68.57%. ConclusionContinuous monitoring of ICG-R15 before and after surgery is of guiding significance for predicting postoperative hepatic insufficiency， and ICG-R15 on day 5 after surgery has the highest accuracy. SRLV combined with postoperative ICG-R15 dynamic monitoring can effectively predict the onset of hepatic insufficiency after hepatectomy and can guide clinicians to predict the onset of postoperative hepatic insufficiency in patients with liver cancer and perform clinical intervention as soon as possible.

An excerpt of European Society for Organ Transplantation consensus statement on biomarkers in liver transplantation （2023） / 临床肝胆病杂志

In August 2023， the European Society for Organ Transplantation （ESOT） published the ESOT Consensus Statement on Biomarkers in Liver Transplantation online. The consensus statement focuses on biomarkers in liver transplantation， clinical applicability， and future needs and explores the role of new biomarkers in predicting liver transplantation outcomes by reviewing the literature on primary disease recurrence， development of chronic kidney disease （CKD）， and safe weaning of immunosuppression. This consensus statement conducts studies from the four aspects of recurrent liver disease after liver transplantation， recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma， weaning of immunosuppression， and CKD progression， emphasizes the importance of biomarkers in predicting or detecting disease recurrence， and proposes that large-scale prospective studies are still needed to improve the quality of evidence. The author’s team gives an excerpt of the consensus statement and systematically introduces the four aspects of the consensus statement and related discussions and conclusions， in order to provide more evidence-based medical evidence for identifying and exploring new biomarkers for liver transplantation.

Teaching reform of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)acupuncture course in Nursing College of Peking Union Medical College / 基础医学与临床

Objective To reform the teaching content of acupuncture and moxibustion for undergraduate of Nursing College and to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching reform,so to provide constructive information for optimizing the curriculum.Methods To revise the teaching content of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)acu-puncture course based on the results of previous questionnaires,including reducing boring theoretical knowledge,increasing commonly used acupuncture techniques and clinical case analysis,organizing all undergraduates atten-ding the TCM teaching in the Nursing College of Peking Union Medical College to fill out the"Acupuncture Course Content Questionnaire"in 2023.The content covers four aspects:students'basic cognition of acupuncture and moxibustion before the course,students' learning feedback,students'learning effectiveness after the course and students' suggestions for further optimization of acupuncture and moxibustion course.Results Totally 149 students participated in the questionnaire survey and 73.15%of them were interested in the acupuncture course.There were 62.42%of the students thought that the most difficult part of the course was the"Acupuncture Points",and 71.81%of them complained the most constraining factor to the learning effectiveness was the diffi-culty of memorizing the meridians and acupoints.The most interesting part of the course was"Overview of Acu-puncture Treatment and Acupuncture Treatment of Common Diseases",which accounted for 44.3%of the students.Through the study,88.59%of the students were willing to recommend acupuncture treatment to pa-tients with indications.Students' suggestions for improvement of the acupuncture course was increase of classroom practice or learning by observation of operation videos.Conclusions The reformed acupuncture course highlights the practicability,improves the learning interest and subjective initiative,but the training of practice skill still needs to be strengthened.

Research progress of organoids in liver regenerative medicine / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Liver regenerative medicine can use functional liver cells to repair or replace damaged liver tissue and it is expected to be rapidly developed as an alternative treatment to liver transplantation. However, regenerative medicine requires cells with stable proliferation ability and liver cell characteristics. Liver organoids are derived from adult stem cells or pluripotent stem cells. They can be proliferated in large quantities and cultured for a long time in vitro, meanwhile maintain genetic stability, and simulate the structural and functional characteristics of organs in the body, providing a new strategy for liver regeneration. This article reviews liver organoids and their research progress in liver regenerative medicine, and discusses their application potential and existing limitations.

Significance and role of apprenticeship education in Traditional Chinese Medicine curriculum of western medical institutions / 基础医学与临床

The apprenticeship education of Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is an important pathway for the cultivation of talents in TCM education.The combination of institutional education and apprenticeship education is considered to be the most suitable educational model that aligns with the inherent characteristics of TCM education.The current status of TCM education in western medical institutions and the main challenges include the difficulty in transitioning between western and Chinese medical reasoning and limited clinical internship hours for TCM.The strengths and features of TCM apprenticeship education lie in cultural heritage,classical teachings,mentorship,practice orientation and personalized education.Therefore,integration of TCM apprenticeship education and clinical internships for western medical students represents a new educational model for medical undergraduates.

Value of a scoring system based on the serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein and alkaline phosphatase in predicting the prognosis of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To establish a scoring system based on the preoperative serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and to investigate its value in predicting the prognosis of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 154 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy as the initial treatment in Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2016 to August 2019. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off values of serum AFP and ALP; the Kaplan-Meier curve and the log-rank test were used for survival analysis to evaluate the relationship between the AFP-ALP score and disease-free survival (DFS); univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the independent prognostic factors for HCC patients. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The ROC curve analysis showed that serum AFP had an optimal cut-off value of 250.0 ng/mL and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.674 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.580-0.767) in predicting DFS, while serum ALP had an optimal cut-off value of 95.5 U/L and an AUC of 0.745 (95% CI : 0.652-0.838). The survival analysis showed that high preoperative serum levels of AFP (≥250.0 ng/mL) and ALP (≥95.5 U/L) were significantly associated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients ( P < 0.001). Based on the AFP-ALP score, all HCC patients were further divided into 0-point group (AFP < 250.0 ng/mL and ALP < 95.5 U/L), 1-point group (AFP≥250.0 ng/mL, ALP < 95.5 U/L; or AFP < 250.0 ng/mL, ALP ≥95.5 U/L), and 2-point group (AFP≥250.0 ng/mL and ALP≥95.5 U/L). The survival curves showed that the 0-, 1-, and 2-point groups had a median DFS of 60.0 (56.7-67.3) months, 20.0 (1.4-36.6) months, and 13.0(7.9-18.0) months, respectively, and there were significant survival differences between the three groups ( P < 0.05). Serum AFP-ALP score (1 point vs 0 point: hazard ratio [ HR ]=4.060, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 2.050-8.039, P < 0.001; 2 points vs 0 point: HR =4.583, 95% CI : 2.385-8.805, P < 0.001) was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. Conclusion The scoring system based on the serum levels of AFP and ALP can effectively identify HCC patients with poor prognosis, and therefore, it might be used as a simple and reliable tool for prognostic assessment in the clinical treatment of HCC.

Role of tumor-associated macrophages in cholangiocarcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly malignant biliary tumor with strong invasion and poor prognosis and is insensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) is an important component of the tumor microenvironment. CCA cells recruit TAM into tumor tissue by releasing cytokines and polarize them into M2 TAM, which promotes the progression of CCA through various mechanisms such as assisting immune escape, promoting tumor cell proliferation, regulating angiogenesis, promoting tumor metastasis, and mediating immune resistance. As an emerging target of tumor immunotherapy, TAM provides new ideas for targeted therapy for CCA. This article reviews the mechanisms of TAM in promoting the progression of CCA and immunotherapy targeting TAM in recent years.

The clinical symptoms and neurocognitive impairment of first-episode deficit and nondeficit subtype of schizophrenia / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To ulteriorly explore the differences of psychotic symptoms and neurocognitive between patients with first-episode deficit subtype of schizophrenia (FDS) and patients with first-episode nondeficit subtype of schizophrenia (FNDS).Methods:From January 2021 to September 2021, a total of 88 first-episode treatment-naive schizophrenia were recruited from the Mental Health Center of West China Hospital and divided into FDS group( n=44) and FNDS group( n=44) according to the schedule for the deficit syndrome (SDS), and 44 healthy subjects were included as healthy control group (HC group, n=44). Positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) was used to assess psychotic symptoms of patients and Wechsler adult intelligence scale, trail making test and logic memory test were used to evaluate intelligence quotient and neurocognitive function of all subjects.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis, and independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare variables that met normal distribution, while the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare variables that did not meet normal distribution. Results:(1) There were significant differences in psychotic symptoms between the FDS group and the FNDS group.Compared with the FNDS group, the FDS group had higher total score of PANSS ((95.95±16.82) vs (88.39±16.29)), negative symptoms ((27.57±7.52) vs (16.57±5.76)) and anergastic reaction ((13.43±3.82) vs (7.00(5.00, 9.00)), and lower positive symptoms scores ((21.95±6.88) vs (25.41±6.07)), activation ((8.00(5.00, 9.00) vs (9.27±3.47)), depression ((5.50(4.00, 9.00) vs (8.00(6.00, 12.00)) and supplementary item ((13.60±4.17) vs (17.30±5.39))(all P<0.05). (2) There were differences in neurocognitive functions between FDS group and FNDS group, and which in FDS and FNDS group were worse than that in HC group.Spatial memory (block design test: (23.70±11.05) vs (31.72±11.49)) and information processing speed (digit symbol test: (38.38±15.85) vs (47.97±14.99)) of FDS group were significantly lower than those of FNDS group(both P<0.05). Intelligence quotient, information processing speed and spatial memory of FDS group and FNDS group were lower than those of HC group(all P<0.05). Conclusion:FDS patients has more severe negative symptoms and anergastic reaction, and exit worse information processing speed and spatial memory dysfunction than FNDS patients.This unique pattern of impairment suggests that information processing speed and spatial memory may be important classification indicators for differentiating the deficit subtype of schizophrenia in the early stage.

Clinical application of robotic-assistant living donor left lateral segmentectomy / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility and safety of robotic-assisted living donor left lateral segmentectomy (LDLLS) in a large pediatric liver transplant program.Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed for clinical data of 45 LDLLS donors and recipients from June 2021 to September 2022.Traditional open donor liver resection (n=30) and robotic-assisted segmentectomy (n=15) were performed.Two groups were compared with regards to operative duration, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative healing and postoperative complications.SPSS 21.0 was utilized for statistical analysis.Independent sample T, paired sample T, Wilcoxon rank sum and Chi-square tests were performed for examining the inter-group differences.Results:Operative duration of robot-assisted surgery group was substantially longer than that of traditional open surgery group ( P<0.001). Intraoperative blood loss was less in robot-assisted surgery group was less than that in traditional open surgery group[(106.0±39.8) vs.(251.0±144.8) ml, P=0.001]. Postoperative hospital stay of robot-assisted surgery group was shorter than that of traditional open surgery group[6.0(6.0, 6.0) vs.7.0(6.0, 9.0), P<0.05]. Two cases of postoperative biliary leakage were observed in donor of traditional open surgery group.Among 2 cases of abdominal infection, one was due to biliary leakage from liver section and secondary surgery was then performed.One case of incisional infection and another case of thrombosis occurred in donor of traditional open surgery group.In robot-assisted surgery group, only one donor had amylase elevation.In traditional open surgery group, there were one case of local thrombosis in middle hepatic vein and one case of bile duct stricture.No long-term complications occurred in robot-assisted surgery group during a follow-up period of over 6 months.Finally recipient data analysis indicated that no significant inter-group differences existed in operative duration, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay or postoperative abdominal infection ( P=0.634, P=0.180, P=0.86 and P=0.153). Conclusions:Robotic-assisted LDLLS proves to be be a safe and reliable option for living donor segmentectomy.It is superior to conventional LDLLS in terms of shorter hospital stay, less intraoperative blood loss and fewer postoperative complications.

Progress on the treatment of biliary complications and tumor recurrence after liver transplantation / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Liver transplantation is the most effective way to treat end-stage liver disease, but biliary stenosis after liver transplantation, and tumor recurrence after liver transplantation impairs patients’ life quality and long-term survival. This article discussed the current status of treatment of biliary stenosis after liver transplantation and tumor recurrence after liver transplantation which based on the latest domestic and international researches and the authors’ clinical experience.

Research progress of CAR-T in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy, as a new idea of tumor immunotherapy, has been proved to be effective in hematological diseases. More and more studies have been focusing on this field. At present, some progress have been made in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with CAR-T, but some problems such as solid tumor inherent barrier, tumor microenvironment, immune escape and specific tumor associated antigens still need to be further figure out. Nevertheless, CAR-T immunotherapy will provide a more cutting-edge treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy. In addition, the combination of CAR-T and other methods may also be the direction to be explored in the next step.

Research progress in the role of HMGB1-RAGE signaling axis in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(HIRI) is a kind of liver injury caused by reperfusion after ischemic injury, which is clinically manifested by a series of deterioration phenomena such as liver function impairment, jaundice and even multi-organ failure after restoration of blood supply to the liver. HIRI seriously affects the patient's regression and prognosis. The essence of HIRI is a sterile inflammatory response. High mobility histone 1 (HMGB1) is an important intermediate mediator of HIRI and is a multiple cell type effector involved in HIRI. The receptor for glycosylated end products(RAGE) signaling axis of HMGB1 plays a key role in HIRI, but its mechanism is unclear. In this paper, the recent studies related to the pro-inflammatory mechanism of HMGB1-RAGE signaling axis in HIRI were summarized, and the relationship between HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway and HIRI was discussed. The research progress of preventing and treating HIRI with surgical operation, ischemic preconditioning, drug and gene therapy using HMGB1-RAGE signaling axis as the target was reviewed.

STAT6 silencing induces hepatocellular carcinoma-derived cell apoptosis and growth inhibition by decreasing the RANKL expression.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription-6 (STAT6) is highly expressed in various human cancers and considered a regulator of multiple biological processes in cancers, including cell apoptosis. Evidence has indicated that STAT6 predicts a worse prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of STAT6 in human HCC cells. We found that STAT6 silencing significantly inhibited HepG2 and Hep3B cell survival and proliferation. We observed that depletion of STAT6 increased HepG2 and Hep3B cell apoptosis by using a histone DNA ELISA detection kit. STAT6 silencing induced expression of apoptosis-associated genes Bax and caspase-3/7 and inhibited anti-apoptosis gene Bcl-2 levels. We also observed that STAT6 silencing downregulated the expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). Our results demonstrated that treatment with pcDNA3.1-RANKL abolished STAT6 depletion-induced HepG2 and Hep3B cell apoptosis and growth inhibition. Based on these findings, we believe that RANKL plays a major role in STAT6-induced HCC cell apoptosis.

Interpretation of acute abdomen in the immunocompromised patients: WSES/SIS-E/WSIS/AAST/GAIS guideline / 中华危重病急救医学

World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), in conjunction with Surgical Infection Society Europe (SIS-E), World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), and Global Alliance for Infection in Surgery (GAIS) developed guideline about the management of acute abdomen in immunocompromised patients, which was published in the World Journal of Emergency Surgery (WJES) on August 9, 2021. The guidelines elaborate on the definition, classification, diagnosis and treatment of immunocompromised patients. In addition, based on evidence-based medicine, it provides guidance and suggestion on the management of specific acute abdominal infections in immunocompromised patients, common acute abdominal infections in transplanted patients, patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well as perioperative steroid management. An interpretation of the guideline was performed to accomplish a better understanding the current status and recommendations for the management of acute abdominal conditions in immunocompromised patients, and to make forward suggestions on its limitations.

Establishment of the patient derived liver cancer xenograft model / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To establish the patient derived xenograft (PDX) model of liver malignant tumor, analyze the related factors affecting the carcinogenesis of PDX model, and analyze the differences of biological characteristics between the primary tumor and PDX model.Methods:Fresh liver malignant tumor tissue samples were collected from the patients who received the surgery from the Tianjin First Central Hospital and the samples were inoculated subcutaneously into BALB/c-nu mice. The correlations between clinicopathological information and tumor formation rate were analyzed, and the pathological morphology and specific protein expression of PDX model and primary tumor were compared.Results:Thirty-three PDX models were successfully established from 63 cases of liver malignant tumors. The overall tumor formation rate was 52.4% (33/63), including 46.3% (25/54) of primary liver cancer and 88.9% (8/9) of liver metastasis. The main factors affecting the tumor formation rate were tumor pathological type, distant metastasis and TNM stage (all P<0.05). The pathological morphology and specific protein expression of PDX model and primary tumor were similar. Conclusion:The PDX model of liver malignant tumor was successfully constructed, and the tumor formation rate was high, and can maintain the biological characteristics of the primary tumor.

Effects of IL-22 on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury and related mechanism in SD rats / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of IL-22 on rat liver ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) and the potential mechanisms.Methods:Eighteen male specific pathogen free SD rats (7-8 weeks, about 250g) were randomly divided into three groups: Sham group (Sham), hepatic ischemia reperfusion (IRI) and IL-22 preconditioning group (IL-22+ IRI), respectively. The liver IRI model of 70% rats was established. The IL-22+ IRI group was intraperitoneally injected with rcIL-22 (50 mg/kg) 1 hour before surgery, and the Sham group and IRI group were injected with the same dose of normal saline 1 hour before surgery. After 1 h ischemia and 6 h reperfusion, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta, then liver tissue, serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransfease (ALT) levels were measured. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver tissue were detected. The expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), p-STAT3, nuclear factor erythorid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) were detected by Western blot. Results:Compared with Sham group, serum AST [(1 923.50±92.63) U/L, (1 004.25±65.05) U/L)] and ALT [(1 172.51±180.31) U/L, (583.50±164.75) U/L] levels were increased in IRI group and IL-22+ IRI group (AST: F=293.62; ALT: F=30.33, P<0.05). The levels of MDA in IRI group and IL-22+ IRI group [(1.72±0.12) μmol/mg, (0.98±0.05) μmol/mg] in liver tissue were higher than those in Sham group (0.58±0.14) μmol/mg protein ( F=186.73, P<0.05), and the expression of p-STAT3, Nrf2 and HO-1 was increased. SOD level in IRI group (28.51±3.85) U/mg was lower than that in Sham group (70.25±5.64) U/mg protein ( F=203.41, P<0.05). Compared with IRI group, serum AST and ALT levels in IL-22+ IRI group were decreased, SOD activity in liver tissue was increased, MDA level was decreased, and p-STAT3, Nrf2 and HO-1 expression was increased (all P<0.05). Conclusion:IL-22 could alleviate liver IRI in rats, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of STAT3 and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and anti-oxidative stress.

Management experience of brain metastasis after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the pathogenesis and prognostic factors of brain metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after liver transplantation(LT).Methods:Retrospective review was performed for 17 HCC cases with brain metastasis after liver transplantation from 2000 to 2020.All cases were diagnosed as hepatitis B cirrhosis complicated with HCC.All of them were beyond the Milan Criteria.The immunosuppressive regimen consisted of baliximab + mycophenolate mofetil + calcineurin inhibitors(CNIs)+ corticosteroids in early postoperative period with a gradual tapering of corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil.Three patients received sirolimus immunotherapy after tumor recurrence and withdrew CNIs.One of three cases received sorafenib.Results:Other organ involvements included lung metastasis( n=16, 94.1%), bone metastasis( n=5, 29.4%)and liver metastasis( n=6, 35.3%). The median survival time after brain metastasis was 7 months and the 1-year cumulative survival rate 29.4%.The median survival time post-LT was 14 months and the 1-year cumulative survival rate 64.7%.Among 7 patients with a resection of brain metastasis, two deaths at Month 1 post-operation were due to cerebral hemorrhage.The longest survival time was 214 months and the median survival time 9 months. Conclusions:The prognosis of brain metastasis post-LT remains poor.However, early detection and reasonable treatment can prolong patient survival time and even achieve long-term survival.Most brain metastases are accompanied by lung metastases.And the finding of lung metastatic tumor hints at a presence of intracranial lesions.

Research progress of hepatectomy assisted by mixed reality technique for primary liver cancer / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Mixed reality, as a new virtual simulation technology, has been initially applied in the field of surgery. In hepatectomy for primary liver cancer, mixed reality technology has its unique advantages in formulating and evaluating surgical plans before surgery, precise real-time navigation during surgery, and virtual liver teaching, making liver resections more accurate and personalized. This article summarizes the relevant literature at home and abroad in recent years, summarizes the research progress of mixed reality technology in assisted liver resection for primary liver cancer, and discusses its application potential and limitations.

Research progress of human derived xenograft models in primary liver cancer / 中华肝胆外科杂志

With the development and marketing of a variety of new anti-tumor drugs, it the patients with liver cancer were benefited but it also raised a series of new problems. How to develop individualized therapeutic plans for the patients with liver cancer has always been bothering the clinicians. Patient-derived xenograft model retains the histological characteristics, molecular diversity and microenficity of human-derived tumors, and it can help conduct in vitro experiments, which can solve the above problems to a certain extent. This article summarizes the research progress of the application of patient-derived xenograft models on the diagnosis and treatment of primary liver cancer.

Biliary occlusive disease after liver transplantation with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography plus percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy ofendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) plus percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage (PTCD) of biliary reunion in the treatment of biliary occlusion after liver transplantation.Methods:From May 2018 to August 2019, clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for 9 patients with biliary tract occlusion after an initial liver transplantation. All of them underwent biliary reunion. An endoscopist performed ERCP while an interventional physician completed PTCD with bilateral guide wire under the same anesthetic period so that bilateral guide wire completed a reunion at biliary occlusion for re-opening biliary tract or establishing a new bile duct outflow path. Postoperative follow-ups were performed for observing the treatment outcomes and various factors of biliary stricture factors analyzed.Results:All of them received PTCD or T-tube sinus angiography and interventional treatment. The diagnosis of complete biliary occlusion was definite. After treatment, 7 cases of biliary tract reunion were successful. During operation, three reunion types of guide wire biliary, intestinal cavity and intra-abdominal cavity were employed. Two failed cases received continuous PTCD drainage after operation. The influencing factors of biliary tract stenosis were retrospectively analyzed after operation. Among them, there were non-anastomotic stenosis ( n=2), biliary leakage ( n=2) and anastomotic stenosis and long tortuous biliary tract ( n=5). Conclusions:Rapid, mini-invasive and safe, ERCP plus PTCD biliary tract reunion may be employed as a first choice for biliary occlusion after liver transplantation.