Laparoscopic caudate lobe resections: How I do it: tips and pitfalls (with video).

BACKGROUND: The caudate lobe (S1) of the liver, due to its deep central position, presents a formidable challenge for laparoscopic resection. Historical skepticism about laparoscopic approaches has been overshadowed by advancements in technology and technique, with recent studies showing comparable outcomes to open surgery. METHODS: This paper introduces the "Easy First" technique and the Sextet strategies for laparoscopic hepatic caudate lobectomy. The strategies include meticulous preoperative planning, optimal trocar placement, and team positioning, tailored to the anatomical complexities of the caudate lobe. RESULTS: With a 0% conversion and mortality rate, our series demonstrates the safety of the "Easy First" technique. The Sextet strategies have been instrumental in navigating the technical challenges, emphasizing the importance of patient selection and surgeon expertise. CONCLUSION: The "Easy First" technique, with its structured approach and the Sextet strategies, offers a replicable method for laparoscopic caudate lobectomy. It underscores the need for stringent patient selection, advanced technical skill, and high-volume center expertise to ensure procedural success and patient safety.

Reactive Oxygen Species in Drought-Induced Stomatal Closure: The Potential Roles of NPR1.

Stomatal closure is a vital, adaptive mechanism that plants utilize to minimize water loss and withstand drought conditions. We will briefly review the pathway triggered by drought that governs stomatal closure, with specific focuses on salicylic acid (SA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). We propose that the non-expressor of PR Gene 1 (NPR1), a protein that protects plants during pathogen infections, also responds to SA during drought to sustain ROS levels and prevent ROS-induced cell death. We will examine the evidence underpinning this hypothesis and discuss potential strategies for its practical implementation.

Is laparoscopic surgery a preferred option for benign conditions in the caudate lobe of the liver?

BACKGROUND/AIM: Laparoscopic hepatectomy has become a common management strategy for liver tumors owing to its less invasive nature and enhanced visual perspective. Yet, its use in the caudate lobe poses challenges. This study evaluates the experiences of patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatic tumors in the caudate lobe and aims to propose strategies for performing such procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of twelve patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatic caudate lobe resection at the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University. RESULTS: All twelve laparoscopic procedures were successful, with none requiring conversion to open surgery. The surgical methods varied: five cases involved simple resection of the Spiegel lobe, one case involved total caudate lobe resection, three cases involved paravena cava lobe resection, and three cases involved resection of the caudate process. The operation time ranged from 49 to 319 min (mean, 219 min). Intraoperative blood loss ranged from 20 to 500 ml, averaging 194 ml. No patients needed blood transfusions during or after the operation, and there were no instances of postoperative bleeding, bile leakage, or abdominal infection. CONCLUSION: Given adequate control of hepatic inflow, sufficient exposure to the surgical field, and an appropriate approach, laparoscopic hepatectomy in the caudate lobe could potentially become a standard surgical technique.

Analysis of urinary C-C motif chemokine ligand 14 (CCL14) and first-generation urinary biomarkers for predicting renal recovery from acute kidney injury: a prospective exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent syndrome in the intensive care unit (ICU). AKI patients with kidney function recovery have better short-term and long-term prognoses compared with those with non-recovery. Numerous studies focus on biomarkers to distinguish them. To better understand the predictive performance of urinary biomarkers of renal recovery in patients with AKI, we evaluated C-C motif chemokine ligand 14 (CCL14) and two first-generation biomarkers (cell cycle arrest biomarkers and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) in two ICU settings. METHODS: We performed a prospective study to analyze urinary biomarkers for predicting renal recovery from AKI. Patients who developed AKI after ICU admission were enrolled and urinary biomarkers including tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), CCL14, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were detected on the day of AKI diagnosis. The primary endpoint was non-recovery from AKI within 7 days. The individual discriminative ability of CCL14, [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] and NGAL to predict renal non-recovery were evaluated by the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). RESULTS: Of 164 AKI patients, 64 (39.0%) failed to recover from AKI onset. CCL14 showed a fair prediction ability for renal non-recovery with an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI 0.63-0.77, p < 0.001). [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] showed the best prediction for renal non-recovery with an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI 0.71-0.84, p < 0.001). However, NGAL had no use in predicting non-recovery with an AUC of 0.53 (95% CI 0.45-0.60, p = 0.562). A two-parameter model (non-renal SOFA score and AKI stage) predicted renal non-recovery with an AUC of 0.77 (95% CI 0.77-0.83, p = 0.004). When [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] was combined with the clinical factors, the AUC was significantly improved to 0.82 (95% CI 0.74-0.87, p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary CCL14 and [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] were fair predictors of renal non-recovery from AKI. Combing urinary [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7] with a clinical model consisting of non-renal SOFA score and AKI stage enhanced the predictive power for renal non-recovery. Urinary CCL14 showed no significant advantage in predicting renal non-recovery compared to [TIMP-2] × [IGFBP7].

Cyano Derivatives of 7-Aminoquinoline That Are Highly Emissive in Water: Potential for Sensing Applications.

6-Cyano-7-aminoquinoline (6CN-7AQ) and 3-cyano-7-aminoquinoline (3CN-7AQ) were synthesized and found to exhibit intense emission with quantum yield as high as 63 % and 85 %, respectively, in water. Conversely, their derivatives 6-cyano-7-azidoquinoline (6CN-7N3 Q) and 3-cyano-7-azidoquinoline (3CN-7N3 Q) show virtually no emission, which makes them suitable to be used as recognition agents in azide reactions based on fluorescence recovery. Moreover, conjugation of 6CN-7AQ with a hydrophobic biomembrane-penetration peptide PFVYLI renders a nearly non-emissive 6CN-7AQ-PFVYLI composite, which can be digested by proteinase K, recovering the highly emissive 6CN-7AQ with ∼200-fold enhancement. The result provides an effective early confirmation for RT-qPCR in viral detection.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities and Mechanism of Action of Chelerythrine Against Carbapenem-Resistant Serratia marcescens In Vitro.

Aim: To evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of chelerythrine (CHE) against carbapenem-resistant Serratia marcescens (CRSM). Materials and Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CHE against CRSM was determined using the agar dilution method. Changes in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, intracellular pH, cell membrane potential, and cell membrane integrity were investigated to assess the influence of CHE on the cell membrane. The effects of CHE on cell morphology were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The antibiofilm formation of CHE was measured by crystal violet staining and visualized with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and FESEM. The influence of CHE on biofilm components was further investigated using CLSM specific combined with double-dyeing methods. Results: Our results showed that CHE had an MIC at 125 µg/mL against CRSM was capable of inhibiting the growth of CRSM and destroying its cell membrane integrity, as well as obviously changing the cell morphology. Sub-MIC CHE displayed robust inhibitory effects against CRSM biofilm formation by mediating the production of biofilm components. In addition, CLSM- and FESEM-mediated evaluation of the damage of biofilm cells and biofilm persistence revealed that at high concentrations, CHE could compromise the cells within biofilms and remove preformed biofilms. Conclusion: CHE shows promise as a natural antimicrobial substance against biofilm-positive CRSM, with the potential to serve as an alternative therapeutic agent.

[Prediction of drug bioavailability by genetic algorithm and artificial neural network].

AIM: To set up an artificial neural network system and optimize by genetic algorithm (GA) to predict drug bioavailability. METHODS: Genetic algorithm was used to optimize weights of the artificial neural network. The optimal solution of the artificial neural network model at a specific condition was obtained using the good search ability of genetic algorithm in order to predict drug bioavailability. Volume, refractivity, lgP(c), hydration, polarizability, E(HOMO) and E(LUMO) are inputs of the drug bioavailability prediction neural network, and its output is average drug bioavailability. RESULTS: The prediction precision of average drug bioavailability of the GA- neural network model is 95.9%. CONCLUSION: This model can be used in the forecasting of drug bioavailability.

Effects of injection of Huangqi injectio into Zusanli (ST 36) on immune function in the patient of schizophrenia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study on effects of injection of Huangqi Injectio into Zusanli (ST 36) on the hospital infection and immune function in the patient of schizophrenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty inpatients of chronic schizophrenia were treated with injection of Huangqi Injectio into bilateral Zusanli (ST 36), 2 mL each point, thrice each week, for 8 weeks. Relative immune indexes and the hospital infection were investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The hospital infection and the sub-infection were 4 cases (13.3%), 7 cases-times (23.3%) in the injection group; and 9 cases (15.0%), 19 cases-times (31.7%) in the control group, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The drug-administration duration was 7.77 days/case and 11.87 days/case in the two groups, respectively (P<0.01). In the injection group, as compared with that of last 3 years the duration was 7.77 days/case and 14.08 days/case (P<0.01). IgG, IgA, IgM and T-cell subgroups did not have significant changes, but there was the most different value before and after injection in SIL-2R of the no-infection group, and the longer the drug administration duration, the smaller the different values.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Injection of Huangqi Injectio into Zusanli (ST 36) has definite effect for prevention of the hospital infection in inpatients of chronic schizophrenia, and SIL-2R is a valuable index for investigation of the hospital of infection.</p>

A facile oxidation and oxygen insertion of the cyclopentadiene ring by molecular oxygen in solution.

[reaction: see text] Oxidation of substituted cyclopentadienes by molecular oxygen afforded the corresponding pyrylium cations in acidic solution, whereby an oxygen atom was inserted into the cyclopentadiene ring. This novel one-step reaction proceeds in a different yield depending on substitution patterns of the cyclopentadiene. A possible reaction pathway and formation mechanism of the pyrylium cation are proposed and discussed.

Spectroscopic studies on 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylpyrylium salts with and without silver (I)-bridged structures.

Two novel phenylated pyrylium compounds, silver (I)-bridged 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylpyrylium perchlorate (P1) and its silver (I)-free pyrylium ligand (P2) were prepared from 1,2,3,4-tetraphenylcyclopentadiene to examine their spectroscopic behaviors. The UV/vis absorption and fluorescent emission spectra of P1 and P2, measured in three solvents (acetonitrile, dichloromethane and toluene), reveal that the photophysical behaviors are closely related to silver (I) fragment, and strongly dependent on solvent polarity. In polar acetonitrile, P1 displays longer absorption wavelength and much lower fluorescent emission intensity than P2, although they exhibit much similarity in shape. In contrast, in nonpolar toluene, while P2 shows an apparent absorption band at 338 nm, P1 displays a tail-like line without absorption band observed. All the spectra obtained indicate a better coplanarity and a stronger intra-molecular charge transfer in P1 due to the effect of silver (I) fragment. Additionally, the 1H NMR spectra of P1 and P2, which were recorded under the same conditions, indicate that the silver (I) fragment reinforces pyrylium ring's capacity to localize the formal positive charge within the heterocyclic ring.

Conversion of phenyl-substituted cyclopentadienes to pyrylium cations.

Phenyl-substituted cyclopentadienes are proved to form phenylated pyrylium cations in the presence of silver(I) perchlorate by insertion of an oxygen atom into the cyclopentadiene-ring. Three phenylated pyrylium compounds, [(Ph(5)C(5)O(+))(ClO(4)(-))](2)(CH(2)Cl(2)) (1), Ag(ClO(4))(H(2)O)(Ph(4)HC(5)O(+)) (ClO(4)(-)) (2), and (Ph(3)H(2)C(5)O(+))(ClO(4)(-)) (3) have been synthesized and characterized. A possible reaction pathway and formation mechanism of the pyrylium cation are proposed and discussed.

The expression of EST and ER in hemangioma with its clinical value / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the relationship between estrogen and the development of hemangioma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of EST and ER in samples from the thirty-eight cases of hemangioma and six cases of normal control group was examined with the immunohistochemical steptavidin peroxidase conjugated method (SP method).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The EST in capillary hemangioma expressed significantly higher than in the cavernous hemangioma, the racemose hemangioma or the control group. Although the EST in cavernous hemangioma and racemose hemangioma also expressed higher than in the control, there are no statistical differences among them. The ER only expressed in some cases in the capillary hemangioma group. No sexual difference was shown in the expressions of the EST and the ER.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study shows that there may be a relationship existed between the estrogen and the capillary hemangioma. It may indicate that some capillary hemangioma may be possibly treated by the drugs.</p>